Loading...
The URL can be used to link to this page
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Home
My WebLink
About
2011-0802 Council Mtg PACKET
CITY OF ASHLAND Importan : Any citizen may orally address the Council on non-agenda items during the Public Forum. Any citizen may submit written comments to the Council on any item on the Agenda,unless it is the subject of a public hearing and the record is closed. Time permitting,the Presiding Officer may allow oral testimony. If you wish to speak please❑II out the Speaker Request form located near the entrance to the Council Chambers. The chair will recognize you and inform you as to the amount of time allotted to you,if any. The time granted will be dependent to some extent on the nature of the item under discussion,the number of people who wish to speak and the length of the agenda_ AGENDA FOR THE REGULAR MEETING ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL August 2, 2011 Council Chambers 1175 E. Main Street Note: Items on the Agenda not considered due to time constraints are automatically continued to the next regularly scheduled Council meeting [AMC 2.04.030.E.] . 6:30 p.m. Joint Meeting with the Ashland Community Hospital Board. 7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting I. CALL TO ORDER II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. ROLL CALL IV. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS V. SHQULD THE COUNCIL APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THESE MEETINGS? [5 minutes] 1. Study Session of July 18, 2011 2. Executive Session of July 19, 2011 3. Regular Meeting of July 19, 2011 VI. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS 1. Proclamation regarding Mayors for Peace and the Ashland Hiroshima and Nagasaki Vigil [5 Minutes] VII. CONSENT AGENDA [5 minutes] 1. Will Council approve the minutes of City Boards, Commissions, and Committees? 2. Does Council wish to approve a Liquor License Application from Christian Senf dba Ruby's Neighborhood Restaurant at 163 N Pioneer Street? 3. Does Council approve the recommendation of the Public Art Commission (PAC) to implement The Wishing Tree, a mural proposed for installation at Helman Elementary School? 4. Does Council have questions regarding an amendment to increase the Transportation and Growth Management grant by $40,000 providing additional funding for the Transportation System Plan update? COl'NCII 111 1;I JN(iS ARE RROADC ?S"I L1VF ON CHANNI:'l 9 VISIT TI11: CITY OF ASI ll,AND'S WI-113 Sl I-F AT \V AVW.ASI ILAND.(_)R.US 5. Will Council approve reconvening the Public Safety Bond Committee to evaluate the options for expanding or relocating the Police Station and to evaluate possible funding options for the expansion or relocation? 6. Will Council repeal resolution 2011-01, which created the AFN Advisory Board? VIII. PUBLIC HEARINGS (Persons wishing to speak are to submit a "speaker.request form" prior to the commencement of the public hearing. All hearings must conclude by 9:00 p.m., be continued to a subsequent meeting, or be extended to 9:30 p.m. by a two-thirds vote of council (AMC §2.04.050)) 1. Will Council approve a one-year pilot project for a road diet on North Main between Helman Street and the city limits? If so, should the road diet be delayed until after the Wimer/Hersey/N. Main intersection is realigned? [90 Minutes] IX. PUBLIC FORUM Business from-the audience not included on the agenda. (Total time allowed for Public Forum is 15 minutes. The Mayor will set time limits to enable all people wishing to speak to complete their testimony.) (15 minutes maximum) Please note: Comments or questions from the public that are of a defamatory nature, such as statements directed at individual Councilors' character, intentions, etc., are out of order because they interfere with the work of the Council. The Council will not answer questions posed during public forum but may direct staff to answer such questions later. X. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - None. XI. NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 1. Will Council direct staff to initiate changes to the City's land use process to implement recommended changes to the Historic District Design Standards? [30 Minutes] XII. ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS None. XIII. OTHER BUSINESS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS/REPORTS FROM COUNCIL LIAISONS 1. Does Council with to provide direction to City staff to investigate possible changes to the City's listserv? XIV. ADJOURNMENT In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Administrator's office at(541) 488-6002(TTY phone number 1-800-735-2900). Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting(28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title l). C'OU�'Cil llfil1'I\GS ARP. f3Rt)AI:C 1ST L(VI i)N C.'I IA\'itiL:I. 9 \ ISM I 11 11, CITY 01- ASI LAND'S \\ F11 SITF A'I CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION July 18, 2011 Page I of 2 MINUTES FOR THE STUDY SESSION ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL Monday,July 18,2011 Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Siskiyou Room. Councilor Silbiger, Moms, Lemhouse, Voisin, and Chapman were present. Councilor Slattery was absent. 1. Look Ahead Review Agenda item not discussed. 2. Does Council have questions regarding the draft Urban Renewal Feasibility Study? Jeff Tashman from Tashman Johnson LLC addressed Conclusions in Section X. of the Urban Renewal Feasibility Study draft on the Downtown/Railroad and Croman Mill Site areas. There were existing conditions of development, infrastructure, and public facilities in the Downtown/Railroad area where Council could make a finding for urban renewal under the statute of blight. The Railroad area contained underdeveloped areas, and lacked adequate access and infrastructure throughout the area. They based projected revenues and tax increment financing on a specific real estate market assessment over a 20-year period that showed the area could provide 140,000 square feet of office space, 60,000 square feet of retail, 90 residential units, and 115 hotel rooms. The key public investment and infrastructure needed to support that level of development included intersection improvements, additional public parking, a possible plaza enhancement, a railroad crossing at 4h street and a road extension and utilities at Clear Creek Road. The real estate market assessment projected a funding capacity for the Downtown/Railroad area of $24,000,000 over a 20-year period. A smaller urban renewal district or a shorter period was feasible. Mr. Tashman separated future development by what would happen with or without urban renewal and determined without urban renewal development would occur in the downtown area. He explained the calculations used to determine the amounts taxing districts levied from their permanent base came from the prior fiscal year. Ashland had two major taxing districts, the City and the School District. The School District would not be impacted from urban renewal because of state funding. The other districts were countywide and any development that occurred through urban renewal in Ashland was a small part of that amount. They projected 2%of last year's permanent rate levy or approximately $170,000 year. For the East Ashland Study Area, there were obvious conditions of blight because the area lacked major access and infrastructure. Development projections included 300,000 square feet of employment uses, 85,000 square feet of office, 150,000 square feet of retail and 90 housing units. Public improvements were substantial, expensive, and included a parking structure and public park for the Croman Mill Site area. Present dollar projected costs were $20,000,000 and would require $11,000,000 in future urban renewal dollars. The conclusion was urban renewal and tax increment financing would need substantial subsidizing from other funding sources to develop as projected. However, impacts on the East Ashland Project taxing districts were smaller because very few projects would happen without Urban Renewal. City impact would be .05%0 of the permanent rate levy and the other taxing district would have .1%. Mr. Tashman explained urban renewal plans fail because the market did not support the development, the development did not occur, there were no revenues to spend and subsequently projects not started. In the event urban renewal fails,taxes already collected are returned to the taxing districts. Urban renewal plans authorize projects only. Citizens benefit from urban renewal in 20 years through higher property tax CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION July 18, 2011 Page 2 of 2 revenues from the urban renewal area. Additionally, tax increment financing used property taxes paid in the normal manner and allocated them for specific projects. Another possible revenue source was General Obligation Bonds. Councilor Silbiger declared a conflict of interest due to his investment in a company that had expressed interest in the Tolman Creek area. Council noted each of the areas designated for urban renewal had very different components and requirements and was not convinced urban renewal fit all solutions to these problems. Another issue was the effort required to establish an urban renewal agency to manage the areas. Council could see the value in the tool but were not comfortable with all the unknowns. Mr. Tashman commented on the challenge of doing development projections and how management, budgeting, and ensuring the city involved could support the debt with current revenues mitigated uncertainty related to urban renewal. Colin Swales shared a conversation he had with the Jackson County Assessor that stated this year 25%of Jackson County property would have a real market value less than the assessed market value. Mr. Tashman concluded urban renewal was a major decision and it might be useful to separate it from the need of public investment in order to achieve the development the City was seeking through the comprehensive Plan. The City needed to decide how to fund development projects. Councilor Chapman left the meeting at 6:27 p.m. Meeting was adjourned at 6:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dana Smith Assistant to the City Recorder ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 1 of 8 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR MEETING ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL July 19,2011 Council Chambers 1175 E.Main Street CALL TO ORDER Mayor Stromberg called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Civic Center Council Chambers. ROLL CALL Councilor Morris, Lemhouse,Voisin, Silbiger,and Chapman were present. Councilor Slattery was absent. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Stromberg announced vacancies on the Housing Commission, the Forest Lands Commission, the Planning Commission,the Conservation Commission,the Tree Commission, and the Audit Committee. Mayor Stromberg noted the passing of Marty Levine who served for many years on the City Citizens Budget Committee,the Audit Committee, and the AFN Advisory Board and honored him with a moment of silence. SHOULD THE COUNCIL APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THESE MEETINGS? The minutes of the Study Session of June 20, 2011, Regular Meeting of June 21, 2011 and Special Meeting of June 28,2011 were approved as presented. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS &AWARDS Fire Chief John Karns introduced Forest Lands Commissioner John Williams who presented the new watershed map. Mr. Williams explained the process the Commission went through to create a fun and educational map of the watershed based on a suggestion from Commissioner Chris Iverson. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Will Council.approve the minutes of City Boards, Commissions,and Committees? 2. Will Council, acting as the local contract review board,approve the award of two public contracts for janitorial services to Pathway Enterprises(QRF)? 3. Will Council approve an extension of an existing contract for legal services with Douglas McGeary, not to exceed $25,000? 4. Will Council approve a lease amendment to the existing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) lease, which would allow the hanger to be sold and would grant the City first right of refusal? and Will Council waive its first right of refusal to purchase the CAP hanger for the current offer of$40,000,thereby allowing the hanger to be purchased by a private party? 5. Will Council,acting as the local contract review board,approve the award of a public contract to L.N. Curtis & Sons for fire hose and related equipment? 6. Will Council, acting as the local contract review board, approve the request for approval of a "Class Special Procurement" to use an alternative contracting approach (solicitation process) for fuel purchases? 7. Will Council authorize signature of an Intergovernmental Agreement with Jackson County to provide building inspection services? Councilor Silbiger requested Consent Agenda item #1 be pulled for discussion. Councilor Voisin/Chapman m/s to approve Consent Agenda items #2 through #7. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. Councilor Silbiger explained the Planning Commission meeting of June 28, 2011 did not have a full quorum and therefore Council could not approve the minutes from that meeting. ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 2 of 8 Councilor Silbiger/Chapman m/s to accept the Housing Commission minutes of March 23, 2011. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. Will Council hold a public hearing and approve a resolution titled, "A Resolution Adopting a Miscellaneous Fees and Charges Document and Repealing Prior Fee Resolutions 2001-05, 2007-34, and 2008-29 and the Hourly Service Charge Section of Resolution 1999-29"? Interim Assistant City Administrator Lee Tuneberg explained the resolution would help staff administer the program and citizens easily identify specific fees and went on to note changes and additions. Community Development Director Bill Molnar addressed the $150 Appeal fee and explained it would recoup public noticing charges only, not staff time attending meetings for an actual appeal. The City would also waive the fee for recognized neighborhood and community organizations and refund the fee if an appellant were successful. Mr. Tuneberg explained the fee for replacing an electric service line from overhead to underground increased from $505 to $993 to recoup time, material, and equipment used to change the line. He would provide Councilor Morris with additional information on whether this fee might work against the City incentive to move lines from overhead to underground. Public Hearing Opened: 7:24 p.m. Public Hearing Closed: 7:24 p.m. Councilor Chapman/Silbiger m/s to approve Resolution#2011-26.Voice Vote: all AYES.Motion passed. 2. Does Council wish to approve an order authorizing a lease of real property to the Ashland Gun Club? Facilities Manager Mike Morrison, Engineering Services Manager Jim Olson, Public Works Director Mike Faught and from JBR and Environmental Associates, Geologist and Project Manager Obie Strickler introduced themselves. Contract Attorney Megan Thornton provided the background on the Ashland Gun Club lease and explained the proposed lease agreement offered an initial 10-year term with additional extensions on the I Ph, 12'h, 13`h• and 14'"years to extend the lease fora maximum of 25 years. The City had two issues regarding the lease, whether the Gun Club was good neighbors and environmental concerns for the property. Good neighbor provisions in the proposed lease limited the hours and days of operation with 4 days a year when the Gun Club would close. The lease also limited types of weapons used to reduce noise. The lease would permit night use by law enforcement agencies only with a two-week notice to neighbors. It would have access limits to the property and specifically exclude historic structures from Gun Club use. To address stewardship and environmental issues with the property, the lease included an environmental stewardship plan for lead monitoring with scheduled removal on a regular basis. The definition of lead was defined separately in the lease because it was not considered a hazardous waste. The lease also provided protection for the riparian corridor. An additional overnight stay was included to cover an archery event for two overnight events per year. Also added was a clause that states Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will be the agency that determines the level of lead clean up required if Gun Club activities cease on the site. The City will develop the stewardship plan with the consultant. Council will adopt the plan and add it to the lease as an exhibit. Council expressed concern on the timing of the stewardship plan and signing the lease. ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEET/NC July 19, 2011 Page 3 of Mike LaNier/201 West Main Street, Medford/Explained he was a consultant for the Ashland Gun Club and noted the proposed lease would protect the City, the Gun Club and the environment. The stewardship plan was expensive. In order for the Gun Club to qualify for grants, specifically the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), it required at the minimum a 10-year lease. Once the Gun Club has the lease, they will use grant money to fund the stewardship plan. He added the Gun Club recycles the lead shot found on the property. Chuck Parlier/6801 Irish Lane/Spoke as the President of the Ashland Gun Club and commented how the club serves community in several ways that included the Ashland Police, the Forensic Lab, the ROTC, the National Guard, Boy Scouts and recently hosted a Civil War Reenactment for the college. The Gun Club was a good asset to the community. George Pitts/19041 SW Olson Avenue/Introduced himself as the Chairman of the Oregon Association of Shooting Ranges and was a member of the Ashland Gun Club. The Oregon Association of Shooting Ranges ensured gun clubs remained open and complied with regulations. It also required all gun club members to have an environmental stewardship plan in place and assisted in creating those plans. He stressed the need to have controlled environments with safe ranges for shooting. Stan Pate/5011 SE Thomas Smith, Milwaukie/Explained he was the Vice Chair of the State Range Association, President of the Oregon State Shooting Association, sat on the board for the National Shooting Sports Foundation and was the Environmental Steward for his gun club. Lead removal was part of an environmental stewardship program (ESP) when economically feasible. Lead removal at the expense of a facility would drive down the facility instead of building up an organization there to support the community. The Oregon State Shooting Association was there to help the Gun club achieve an environmental stewardship program and address issues they may have or the City may have as they arise. Ed Claassen/1000 Timberline Terrace/Presented principals endorsed by 66 concerned citizens. They believed the lead shot accumulating over the years together with toxic elements of waste from City dumping on the property had created an unhealthy environment on the property for birds and fish. The lease did not provide adequate provisions for lead clean up for current contamination or prevent future pollution. The lease should require high standard property clean up verified by a qualified third party with explicit milestones that could result in termination of the lease if the Gun Club did not comply. Additionally the Gun Club should use only lead-free shot. Council was obligated to ensure Gun Club use did not create or sanction damage to the ecosystem, substantial liability to the City, future costly clean up requirements and the devaluation of a public asset. Bob Morris/225 West Valley View Road/Belonged to the Ashland Gun Club and the Cowboy Action Shooting Club along with members of his family. The Gun Club adopted best management practices they would incorporate into the formal environmental stewardship program. Part of those practices included testing the PH level on an annual basis for lead. He explained the levels and risks and noted last summer the test sites were all neutral with one site slightly basic. To the best of his knowledge, none of the testing conducted identified pollution. He agreed with additional testing but thought the public should not panic about possible contamination because initial results did not support that conclusion. Peter Gibb/435 Thornton Way/Explained how continuing the Gun Club lease could affect the Jackson County Flood Plan Ordinance and the Federal Endangered Species Act. The draft lease would allow the Gun Club to construct a variety of structures that could encroach on a regulatory flood plain or a determined flood plain when FEMA establishes the 100-year flood plain boundary. This development may also adversely affect the endangered species act by harming Coho Salmon in Immigrant Creek. Immigrant Creek was not in the 100-year flood plain but inland, an A Zone 100 year boundary mapped by Jackson County was approximately 75 feet from existing Gun Club buildings. The City was responsible to ensure development on City lands complied with the water resources protection chapter in the Ashland Municipal Code, the Jackson County Flood Plain Ordinance and met the provisions of the Federal Endangered Species Act. Council should reconsider the lease for environmental, financial and liability reasons and not pass problems for future generations. ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 4 of 8 Kirt Be1V102 Mace Road,Medford/Encouraged Council to extend the lease for the Gun Club and explained he was a board member of the Jefferson State Regulators that practice shooting at the club. Shooting was a family sport and the range provided positive things for the community. Julie Norman/596 Heiman Street/Explained the Brown and Caldwell report measured lead that was higher than expected and showed ground contamination. DEQ considered the report incomplete because it lacked monitoring on how shot was arranged on the site. The Club continually relocated berms and shooting ranges over the years and there was the possibility of widespread contamination. The remedy was a comprehensive clean up as soon as possible that included the sweeper debris from the City. The wetlands were filled using this debris and the Gun Club uses it to build berms. All without a permit issued by the Army Corp of Engineers, and the City's Jackson County permit lacked requirements. She appreciated the values and expertise of the sport but there was a responsibility to address current contamination. She agreed with Councilor Voisin on assuring an- ESP acceptable to Council was ready the same time the lease was renewed and refined according to the ESP. Lastly, the lease should prohibit lead shot and require non-hazardous steel shot. Rob Raby/901 Glendale Avenue/Introduced himself as the Range Safety Officer of the Gun Club and urged Council to pass the lease. Robert Miller/765 Reiten Drive/Spoke as a member of the Ashland Gun Club since 1974 and was in favor of Council renewing the lease. His family passed the Hunters Safety Course due to the Ashland Gun Club. He commended Council for funding the environmental study and added it showed diligence on Gun Club's part in caring for the land. Miles Corlen Frode/147 Blue Heron Way/Supported the right to bear arms but thought it was important to focus on the environment. Currently the Gun Club site was under consideration as an archeological historical area and was the source of Lithia Springs. He was concerned about lead leaching and asked Council to consider the ramifications of lead on the ground and in the water. Marea Claassen/1000 Timberline Terrace/Explained the pathway for migratory birds went through the Ashland Gun Club property. According to the Klamath-Siskiyou E-Bird website, there were 84 bird species in the Immigrant Lake and Creek prone to lead ingestion. Birds ingest lead pellets for digestion and eventually die from lead poisoning. Lead poisoning caused 20,000,000 dove deaths in the United States in the past year. Great birds of prey die from ingesting lead poisoned prey within days. Ammunition manufacturers now make a variety of non-hazardous non-toxic shotgun pellets and bullets to replace lead shot. She urged Council to ban the use of lead shot at the Ashland Gun Club. Bill Longiotti/245 Arnos, Talent/introduced himself as an NRA Certified Range Officer and a Single Action Shooting Society Range Officer Level 2. The City had been taking water samples from Lithia wells for over 80 years and results never showed an increase in lead. James Moore/1217 Park Street/Understood the impact of lead shot as it pertained to wildlife and addressed the wetlands on the Gun Club property. DEQ strongly advised against shooting into wetlands and currently there was a wetland in the shot fall zone of the Gun Club. He added the Brown and Caldwell study detected hydrogen sulfide at wetlands B and D, explained how the gas could convert lead ammunition into a soluble, and suggested additional testing. He supported DEQ recommendations and wanted the lead removed from the property. Noel Preslar/730 Alaska Street/Spoke as, a member of the Ashland Gun Club and supported being environmentally responsible. Gun Club membership was willing to clean up and it made sense to extend the lease. He read a note written by his wife on her observation of gun use in the area and how the Gun Club provides gun safety training. They were a service organization to the community. Donna Klosterman/1652 Kings Hwy, Medford/Encouraged the Council to extend the lease and explained the Club was willing to work with the City to be in compliance. Club members were family oriented and animal ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 5 of 8 friendly. The Club provided a place to learn gun and hunter safety,and practice shooting. Cate Hartzell/892 Garden Way/Explained lead shot corrodes in soils both alkaline and acidic. Corrosion starts within one week and can continue for hundreds of years. Acidic conditions magnify the build-up of lead concentrations in soil and exist on portions of the Lithia Springs property. The City was motivated to enter into a lease agreement to avoid clean up costs but that only made sense if there the Gun Club was able to fund and conduct the clean up. She cited evidence that suggested otherwise and thought the Gun Club should develop a business plan for clean up to determine whether it was financially feasible. Michael Klosterman/1652 Kings Hwy, Medford/Noted lead was easy to recover and thought it was better to have one place for shooting versus letting people shoot in the woods. In addition, there were the benefits of the Gun Club training and safety issues. He urged the Council to approve the lease. Linda Merryman/631 Spring Creek Drive/Questioned why the Gun Club had leased the property for more than 40 years at $1 a year when so many people were using it and what it required to ensure safety, clean up and liability. It seemed unfair and irresponsible for the Council to provide a special interest group access to this property for a $l yearly. She wondered why the Gun Club had not devised a cleanup policy themselves years before. David Seulcan/696 Liberty Street/Urged Council to extend the Gun Club's lease. He commented on how diverse Ashland was as a community and thought the Gun Club was another part of that spectrum. He observed the contrasting comments made about lead and encouraged Council to get an engineering report to determine the true nature. If there were no danger, continue the lease. If there were a verifiable danger, he would not support extending the lease. Melvin Winner/215 Tolman Creek Drive #22/Explained he was a member of the Gun Club for 20 years and invited everyone to visit and get to know the members. There was no lead migration detected in the 43 years the Gun Club has leased the land. He encouraged Council to extend the lease. Nancy Ashmead/220 Pompadour Drive/Stated the land rented to the Gun Club had been fouled over a long period of time and not just by lead. Lead was stable in its natural state but mined lead could leach into the water and bullets were mined lead. An environmental development plan needed to be in place with an independent third party responsible for oversight and supervising the clean up prior to renewing the lease. She encouraged Council not to extend the lease as written. She also suggested Council disclose whether they were Gun Club members and if they were, not vote on the issue. Mr. Strickland explained JBR reviewed the Brown and Caldwell report and the DEQ response to that report. JBR developed a work plan and received concurrence from DEQ in terms of the necessary steps to complete additional data requirements to determine if there is a lead contamination issue at the site. They will conduct the wetlands study separately and submit that report to DEQ soon. The final report to the City was already established. Wetland delineations are not complete until submitted to the Department of State Lands or the US Army Corp of Engineers for agreement on Findings. The lead contamination assessment was a different scope of work currently not contracted. Mr. Olson explained the work plan set forth planning the curriculum and soil and water monitoring. JBR'will conduct discreet soil samplings as well as composite sampling in the shot fall zone. Another component was the ground water assessment that involved installing ground water monitoring wells. Completion of the soil sampling assessment would occur a few weeks after receiving authorization to proceed. Ground water installation was a quarterly monitoring process. Ms. Thornton added under the proposed lease if there were lead contamination, the City would develop an environmental stewardship plan to address the contamination and remediate it. If the Gun Club violated the remediation strategy or could not afford remediation, it was a breach of the lease and the City could move to ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 6 of 8 terminate. The new lease required scheduled lead shot clean up with specific timelines. In the event the City terminated the lease, they would provide clean up and the Gun Club could no longer operate. DEQ would determine the best use for the land that may require additional clean up. Councilor Voisin motioned to move to propose an extension of the current lease until the City receives the report from the Environmental Consultants and have in place an environmental stewardship plan. Motion died due to lack of a second. Councilor Silbiger/Chapman m/s to approve an Order of the City of Council authorizing the lease of real property to the Ashland Gun Club. DISCUSSION: Councilor Silbiger explained the City was better off leasing to the Gun Club based on liability, environmental and safety reasons. Councilor Chapman was concerned about the environment and thought this was the best way to take care of it. Councilor Voisin understood the value the Gun Club provided but had issues with the results of the sport on the land. Council needed to abide by the Valdez Principles that required property cleaned up to its original state. When the Gun Club incorporated best practices, instead of removing targets by historical structures, they moved them two feet in front of the sites and continued to shoot until the City intervened. The grants the Gun.Club applied for would not help mitigate clean up. Alternately,the City could apply for many grants to clean up the sweeper debris but would have to discontinue any activity that caused pollution. Finally, there were five other shooting ranges in the valley. She would not support the motion. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Silbiger, Lemhouse, Chapman, and Morris,YES; Councilor Voisin,NO.Motion passed 4-1. PUBLIC FORUM Colin Swales/143 8`h Street/Shared his concerns regarding the applicant selection and training for the Planning Commission. He thought the planning process was eroding. UNFINISHED BUSINESS-None NEW AND MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 1. Does Council wish to adopt the Economic Development Strategy? Project Manager Adam Hanks provided a presentation on the Economic Development Strategy that included: • 2009-2010 Council Goal: Develop and implement a comprehensive economic development strategy for the purpose of: • Diversifying the economic base of the community • Supporting creation and growth of businesses that use and provide local and regional products • Increasing the number of family-wage jobs in the community • Leveraging the strengths of Ashland's tourism and repeat visitors • Strategy Highlights • Support existing traded sector business and develop/support programs to aid in their growth • Increase coordination/communication between economic development partners • Support local purchasing opportunities • Maintain existing tourism strengths, shoot for year round success • Support existing business — Targeted support of business that produce specialty goods and services for export • Focus on innovative, specialty value added, growth businesses for quality job expansion • Find out what they need for success/growth • Be a partner in their physical growth • Provide or connect them with the resources/education/tools they need to succeed • Stuff that only the City can do: • Public infrastructure(roads,water, sewer,electricity,parks, etc.) • Development regulations and process • Some funding(urban renewal, Enterprise Zones, State/Fed grants-IOF, USDA, IFA, etc.) • Where the City can assist and support: ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 7 of 8 • Coordination • Data collection and distribution • Information resource and distribution hub • Indentifying and facilitating the creation of needed programs resources for Ashland businesses • Other funding/grant programs • Strategy First Actions—Priority 1 Actions Being Immediately 0 1.1 Conduct a targeted Business Retention and Expansion(B,R&E)survey 0 1.2 Designate City Staff"point of contact"for economic development needs/projects/interactions 0 2.1 Formalize relationships and roles for Ashland specific strategy implementation among major partners 0 3.1 Maximize impact of existing City Economic Development/Cultural Grants Process 0 6.1 Evaluate the use of Urban Renewal Districts to spur private reinvestment in targeted commercial and employment areas of Ashland(in progress) 0 7.1 Improve the Land Use Development Process Mayor Stromberg requested an annual review and update of the plan come to Council for formal approval. Council and staff discussed finding ways to better service Southern Oregon University (SOU) students. The SOU Master Plan had a section on creating a university district but there was a conscious decision not to discuss retail. It was an important issue but Council's direction for the economic development strategy was to diversify the economy in a way that generated living wage jobs. Colin Swales/143 81h Street/Expressed his concerns regarding urban renewal and the Council having to make a finding of blight on the downtown area and the diminishing Planning Commission and planning processes. Councilor Voisin/Silbiger m/s to approve adoption of the Economic Development Strategy with the following modifications that every year a review and update of the strategy is brought to Council for its approval. DISCUSSION: Councilor Chapman thought the plan was not specific enough, there was nothing new, and there were things he disagreed with and would not support the motion. Councilor Lemhouse commented not everyone would agree with everything in the strategy but it was important to have one. The key part was taking action on the items. He supported annual meetings but wanted quarterly staff reports. Councilor Silbiger thought achieving the high priority tasks would be a huge step forward. Councilor Morris added it was a good starting point. Roll Call Vote: Councilor Morris, Voisin, Lemhouse, and Silbiger, YES; Councilor Chapman,NO. Motion passed 4-1. Councilor LemhouseNoisin m/s to direct staff to provide a quarterly report on the progress of the Economic Development Plan. Councilor Morris, Lemhouse, Voisin and Silbiger, AYE; Councilor Chapman,NAY. Motion passed 4-1. 2. Does Council approve the staff and consultant recommended solution for effluent disposal to meet temperature requirements for the new total maximum daily levels of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit? Engineering Technician Il Scott Fleury provided a presentation on wastewater effluent that included: • Regulatory Requirements-NPDES Permit o 2007 Bear Creek TMDLs—temperature, bacteria, and sediment o Watershed impact"Far Field"46 million Kcal/day o OAR 340-045-0053 —address thermal plume or"Near Field" concerns: spawning Impacts, thermal shock, migration blockage and lethality • Consultant analyzed six options • Full and partial re-use: NPV=$5.8-13.4 million • Discharge to TID canal: NPV n/a • Blending—Flow Augmentation:NPV n/a ASHLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING July 19, 2011 Page 8 of 8 • Hyporheic-shallow ground water interaction: NPV n/a • Cooling tower and chiller: NPV=$8.6-11.6 million • Water quality trading: NPV=$2.9 million • Phase I "Near Field" • Data Collection phase for joint design with Parks Commission • Relocate current outfall through existing channel to Bear Creek via Ashland Pond • Additional Plantings in forested Wetland o Remove current water diversion in Ashland Creek • Install fish screen on intake pipe to pond • Monitoring stations: plant outfall, pond entrance and pond outfall to Bear Creek • Near Field Site Map • Existing Dam Divergence—Remove existing divergence Mr. Fleury explained they were in the process of creating a final design to ensure water temperature decreased that may include making Ashland pond part of a wetland or moving the water to a different location and meandering it to create more of a wetland.' • Water Quality Trading/Shading"Far Field" • New standards and accounting protocols developed by conservation groups and agencies • Increases shade to minimize stream exposure to sun • Requires planting native trees along 8+miles of streams in the Bear Creek watershed (46 million Kcals/day) • Benefits—natural approach to achieve compliance, provides other ecological benefits • Preferred by DEQ for far field compliance Councilor Chapman/Lemhouse m/s to approve the recommended effluent temperature solution. DISCUSSION: Councilor Lemhouse commented this was the obvious. choice and at a reduced cost, was innovative and where the City should be. Councilor Silbiger thought it was a great step forward but noted the Sewage Water Committee that provided technical review for the Master Plan had several outstanding improvements and questioned if the cost for these improvements would be worthwhile. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. ORDINANCES,RESOLUTIONS AND CONTRACTS-None ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m. Barbara Christensen, City Recorder John Stromberg, Mayor PROCLAMATION ^` In August, 1945, atomic bombs instantly reduced the cities of Hiroshima and r� Nagasaki to rubble, taking hundreds of thousands of precious lives. In June, 1982, the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on Mayors from q. around the world to join them in working together to press for nuclear § abolition. a f'. • The program created by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is called Mayors for Peace and is currently composed of 4,803 cities in 151 countries �Q a � and regions around the world dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons. ? • The City of Ashland declared itself a Nuclear Free Zone by resolution in 1981. • The City of Ashland joined the Mayors for Peace in 1998. • There are currently 6 Cities in Oregon who have also joined Mayors for Peace. �9 • The current goal of the Mayors for Peace is for a total abolition of all nuclear ay,+ weapons by the year 2020. . 0 This year on August 6 through August 9, 2011 Ashland will join cities around the world for a Hiroshima-Nagasaki Vigil in order to remember the events of 1945 and to promote the goal of a nuclear weapons-free world. NineNOW THEREFORE, the City Council and Mayor, on behalf of the citizens of Ashland, hereby proclaim August 6, 2011 as: � "Hiroshima Day " ' and hereby proclaim August 9, 2011 as: d �2a x ` "Nagasaki Day" i ° d4 m the City of Ashland and invite all citizens to participate m the Hiroshima- x� a Nagasaki vigil activities. . Dated this 2nd day of August, 2011. John Stromberg, Mayor d � e a. fi Barbara Christensen, City Recorder CITY . OF ASHLAND ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES April 27,2011 CALL TO ORDER Chair Regina Ayars called the meeting to order at 4:32 p.m. at the Council Chambers located at 1175 East Main St. Ashland, OR 97520. Commissioners Present: Council Liaison Nikki Pons Mike Morris Regina Ayars Barb Barasa Staff Present: Ben Scott Linda Reid, Housing Specialist James Dills Carolyn Schwendener, Account Clerk Commissioners Absent: Jody Waters, excused Richard Billin, excused APPROVAL OF MINUTES Dills/Pons m/s to approve the minutes of the March 23, 2011 regular Housing Commission meeting. Voice Vote: All Ayes. The minutes from the March 23, 2011 meeting were approved as presented. PUBLIC FORUM No one spoke At the last Housing Commission meeting Pons reported that she would be leaving town and will be resigning from the Commission. Her plans have since changed and she is not leaving town at this time and has decided to remain on the Commission. She did not submit a letter of resignation. The Commissioners discussed the idea of reducing the required amount of members on the Commission from nine to seven. Morris said the Planning Commission is also discussing the idea of reducing their members to seven from nine. Barasa/Scott m/s that we ask City Council to reduce the number of voting members from nine to seven. Morris will move the motion forward to the Council and bring back the decision to next month's meeting. ASHLAND COMMUNITY LAND T-UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES Krista Bolf, Board member of ACLT spoke. Bolf explained that the Land Trust was originally formed almost fifteen years ago as a collaboration between the Housing Commission, the City of Ashland and ACCESS, Inc.with a mission to provide affordable housing in the City of Ashland. The concept of the Land Trust was that the land remains in a trust so that upon resale the entity; (ACLT) would keep the land affordable by having the right of first refusal and basically the controller of the land. ACLT does this on behalf of the City of Ashland as almost all of the funding has been provided through CDBG funds. ACLT has been able to do the projects using volunteer Board members rather than paid staff. It is becoming more and more difficult for the volunteers to maintain the work that needs to be done as well as doing their real jobs. Krista presented the idea to the Commission of doing a merger or changing their status. ACLT is considering merging with another non-profit housing organization, most likely ACCESS or possibly Groundwork's. Krista said they welcome ideas and suggestion from the Commissioners. Steve Ennis, Board member of ACLT gave an overview of their properties. Currently ACLT has sixteen different units with two more under construction for a total of thirty-eight occupants, six land leases and ten rentals. The rentals vary in rent from $350 to $620. All tenants or lease holders fall within the fifty to sixty percent AMI range. ACCESS manages most of 1 the ACLT properties at this time. Mr. Ennis acknowledged that the Bridge Street property (410 & 412 Bridge) is coming along quite nicely and is scheduled to occupy by June of this year. Currently the project was designed for rentals but in the long term might be for sale. SOUTHERN OREGON HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER-OVERVIEW Karen Cooper, Housing Resource Specialist with ACCESS Inc and Kari Davis from Rogue Federal Credit Union KDRV and the Home Builders Association were present to discuss their programs and their resources for Foreclosure Prevention. ACCESS has been the Community Action Agency for Southern Oregon since 1976 and the HUD certified Housing Counseling Agency since 1991. They are the resource for Foreclosure Prevention. ACCESS has served thirty-five home owners last year and expects to exceed those numbers this year. Examples of assistance are; Loan modifications, special forbearance, repayment agreements, short sales, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and foreclosure timelines. ACCESS has affordable rentals available for those who might need another place to live. ACCESS served six hundred and twenty-one home owners in their Housing Resource Center. They are seeing an increase in Ashland residence seeking their help. In 2009 RVCU partnered with KDRV and Jackson County Home Builders Association to form a program called Building Hope. Since the program began they have had over 3200 people attend their classes. Three classes are offered. 1. Crisis Budgeting 2. Modification process, updates regarding new laws and resources 3. Attorney, John Hanson, discusses the foreclosure process, home owner rights, what to watch out for, how to avoid scams, options, short sales, bankruptcy. It becomes like a town Hall meeting with questions for free legal advice. The Commissioners would like to be able to offer these classes locally for Ashland residents. What would be needed is a venue in order to have them. COMMUNITY AND SHELTER ASSISTANCE CORPORATION MEETING-OVERVIEW Commissioner Barasa gave a short update regarding her past presentation on Manufactured Housing and Manufactured Home Parks. Barasa's vision is that individual people could use manufactured housing for cheaper housing by putting the homes on their own lots or build a land trust model where an agency would own the land and lease the land at a reduced amount. In her exploration of what was available Barasa found two options ROC USA, (Residential Owned Communities) and CASA(Community and Shelter Assistance Organization). Barasa met with the executive director of CASA, Peter Hainley. Hainley directed her to two promotional videos. Barasa showed one of the videos to the Commissioners explaining their program. Barasa had three suggested goals for the Commissioners 1. Include language in the Comprehensive Plan stating that preservation of manufactured housing is a priority. 2. Find out how the City can facilitate conversion of existing parks to ROC when possible 3. Review and possibly change LUO for manufactured housing. Reid acknowledged that at the regular planning staff meeting inconsistencies found throughout the land use code and specifically the Manufactured Home sections were discussed. Reid will find out when those updates will be completed. ACTION PLAN REVIEW AND APPROVAL The City of Ashland is an entitlement community under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) CDBG Program. Reid reported that for the 2011 program year the City has received notification from HUD that it anticipates a funding reduction to the CDBG program of approximately 16.5%. The Housing Commission is charged to hold this public hearing to take comments regarding the use of CDBG funds and to make a recommendation regarding the 2011 Action Plan for the use of CDBG funds in order to fulfill the HUD requirements for public participation and review. No public input was given. 2 Dills/Scott m/s to approve the motion suggested by staff. "To approve the 2011 CDBG Action Plan with grant awards as presented with the understanding that final awards may be modified to reflect an anticipated 16.5% reduction in 2011- 2012 CDBG program funding as presented in the memo dated 412612011 or in accordance with the final funding amount from HUD." Voice Vote: All Ayes. Motion passed. HOUSING COMMISSION GOAL REVIEW AND DISCUSSION 1. Evaluate Housing/Demographic mix to better promote needed housing types that match the demographics of the Ashland community. Pons will work with Reid on an Ad-Hoc committee to address this goal. Reid said that the rental registry and ordinance has gone forward as part of the business license registry. 2. Preservation of vulnerable properties. Last year the Commissioners took a tour of the properties. Reid will update the list of vulnerable properties and bring it back to next month's meeting. 3. Clay Street — remaining acre developed as workforce housing. The City Planning Department will be coming presenting option.to the Council. Reid will send out an email to the Housing Commissioners with an update of what the options are. Ayars is interested in following through with_this.goal. 4. Foreclosure Prevention — Put together an informational brochure of resources for homeowners facing foreclosure. Provide education and outreach to homeowners facing foreclosure to insure that they are able to maintain stable housing options. It was suggested to host a presentation by Karen Cooper and Kari Davis the two ladies in Ashland to share with the public the information that they provided for the Commissioners. Perhaps at the Library. Reid will find out when they will be available. Maybe two separate times to meet everyone's schedule. 5. Identify a permanent funding source for the Housing Trust Fund. Dills and Billin are working on this goal. They will have an update at next month's meeting. The Commissioners have agreed to have a Request For Proposal in the CDBG cycle next year. Funds would be awarded in the Spring. REPORTS AND UPDATES Liaison Reports Council — Morris reported that at last month's Council meeting the Councilors discussed the property at Bud's Dairy off of Dollarhide. The Councilors concern was that the property can only be used for affordable housing so why was it so expensive? Wondered if the price had been negotiated at all. Parks — No report School Board — No report Planning—No report Transportation — Ayars attended the Transportation commission meeting though nothing on their agenda was related to housing. Their main topic was about the upcoming North Main Road Diet. SOU- No report Staff— No report MAY 25, 2011 MEETING AGENDA ITEMS Quorum Check—everyone will be here. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Homeless Task Force Meeting — May 17, 2011: 10:30-12:00 Housing Authority Conference Room 2231, Table Rock Rd, Medford City Council Meeting (ad-hoc Committee appointment &final grant awards)-April 5, 2011: 7:00 PM Council Chambers Next Housing Commission Regular Meeting 4:30-6:30 PM; May 25, 2011, Council Chambers, 1175 East Main,Street ADJOURNMENT-The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted by'Carolyn Schwendener 3 CITY OF ASHLAND ASHLAND HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES May 25,2011 CALL TO ORDER Chair Regina Ayars called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. at the Council Chambers located at 1175 East Main St. Ashland, OR 97520. Commissioners Present: Council Liaison Nikki Pons Mike Morris Regina Ayars Barb Barasa Staff Present: Richard Billin Linda Reid, Housing Specialist James Dills Carolyn Schwendener, Account Clerk Commissioners Absent: Jody Waters Ben Scott APPROVAL OF MINUTES No minutes to approve. The April 27, 2011 Regular Commission Meeting minutes will be put in next month's packet. i PUBLIC FORUM No one spoke VULNERABLE PROPERTIES DISCUSSION One of Housing Commission's Goals is the preservation of vulnerable properties. Reid discussed some of the funding mechanisms used to preserve affordable housing. There is quite a variety of loan programs and grants. Financing-Multifamily Loan Programs • Elderly& Disable Loan Program • Loan Guarantee Program and General (Lease) Guarantee Program • Pass-Through Revenue Bond Financing Program (Conduit) • Predevelopment Loan Program and Habitat Predevelopment Loan Program • Risk Sharing Loan Program • Housing Preservation Community Inventive Fund • Grants and Tax Credits Both Rural Development and The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offer loans with an agreement to have twenty or thirty years of affordability. Rural Development offers several different financing programs for developers providing affordable housing including Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants, Section 514m 515 and 516 Multi-family Housing Revitalization Demonstration Program loans specifically for the preservation of affordable rental projects. HUD offers several different financing programs for developers providing affordable housing. Private Developers could get a loan from HUD or Rural Development in return the developer signed a contract to maintain as them as affordable for a period of twenty or thirty years. There are two types of 1 affordable housing projects, subsidized projects which are essentially units subsidized similar to the section eight program. These subsidies are also known as project based vouchers. The person living in that unit can only pay rent and utilities for what they can afford and HUD says that is thirty percent of their income. The owners and investors are offered the opportunity to renew the contract. The last person to live in the unit receives a transferable (portable)voucher. Unit built utilizing Rural Development loans. These loans have different rules then the HUD financed units. They have a 20 year period of affordability and a long waiting period before owner can offer it on the open market. An example of this is the Stratford Apartments on Clay Street. It did get purchased by a developer of affordable housing and will remain affordable. The Commissioners received a list of Expiring Use/Preservation Units from Reid. They discussed what they could do to help see that these units would not go away. There might be an opportunity to use the Housing Trust Fund to assist with the preservation of these units. Energy tax credits are also available. Barasa is interested in putting together a notice for the affordable housing providers and property owners outlining 'the monies that could be available, City, State and Federal programs. Barasa will draft a letter and bring it back to next month's meeting for review. The Commissioners would like a field trip of vulnerable properties and discussed the possibility of inviting the Community to join them. Education of the public is important though not a Housing Commission goal at this time. Put on next month's Agenda the possibility of a television program showing the affordable housing units in Ashland as well as an open discussion. ACTION ON GOAL#1 Reid gave an update on the Rental Registry which is the Housing Commission Goal #1. Reid spoke with Bill. Molnar, Community Development Director, and was given the go ahead to work on this project by June 1, 2011. The Council approved the Rental Registry fee change but not the part of the ordinance that pertained to the rental registry of properties with four or more units. The Commission was hoping to get data on unit size, bedrooms, etc. That information is not being taken at this time. It has gone back to legal. We may look into a separate ordinance possibly with the fire department, slated Reid. Brandon Goldman, Senior Planner with the City, will come to next month's meeting and give an update on the Clay Street property and plans that the City might have. MEMO TO COUNCIL RE: MEMBERSHIP NUMBER CHANGE The Commissioners reviewed the memo Reid had prepared for the City Council regarding the membership number change from nine to seven voting members. The Commissioners agreed to send the memo to City Council. MEMO TO COUNCIL RE: NUMBER OF CDBG AWARDS PER YEAR The Commissioners, wanting to be respectful of Reid's time, asked if administratively she could handle awarding three applicants CDBG funds in a given year rather than two. Reid acknowledged that she did not think it would be an issue and it would at least allow for that option if the opportunity arose. HOUSING TRUST FUND DISCUSSION Dills acknowledged that it is important to determine the scope of how the funds can be used and have clearly defined achievable goals before presenting funding options to the City Council. Both he and Billin agreed that they would like a variety of sources rather than just one or two. Billin commented that it's important to find a way of funding that is inoffensive and is not going to create a lot of opposition. A fee could be tacked on to any renewable permit, such as backflow or fences. Punitive fees for weed abatement or even a portion of hotel motel tax was suggested. Billin reminded the commissioners that a good source of funding should relate to Housing in some way. Ayars put forward the idea that the Housing Trust Fund could get a portion of any business license for rentals. The Commissioners will discuss this topic again at next month's meeting. 2 REPORTS AND UPDATES Liaison Reports Council— No report Parks— No report School Board— No report Planning — Pons watched the Planning Commission meeting and said they were reviewing the Chitwood Affordable Housing project. There is a discrepancy over the on street parking and the Commission has postponed the meeting until next month. Transportation —No report SOU- Dills said he and Nick O'Neill were excited about the student that had previously showed an interest in becoming the SOU liaison though since he hasn't showed up yet they are no longer counting on him. Dills asked Nick to keep him updated of any future prospects. They will be looking for someone who sees this Commission as part of their career path. Perhaps someone in City government, Political Science or a City Planner. Probably won't find anybody until Fall. Staff — Reid announced that Project Homeless Connect will be on June 22, 2011 at the Medford Armory from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. JUNE 22, 2011 MEETING AGENDA ITEMS Quorum Check—Ayars will be absent so Billin will be Chair at next month's meeting. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Homeless Task Force Meeting—June 21, 2011: 10:30-12:00 Housing Authority Conference Room 2231, Table Rock Rd, Medford Next Housing Commission Regular Meeting 4:30-6:30 PM; June 22, 2011, Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street ADJOURNMENT-The meeting was adjourned at 6:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Carolyn Schwendener 3 CITY OF ASHLAND ASHLAND PLANNING COMMISSION ASHLAND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION JOINT STUDY SESSION MINUTES May 24,2011 CALL TO ORDER Transportation Commission Chair Steve Ryan called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street. Planning Commissioners Present: Transportation Commissioners Present: Larry Blake Tom Burnham Micahel Dawkins Eric Heesacker Pam Marsh Steve Ryan Debbie Miller Colin Swales Melanie Mindlin Brent Thompson Russ Silbiger, Council Liaison David Chapman, Council Liaison Absent Members: Staff Present: John Rinaldi,Jr. Mike Faught, Public Works Director Shawn Kampmann Bill Molnar, Community Development Director Julia Sommer Maria Harris, Planning Manager Corrine Vieville April Lucas,Administrative Supervisor David Young APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. April 26, 2011 Joint Study Session Minutes. Commissioners Marsh/Blake m/s to approve the April 26,2011 Joint Study Session Minutes.Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed. INTRODUCTION Public Works Director Mike Faught stated tonight's meeting will focus on transit and noted representatives from Rogue Valley Transportation District(RVTD)are here to speak with the group. He stated the consultants from Kittleson &Assoc.will present background information and potential strategies, and then he would like to have a conversation about future transit services, what kinds of subsidies they might recommend to the City Council,and what role SOU might play. PRESENTATION Susan Wright and Erin Ferguson with Kittleson&Assoc. addressed the group and explained they are at the point in the process to revisit specific issues the group wanted to further discuss,and tonight they would like to have a more in depth talk about improving the fixed route service in Ashland. Ms. Wright stated they would be discussing what the existing ridership and investment in transit looks like for the City; how residential density is a driver for service frequency;who the target audience is for increasing ridership; and what kinds of service changes should be considered to reach that target audience. Ms.Wright noted the existing conditions memo that was prepared early in the process as well as the transit white papers. She provided a brief overview of the current transit service in Ashland and explained there are currently two bus routes. Route 10 circulates in Ashland and travels to Medford, and Route 15 circulates only in Ashland. They are both on 30 minute headways and where they overlap there are 15 minute headways. Ms.Wright provided some ridership statistics as the routes and fares have changed over time, and clarified the City currently subsidizes transit to provide 15 minute headways in town,and pays to Planning Commission & Transportation Commission Joint Study Session May 24, 2011 Page 1 of 3 reduce the Ashland fares by$1.00. She noted the City also provides fare vouchers to low income residents through the low income energy assistance program. Ms.Wright stated the three groups indentified by the commissions on who they should be targeting are:employees working non-traditional hours,students(including those who may be taking evening classes or have weekend transportation needs), and tourists. She noted following the last joint study session, Kittleson prepared a supplemental white paper which outlines key questions that have come up, including: 1) What is the transit level of service in Ashland? 2) How does the projected future housing density for Ashland compare to the transit frequency thresholds in the High Density Housing white paper? 3) Are there areas in town that are in need of transit service that aren't currently receiving it? 4) Where do SOU students live and how might that influence transit service changes? 5) How do costs for cities that provide their own transit service compare to those that contract service out? 6) What kinds of case studies are there on districts that provide free service, or smaller cities that provide their own transit service? 7) What types of options should we be focusing on going forward? Ms. Wright reviewed the information included in the Supplemental Transit Information and Considerations white paper and provided data on the key questions identified above. DISCUSSION The RVTD Board Members were invited to come forward and the group held a general discussion about transit service in Ashland and what they would like to see moving forward. Below is an outline of some of the questions and comments that were made: • The analysis of bus service lists two economic parameters; how do these reflect on the efficiency of the operator? • Why were low income families not selected as targeted riders? • What do Ashland's contracted services with RVTD include? • How is Ashland paying for this service, and are their alternatives that might be better suited to provide service in Ashland? • Could the amount Ashland is paying to subsidize transit service be used for a bus pass program instead? • Comment was made that instead of a citywide free fare program, the City should target the populations they really want to assist. • Request was made for additional information on para-transit costs. • Comment was made that the reported densities seem low, and it was questioned how these figures were calculated. • Does RVTD have smaller vehicles that could be used to provide transit service on the narrow and hillside streets in Ashland? • Comment was made that if they increase the bus coverage area,they will also need to increase para-transit service which can be costly. • What would it take for RVTD to extend service hours? • What if the City purchased bus passes and handed them out across the City where they wanted to see increased ridership? • What are RVTD's actual costs for providing transit service in Ashland? • Comment was made that in order to do an express bus, they need to know how many passengers are coming directly from Medford to Ashland, and vice versa. • Comment was made that we can't build our way out of congestion, and we have to change the way we are doing things and move towards a multimodal approach. • How do we target people who are on the fringe of being dependent, and what can we do to target people who we think will really use the bus? • Comment was made that students don't have a lot of time to invest in transit, and this may be a major reason students don't take advantage of the bus service. Panniny Commission& Transportation Commission Joint Study Session May 24, 2011 Pare 2 or 3 • Comment was made that many SOU students have jobs and the current transit service hours do not accommodate their needs. • Regarding hours of service,comment was made that students don't operate on the same timeframe as regular working people;evenings and weekends are important. • Comment was made that increasing the SOU parking fees is not the answer and it would likely result in more students parking on residential side streets. • RVTD was asked if they would consider increasing services at employment density corridors. • Comment was made that taking an hour to get from Ashland to Medford is unacceptable and they should concentrate on an express bus to one stop in Medford and then expand out in the future as needed. Mr. Faught explained the City only has four months to put together its next contact with RVTD and asked if the group was comfortable basing the transit program on density. Comment was made that it is important to not just look at residential density, but also employment density and SOU. Commissioner Marsh commented that they have not begun to sort out this issue and feels there are a number of items that still need to be discussed. Mr. Faught noted the timing constraints and stated he needs to provide a recommendation to the City Council by September. Suggestion was made for a small subgroup of the two commissions be formed to sort out some of these other issues and general support was voiced for this concept. Mr. Faught stated he would work with the two commission chairs to select three people to serve on the subgroup. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, April Lucas, Administrative Supervisor Planning Commission& Transportation Commission Joint Study Session May 24, 2011 Page 3 of 3 CITY OF -ASH LAN D ASHLAND PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES June 14,2011 CALL TO ORDER Chair Pam Marsh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m, in the Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street. Commissioners Present: Staff Present: Larry Blake Bill Molnar, Community Development Director Michael Dawkins Derek Severson,Associate Planner Pam Marsh April Lucas,Administrative Supervisor Debbie Miller John Rinaldi,Jr. Absent Members: Council Liaison: Melanie Mindlin Russ Silbiger,absent ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Rinaldi noted the final meeting of the Economic Development Ad-Hoc Committee was held yesterday and they voted to advance the final Plan to the City Council. He provided a brief overview of the Plan's elements and stated the City Council will discuss it at the June 20, 2011 Study Session. Commissioner Marsh requested the final plan be provided to the Planning Commission once it is approved by the Council. Commissioner Miller stated she attended the June Historic Commission meeting and noted they are finishing up their work on the updated Historic District Design Standards. Mr. Molnar thanked Miller for bringing this up and stated the draft standards update would be presented to the Planning Commission at their June 28th Study Session. Miller noted she would absent from the June Study Session and would submit her comments to staff in advance of that meeting. Community Development Director Bill Molnar noted the additional joint meetings that could be added to the Planning Commission's schedule in order to finish up the Transportation System Plan update. He stated the next joint meeting with the Transportation Commission will be July 26, and they are proposing another joint meeting in August. He stated the draft Plan should be ready by November, and the formal public hearing has been tentatively scheduled for February, 2012. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes. 1. May 10,2011 Regular Meeting. Commissioners Rinaldi/Miller m/s to approve the Consent Agenda.Voice Vote:all AYES. Motion passed 5-0. PUBLIC FORUM No one came forward. TYPE II PUBLIC HEARINGS A. PLANNING ACTION:#2011.00397 SUBJECT PROPERTY:2234 Siskiyou Boulevard(accessed from Chitwood Lane) APPLICANT: Groundworks Community Development Corp. DESCRIPTION: A request for Outline and Final Plan review,and Site Review approval to construct a five-unit townhouse development under the Performance Standards Options Chapter(AMC 18.88)for the property located at 2234 Siskiyou Boulevard,also known as Chitwood Park.The applicants have also requested a Tree Removal Permit to Ashland Planning Commission June 14. 2011 Page 1 of 3 remove three trees six-inches in diameter or greater at breast height; Exceptions to Street Standards to allow a dead- end street in excess of 500-feet in length,a private drive to serve five units, and a separation between driveways of less than 24 feet; and an Administrative Variance to the Site Design & Use Standards to allow a reduction in the separation and screening between residential units and parking areas. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: Single Family Residential;ZONING: R-1.7.5;ASSESSOR'S MAP: 391E 14 CB; TAX LOT: 100 Commissioner Marsh invited the Applicant to come forward. Kerry Kencaim/Applicant's Representative/Announced they are withdrawing their application and provided a brief explanation as to why. Ms. Kencaim stated they tried to carry forth a project that was desired by the Housing Commission and City Council, and their intention was to create something that the community said they wanted. She noted the issues that have come up and stated because this is an affordable housing project they cannot afford the legal fees and time delays, and at this point they cannot afford to move forward. Commissioner Marsh noted that a number of citizens had signed up to speak and asked if any of them would still like to come forward. Edward McBride/2241 Chitwood Ln/Requested confirmation that the Commission received his letter and pictures and that they would be included in the record. Marsh clarified the Commission did receive the materials submitted by Mr. McBride. Matthew Terreril2252 Chitwood Ln/Stated he is saddened that this project will not move forward and would have liked to seen something done with that land. He commented on the importance of doing a project right and getting the facts straight,and stated there were a lot of things that were not taken into consideration by the Applicant. PRESENTATION A. Firewise Presentation Firewise Communities Coordinator Ali True provided an overview of the City's Firewise program. Ms. True's presentation covered: • General overview of the Firewise Communities program and concept • Fuel arrangement and fire behavior • Home ignition zone concept and defensible space zones • Basic concepts of Firewise landscaping, including fire-resistant plants and which fire-prone plants to avoid Mr. True explained that by taking away the fuels, you can affect how a fire bums or whether it burns at all. She encouraged fire resistant landscaping and building materials, and stated involving planners in the landscape and construction design is an important factor of the Firewise program. She explained that by controlling the fuels within 100 ft to 200 It of a home,you can impact how a fire burns;and in urban areas like Ashland this is often a shared responsibility between neighbors. Ms. True reviewed plantings that are fire-prone(including Junipers, Italian Cypress, and Rosemary), and suggested Firewise approved alternates that could be used instead, including those that are appropriate for privacy screening. Ms. True clarified there are some communities in California that have mandated Firewise landscaping requirements; however, in Ashland participation is voluntary. She also clarified all of the City's street trees are fire resistant. Mr. Molnar asked about privacy screening for upper floors. Ms. True stated there are some tall, narrow tree varieties(such as Aspen and Maple)that tend to provide the same type of screening as Italian Cypress, but in a much safer way. Ms. True commented on the outreach she performs. She stated she teaches a Fire Resistant Landscaping course to contractors, and it will be offered for nursery associations and local contractors through the OSU Extension office. She added it will also be offered by SOU and RCC as part of their credit program. Commissioner Marsh thanked Ms.True for providing this presentation and recommended the Firewise Program information be handed out by staff to anyone who gets a building permit. Ashland Planning Commission June 14. 2011 Page 2 or 3 OTHER BUSINESS A. TSP Joint Meeting Follow-up Discussion. Commissioner Marsh commented on the TSP Subcommittee meeting she attended, and asked if the commissioners had any other TSP related items they wished to discuss. Commissioner Blake commented on a commuting survey that was done at SOU regarding whether students would be supportive of a quarterly fee to cover bus passes; and whether they would be more likely to support this fee if there was better service. He stated there was a fair amount of support for this, however a bus pass fee would not be likely to pass until RVTD improves their connectivity. Associate Planner Derek Severson noted the Census statistics that were reviewed by Senior Planner Brandon Goldman which showed that Ashland is less car-centric that any other metropolitan area in the State, including Portland. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, April Lucas,Administrative Supervisor Ashland Planning Commission June 14. 2011 Page 3 of 3 CITY OF ASHLAND ASHLAND TREE COMMISSION MINUTES July 7,2011 CALL TO ORDER-Ashland Tree Commission meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. on July 7, 2011, in the Siskiyou Room in the Community Development and Engineering Services Building located at 51 Winbum Way,Ashland, Oregon. Commissioners Present Council Liaison Russ Neff Russ Sibli er- ABSENT Casey Roland Tom Meyers Staff Present Tracy Peddicord Michael Pina, Assistant Planner Bobby Townsend-ABSENT Anne Thayer- ABSENT APPROVAL OF MINUTES June 9'" Tree Commission Minutes - Peddicord motioned/Neff seconded to approve the June 9'h, 2011 regular meeting minutes Voice vote: all AYES, Motion passed. The minutes were approved as submitted. WELCOME GUESTS Ali True Firewise Communities Coordinator. Ali gave a 20 minute presentation on Firewise landscaping and the benefit it has on the safety of residents. In the case of the 2010 Oak Knoll fire, Ali indicated how landscaping alone helped to both fuel and stop the fire onto neighboring properties. PUBLIC FORUM None TYPE I PLANNING REVIEW PLANNING ACTIONS: 2011-00738 SUBJECT PROPERTY. 1405 Tolman Creek Road APPLICANT. Malibar Group, LLC DESCRIPTION: A request for Outline and Final Plan approval for an eight-lot Performance Standards Subdivision to be developed in three phases for the vacant property located at 1405 Tolman Creek Road. The application also includes requests for a Variance to reduce the number of on-street parking spaces by fifty percent in order to preserve a large (60-inch diameter) maple tree; an Exception to Street Standards to not install sidewalks'along a portion of the new street; and a Physical & Environmental Constraints Review Permit to allow utility installation within the Hamilton Creek floodplain along Tolman Creek Road, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: Single Family Residential; ZONING: R-1-7.5; ASSESSOR'S MAP#: 39 1E 23 BA; TAX LOT: 308 and 501 Site visits were performed by all Michael read the staff report. Mark Knox and Laurie Sager were in attendance on behalf of the applicant. Michael Hitchcock (2360 Lupine) and James Lindow (2370 Lupine), residents west of the Green Meadows subdivision, west of proposed subdivision were also in attendance. John Fields(845 Oak)was also present for James Lindow. The Commission heard testimony from the applicant. The project Landscape Architect Laurie Sager told the Commission that the applicant has gone to great lengths to preserve the Large Maple at the end of the proposed Street and other significant trees on the property; including the Black Walnut and Pine tree located on the west property boundary. Two adjoining neighbors of the Green Meadows Subdivision also spoke regarding cluster of trees along the west property line of the project. They stated that they appreciate the applicant is taking steps to preserve the significant trees on the lot, but had questions regarding the preservation of the trees after development occurs on the individual parcels. Staff stated that we can condition the approval of the subdivision to preserve the trees during construction and place a deed restriction to protect the trees. The Commission also discussed the need for sidewalks to be placed on both sides of the street when the street length is so short and the subdivision is so small. Mark Knox stated that this is City standard. Staff concurred with Knox and added that an Exception to Street Standards would have to be requested by the applicant to approve the exception. Overall, the Commission was disappointed in the multiple errors on the Landscape Plan, and requested that the revised tree protection plan be submitted with protection measurements in feet from the trunk, rather than at the drip line of the tree. Commissioner Neff moved to approve, all were in favor. PLANNING ACTION: 2011-00787 SUBJECT PROPERTY. 540 YMCA Way APPLICANT.- YMCA/Adroit Construction DESCRIPTION: A request for Commercial Site Review to place a 144 square foot mechanical building at 540 YMCA Way. The structure will be placed in the northeast corner of the next to the Tolman Creek right-of-way. The application is also to remove a multi-trunk Elm tree placed in a landscape median adjacent to Tolman Creek. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: Commercial; ZONING: C-1;ASSESSOR'S MAP: 39 1E 11CD; TAX LOT. 1000 Site Visits all. Michael presented the staff report. The Commission shared staffs concern regarding the applicant"using their best judgement"when trenching in within the tree's root zone. Staff proposed two conditions for the Commission's review as recommendations. All agreed that a licensed arborist should supervise the work on site. Commissioner Myers moved to approve, all were in favor. PLANNING ACTION: 2011-00696 SUBJECT PROPERTY: 636 Ashland Creek Road APPLICANT.- Peter L. Cipes Building Design DESCRIPTION: A request for Physical and Environmental Constraints Review Permit approval to construct a 3,475 square foot single-family home on slopes greater than 25 percent for the property located at 636 Ashland Creek Drive. The application includes a request for an Administrative Variance from the Development Standards for Hillside Lands to allow for two small sections of the south vertical wall to be at 21 feet, and 21 feet, 6 inches high respectively on the downhill side of the home where only a 20 foot downhill wall height is typically allowed; and a modification of the Lithia Creek Estates subdivision (PA-94-003) to allow the allocation of some lot coverage from subdivision open space to the subject property. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: RR-.5 ZONING: RR-.5; ASSESSOR'S MAP: 39 lE 17AA; TAX LOT. 1128 Site Visits all. Michael presented the staff report. The Commission had no comment on the application except that they questioned the need to remove the 7"Cedar that appears to be outside of the building envelope, and within the proposed tree protection plan. Commissioner Roland moved to approve, all were in favor. DISCUSSION ITEMS Groasis Water Boxes: Staff relayed the information that we were not able to purchase the Goasis boxes with an order of 10 units. The Commission felt disappointed that no one called us back regarding out purchase inquiry. Perhaps we can find another innovative product at some point to try out. The Commissioners also discussed procedures for filing tree removal/landscaping notification procedures. Some Commissioners had had trouble meeting applicants on site during their inspection of the property and trees. Roland asked if staff could ask the applicants for a window of time to perform site visits. Also, in light of in accurate plans, can the trees be marked in a non-invasive manner so that Commissioners know they are looking at the right tree. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS Liaison Reports None New Items: None Current Balance$750.00 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 PM.Next Meeting: Thursday,August 4, 2011 Respectfully submitted by Michael Pifia, Assistant Planner z CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication Liquor License Application Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Barbara Christensen Department: City Recorder E-Mail: christeb2ashiand.or.us Secondary Dept.: None Secondary Contact: None Approval: Martha Ben ne Estimated Time: Consent Question: Does the Council wish to approve a Liquor License Application from Christian Senf dba Ruby's Neighborhood Restaurant at 163 N Pioneer Street? Staff Recommendation: Endorse the application with the following: The city has determined that the location of this business complies with the city's land use requirements and that the applicant has a business license and has registered as a restaurant, if applicable. The city council recommends that the OLCC proceed with the processing of this application. Background: Application is for a new license. The City has determined that the license application review by the city is set forth in AMC Chapter 6.32 which requires that a determination be made to determine if the applicant complies with the city's land use, business license and restaurant registration requirements (AMC Chapter 6.32). Related City Policies: In May 1999, the council decided it would make the above recommendations on all liquor license applications. Council Options: Approve or disapprove Liquor License application. Potential Motions: Approve or disapprove Liquor License application. Attachments: None Page I of I �r, CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication Recommendation from the Public Art Commission Exterior Mural Project at Heiman Elementary School Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Ann Seltzer Department: Administration E-Mail: seltzera(a-)ashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: None Secondary Contact: None Approval: Martha Bennet Estimated Time: Consent Question: Does the Council approve the recommendation of the Public Art Commission (PAC) to implement The Wishing Tree, a mural proposed for installation at Helman Elementary School? Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends Council approve the project. Background: In June, representatives of Helman Elementary School attended the Public Art Commission seeking approval for a ceramic tile mural to be installed on an exterior wall on the north side of the school. The mural, called The Wishing Tree, will measure 6' tall and 10' wide and depict a tree bending in the wind with student hand prints pressed into the leaves and child messages inscribed in the bark of the tree. The mural is designed to be durable yet easily repositioned should it need to be moved. The Public Art Commission approved the proposal. The mural will be visible to residents of Randy Street. Letters were mailed to the seven houses on Randy describing the project and inviting residents to comment on the proposal. No comments were received. Public Art is not subject to sign code regulations if the approval and installation complies with the AMC 2.17 which includes the public art acquisition process and requires final approval from the City Council. Pending Council approval of the project, The Wishing Tree will be installed in September of this year. Related City Policies: AMC 2.17 Council Options: Approve the recommendation of the Public Art Commission. Do not approve the recommendation and provide feedback to the Public Art Commission. Potential Motions: I move to approve the recommendation of the Public Art Commission to implement The Wishing Tree at Helman Elementary School. Page 1 of 2 I`, CITY OF ASHLAND I move to deny the recommendation of the Public Art Commission and Attachments: Letter to residents of Randy Street with description of the proposal from Helman Elementary School and photo of the exterior wall where the mural will be installed. Page 2 of 2 �=, CITY O F ASHLAND June 28, 2011 Dear Neighbor of Heiman School: Heiman School recently met with the City of Ashland Public Art Commission to propose the installation of a tile mural on the wall facing Randy Street. The mural will be of a tree"engraved"with children phrases and the leaves will be handprints of kindergarten students. Included with this letter is a narrative about the project and a photo of the wall facing Randy Street. You are being contacted because you may be able to see this mural from your property and therefore are invited to submit comments to the city, either in favor of the project or in opposition to the project. Please submit comments in writing and send to seltzeraaashland.or.us or mail to the address below no later than July 14. Sincerely, Ann J. Seltzer, staff liaison to the Public Art Commission City of Ashland 20 East Main Street Ashland, OR 97520 541-552-2106 `Wishing Tree"Kindergarten Mural Project Heiman School, 2011 "The Wishing Tree"is a ceramic tile mural to be installed on the north side of Heiman School, directly on the exterior wall of the kindergarten classrooms. The image is of a tree bending slightly,blowing in the wind,with bright green leaves fluttering off to the right. A blue bird gazes up at the tree from the ground. The trunk of the tree is raw dark clay,but has the kindergarteners' "wishes for the earth"stamped into its trunk. This mural will be 6'high and 10'wide and have a backing of Hardieboard, painted with exterior paint the same color as the present background of the school. Tiles will then be thinset on the Hardieboard and the whole piece installed with screws(tiles hiding the screws),sealed and durable. In detail, the wishing tree captures the kindergarteners'creativity in two ways. 1. Each 7" leaf contains a kindergartener's hand pressed into the middle of it, and the kindergartener even glazed the leaf himself or herself—trying for green on the outside and a cheerful yellow on the inside of the handprint. (Smaller solid green 4" leaves will be added to 611 out the tree). 2. The trunk of the tree will be unglazed and formed from a dark brown clay. The tiles of the trunk will also have the children's wishes stamped into them—each tile a quotation from an individual child about his or her"wish for the future or.the earth." The"ground"of the piece will be glazed green but will have the added delight of the imprints of shoes—from parents,kids, and teachers—sort of as an abstract, textured grass. This mural is designed to be durable,yet easily repositioned should the school undergo renovations. It incorporates the children's artwork and words, thereby creating a lasting monument for their 2011 experience in Heiman kindergarten. It also has been designed to be creatively added to by the future classes of kindergarteners coming through Heiman School. Mia Driscoll and Tia Maclean are the kindergarten teachers of Heiman. They asked Julia Janeway, a professional ceramic artist whose son attended Heiman kindergarten this past year, to create the mural. PTA and the school district will fund the project. Sue Springer, tile and public art expert, is consulting Julia on this project. Ideally,we would all like"The Wishing Tree"mural to be installed next September at the beginning of the school year. ~Lx ow• v • S. fi ire +�� ♦ Y'YrY l - CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication Transportation System Plan Grant Amendment Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Michael Faught Department: Public Works E-Mail: faughtm @ashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: Community Dev ment Secondary Contact: James Olson Approval: Martha Benne Estimated Time: Consent Agenda Question: Does the Council have questions regarding an amendment to increase the Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) grant by $40,000 providing additional funding for the Transportation System Plan (TSP) update? Staff Recommendation: In response to staff's requests for additional monies to fund the TSP update, ODOT has provided an additional $40,000 to supplement the original $175,000 grant increasing the total grant amount to $215,000. This amendment does not require Council action for acceptance. Background: At the June 1, 2010 meeting, the Council approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to increase the scope and cost of the TSP update from $350,000 to $416,740 with the City's share of that cost being$241,740. The TGM grant amount was for$175,000, or 42 percent of the cost. Staff has argued that the regional benefit of the document far exceeded the amount of the grant and that the grant should be increased accordingly. ODOT has concurred with the City and has increased its TGM grant from $175,000 to $215,000 or 52 percent of the total cost. With this amendment the City's share of cost will be $201,740. As of July 26, 2011, Kittelson and Associates, Inc. has completed seven of the eleven identified tasks and has presented 26 white papers on a variety of topics from Green Streets, to Round-a-bouts to Shared Streets. The white papers are an effective method of disseminating information to City staff, the Technical Advisory Committee and to the Transportation and Planning Commissions. The white papers are distributed to all commission and committee members one week in advance of the joint Transportation and Planning Commission meetings. White papers are reviewed and discussed at the meetings and then are analyzed as to the applicability of the topic to Ashland's Transportation System and it's suitability for incorporation into the final TSP document. Related City Policies: The TSP update fulfils a council goal to adopt a plan to increase the viability of transit, bicycles, walking and other alternative modes of transportation. Council Options: This is an informational item and no action is requested. Page I of 2 �r, CITY OF ASHLAND Potential Motions: This is an informational item and no action is requested. Attachments: Amendment No.I Page 2 of 2 Amendment No. 1 TGM Grant Agreement No. 26783 TGM File Code 3A-09 EA#TGM9LA30 AMENDMENT NO. 1 The State of Oregon, acting by and through its Department of Transportation, hereinafter referred to as "ODOT' or "Agency", and City of Ashland, hereinafter referred to as "City", entered into an intergovernmental agreement on June 22, 2010 ("Agreement"). Said Agreement covers a Transportation and Growth Management grant for City of Ashland, Transportation System Plan Update. It has now been determined by ODOT and City that the Agreement referenced above, although remaining in full force and effect, shall be amended to decrease City's Matching Amount. Except as expressly amended below, all other terms and conditions of the Agreement, are still in full force and effect. Paragraph B of Section 2 (Terms of Agreement); which currently reads: "Grant Amount. The Grant Amount which includes City's Matching Amount of$241,740 shall not exceed $416,740." Shall be amended to read: "Grant Amount. The Grant Amount which includes City's Matching Amount of$201,740 shall not exceed $416,740." Paragraph E of Section 2 of(Terms of Agreement); which currently reads: "City's Matching Amount. The City's Matching Amount is $241,740. City shall pay ODOT $25,000 , at time of the signing of this Agreement, $125,000 prior to Task 7 and $91,740 prior to Task 10" Shall be amended to read: "City's Matching Amount. The City's Matching Amohrit is $201,740. City shall pay ODOT $25,000 at time of the signing of this Agreement, $125,000 prior to Task 7 and $51,740 prior to Task 10" This Amendment may be executed in several counterparts (facsimile or otherwise) all of which when together shall constitute one agreement binding on all Parties, notwithstanding that all Parties are not signatories to the same counterpart. Each copy of this Amendment so executed shall constitute an original. 1 Amendment No. 1 TGM Grant Agreement No. 26783 TGM File Code 3A-09 EA#TGM9LA30 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have set their hands as of the day and year hereinafter written. On December 29, 2008, the Oregon Transportation Commission ("Commission") approved Delegation Order No. 2, which authorizes the Director of COOT to approve and execute agreements for day-to-day operations when the work is related to a project included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program ("STIP") or a line item in the biennial budget approved by the Commission. On September 15, 2006, the Director of the Oregon Department of Transportation approved Subdelegation Order No. 2, Paragraph 1, in which authority is delegated to the Deputy Director, Highways; Deputy Director, Central Services and the Chief of Staff, to approve and sign agreements over $75,000 when the work is related to a project included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program or in other system plans approved by the Oregon Transportation Commission such as the Oregon Traffic Safety Performance Plan, or in a line item in the biennial budget approved by the Director. The Director may also delegate to other Administrators the authority to execute intergovernmental agreements over $75,000 for specific programs such as transportation safety, growth management and public transit. STATE OF OREGON,by and through Contact Names: its Department of Transportation Michael Faught City of Ashland B City Hall,20 East Main Street By Ashland,OR 97520-1849 Division Administrator, Transportation Phone: 541488-6002 Development Division Fax: 541-488-5311 E-Mail: faughtm@ashland.or.us Date John McDonald,Contract Administrator Transportation and Growth Management Program City of Ashland 3500 NW Stewart Parkway Roseburg,OR 97470 By Phone: 541-957-3688 Official's Signature Fax: 541-957-3547 E-Mail: John.McDonald @odot.state.or.0 Date ��`f Z7 // s 2 CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication Approval to Reconvene the Public Safety Bond Committee to Evaluate Options for Expanding or Relocating the Police Station and Possible Funding Strategies Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Terry Holderness Department: Police Department E-Mail: holdemet(2cashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: Public Works Secondary Contact: Mike Faught Approval: Martha Benn Estimated Time: Consent Question: Will Council approve reconvening the Public Safety Bond Committee to evaluate the options for expanding or relocating the Police Station and to evaluate possible funding options for the expansion or relocation? Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that Council approve reconvening the Public Safety Bond Committee to evaluate the options for expanding or relocating the Police Station and to evaluate funding options for the expansion or relocation. Background: At the City Council meeting on May 18, 2010 the Public Safety Bond Committee unanimously recommended to the City Council that expansion and improvements to the Police Station are a top priority. The committee noted that relocating the Police Department to the Grove was more cost effective than expanding the existing station. The Council approved the recommendation. Having completed their charge, the committee was disbanded. At the City Council meeting on May 3, 2011 the Council approved funding for the Police Department to hire an architect to determine the feasibility and cost of remodeling the Grove for use as a police facility. The architect will also determine the feasibility and cost of expanding the existing station. Once the architect has completed the feasibility and cost estimates for both options the Public Safety Bond Committee would be asked to evaluate the options and to make a recommendation to the council on which option to pursue. They will also be asked to make a recommendation on funding options for the expansion. Related City Policies: None Council Options: • Council can accept the proposal to reconvene the Public Safety Bond Committee. • Council may reject the proposal to reconvene the Public Safety Bond Committee. Page] of 2 ��, C I T Y or ASHLAND Potential Motions: • Move to accept the proposal to reconvene the Public Safety Bond Committee. • Move to reject the proposal to reconvene the Public Safety Bond Committee. Attachments: None Page 2 of 2 :'..1 CITY OF -ASHLAND Council Communication Staff request to repeal AFN Advisory Board Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Martha Bennett Department: Administration E-Mail: bennettm @ashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: None Secondary Contact: None Approval: Martha Berm Estimated Time: Consent Question: Will the City Council repeal resolution 2011-01, which created the AFN Advisory Board? Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends Council repeal the AFN Advisory Board. Staff recommends that the Council revisit the need for an appointed Advisory Board after the Assistant City Administrator is in place and that person has had a chance to update the Strategic Business Plan and assess the best way to obtain advice about changes in the telecommunications industry and the business decisions of AFN. Background: . In January 2011, the City Council adopted resolution 2011-0 1, which created the AFN Advisory Board. As identified in the AFN Strategic Business Plan, the idea behind the board was to provide advice to the IT Director and City Council about key business decisions facing AFN and to ultimately recommend to the Council whether the City should retain, spin off, sell, or otherwise divest itself from AFN. The AFN Advisory Board had a sunset date of December 31, 2012. The AFN Advisory Board was to be made up of three executives in the telecommunications industry, two City Councilors, a citizen-at-large, a representative of AFN's retail partners, and two City staff people. Essentially, the City needed five citizen volunteers. Currently, we have two applicants for these five slots, even after seven months of recruiting. Additionally, with the departure of the IT Director, staff is concerned that by the time the City had both sufficient citizen volunteers and new staffing, this advisory group would only have a few months to meet prior to being disbanded. Last but not least, the two applicants for this advisory board deserve some closure about whether they are going to be volunteering their time to the City. Related Council Policies: Link to AFN Strategic Business Plan http://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavlD=13969 Council Options: Repeal Resolution 2011-01 Do not repeal the resolution and expand recruitment for volunteers Potential Motions: I move to repeal Resolution number 2011-1. Attachments: Resolution 2011-01 Page 1 of I RESOLUTION NO 2011- 0 A RESOLUTION DEFINING THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AD-HOC MUNICIPAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY EXECUTIVE ADVISORY BOARD RECITALS: A. The City of Ashland City Council requires specialized policy and technical input in reviewing the strategic direction of Ashland's municipal telecommunications utility. B. City Council seeks to affirm the expectations and composition of an ad-hoc advisory board . consisting of executives capable of providing said input to City Council and City staff. C. Ashland's municipal telecommunications utility would benefit from the inclusion of external experts in setting and managing to its strategic goals. D. City Council believes that the telecommunications utility will benefit from external advice in implementing the first two-year phase of its Strategic Business Plan. THE CITY OF ASHLAND RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Committee Established. The Ad-Hoc Telecommunications Utility Executive Advisory Board("AFN Board") is established beginning February 1, 2011 and shall consist of seven voting members. The AFN Board will automatically be dissolved on December 31, 2012. SECTION 2. Terms, Qualifications,Vacancies. 1) All members will be appointed by the Mayor with confirmation by the City Council, except for City staff designated as ex-officio, non voting members. Members shall be named by City Council and serve until the dissolution of the AFN Board on December 31,2012. 2) Three voting members shall be executives with expertise in telecommunications and business. Executives must have experience in the successful management of telecommunications or businesses of similar scope and scale. To ensure expertise and continuity,"Executive Appointees"may be residents of other cities and states. 3) Two voting members shall be named from among incumbent City Council members as "Council Appointees". 4) One voting member will be a citizen at-large of the City of Ashland. The"Citizen Appointee"should have expertise in the telecommunications or information technology. 5) One representative shall be appointed from the municipal telecommunications utility's vendor partners. This "Vendor Appointee"must in good-standing with the City,defined Page l of 3 as meeting all contracted performance requirements and holding a City of Ashland business license. 6) The City's Director of Information Technology will be an ex-officio, non-voting member and shall serve as staff to the AFN Board. 7) The City Administrator and/or their designee shall also serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the AFN Board. 8) Any AFN Board member who is absent without prior permission from the chair for more than two meetings in a one-year period shall be considered inactive from the AFN Board and the position vacant. A new person shall be appointed by City Council to complete the term. 9) The AFN Board will elect a person to serve as Chair and Vice Chair from among the voting members at the first meeting of each calendar year. SECTION 3. Ouorum and Rules. Four voting members shall constitute a quorum. The AFN Board shall establish rules for its meetings as it deems appropriate and shall meet as many times as necessary,but no less than semi-annually. SECTION 4. Responsibilities.The committee shall be responsible for: I) Reviewing semi-annual reports from telecommunications utility management and making any recommendations about AFN as a result of its report to the City Council. 2) Recommending to the City Council updates and revisions to the municipal telecommunications utility's Strategic Business Plan. This may include significant revisions to the business model when needed. 3) Analyzing and reporting to the City Council any significant industry events or risks that require changing the strategic direction of the City's telecommunications utility. 4) Recommending to the City Council whether to accept the telecommunications utility's capital plan,rates and products structure, and annual carryover requests. SECTION 5. Report s. The AFN Board shall submit copies of minutes of its meetings to the City Council and City Recorder. Reports or recommendations of the AFN Board shall be considered advisory in nature and shall not be binding on the Mayor or City Council. This resolution was duly PASSED and ADOPTED this Jday of 2011, and takes efftct upon signing by the Mayor. B bara Christensen, City Recorder Page 2 of 3 SIGNED and APPROVED this day of 2011. Stromberg, Mayor Reviewed as to fo Megan mton, Interim City Attorney Page 3 of 3 CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication Historic District Design Standards Revisions Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Derek Severson Department: Community Development E-Mail: seversodgashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: N/A Secondary Contact: Maria Hams Approval: Martha Berm Estimated Time: 30 minutes Question: Will the Council direct staff to initiate changes to the City's land use process to implement recommended changes to the Historic District design standards? Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends the Council accept the suggested changes to Ashland's Historic District Design Standards and direct staff to prepare the relevant code amendments for implementation. Background: The City of Ashland is a Certified Local Government (CLG), a State-sponsored program designed to promote historic preservation at the local level. Through our participation as a CLG, the City of Ashland qualifies to receive matching grants from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. In keeping with our responsibilities as a CLG, the City created the "Ashland Preservation Plan 2009- 2018" which sets forth a number of goals to further historic preservation planning in Ashland, along with an implementation plan. Among the goals identified was the, "Need to Revise and Expand Existing Residential Standards." Last year, to move this goal forward the City received and the Council accepted a grant to engage a consultant for the purpose of evaluating, revising and expanding Ashland's Historic District Design Standards in order to bring the standards more into line with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, the national standards for historic preservation, while also providing for greater internal consistency within our own Site Design and Use Standards. The project was not envisioned to be a substantial modification of the existing standards, which have served the city well in guiding development in our historic districts since their adoption in 1992, but rather a fine-tuning to address issues of consistency with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and within our own regulations. The team of J. Todd Scott, a preservation architect, and Julie Koler, an architectural historian, was selected to carry out the project. They have been working with staff and the Historic Commission to develop proposed revisions to the Historic District Design Standards over the past year. Their proposed revisions were presented to the Historic and Planning Commissions in June of this year, and both bodies expressed their unanimous support. Proposed Changes to Address the Secretary of the Interior's Standards • General re-working of the "Rehabilitation and Remodel Standards" in IV-B for clarity and consistency with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. • Some modifications to the text and drawings in IV-C for clarity and consistency with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. Page ] of 2 C I T Y OF ASHLAND Proposed Changes to Provide Greater Internal Consistency • Minor edits for clarification in Section IV-A • Clarification regarding staggered building heights in section VI-A-1 of the Site Design & Use Standards' "Downtown Design Standards" to provide more internal consistency between section IV and VI. • The addition of proposed definitions for"rehabilitation" and "restoration" to the definitions chapter(AMC 18.008). In addition, a sample "Historic Building Brief' addressing windows is included as an example of the sort of educational materials envisioned to support the revised standards. With the completion of the grant, we hope to create several of these fact sheets addressing issues such as historically appropriate additions and building materials which would be available as issue-specific hand-outs to support the revised standards by educating homeowners and contractors with projects in the historic districts. Related City Policies: 1-7: The City shall develop and implement through law design guidelines for new development as well as for alteration of existing structures within the historic interest areas for structures and areas that are historically significant. Council Options: Accept the proposed revisions to Ashland's Historic District Design Standards or recommend modifications to the revisions of Ashland's Historic District Design Standards. Potential Motions: Move to accept the suggested changes to Ashland's Historic Design Standards and direct staff to prepare the relevant code amendments for implementation into the City's land use approval process? Attachments: DRAFT Proposed Revisions to the Historic District Design Standards Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation DRAFT Historic Building Brief: Windows EXISTING Historic District Design Standards Historic Commission Minutes of June 8, 2011 Planning Commission Minutes of June 28, 2011 Page 2 of 2 �r, DRAFT Revisions Historic District Design Standards From Section IV of the Site Design & Use Standards handbook SECTION IV Historic District Development A. Development in Ashland's Historic District Ashland's Historic District is very important to all of the City's residents. Not only does this area contain the City's beginnings, but it is also the area of some of the most prominent landmarks in Ashland, excluding the Plaza, East Main Street commercial area, Lithia Park,and many important residential districts. for the most part,the main architectural themes have already been laid down,and must be considered in the design of any new structures or renovation of existing structures. This does not mean that all new structures must be a lavish imitation of an architectural style whose heyday is past,but sensitivity to surrounding buildings and the existing land use patterns Is essential to the successful development. While it Is critical that buildings be made habitable and safe, It is equally imperative that the architectural character of a building be respected in the process of structural Improvements. Unfortunately,this has not always been done in Ashland. The architectural merit of a building has too often been sacrificed for a more contemporary design. For this purpose,the following standards were conceived as a guide to design decisions in the hope that the architectural integrity of Ashland's homes and commercial buildings will no longer be unnecessarily lost. It is suggested that you think of your building as a whole—a single unit with no removable parts. Every change that you make can chip away at the Integrity of the whole, like surgery. Efforts to personalize and update the building will leave you with an assortment of miscellaneous parts that bear no relation to each other,or to the original design. Wrought iron columns,asbestos shingles and aluminum frame windows have only one thing in common—the local hardware store. Older buildings In Ashland were built one at a time and such added options can obscure their individuality. Restoration,Rehabilitation and Remodeling Because there Is so much activity these days In the improvement of older housing, new terminology has been introduced. The difference between "fesertiagrestorinz","rehabilitating",and "remodeling" may seem academic, but each results In a major difference in the way the job or project may turn out. To"restore" is to return a building to its original condition as if it were a precious museum piece. This technique ist typically used for structures of particular significance, such as historic landmarks where accuracy will serve an educational purpose as well as a visual one. Restoration is the most painstaking improvement process and usually the most expensive because it requires technical skill and historical precision for successful results. It can involve the removal of extraneous elements as well as the recreation of original features which may have become deteriorated or been destroyed. A fine example of a restoration project in Ashland is the Swedenberg home found on Sisklyou Boulevard. Great care has been taken to assure that the architectural integrity of the building exterior is practically identical to that when it was built in the early 1900s. Restoration is also defined in Ashland Municipal Code Section 1808. Remodeling a building is normally at the opposite end of the improvement spectrum from restoration. Unless it is done with sensitivity,to remodel a building is to redesign it so that the generic features are obliterated and the basic character destroyed In the name of modernization. A remodeling job is too often considered a success if the original structure is unrecognizable in the end result. Remodeling Is appropriate only ly used for buildings which are not historic and have fallen into a state of disrepair due to vacancy or vandalism. Remodeling can also be a proper course of action when a non-historic structure undergoes a change in use,say from a single-family residence to commercial office space. i Unfortunately,it is quite common for a house to be remodeled and totally divested of Its valuable characteristics when conditions do not require such radical treatment. Hence,the expression"remodel" can have bad connotations. To many people it suggests a waste of valuable resources. It is possible,however,to remodel with sensitivity, especially with the help of a talented architect. To"rehabilitate" is to take corrective measures which will make a structure livable again. Some aspects of rehabilitation entail renovation and the Introduction of new elements. Fore example, it is likely that inadequate eutmoded electrical circuits would be required to be brought up to code to ensure safety and to provide adequate service for today's modern appliances. When rehabilitating a building, it is essential to protect those portions or features which convey its historical,cultural and architectural characterthe stFuetural and deCOFati e chaFaEteristies which be ^n^to the aFeNte� our l style. These are the very features through which the visual Integrity and the economic value of the building are preserved. Modern elements shall only be introduced when absolutely necessary, and in a manner which Is sympathetic to the original design. An excellent example of a successful rehabilitation is the Ashland Community Center on Winburn Way. Rehabilitation is also defined in Ashland Municipal Code Section 18.08. The rewards of sensitive home improvements are many. First there is the satisfaction of knowing you have done the job right. Second,there Is the gratification from compliments of other people who appreciate what you have done. Third, there is the pleasure of living in an attractive, comfortable and historically preserved home. While these benefits are difficult to measure,such restoration or rehabilitation can result in significant economic benefits. A perceptive combination of restoration and remodeling will actually contribute to the resale value of your home. Finally,a good rehabilitation project can be surprisingly influential on an entire neighborhood. The City of Ashland has adopted ordinances to assure that all development,including development in the Historic District, remains compatible with the existing Integrity of the district. In new construction of a single-family residence, the Historic Commission will use these standards to make recommendations to the applicant. If an applicant requires a Staff Permit,Site Review, or a Conditional Use Permit which involves new construction, a remodel, or any use greater than a single-family use,the authority exists In the law for the Staff Advisor and the Planning Commission to require modifications in the design to match these standards. In this case the Historic Commission advises both the applicant and the Staff Advisor or other City decision maker. B. Rehabilitation Standards for Existing Buildings and Additions The purpose of these standards is to prevent Incompatible treatment of buildings in historic districts and to ensure that new additions and materials maintain the historic and architectural character of the district. IV-13-1 Historic architectural styles and associated features shall not be replicated In new additions or associated buildings. . IV-B-2 Original architectural features shall be restored as much as possible,when those features can be documented. yy' IV-B-3 Replacement finishes on exterior walls of historic buildingsshall match the original finish. Exterior finishes on new additions to historic buildings shall tie compatible with, but not replicate,the finish of the historic building. ' , �N�+ IV-B-4 Diagonal and vertical siding shall be avoid on new additions or on h storic buildings except in those instances where it was used as the original si ling IV-B-5 Exterior wall colors on new additions shall match those.of the historic budding IV-B-6 Imitative materials Including but not limited;to asphalt siding,wood textured aluminum siding 7. ' Wy and artificial stone shall be avoided. "4 ' M ti IV-B-7 Replacement windows in historic buildings shall match the original windows. Windows in new a i € r ' k y s -Ihl - additions shall be compatible in proportion, shape andsize, but not replicate,original windows in the TIP historic building.ti IV-B-8 Reconstructed roofs on historic buildings shall match the pitch and form of the original roof. � C.1:` Roofs on n newew'Y additions shall,match the pitch and formaofthe historic building, and shall be attached at a different height so the addition tan be clearly differentiated from the historic building. Shed roofs are E3£ acceptable forgone-story rear additions , IV-B-9 Wood shingle or composif on.roofs are preferred. Asphalt shingles which match the original roof material in col r and,texture a acceptable. Wood shake,tile and metal roofs shall be avoided. IV-B-10 New porches or entries=shall be compatible with, but not replicate,the historic character of the building. IV-B-11 New detached buildings shall be compatible with the associated historic building and shall conform to the above standards. IV-B-12 The latest version of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings shall be used In clarifying and determining whether the above standards are met. formattedl Left: 0.75,Right: 0.75" C. Historic District Design Standards In addition to the standards found in Section 11,the following standards will be used by the Planning and Historic Commission for new development-construction, and restoration and rehabilitationrenovation of existing buildings structures within the Historic District: IV-C-1 Heloht RECOMMENDED AVOID t Mha o? NEW �0 Construct new buildings to a height within New Aveld-construction that significantly the ranee of historicexistog building heights greatly varies In height(too high or too low) won and across the from historic eldeFbuildings In the vicinity. street. IV-C-2 Scale RECOMMENDED AVOID s 6 9 0 B UK4 m Tf m l3 Height,width and massing of new buildings Avoid d'�••..o.�.ldings that In Hkeight,width,and conform with historic F^ the qi7p er-massing of new buildings that is out of p.^^^..gns of new s.. .. to the Craig violate the t...°�s'Rgscale with historic of adjacent-buildings In the Immediate buildings in the vicin ity^ "o.�c 4 area. vicinit . i IV-C-3 Messina RECOMMENDED AVOID (D 6 II mU ® ❑ ❑ `")"I11""`"""`into SAveidsingle,monolithic forms that are not Ssmaller,varied masses consistent with relieved by variations in massing. _ which Pre cnmmon an mast historic buildings in the immediate vjclnit hkteric.peried. IV-C-4 Setback RECOMMENDED AVOID A � 8 StFeetgEapeS by pattern �^ ecet:a6 hy-plae F#ront walls of new ing-new{wilding-itrF#root walls that buildings are In the same plane as the are constructed forward of or behind facades of adjacent historic buildings. setback line of adjacent historic _ buildin¢sth°'��stOFIEfagade;;ae. IV-C-6 Roofs-Shapes RECOMMENDED AVOID 8 A e 8 e ^a.^«.Ga o^la«^«�•^^^•• Raoof shapes,pitches and ^-°�^°°°°dHsRroof shapes,pitches,or materials consistent with fecros of the materials not hlstorlcallvtvadi ienaBy used historic bulldings in the immediate In the areaimmediate vicinity. IV-C-6 Rhythm of Oaeninas RECOMMENDED AVOID r-o n a a o e c ^E«the alt..matle ..r..._n_.....Pattern Avoid intFedHEIRG hie fa§ale or rhythm of wall to-wlt#daor(-and-window patterns or rhythm of window door openings on the primary • '^° ^-�,.e • .,^ .�• the openings that is Inconsistent with adlacent facade or other visually prominent historic buildings hat «�.^•:, «� elevation is maintained. Maintain ^established r,•,«�^• „^ _a^^ - compatible "'•^^�-:.,..•«w°width-to- height ratio of bays In the facade. i IV-C-7 Base or Platforms RECOMMENDED AVOID T`" •ter^•� A clearly defined base,or A"^'"--��l-lm"&�Wwalls that appear to .. platfornn,4s-a-kaditiena4slting rise of-buildings straight out of the ground ' characteristic of historic most of the-eldeK without a distinct sense-ef-platform or base _ buildings In the Immediate vicinityAslilaW. at the ground level. IV-C-8 Form ' RECOMMENDED AVOID Form.e, .e-.,•«�^o jverticalL horizontal Form that varies from that of existing emphasis of building)that Is consistent with adjacent historic bulldinzsAveld-heFlienfal that of adjacent historic buildingser a e eal s a unless they buildings 168 the PFEE10mingnt dIFPPtIAnAI 9tFUFA1-FP9 in the IrAmerliate area. IV-C-9 Sense-of-Entrancesv RECOMMENDED AVOID B B ea A•«'^�Wdll-deflned primary AvGld4acades with minimally defined entrances to the buildleg-with covered Primary entrancesneitseng3enseef'e"t 6 porches,porticos,and other pronounced architectural features compatible but not imitative of historic counteroartsferms. IV-C-10 Imitations of Historic Features RECOMMENDED AVOID Mzft UEIIlae,aAccurate restoration of original Aveid-r$epllcating or Imitating the styles, architectural features on historic buildings, motifs,or details of historic bulldingselder ' ewisuaily-esmpaUlae additions toexisting peFlGals, c .el;attempts aFe FaFel buildings. Fer-nNew construction,Including suEeessful--a even ir well done addltIo ,n^dition, 'aFGhIt EtUFe that is EORNSiRg '"h_" "'hteF of clearly contemporary In designweJ4 "'°`igWFI"'' which enhancess yet does not compete visua Iv with adlacent historic buildingst'^... ti�-Pni«^«^•^ andcJiaracter--af�he-bl «^.•a,�„�s.,,��«•.•.�euld be used. IV-C-11 Additions RECOMMENDED AVOID Farmatted:Fmt:12 pt — --_- -� r�Farmatted:Fant:12 pt QQ .. _ _. .. .. . - - - .. _ ,.__--. Formatted:Left Addltlons that are visually unobtrusive from Addltlons on the primary facade or any a public right-of-way,and do not obscure or elevation that Is visually prominent from a eliminate character defining features of public right-of-way,and additions that historic buildings. obscure or destroy character defining features. Section VI.A Height 1. Building height shall vary from adjacent buildings, using either"stepped" parapets or slightly dissimilar overall height to maintain the traditional"staggered"streetscape appearance. An exception to this standard would be buildings that have a distinctive vertical division/facade treatment that"visually" separates it from adjacent buildings, or for restorations of historic facades. 18.08.622 Rehabilitation The act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural,or architectural values. (ORD XXXX,2011) 18.08.636 Restoration The act or process of accurately depicting the form, features,and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in its history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period. The limited and sensitive upgrading of mechanical,electrical,and plumbing systems and other code-required work to make properties functional is appropriate within a restoration project. (ORD XXXX, 2011) DRAFT Historic Building Brief "Windows" Fatal ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION HISTORIC BUILDING BRIEF No. 1 Windows General Guidelines—Windows should be retained and repaired whenever possible. For increased energy efficiency, weather-stripping and storm windows are the best options!Replacement should only be considered if the original windows are too deteriorated to repair. The ultimate goal Is long term sustainability and stewardship of historic buildings and materials. Histore—Windows are primary character-defining elements of a building. Historically, large sheets of glass were expensive to produce,so the earliest windows had small panes separated by wood muntins. As glass production improved, cost went down and larger panes were used. Ultimately,the number and arrangement of the panes,such as one over one or nine over nine sash, became the overriding design component. Windows were constructed of wood because it was readily available and easy to work with. They were double hung and oriented vertically to allow for the best light in a room and for the greatest efficiency in ventilation -hot air would escape out the top and cooler air would flow in the bottom. Windows were inset to decrease the potential for water infiltration and to allow space for the operating mechanisms, usually ropes and pulleys. While historic windows are oriented vertically, they often appear in pairs or triplets to increase overall window size. Repair and Maintenance—Wood windows that are repaired and properly maintained have greatly extended service lives while contributing to the historic character of the building. Window repairs can be labor Intensive, but are typically not too complicated. If you are considering window replacement, the money will be better spent on repairs to existing windows. Even badly deteriorated windows can be restored. Wood that is split,checked or rotting can be stabilized by applying consolidants or wood putties. For windows that cannot be stabilized,replacing parts of the original window may be necessary. It is not unusual for historic wood windows to remain serviceable for 150 years or more when properly maintained. Replacement Windows—Replacement of original windows should be a last resort after all repair possibilities have been explored. If the condition of the windows is so poor that replacement is the only option, match replacement windows to existing windows as closely as possible in terms of size, materials, profile and configuration of window panes. Replacing windows with muntins requires either an external muntin, or true divided light window. However,these muntins are often much wider and flatter than the originals and reduce glass coverage. Internal or"between the glass" muntins are not appropriate because they don't create a sense of depth like the original window. Replacement windows have a much shorter life span than the original windows and require replacement In relatively short intervals, often before the cost of Installing them has been recovered in energy savings. Vinyl windows are not appropriate because they cannot be worked like wood windows and they will not readily accept paint,so they are usually stark white, a color not usually found on historic buildings. Vinyl also yellows over time and cracks and shrinks with exposure to ultraviolet light. First in a series of educational briefs to encourage successful rehabilitation of Ashland's historic buildings. For additional briefs contact: ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION - Tel:541.4883305 - 51 Winbum Way - Ashland,Oregon 97520 - www.ashland.or.us rao ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION HISTORIC BUILDING BRIEF No. 1 Windows Windows In Additions—Windows should be wood, aluminum clad wood or fiberglass and single/double hung or casement in operation. Windows for each floor should line up together, generally at the top of the opening. Windows should occur on each side of a house, generally no more than twelve"feet apart. Window orientation should be FIR A" "FICAL. vertical,that Is,taller than they are wide,with a WINF7 V J minimum ratio vertically to horizontally of 1.5 to 1. If a MuNriNs wider opening is preferred, pairs of vertical windows LM should be used. Window divisions in modern additions are not needed, as large areas of glazing are readily available, so any new windows should have a 1/1 light 1 configuration. Windows should be surrounded by exterior trim on the top and sides,with trim at least four Inches wide. Windows should be Inset a minimum depth of two inches from the finished exterior wall. �, NaT rHrs Energy Efficiency—Most heat is lost between the Vile- window sash and the frame. Despite widespread misconceptions, replacing old windows with new, double-glazed windows will not save money,will not / significantly increase the energy efficiency of a house, and will probably cost more in the long term. J Appropriate weather-stripping, use of insulation in the window frame cavity and the installation of sash locks will significantly reduce air infiltration. Exterior storm PAIRED VER7�cA45 FIOT 7NI9 windows should be considered because they are thermally efficient,cost-effective, reversible, and allow the retention of original windows. Although Interior storm windows appear an attractive option for achieving double glazing with minimal visual Impact,there is potential for condensation damage. Any storm window should be the same size as the underlying window. Matte finished anodized or coated frames are permitted are best, preferably those coated or painted to match the existing color of the windows. "Mill aluminum" (shiny)windows should not be used. Additional Readine—National Park Service Preservation Brief#9: The Repair of Historic Wooden Windows (load website). National Park Service Preservation Brief#3: Conserving Energy in Historic Buildings(load website). First in a series of educational briefs to encourage successful rehabilitation of Ashland's historic buildings. For additional briefs contact: I ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION - Tel:541-43&5305 - 51Winbum Way - Ashland,OrVn9752a wwwashland.ocus Secretary of the Interior' s Standards for Rehabilitation #6 C: Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation 1. A property shall be used for Its historic purpose or be placed In a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and Its site and environment. 2.The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved.The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided. 3.Each properly shall be recognized as a physical record of Its time,place,and use.Changes that create a false sense of historical development,such as adding conjectural features or architectural elements from other buildings,shall not be undertaken. 4.Most propertles change over time;those changes that have acquired historic significance In their own right shall be retained and preserved. 5. Distinctive features,finishes,and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved. 8.Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced.Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature,the new feature shall match the old in design,color,texture,and other visual qualities and,where possible,materials.Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary,physical,or pictorial evidence. 7.Chemical or physical treatments,such as sandblasting,that cause damage to historic materials shall not be used.The surface cleaning of structures,if appropriate,shall be undertaken using the gentlest means possible. 8.Significant archeological resources affected by a project shall be protected and preserved.If such resources must be disturbed,mitigation measures shall be undertaken. 9.New additions,exterior alterations,or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property.The new,work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing,size,scale,and architectural features to protect the historic Integrity of the property and Its environment. 10.New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken In such a manner that It removed In the future,the essential form and Integrity of the historic property and Its environment would be unimpaired. EXISTING Historic District Design Standards Section IV of the Site Design & Use Standards SECTION IV Historic District Development A. Development in Ashland's Historic District Ashland's Historic District is very important to all of the City's residents. Not only does this area contain the City's beginnings, but it is also the area of some of the most prominent landmarks in Ashland, excluding the Plaza, East Main Street commercial area, Lithia Park, and many important residential districts. For the most part, the main architectural themes have already been laid down, and must be considered in the design of any new structures or renovation of existing structures. This does not mean that all new structures must be a lavish imitation of an architectural style whose heyday is past, but sensitivity to surrounding buildings and the existing land use patterns is essential to the successful development. While it Is critical that buildings be made habitable and safe, it Is equally imperative that the architectural character of a building be respected in the process of structural improvements. Unfortunately, this has not always been done in Ashland. The architectural merit of a building has too often been sacrificed for a more contemporary design. For this purpose, the following standards were conceived as a guide to design decisions in the hope that the architectural integrity of Ashland's homes and commercial buildings will no longer be unnecessarily lost. It is suggested that you think of your building as a whole — a single unit with no removable parts. Every change that you make can chip away at the integrity of the whole, like surgery. Efforts to personalize and update the building will leave you with an assortment of miscellaneous parts that bear no relation to each other, or to the original design. Wrought iron columns, asbestos shingles and aluminum frame windows have only one thing in common —the local hardware store. Older buildings in Ashland were built one at a time and such added options can obscure their individuality. Restoration, Rehabilitation and Remodeling Because there is so much activity these days in the improvement of older housing, new terminology has been introduced. The difference between "resorting", "rehabilitating", and "remodeling" may seem academic, but each results in a major difference in the way the job or project may turn out. To "restore" is to return a building to Its original condition as if it were a precious museum piece. This technique it typically used for structures of particular significance, such as historic landmarks where accuracy will serve an educational purpose as well as a visual one. Restoration is the most painstaking Improvement process and usually the most expensive because it requires technical skill and historical precision for successful results. It can involve the removal of extraneous elements as well as the recreation of original features which may have become deteriorated or been destroyed. A fine example of a restoration project in Ashland is the Swedenberg home found on Siskiyou Boulevard. Great care has been taken to assure that the architectural integrity of the building exterior is practically identical to that when it was built in the early 1900s. Remodeling a building is normally at the opposite end of the improvement spectrum from restoration. Unless it is done with sensitivity,to remodel a building is to redesign it so that F,, Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 39 the generic features are obliterated and the basic character destroyed in the name of modernization. A remodeling job Is to often considered a success if the original structure is unrecognizable in the end result. Remodeling is appropriately used for buildings which were constructed of Inferior materials or for the buildings which have fallen Into a state of disrepair due to vacancy or vandalism. Remodeling can also be a proper course of action when a structure undergoes a change in use, say from a single-family residence to commercial office space. Unfortunately, it is quite common for a house to be remodeled and totally divested of its valuable characteristics when conditions do not require such radical treatment. Hence, the expression "remodel" can have bad connotations. To many people it suggests a waste of valuable resources. It is possible, however, to remodel with sensitivity, especially with the help of a talented architect. To "rehabilitate" is to take corrective measures which will make a structure livable again. Some aspects of rehabilitation entail renovation and the introduction of new elements. Fore example, it is likely that outmoded electrical circuits would be required to be brought up to code to ensure safety and to provide adequate service for today's modern appliances. When rehabilitating a building, it is essential to protect the structural and decorative characteristics which belong to the architectural style. These are the very features through which the visual integrity and the economic value of the building are preserved. Modern elements shall only be introduced absolutely necessary, and in a manner which is sympathetic to the original design. An excellent example of a successful rehabilitation is the Ashland Community Center on Winburn Way. The rewards of sensitive home improvements are many. First there is the satisfaction of knowing-you have done the job right. Second, there is the gratification from compliments of other people who appreciate what you have done. Third, there is the pleasure of living in an attractive, comfortable and historically preserved home. While these benefits are difficult to measure, such restoration or rehabilitation can result in significant economic benefits. A perceptive combination of restoration and remodeling will actually contribute to the resale value of your home. Finally, a good rehabilitation project can be surprisingly influential on an entire neighborhood. The City of Ashland has adopted ordinances to assure that all development, Including development in the Historic District, remains compatible with the existing Integrity of the district. In new construction of a single-family residence, the Historic Commission will use these standards to make recommendations to the applicant. If an applicant requires a Staff Permit, Site Review, or a Conditional Use Permit which involves new construction, a remodel, or any use greater than a single-family use, the authority exists in the law for the Staff Advisor and the Planning Commission to require modifications in the design to match these standards. In this case the Historic Commission advises both the applicant and the Staff Advisor or other City decision maker. rill Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 40 B. Rehabilitation and Remodel Standards The purpose of the following standards is to prevent incompatible structures and design and ensure the proper use of materials and details within the Historic District: IV-13-1 Be sure the remodeled portion has exterior wall finish that matches the existing or original material. IV-13-2 Design window additions are to duplicate existing or original windows. IV-B-3 Design the roof on additions or remodels to have the same pitch as the original pitch as the original roof. Extend the ridge lines where possible. On one-story rear additions, shed roofs are acceptable. IV-13-4 Match the style of any porch or entry addition to the original or existing style of the front of the structure. IV-B-5 Match the colors of any additions to the colors used on the existing exterior. IV-13-6 Try to rehabilitate and restore as many features as possible. IV-13-7 Sawn shingle and, for economy composition roofs are preferred. Asphalt shingles which match existing color and texture are acceptable. Shake shingles, tile and metal roofs are not compatible with most Ashland architectural styles (there are a few exceptions). IV-B-8 Diagonal and vertical siding are not compatible in most cases. IV-B-9 Imitative materials such as asphalt siding, wood textured aluminum siding or artificial stone are not compatible. IV-13-10 Any detached structures shall be compatible with the existing building and conform to the above standards. IV-B-11 Styles of other eras or locals, such as Tudor and Western styles are to be avoided. A/r, Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 41 C. Historic District Design Standards In addition to the standards found in Section II, the following standards will be used by the Planning and Historic Commission for new development and renovation of existing structures within the Historic District: IV-C-1 Height RECOMMENDED AVOID i pfl'v 00 0 00 00 Construct buildings to a height of existing Avoid construction that greatly varies buildings from the historic period on and in height(too high or too low)from across the street. older buildings in the vicinity. IV-C-2 Scale RECOMMENDED AVOID o t3 B 0 d e m 17 m e Relate the size and proportions of new Avoid buildings that in height, width, or structures to the scale of adjacent buildings massing, violate the existing scale of the area. i I R,, Ashland Site Design& Use Standards 42 IV-C-3 Masslnst 'RECOMMENDED AVOID nn p Break up uninteresting boxlike forms Info Avoid single, monolithic forms that are smaller, varied masses which are common not relieved by variations in massing. on most buildings from the historic period. IV-C-4 Setback RECOMMENDED AVOID a � � Maintain the historic fagade lines of Avoid violating the existing setback streetscapes by locating front walls of new pattern by placing new building in front buildings in the same plane as the facades or behind the historic fagade line. of adjacent buildings. A/r, Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 43 IV-C-5 Roof Shaves RECOMMENDED AVOID Relate the new roof forms of the building to Avoid introducing roof shapes, pitches, those found in the area. or materials not traditionally used in the area. IV-C-6 Rhythm of Openings RECOMMENDED AVOID e o e e a 8 � 8 Respect the alternation of wall areas with Avold introducing incompatible fagade door and window elements in the fagade. patterns that upset the rhythm of Also consider the width-to-height ratio of opening established by the bays in the fagade. surrounding structures. ��, Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 44 IV-C-7 Platforms RECOMMENDED AVOID The use of a raised platform is a traditional Avoid bringing the walls of buildings siting characteristic of most of the older straight out of the ground without a buildings in Ashland. sense of platform. IV-C-8 Directional Expression RECOMMENDED AVOID � b, h� ll Relate the vertical, horizontal or Avoid horizontal or vertical fagade nondirectional fagade character of new expressions unless they are buildings to the predominant directional compatible with the character of expression of nearby buildings. structures in the immediate area. FAN Ashland Site Design&Use Standards 45 IV-C-9 Sense of Entry RECOMMENDED 'AVOID r DD g 6 13 Articulate the main entrances to the building Avoid fagades with no strong sense of with covered porches, porticos, and other entry. pronounced architectural forms. , IV-C-10 Imitations RECOMMENDED AVOID ® 1 Utilize accurate restoration of, or visually Avoid replicating or imitating the styles, compatible additions to, existing buildings. motifs, or details of older periods. Such For new construction, traditional architecture attempts are rarely successful and, that well represents our own time, yet even if well done, present a confusing enhances the nature and character of the picture of the true character of the historic district should be used. historical area. i F,, Ashland Site Design& Use Standards 46 Historic Commission Minutes June 8, 2011 Special Meeting Historic District Design Standards CITY OF ASHLAND ASHLAND HISTORIC COMMISSION Meeting Minutes June 8,2011 Community Development/Engineering Services Building-51 Winbum Way-Slskryou Room CALL TO ORDER-SPECIAL MEETING. 5:00 om Historic Commissioners Present: Dale Shostrom,Terry Skibby,Keith Swink,Sam Whitford,Allison Renwick, Tom Giordano,Ally Phelps Commission Members Absent: Kerry Kencaim(e) Council Liaison: Michael Moms(arrived at 6:00 pm) High School Liaison:None Appointed SOU Liaison:None Appointed Staff Present:Planners:Derek Severson&Amy Gunter,Clerk:Billie Boswell Historic District Design Standards Revision-Todd Scott reviewed the draft changes made to make Ashland's Historic District Design Standards more in line with the federal standards and the Historic Commission's goals.Section IV-B.was changed to Rehabilitation Standards to emphasize rehabilitation as opposed to remodel.Ms.Gunter asked if the definition of'rehabilitation*could be included.There was discussion regarding how additions should be delineated from the original structure in the line drawings.Also whether or not to encourage siding,windows and trim to match the existing home. Ms.Gunter asked if the definition of"rehabilitation'could be included to differentiate it from'remodel". On the illustrations,Section IV-C,several Commissioners suggested that an actual building drawing be used instead of a"box'. On the new Section IV-C-11,Additions,it was asked that the illustrations be consistent with two homes so it doesn't look like two houses were pushed together. It was also suggested that illustration IV-C-10 be added back with different pictures and a better description. On the Downtown Design Standards the Commissioners supported adding an exception to allow historic architectural details to be retained on historic buildings. Mr.Severson said the revised version would be presented to the Planning Commission on June 281'and the final would go to City Council on August 2^d. CALL TO ORDER-REGULAR MEETING,6:05 gm APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms.Renwick pointed out that on the 165 W Fork St project it was Ms. Phelps and not her that made comment on the siding.Mr. Whitford moved to approve the April 6, 2011 minutes as amended and the motion was seconded by Mr. Swink.Ms.Renwick abstained due to being absent and the minutes were approved unanimously by the remaining Commissioners. PUBLIC FORUM: None PUBLIC HEARING: PLANNING ACTION: 2011-00558 SUBJECT PROPERTY: 39 Fourth Street APPLICANT: Sarah Challman DESCRIPTION:A request for a Conditional Use Permit approval for a Travelers Accommodation to be located within an Accessary Unit located behind 39 Fourth Street adjacent to the alley.COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DESIGNATION: Low-Density Multi-family ZONING:R-2;ASSESSOR'S MAP:391 E 09BD TAX LOT:500 Ashland Historic Commission Minutes 7262011 Planning Commission Minutes June 28, 2011 Study Session Historic District Design Standards CITY OF ASHLAND ASHLAND PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION MINUTES June 28,2011 CALL TO ORDER Chair Pam Marsh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.in the Siskiyou Room,51 Winbum Way. Commissioners Present: Staff Present: Larry Blake Bill Molnar,Community Development Director Michael Dawkins Derek Severson,Associate Planner Pam Marsh Melanie Mindlin Absent Members: Council Liaison: Debbie Miller Russ Silbiger,absent HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGN STANDARDS UPDATE Associate Planner Derek Severson provided a brief overview of the project that is underway to revise Ashland's Historic District Design Standards and introduced J.Todd Scott who is the project consultant. Mr.Scott provided a presentation to the Commission on the proposed revisions to the Design Standards.He commented on why it is important to revise the standards,and listed the areas of key interest as:additions,imitations,and height.He presented pictures of several historic district structures,and listed what elements were successful and where he would have recommended changes to the design features.Mr.Scott reviewed the proposed revisions to the Design Standards,and recommended the City develop brochures that cover what kinds of things you should and should not do with historic buildings. Mr.Molnar asked how Mr.Scott would address a second-story addition in the downtown,on a block such as the one where the Columbia Hotel is located.Mr.Scott discussed the need to protect the historic integrity of existing single-story buildings,noting that additions to single-story volumes can be more problematic than on taller,multi-story buildings. In general,he suggested the best way to protect the historic integrity of the building would be to set the second-story addition well back from the existing fagade line. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Marsh commented on public education being a key component to all of this.She noted the ideas put forward are counter-intuitive to most people,including that windows and new materials should not exactly match those of the existing historic structure. Mr.Scott agreed and stated you want to be able to tell what portion of a building is new.He discussed the educational component of this project,which could involve fact sheets to act as handouts to supplement the Standards document.He discussed the sample fact sheet he prepared for windows,and noted that these could be prepared for a number of other relevant topics. Commissioner Marsh spoke to the issue of driveway and garage placement in historic districts and stated this can have a big impact in how a block feels.There was a general discussion of how development patterns have changed over time to address the role of the car in American life,including the evolution from narrow,long lots to lots that are wider than they are deep.Additional comments were made regarding the need to address how pedestrian access from the sidewalk to a home is treated. Commissioner Marsh noted her concern of the how Floor Area Ratios are calculated and suggested they consider revising this. Mr.Severson commented on the next steps in the process and explained the consultant will take the comments and suggestions presented tonight and make his final refinements to the Standards,which will then be presented to Council for review in August. If the City Council is supportive of the revised Standards,staff will move forward with drafting an ordinance and formal public hearings will be held before the Historic Commission, Planning Commission and City Council. Ashland Planning Commission June 28, 2011 Page 1 of 2 CITY OF ASHLAND Council Communication North Main Pilot Road Diet Meeting Date: August 2, 2011 Primary Staff Contact: Michael R. Faught Department: Public Works E-Mail: faughtm @ashland.or.us Secondary Dept.: Administration Secondary Contact: Jim Olson Approval: Martha Benne Estimated Time: 90 Minutes Question: Will the Council approve a one-year pilot project for a road diet on North Main Street between Heiman Street and the City limits? If so, should the road diet be delayed until after the Wimer/Hersey/N. Main intersection is re-aligned? Staff Recommendation: The Transportation Commission recommended the City proceed with the pilot project on the road diet and afterwards pursue a realignment of Wimer/Hersey/N. Main. This will distribute left turns from Wimer onto other neighborhood streets. Staff recommends a different option than the one proposed by the Transportation Commission. Staff recommends that the Council approve the pilot project for a road diet on North Main Street, but that Council delay implementation of that project until after the phase 1 realignment of the Wimer/Hersey/N. Main intersection is complete. This will ensure left turns can be made from North Main Street onto both Hersey and Wimer Streets after the road diet is implemented. In both cases, the recommendation is for a one-year pilot project, with an evaluation of whether to make the road diet permanent at the end. Both options require an intergovernmental agreement with ODOT. Background: Reconfiguring North Main from four-lanes to three-lanes with bike lanes was first considered as a road safety project in 2007. In addition, it was also considered by HBH Consulting Engineers, who in 2009 completed a traffic impact study for the potential closure of the Glenn Street rail crossing and analysis of two intersections on North Main. This study also concluded that implementing a road diet on North Main was a viable option. In 2010, the new 21 st Century Transportation System Plan (TSP) update was awarded to Kittelson & Associates and consistent with a modal equity plan, road diets were included in the update. The TSP update includes a recommendation to implement a pilot (restriping the 4-lane to a 3-lane configuration) road diet project on North Main. On January 18, 2011, the City Council heard a TSP update where the road diet concept was discussed and both the Transportation and Planning Commission members charged with the responsibility of updating the TSP supported the concept. The Transportation Commission then began working on an implementation plan which included a public meeting regarding the road diet on March 31, 2011, followed by a second public meeting on June 14, 2011 where Dan Burden, of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, presented the advantages of road diet projects followed by a question and answer session. These advantages include: Page I of 4 CITY OF -ASHLAND • Improve traffic flow—Reducing the number of vehicle travel lanes in the same direction eliminates lane changes and weaving, which improves vehicle flow along the corridor. • Reduce vehicle speeds closer to desired operating speed — Narrowing the roadway cross-section dedicated to personal automobiles as well as adding features such as on-street parking and bike lanes creates a "tunnel effect" that naturally slows motorists' speeds. . • Reduce conflicts and number of crashes— Reducing the number of automobile travel lanes reduces the number of conflicts along the roadway segments and at some intersections. The number of crashes decreases due to the reduced number of conflicts, slower operating speeds and increased motorists' attentiveness due to increased street activity. National research published in the Highway Safety Manual(Reference 1) indicates converting a 4-lane undivided road to a 3-lane road (two-lanes with a center turn lane) reduces crashes by approximately 29%. • Create a more attractive environment for pedestrians and bicyclists — Reallocating existing right-of-way to designate space exclusive for pedestrian and/or bicycle travel provides a more inviting and comfortable setting for pedestrians and bicyclists. Reduced vehicle speed and streetscape improvements that are often accompanied with road diets also improve the quality of travel for pedestrian and bicyclists. Realigning the North Main/Hersey/Wimer intersection became an important part of the North Main road diet discussion. The current road diet proposal prohibits left hand turn movement in and out of Wimer Street (see attached design document) which improves the safety of that intersection. While this proposal does increase the safety of that intersection it reroutes approximately 700 vehicle trips per day onto other side streets. In no instance did the anticipated increased traffic load exceed the recommended traffic volumes for the appropriate road classification as set forth in the City's street standards. To that end, both the Transportation Commission and staff agree that the realignment should be completed as soon as possible. Depending on options selected, the intersection realignment project could cost as much as $1.5 million. However, staff has evaluated a phased approach to the realignment that reduces the estimated cost to $700,000. Staff recommends that the engineering and right-of-way acquisition portion of this project be completed in this current budget cycle and that the construction portion of the project be added to the 2012-13 CIP during the CIP update and subsequent budget process. Staff continues to work on multiple funding options. • The realignment project could be funded using $690,000 of Surface Transportation Program Funds currently allocated for the Allison Street and Taylor Street overlay projects. Those overlay projects could be deferred and then funded using user fees in the future. This process would require a TIP amendment through the MPO but could be completed by September. As it is, STP funding for the two overlay projects exceed the expected cost of the overlay projects by $172,000. In addition, staff will attempt to secure additional funding from ODOT for the project. • The MPO has identified an additional $800,000,in the CMAQ fund that this project may qualify for that Ashland could submit a grant for. However, the CMAQ application process likely will not be completed until December 2011. • ODOT also has other Safety Improvement funds that the project may qualify for and is still in the process of evaluating with ODOT staff. Page 2 of 4 CITY OF ASHLAND Based on the information presented above and the Road Diet FAQ Sheet and Road Diet memorandums date January 11, 2011 and June 8, 2011, the Transportation Commission is recommending that the one year pilot (or temporary) road diet be implemented the week of September 12 and that the North Main/Hersey/Wimer realignment project be constructed during the 2012 construction season. If on the other hand the council determines that the North Main/Hersey/Wimer intersection should be realigned prior to implementing the road diet, then council could approve the road diet and delay the implementation until (likely September 2012) after the North Main/Hersey/Wimer intersection has been realigned. The estimated cost to restripe and sign North Main is $130,000 ($30,000 engineering and $100,000 for the project) and an additional $35,000 to restripe back to the 4-lane configuration in the event the road diet does not work. The good news is that ODOT has approved a Bike and Pedestrian grant in the amount of$115,000 for the proposed pilot road diet project. It is important to note that North Main is an ODOT facility and as such any change to the existing striping had to be approved by ODOT. Prior to granting the initial approval of this project, ODOT required the city to conduct a North Main operations analysis (see attached study), which has now been approved. In addition, Kittelson & Associates updated the queuing and travel time analysis, and included an evaluation of impacts to adjacent street networks (see memorandum date June 8, 2011). One of the most common questions posed to staff regarding the proposed pilot North Main road diet is "won't reducing four travel lanes to two travel lanes increase congestion?" The answer is yes, slightly; however, the traffic model indicates that the road diet would only increase travel time along North Main between Helman Street and Jackson Road by 22 seconds during peak period traffic flows. The advantage to cars is that the three lane configuration provides left-turn refuge lanes and left-hand turning movement off and on to North Main which then allows through traffic to continue unimpeded by that turning movement. This configuration then reduces rear end and T-Bone vehicular crashes, reduces travel speeds (please note that the existing 85th percentile travel speed on North Main is 32 mph or 7 mph over the speed limit), and provides safe bike and pedestrian facilities, that will encourage residents to choose to walk or bike rather than always taking their cars for local trips. Ultimately the reduction in vehicular trips will reduce the overall traffic volume on North Main; thereby, reducing the need to expand the facility in the future. If the North Main pilot toad diet project is approved, the project success will be evaluated based on the following: • Reduction of the annual average number and severity of crashes. • Reduction of the 85`h Percentile Speed closer to the posted speed limit. • Increased bicycle and pedestrian volumes. • Maintaining an average vehicle travel time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds or less from Helman Street to the north end of the project. • Increased support for keeping the road diet after the trial period. The Transportation Commission has completed their work and has now voted to move the project on to the City Council for approval. Page 3 of 4 CITY OF -ASHLAND Council Options: 1. The City Council could approve the Transportation Commission's recommendation to implement the North Main pilot road diet project the week of September 12, approve ODOT's IGA, and direct staff to fast track the North Main/Hersey/Weimer Realignment project. 2. The City Council could decide to approve the North Main pilot road diet project but delay the implementation until the North Main/Hersey/Wimer realignment project has been completed 3. The City Council could decide to modify ( ) the recommendations 4. The City Council could decide not to approve the proposed road diet project. Potential Motions: 1. Move to approve implementation of the North Main pilot road diet project scheduled to begin the week of September 12, 2011, approve the ODOT Bike and Pedestrian IGA, and direct staff to fast tract the North Main/Hersey/Wimer realignment project. 2. Move to approve the North Main pilot road diet project but delay implementation until the North Main/liersey/Wimer realignment project has been complete and approve the ODOT Bike and Pedestrian IGA. 3. Move to modify ( ) staff recommendations. 4. Move to deny approval of the proposed road diet project. Attachments: 1. Ashland Road Diet Memo 2. Ashland Road Diet Q and A 3. ODOT IGA 4. Public Opinion Letters The 2009 Northwest Ashland Traffic Impact Analysis, Road Diets White Paper and the draft Ashland Road Diet Striping Plan may be viewed online at http://www.ashland.or.us/Page.asp?NavlD=14230 Page 4 of 4 <,7 KITTELSON & ASSOCIATES , INC . TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING / PLANNING 810 SW Alder Street,Suite 700,Portland,OR 97205 P503.228.5230 F503.273.8169 MEMORANDUM Date: June B,2011 Project#: 11310.02 To: Mike Faught,City of Ashland From: Susan L.Wright,P.E.,Matt J.Bell,and Erin M.Ferguson,P.E. Project: North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Subject: Updated Traffic Operations Analysis The City of Ashland is considering implementing a road diet demonstration project(i.e.,a temporary road diet) on North Main Street extending from Helman Street to the northern city limits (i.e.,where the railroad crosses over North Main Street). Kittelson&Associates, Inc.(KAI) prepared preliminary traffic operations analysis for the road diet as part of the City's Transportation System Plan (TSP) update. Using those preliminary traffic operations analysis and general information about road diets, the City held initial discussions about a temporary road diet on North Main Street with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), the City of Ashland's Transportation Commission (TC), and community members. The road diet would be implemented by re-striping the roadway with three vehicle lanes (two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane) and bicycle lanes. The revised striping would be in-place for a period of months and at the end of the trial period, the City and community would determine if the road diet should become permanent,or if the roadway should be returned to its existing four-lane cross-section. During initial discussions held by the City,some community members showed support for the road diet. These community members see it as an opportunity to slow vehicle speeds and make North Main Street friendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists; however, project stakeholders and community members also asked questions regarding and/or made requests for: • More detailed traffic operations analysis of the local side streets that may be impacted by restricted turns on and off of North Main; and • Clear evaluation measures to determine whether or not the temporary road diet is successful. ° FILEMME.-H.-IPRO3FILE111310-ASHL ANDR"SERVICESITASK2-RL14DDIETDEMMSM77' N RIO3EC71READRTIDRAF7111310 ROADDIETMEMO 060A11.DCCX North Main Street Rood Diet Demonstration Project Pmect#.11310.02 June H,2011 Page 2 This memorandum summarizes the results of the more detailed traffic operations analysis and presents potential evaluation measures. Updated Traffic Operations Analysis The traffic operations analysis was updated based on requests from ODOT as well as questions posed by City Staff, the Transportation Commission,and the broader public. Activities to update the traffic operations analysis included the items below. Refining queuing and travel time analysis using a calibrated traffic operations analysis model for North Main Street. Evaluating the impacts of the road diet to the adjacent street network including: • Maple Street; , • Coolidge Street-Glenn Street; • Nursery Street; • Wimer Street-Hersey Street; • VanNess Avenue; • Manzanita Street; • Central Avenue;and • Laurel Street. Collecting additional data regarding speeds,vehicle volumes, pedestrian volumes,and bicycle volumes. (Note:This information will also be used as part of the evaluation framework.) The refined queuing and travel time analyses are summarized in the sub-sections below along with the impacts to the adjacent street network and highlights form the additional data collected. QUEUING AND TRAVEL TIME ANALYSIS RESULTS After preliminary traffic operations analyses were conducted for the proposed temporary road diet, ODOT requested the analysis be updated using a calibrated traffic operations model. KAI used more detailed data such as a saturation Row rate study, additional traffic volume counts, travel time data and speed data to calibrate the traffic operations model to more accurately reflect existing operations on North Main Street Improved estimates for traffic operations, queuing and travel time were I6ttelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project#:11310.02 'June 8,2011 Page 3 Obtained from the calibrated model for the existing conditions on North Main Street and the proposed temporary road diet. The traffic operations analysis results presented below have been seasonally adjusted correspond to the 30th highest hour traffic volumes estimated to occur on North Main Street (approximately the peak hour of the day during the peak month of the year); this means the operations results below represent a reasonable worst case scenario. Operations on North Main Street are expected to be better than what is presented below the large majority of the year. Appendix A contains the model output for the updated traffic operations analysis. Table 1 summarizes the intersection operations at the primary intersections along North Main Street. Table 1 Intersection Operations - Existing Traffic Conditions Intersection Measure Existing Road Diet V/C 0.58 0.89 North Main Street/Maple Street Delay(sec) 7.8 19.3 LOS A B V/C 1.25 0.63' North Main Street/Wimer-Hersey Street Delay(sec) 282.2 43.9' LOS F E' V/C 0.45 0.70 North Main Street/Laurel Street Delay(sec) 4.9 7.5 LOS A A 'Operations at the North Main Street/Wimer-Hersey Street intersection improve under Road Diet conditions do to the restriction of the east,west,and northbound left turn movements at the intersection. As illustrated in Table 1, the intersection operations at the primary intersections along North Main Street are estimated to operate at approximately the same level of service (i.e., with approximately the same amount of delay)with the road diet as compared to existing operations. Table 2 summarizes the queuing analysis at the primary intersections along North Main Street. iritteisait&Associates,im. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project N:11310.02 June 8,2011 Page 4 Table 2 95'"Percentile Queues Existing Traffic Conditions-9S'�Percentile Queue Lengths Intersection Movernert Existing' Road Diet NBT 147/179 508 North Main Street/Maple Street SBT 144/163 550 NET 107/67 54 North Main Street/W imer-Hersey Street SBT 104/82 158 NET 154/168 320 North Main Street/Laurel Street SBT 57/61 146 'The 9561 percentile queues reflect the through and through-right queues in the northbound and southbound directions (NBT/NBTR,SBT/SBTR)at the Maple Street intersection and the through-left and through-right queues in the north and southbound direction(NBTCJNBTR,NBTI,/NBTR)at the Wimer-Hersey Street and Laurel Street intersections. Based on the information in Table 2, the road diet is estimated to increase 95th percentile vehicle queue lengths the most at the North Main Street/Maple Street intersection with an estimated increase of approximately 15 vehicles. The estimated increase in vehicle queues at other intersections along North Main Street varies from one to four vehicles. However, as will be seen by the travel time information in Table 3,despite the longer queue lengths,travel time along North Main Street is estimated to increase only marginally. Table 3 summarizes the travel time estimates along North Main Street for the temporary road diet compared to existing conditions. l(ittelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project 8:11310.02 June 8,1011 Page S Table 3 Travel Time Existing Traffic Conditions—Travel Time(Seconds) Length Segment (Miles) Existing Road Diet Heiman Street to Maple Street(NB) 0.58 90.3 111.8 +21.5 Maple Street to Valley View Road 1.41 145.2 145.2 +0.0 (NB) raw Travel Thee(ND) 135.5 157.0 +21.5 Valley View Road to Maple Street 1.41 144.2 150.0 +5.8 (SB) Maple Street to Heiman Street(SB) ' 0.58 89.3 91.3 +2.0 • Total Travel Than(S8) 233.5 141.3 +7.8 As can be seen in Table 3, the total travel time on North Main Street from Helmand Street to Valley View Road in the northbound direction is estimated to increase approximately 22 seconds with the road diet. In the southbound direction,travel time is estimated to increase approximately 8 seconds. ADJACENT STREET NETWORK IMPACTS As noted above,additional traffic operations analysis was conducted to examine the impacts the road diet could have on local streets intersecting North Main Street. Concerns regarding the impacts to these streets were primarily: 1) The impact turn restrictions at Wimer Street - Hersey Street intersection may have on adjacent intersections; and 2) Additional delay experienced on the minor streets due to the reduced number of lanes on North Main Street The analysis summarized below addresses these questions for the following intersections: • Maple Street/North Main Street; • Coolidge Street-Glenn Street/North Main Street; • Nursery Street/North Main Street; • Wimer Street-Hersey Street/North Main Street; • VanNess Avenue/North Main Street; • Manzanita Street/North Main Street; iatte&on&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon Mah Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project R:11310.02 June 8,2011 - Page 6 • Central Avenue/North Main Street;and • Laurel Street/North Main Street. The following sub-sections present how traffic was rerouted given the turn restrictions at the Wimer Street-Hersey Street/North Main Street intersection and the estimated traffic operations for each intersection under the proposed road diet configuration. Rerouted Local Traffic Under the road diet configuration, turn movements at the Wimer Street-Hersey Street/North Main Street, Coolidge-Glenn Street/North Main Street, VanNess Avenue/North Main Street, and Central - Avenue/North Main Street intersections would be restricted to primarily right-in/right-out access to/from North Main Street. At the Wimer Street-Hersey Street/North Main Street intersection the left-turn movement from North Main Street onto Hersey Street would be maintained. As part of the traffic operations analysis for the road diet configuration,existing traffic volumes were rerouted and assumed to occur at adjacent intersections. The process for rerouting the traffic started by considering existing lane configurations and traffic control devices for the intersections on North Main Street as well as the existing vehicle volumes. Figure 1 illustrates the existing lane configurations and traffic control devices for each of the intersections above. Figure 2 summarizes the existing traffic volumes and traffic operations analysis for each intersection. Figure'1 illustrates the Maple Street/North Main Street and Laurel Street/North Main Street intersections are signalized; the remaining intersections are stop-controlled with the minor street approach stopping for traffic on North Main Street. In. rerouting the traffic volumes, a higher proportion of rerouted traffic was assumed to use the signalized intersections than adjacent stop- controlled (i.e., unsignalized) intersections because signalized intersections tend to be more attractive in urban areas to facilitate movements from minor streets to more major streets.This is the clear pattern of existing side street movements on the corridor. As can be seen from Figure 2, there are relatively few minor street turning movements occurring at the unsignalized intersections along North Main Street currently. Based on existing counts, the majority of existing minor street left-turn movements or through movements are occurring at the existing signalized intersections on North Main Street. Kittelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon Ashland Road Diet Evaluation June 2011 O (NO SCALE) MAPLE ST 1 O O COOLIDGE ST G W NURSERY ST 3 WI�R ST 4 HFAS�ysT d�� d�� 5 V4 1W�AH�yFS \ `S T �' } C�c R m gNk LL O N -A -STOP SIGN m -TRAFFIC SIGNAL EXISTING LANE CONFIGURATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES ASHLAND,OREGON IQ W KITTELSON&ASSOCIATES,-INC. MN TRANSPORTATION ENGNEERPIG/PLANNM Ashland Road Olet Evaluation June 2011 O (NO SCALE) MAPLE ST 1 O O COOLIDGE ST 11/J LOW Le � ttm 2 1-+ DWI.° rt 08F.142 0 83-.. VAPO38 -° V/c�" r qtr t 1 NURSERY ST 3 Aim WInnER ST a y�RSFYST 0J DLos� `09 t7 DLOSS--EE t1 5 n7 v�o11 rz 1z1 vua r° \ttr V)t/ ms rl l� 7 OJ tie A lOp 8-N D.611.$ D,610.5 !t g C vr_om V,t=D.m V 8 F / 9s rat rl� / 1 125 n2- --5 - D@1i 2 -10 58l vd 1W 15 °l vm,-0AS r24 8t� er Tee s CM=CRITICAL MOVEMENT(UNSIGNALIZED) LOS=INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE c (SIGNALIZEDuCRITICAL MOVEMENT LEVEL w OF SERVICE(UNSIGNALIZED) Del=INTERSECTION AVERAGE CONTROL DELAY (SIGNALIZED}/CRITICAL MOVEMENT CONTROL EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS-SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DELAY(UNSIGNALIZED) = V/C=CRITICAL VOLUME-To-cAPACTTYRATIO ASHLANO,OREGON IWAA KFTTELSON&ASSOCIATES,INC. TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERM/PLANNPIG North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project p:11310.01 June 8,2011 Page 9 Figure 3 illustrates the lane configurations at each intersection under the road diet scenario. Under the road diet lane configurations, turn restrictions would be in place at the Winter Street-Hersey Street/North Main Street, Coolidge Street-Glenn Street/North Main Street, VanNess Avenue/North Main Street, and Central Avenue/North Main Street intersections. The minor street left-turn and/or through movements occurring at those intersections were routed as shown in Figure 4. These numbers are for the one hour weekday p.m. peak period.A negative number indicates a reduction in the number of vehicles making a turning or through movement as a result of a turn restriction. A positive number indicates the location where rerouted vehicles would relocate their turning movement As can be seen from Figure 4, the majority of the restricted movements are anticipated to shift to occur at the laurel Street/North Main Street, Manzanita Street/North Main Street and Maple Street/North Main Street intersections. The following sub-section discusses the resulting traffic operations for each intersection. Minor Street Traffic Operations Analysis Traffic operations analysis for the road diet lane configuration and traffic volumes was conducted using the calibrated model and the 30th highest hour traffic volumes, as discussed above. Results from the analysis are summarized in Figure S. As can be seen by comparing Figure 2 (traffic operations under existing conditions) and Figure S (traffic operations under road diet conditions), delay is reduced at two intersections, increased marginally (by less than 10 seconds) at three intersections, and moderately increased by 12 to 13 seconds at two intersections. xittelson 8 Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon Ashland Road Diet Evaluation June 2011 O (NO SCALE) MAPLE ST 1 O O G� COOLIDGEST 2 {�} titr t NURSERY ST 3 O2 WIMER ST 4 / l 5 0 MpN�' 7 t C�c R A y O N -STOP SIGN -TRAFFIC SIGNAL ASSUMED ROAD DIET LANE CONFIGURATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES ASHLAND,OREGON KITTELSON&ASSOCIATES,INC. §LXN TRANSPORTATION ENGRIEERNG/PLANNPIG Ashland Road Diet Evaluation June 2011 O (NO SCALE) MAPLE ST I O O CCOUDGE ST C ,t p � I I N� 3 NURSERY ST 3 2O © 1 g VVIMER ST 4 5 f/,gNH�SS \ I I Sj 5 \ 0 _`,tpN,jP l M ! L lL 2-N d-5 �6 'N LL , CM=CRITICAL MOVEMENT(UNSIGNALIZED) LOS=INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE c (SIGNAUZEDyCRITICAL MOVEMENT LEVEL OF SERVICE(UNSIGNALIZED) m Del=INTERSECTION AVERAGE CONTROL DELAY (SIGNALIZEDNCRITICAL MOVEMENT CONTROL DELAY(UNSIGNALIZED) REROUTED TRIPS NJ = V/C=CRITICAL VOLUME•TOCAPACTfYRATIO ASHLAND,OREGON KTTTELSON&ASSOCIATES,INC. TRANSPORTATION ENGIVEERM/PLANNM Ashland Road Diet Evaluation June 2011 B (NO SCALE) MAPLE ST 1 O O COOLIDGE ST IMy � �a CM.We lao 2 L� t e.7 wr<om le "m qtr t NURSERYST 3 O2 WI�R ST 4 YST ..� V. J j a o 17-., Lo" L 0'2 2 E S x4m 1 vr-4,1 la Y it '\ir / SAYF Mp1'�`j Pgt 8 cal=m CIAMB 7 Of Los-c Los-C %-, E} De101.1 Dd=191 C Vim Vr-0.13 >3� i / 1 LOS. t ]0' oe 9 `125 iii .7 •-55 R v,C=Gm el v"rc�.ro l30 g / r qtr � / m CM=CRITICAL MOVEMENT(UNSIGNALIZED) LOS=INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE o (SIGNALIZED)/CRITICAL MOVEMENT LEVEL w OF SERVICE(UNSIGNAUZED) DId=INTERSECTION AVERAGE CONTROL DELAY DELAY(UNSIG ALIZE L MOVEMENT CONTROL 2011 ROAD DIET TRAFFIC CONDITIONS-SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DELAY(UNSIGNALIZED) Y V/C=CRITICAL VOLUME•TOCAPACIfYRATIO ASHLAND,OREGON WKTTTELSON&ASSOCIATES,INC. TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING/PLANNING North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project 8:11310.02 June 8,2011 Page 13 Changes in Average Daily Traffic on Minor Streets The City of Ashland collected daily traffic counts at the potentially impacted side streets. Table 4 summarizes the Average Daily Traffic (ADT) under existing conditions with an estimate of the potential change in traffic on a daily basis. Table 4 Estimated Change in ADT Due to Road Diet Street Name Change in ADT ADT r (Functional Classification) From To ExistingADT Due to Road r Diet Classification' Maple Street N.Main Street Rock Street 3,240 +270 3,510 3,000 to 10,000 (Avenue) Coolidge Street N.Main Street Rock Street 403 -160 243 Less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Nursery Street N.Main Street Rock Street 403 +150 190 Less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Winter Street N.Main Street High Street 1,477 -760 717 3,000 to 10,000 (Avenue) Manranita Street N.Main Street High Street 690 +450 1,140 less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Laurel Street N.Main Street High Street 989 +50 1,039 Less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Laurel Street Central N.Main Street 887 +990 1,877 3,000 to 10,000 (Avenue) Avenue Central Avenue N.Main Street laurel Street 303 -300 3 Less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Skidmore Street Van Ness N.Main Street 538 0 538 Less than 1,500 (Neighborhood Street) Street Van Ness Avenue Skidmore N.Main Street 1,807 -830 977 Less than 1500 (Neighborhood Street) Street Hersey Street N.Main Street Lori Lane 2,300 +310 2,610 3,000 to 10,000 (Avenue) Glenn Street N.Main Street Lori Lane 1,011 0 1,011 3,000 to 10,000 (Avenue) IADT for the road diet configuration was estimated from the rerouted trips shown in Figure 4. Negative numbers in this column indicate ADT is expected to decrease with the road diet lane configuration. Positive numbers in this column indicate ADT is expected to increase with the road diet lane configuration. 1ADT ranges per street functional classification were obtained from the City of Ashland's Street Standards Handbook. l6ttehon 9,Associates,Inc. - Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project k 11310.02 June H,2011 Page 14 As illustrated in Table 4, the side street daily traffic volumes with the road diet configuration on North Main Street are estimated to remain within the range of their existing street functional classification or in some instances below the range (e.g., Wimer Street). This indicates, based on the City of Ashland's current street standards,the side streets adjacent to North Main Street are designed to accommodate the estimated daily traffic volumes with a road diet in-place on North Main Street The road diet configuration is estimated to reduce daily traffic on Coolidge Street, Wimer Street, Central Avenue, and Van Ness Avenue. As a result, daily traffic is expected to increase on Maple Street, Nursery Street, Manzanita Street, Laurel Street, and Hersey Street The largest decreases in daily traffic are estimated to occur on: • Van Ness Avenue-A reduction of approximately 830 vehicles per day; • Wimer Street-A reduction of approximately 760 vehicles per day;and • Central Avenue-A reduction of approximately 300 vehicles per day. The largest increases in daily traffic(to offset the decreases above)are estimated to occur on: • Laurel Street-An increase of approximately 990 vehicles per day; • Manzanita Street-An increase of approximately 450 vehicles per day;and • Hersey Street-An increase of approximately 310 vehicles per day. The daily traffic volumes above and the estimated shifts in those volumes due to the road diet indicate the majority of traffic will adjust to use the signalized intersection at Laurel Street as the primary access for North Main Street with support from other adjacent neighborhood streets. HIGHLIGHTS FROM ADDITIONAL DATA COLLECTED As noted above, additional data was collected to inform the traffic operations model calibration and the evaluation measures discussed in the following section. Additional data collected included: • Speed data • Travel time runs • Additional vehicle volume counts • Bicycle and pedestrian volume counts Highlights and/or interesting pieces of information from this data are listed below. IOttelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project d:11310.01 June 8,2011 Page 15 • The current 85th percentile speed on North Main Street is approximately 32 mph, which is 7 mph higher than posted speed of 25 mph. • Travel time runs during the weekday p.m. peak period (between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on April 13, 2011) indicate the average travel time for vehicles along the corridor (between Helman Street and Valley View Road)today is approximately 3 minutes and 50 seconds. • Bicycle and pedestrian volume counts at two locations on North Main Street recorded the following on September 14,2009: o At Wimer Street - Hersey Street/North Main Street from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 67 bicyclists and 67 pedestrians;and o At Maple Street/North Main Street from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 36 bicyclists and 39 pedestrians. The additional data collected and highlights from that data were considered in developing the proposed evaluation measures below. Appendix B contains the worksheets summarizing the additional data collected. Evaluation Measures At the end of the road diet trial period,the City and community will need to determine if they would like to keep the road diet on North Main Street or return it to its current form (i.e., four-lane cross- section). Project stakeholders and community members requested a clear set of evaluation measures the City and community can use to determine if the road diet is successful. The evaluation measures presented in this memorandum were developed with an awareness that there are trade-offs associated with the road diet that should be considered when evaluating the success of the project For example, slower vehicle speeds make the environment friendlier to pedestrians and bicyclists, but may increase travel time for vehicles. Ultimately the success of the project will be determined by how well the roadway serves all users. The current draft set of evaluation measures include: • Improve Safety - Reduce the annual average number and severity of crashes on North Main Street • Reduce Vehicle Speeds - Reduce the 85th Percentile Speed closer to the posted speed of 25 mph. xittelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project#:11310.02 June 8,2011 Page 16 • Increase Bicycle and Pedestrian Volumes - An increase in bicycle and pedestrian volumes during the trial period would indicate an element of success at better serving all modes along North Main Street. • Maintain Acceptable Vehicle Travel Time - Maintain an average vehicle travel time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds or less from Helman Street to the northern city limits; this measure ensures the road diet does not place an undue burden on motorists. • Gain Community Support-An increase in and/or majority support for keeping the road diet after the trial period would indicate a successful project. Each of the evaluation measures above are discussed in more detail in the following sub-sections. IMPROVE SAFETY Reducing the annual average number and severity of crashes on North Main Street would help indicate if the road diet has helped improve safety. Based on ODOT crash data for the ten-year period from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2009, 177 crashes were reported to have occurred on North Main Street. A majority of the crashes involved rear-end and turn-movement crashes, which generally occurred when people waiting to turn left from North Main Street were rear-ended or people turning left across North Main Street were struck by on-coming traffic. National research has indicated implementing road diets can reduce crashes 25% to 33%1. In order for this measure to be valid and used,the temporary road diet must be in-place for at least two years. REDUCE VEHICLE SPEEDS Another proposed measure of success is reducing vehicle speeds on North Main Street to the posted speed. Reducing vehicle speeds improves the environment for pedestrians and bicyclists,reduces the severity of crashes (if a crash occurs), and improves livability for residents with homes along North Main Street. The current posted speed on North Main Street is 25 mph for the majority of the proposed road diet section. As noted above,the current 85th Percentile Speed on North Main Street is 32 mph. If the temporary road diet reduces the 851^ Percentile Speed on North Main Street closer to 25 mph,then that will be an indication of success. INCREASE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN VOLUMES One of the motivations for the North Main Street temporary road diet is to make it easier and more attractive for bicyclists and pedestrians to use North Main Street. An increase in bicycle and 1 American Association of State Highway Officials(AASHTO).Highway Safety Manual.(2010). Kittelson&Associates,Inc. Portland,Oregon North Main Street Road Diet Demonstration Project Project#:11310.02. June 8,2011 Page 17 ' pedestrian volumes during the trial period would be an indication of better serving all modes along North Main Street MAINTAIN ACCEPTABLE VEHICLE TRAVEL TIME An increase in vehicle travel time from Heiman Street to the northern city limits is expected, because road diets are intended to reduce vehicle speeds. However,the increase in travel time should not be so great as to create an undue burden on motorists. An acceptable vehicle travel time between Heiman Street and Valley View Road is considered 4 minutes and 20 seconds. This number is based on the current travel time runs of approximately 3 minutes and 50 seconds (between Heiman Street and Valley View Road) and assumes an approximate 10% increase (i.e.,an additional 30 seconds) in vehicle travel time is generally acceptable. An indication that the road diet is successful would be maintaining an acceptable average vehicle travel time of 4 minutes and 20 seconds or less. The traffic analysis indicates that the additional travel time is likely to be less than 30 seconds. GAIN COMMUNITY SUPPORT If the general community in Ashland is supportive of the road diet after the trial period,this will be a strong indication of success. Community support can be assessed by the City through a citizens'poll or vote before and after the road diet trial period. An increase in support and/or majority support after the trial period would indicate success. If before/after citizens'poll or vote is taken,they should be conducted in a manner that gathers a statistically sound representation of all community members (i.e., a random sampling of community members that is large enough to provide statistically significant results).' Next Steps The City's TC will be holding a meeting on June 14,2011 to discuss the contents of this memorandum, consider additional community input, and decide whether or not to recommend the temporary road diet to City Council for their consideration. Appendix APPENDIX A—TRAFFIC OPERATIONS ANALYSIS APPENDIX B—DATA COLLECTION WORKSHEETS nttelson&Associates,low. Portland,Oregon Road Diet Frequency Asked questions Sheet March 1011 ROAD DIET FAQ SHEET Why try a temporary road diet? To try-out a concept that has the potential to improve safety and better serve pedestrians and bicyclists. A temporary road diet provides the opportunity to determine how well the concept works and if there is public support prior to making significant investments in more permanently changing the roadway. Why would the City want to reduce the number of lanes on N. Main Street? IMPROVED SAFETY Nationally published research indicates converting a four-lane roadway such as North Main Street to a three-lane cross-section (as suggested for North Main Street) reduces the total number of crashes along the roadway by 25%to 33%1. North Main Street includes one of the top candidate intersections in Ashland for reducing crashes- the Hersey Street-Wimer Street/North Main Street intersection. The crashes that occur at and near that intersection as well as others along North Main Street tend to be related to vehicles making left-turns from North Main Street to the side streets and from the side streets on to North Main Street.The existing 4-lane configuration (2 lanes in each direction) requires vehicles turning left off of North Main Street to stop in a through lane to wait for a gap in traffic to turn left. This increases the risk for rear-end crashes as well as turning crashes when drivers rush to fit into a gap in traffic that is too short.Vehicles turning off of North Main Street onto a side street also have to look for a gap in two lanes of on-coming traffic,which can result in misjudgments. Vehicles turning left from the side streets on to North Main Street must watch four lanes of traffic to determine when it is safe to turn left.Misjudgments result in angle and turning crashes. The three lane configuration will provide left-turn lanes for vehicles turning left off of North Main Street to reduce the likelihood of rear-end crashes.Vehicles turning off of Main Street will also only need to look for gaps in one lane of on-coming traffic reducing the risk of misjudging gaps. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Highway Safety Manual. 2010. Kittelson&Associates,Inc. - 1 Rood Diet Frequently Asked questions Sheet March 2011 three lane configuration will also make it easier for vehicles turning left on to North Main Street from the side street to determine if there is an adequate gap since drivers will be concerned with fewer lanes of traffic compared to today. REDUCED TRAVEL SPEEDS North Main Street currently has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour south of the Southern Pacific Railroad overcrossing and 25 miles per hour south of Grant Street. However, it is believed that the four lane cross section results in travel speeds in excess of the posted speed limit.This will be verified as part of the on-going traffic analysis for the road diet. Narrowing the cross-section to three lanes and adding features such bike lanes creates a "tunnel effect" that naturally reduces travel speeds. Case studies from previous road diets in the United States indicate in some cases vehicle speeds reduced by 18%and vehicles over the speed limit reduced by 32%2. What about emergency vehicles? Ashland Police, Fire and emergency services (ambulances) are involved in the discussions of reducing North Main Street to three lanes. They have seen and commented on the proposed change and they are comfortable with testing the three lane scenario. Providing emergency service and response along North Main Street as a three-lane street would be similar to the situations they encounter when providing service on East Main Street (currently two-lanes with bicycle lanes) as well as other two-and three-lane streets in Ashland. What about evacuation needs? In the event of the need to evacuate Ashland, North Main Street could be converted to as many as three lanes traveling outbound (north) or it could be converted to two lanes outbound while providing one lane for southbound travel. The same type of arrangement could be made for the existing four-lanes. The City and/or emergency personnel would coordinate and manage such a situation if one arose. 2 Road Diet Handbook:Setting Trends for Livable Streets,Second Edition.20017 2 KITTELSON S ASSOCIATES,INC. Road Diet Frequently Asked Questions Sheet March 2011 What will that do to traffic congestion now? Traffic congestion will increase slightly in some areas, primarily at the north and southbound approaches to the signalized intersections,but the amount of time it takes to travel the length of the corridor under consideration for the road diet will remain relatively the same. What about 25 years from now when traffic volumes increase? A 25 year traffic analysis was conducted at the Maple Street and Wimer-Hersey Street intersections to determine the impact of the road diet on existing and future (year 2034) traffic conditions. Preliminary results indicate that operations along North Main Street are not deteriorated significantly over the 25 year period. How will the road diet affect heavy truck traffic on Hersey Street? Heavy trucks will continue to use North Main Street as well as Hersey Street with the road diet.The intersection of North Main Street and Wimer-Hersey Street will be reconfigured to accommodate heavy truck turning movements through the intersection. Left-turn movements.from North Main Street onto Hersey Street will be permitted. Left-turn movements from North Main Street onto Wimer Street will be prohibited. Similarly, left-turn movements from Wimer Street and Hersey Street onto North Main Street will be prohibited. The purpose of these left-turn restrictions during the temporary road diet is to reduce conflicts and therefore crashes at the Hersey-Wimer Street/North Main Street intersection,which due to the history of crashes at that location, is now a safety focus intersection where the City is working to reduce crashes. How will the road diet improve safety for bicyclists? North Main Street currently does not have designated bicycle facilities north of Heiman Street. The provision of north-south striped bicycle lanes on the roadway shoulder will provide separation between vehicles and bicyclists reducing the potential for conflicts and improving bicycle safety. Nationally published research indicates installing bicycle lanes on an urban arterial such as North Main Street tends to reduce not only vehicle-bicycle crashes but also total crashes on the roadway3. Buffered bicycle lanes would increase the separation as well as riding comfort for bicyclists. 3 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Highway Safety Manual. 2010. 3 Road blet Frequently Asked Questions Sheet March 1011 Why test this during the summer? Testing the Road Diet during the summer months allows us to see if the three-lane configuration will work for Ashland year round. If we, the community, like how it works during the summer we can feel confident that it will work year round because the summer is when we experience the highest traffic volumes on North Main Street. In order to do this project as a test,we need to be able to remove it before the weather becomes wet in the fall. The project consists primarily of restriping which can only be done in dry weather. We need to evaluate the new configuration for several months and ensure we have the opportunity to return it to four lanes before the rainy season. Why doesn't ODOT add bike lanes by widening the highway? For most of this corridor,there is no right-of-way available to widen the roadway for bicycle lanes or to add a center left-turn lane and keep the existing four lanes.ODOT standards require that they add bicycle lanes when they are modernizing a roadway; however, ODOT would not be widening this segment of Main Street to provide additional vehicle capacity in the foreseeable future because the additional capacity is not warranted and the right-of-way is not available to do so. Even if purchasing right-of-way were going to be considered, several properties along the corridor are nationally registered historic sites and many are identified by the city as historically significant and not feasible to obtain additional right-of-way. 4 KITTELSON&ASSOCIATES. INC. Misc. Contracts and Agreements No. 27940 COOPERATIVE IMPROVEMENT AGREEMENT Ashland Highway 99 Road Diet THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into by and between the STATE OF OREGON, acting by and through its Department of Transportation, hereinafter referred to as "State;" and the City of Ashland, acting by and through its elected officials, hereinafter referred to as "Agency," both herein referred to individually or collectively as "Party" or"Parties." RECITALS 1. Oregon Route 99 (OR-99) is a part of the state highway system under the jurisdiction and control of the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). 2. By the authority granted in Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 190.110, 366.572 and 366.576, State may enter into cooperative agreements with counties, cities and units of local governments for the performance of work on certain types of improvement projects with the allocation of costs on terms and conditions mutually agreeable to the contracting parties. 3. State, by ORS, is vested with complete jurisdiction and control over the roadways of other jurisdictions taken for state highway purposes. By the authority granted by ORS 373.020, jurisdiction extends from curb to curb, or, if there is no established curb, then control extends over such portion of the right of way as may be utilized by State for highway purposes. Responsibility for and jurisdiction over all other portions of city streets remains with Agency. NOW THEREFORE, the premises being in general as stated in the foregoing Recitals, it is agreed by and between the Parties hereto as follows: TERMS OF AGREEMENT 1. Under such authority, State and Agency agree to fund design and construct the realignment and narrowing of OR-99, hereinafter referred to as "Project." The Project includes realignment/narrowing of the roadway, signage, striping and maintenance of the installed features. The location of the Project is approximately as shown on the sketch map attached hereto, marked Exhibit A, and by this reference made a part hereof. 2. The Project will be financed at an estimated cost of $130,000 in State and Agency funds. State's contribution shall be limited to $115,000 in State Bicycle/Pedestrian funding. Agency shall contribute $15,000 to the Project. The estimate for the total Project cost is subject to change. Agency shall be responsible for Project costs beyond the estimate. Key Number 03-11-11 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 3. The term of this Agreement shall begin on the date all required signatures are obtained and shall terminate after ten (10) calendar years following the date all required signatures are obtained, whichever is sooner. 4. The Parties shall, at Project completion, conduct good faith discussions regarding the possibility of transferring this section of roadway to Agency. AGENCY OBLIGATIONS 1. Agency, by execution of Agreement, gives its consent as required by ORS 373.050(1) to any and all closure of streets that intersect the state highway, if any there be in connection with or arising out of the Project. 2. Agency shall install Project signage for the new alignment. Agency shall maintain the signage, including all weed/trash maintenance and sign visibility maintenance. 3. Agency shall keep accurate cost accounting records. Agency shall prepare and submit monthly itemized, progress invoices for construction directly to State's Project Manager for review and approval. Such 'invoices will be in a form identifying the Project, the Agreement number, the invoice number or the account number or both, and will itemize all expenses for which reimbursement is claimed. Under no conditions shall State's obligations exceed $115,000, including all expenses. 4. Agency shall determine, after one month of operation with the new alignment, if the altered traffic design meets Agency's needs. If Agency determines that the roadway narrowing/realignment does not adequately resolve Agency's needs at the Project location, it shall be Agency's responsibility to remove the installed features completely and return the roadway to its current condition and alignment. 5. All employers, including Agency, that employ subject workers who work under this Agreement in the State of Oregon shall comply with ORS 656.017 and provide the required Workers' Compensation coverage unless such employers are exempt under ORS 656.126. Employers Liability insurance with coverage limits of not less than $500,000 must be included. Agency shall ensure that each of its contractors complies with these requirements. 6. Agency shall perform the service under this Agreement as an independent contractor and shall be exclusively responsible for all costs and expenses related to its employment of individuals to perform the work under this Agreement including, but not limited to, retirement contributions, workers' compensation, unemployment taxes, and state and federal income tax withholdings. 2 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 7. Agency acknowledges and agrees that State, the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, the federal government, and their duly authorized representatives shall have access to the books, documents, papers, and records of Agency which are directly pertinent to the specific Agreement for the purpose of making audit, examination, excerpts, and transcripts for a period of six. (6) years after final payment or completion of Project. Copies of applicable records shall be made available upon request. Payment for costs of copies is reimbursable by State. 8. Agency shall require its contractor(s) and subcontractor(s) that are not units of local government as defined in ORS 190.003, if any, to indemnify, defend, save and hold harmless the State of Oregon, Oregon Transportation Commission and its members, Department of Transportation and its officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims, actions, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses, including attorneys' fees, arising from a tort, as now or hereafter defined in ORS 30.260, caused, or alleged to be caused, in whole or in part, by the negligent or willful acts or omissions of Agency's contractor or any of the officers, agents, employees or subcontractors of the contractor ("Claims"). It is the specific intention of the Parties that the State shall, in all instances, except for Claims arising solely from the negligent or willful acts or omissions of the State, be indemnified by the contractor and subcontractor from and against any and all Claims. 9. Any such indemnification shall also provide that neither the Agency's contractor and subcontractor nor any attorney engaged by Agency's contractor and subcontractor shall defend any claim in the name of the State of Oregon or any agency of the State of Oregon, nor purport to act as legal representative of the State of Oregon or any of its agencies, without the prior written consent of the Oregon Attorney General. The State of Oregon may, at anytime at its election assume its own defense and settlement in the event that it determines that Agency's contractor is prohibited from defending the State of Oregon, or that Agency's contractor is not adequately defending the State of Oregon's interests, or that an important governmental principle is at issue or that it is in the best interests of the State of Oregon to do so. The State of Oregon reserves all rights to pursue claims it may have against Agency's contractor if the State of Oregon elects to assume its own defense. 15.Agency shall comply with all federal, state, and local laws, regulations, executive orders and ordinances applicable to the work under this Agreement, including, without limitation, the provisions of ORS 279C.505, 279C.515, 279C.520, 279C.530 and 279B.270 incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Agency expressly agrees to comply with (i) Title VI of Civil Rights Act of 1964; (ii) Title V and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; (iii) the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and ORS 659A.142; (iv) all regulations and administrative rules established pursuant to the foregoing laws; 3 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 and (v) all other applicable requirements of federal and state civil rights and rehabilitation statutes, rules and regulations. 10.Agency shall construct its portions of the Project in accordance with the requirements of ORS 276.071 including the public contracting laws within ORS Chapters 279A, 279B and 279C. 11.If Agency chooses to assign its contracting responsibilities to a consultant or contractor, Agency shall inform the consultant or contractor of the requirements of ORS 276.071, to ensure that the public contracting laws within ORS Chapters 279A, 279B and 279C are followed. 12.Agency shall obtain a permit to "Occupy or Perform Operations upon a State Highway" from assigned State District 8 Project Manager as well as land use permits, building permits, and engineering design review approval from State. Agency agrees to comply with all provisions of said permit(s), and shall require its developers, contractors, subcontractors, or consultants performing such work to comply with such permit and review provisions. 13.Agency certifies and represents that the individual(s) signing this Agreement has been authorized to enter into and execute this Agreement on behalf of Agency, under the direction or approval of its governing body, commission, board, officers, members or representatives, and to legally bind Agency. 14.Agency's Project Manager for this Project is Mike Faught, Public Works Director, City of Ashland, 51 Winburn Way, Ashland, OR 97520; (541) 552-2411, or assigned designee upon individual's absence. Agency shall notify the other Party in writing of any contact information changes during the term of this Agreement. STATE OBLIGATIONS 1. State shall conduct the striping and roadway narrowing, as well as provide for road closures/detours. 2. State certifies, at the time this Agreement is executed, that sufficient funds are available and authorized for expenditure to finance costs of this Agreement within State's current appropriation or limitation of the current biennial budget. 3. State, or its consultant, shall conduct the necessary field surreys, environmental studies, traffic investigations, preliminary engineering and design work required to produce and provide final plans, specifications and cost estimates for the highway Project; identify and obtain all required permits; perform all construction engineering, including all required materials testing and quality documentation; prepare all bid 4 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 and contract documents; advertise for construction bid proposals; award all contracts; pay all contractor costs, provide technical inspection, project management services and other necessary functions for sole administration of the construction contract entered into for this Project. 4. State grants authority to Agency to enter upon State right of way for Agency's portions of this Project as provided for in miscellaneous permit to be issued by State District 8 Office. 5. State's Project Manager for this Project is Jerry Marmon, ODOT Region 3 District 8 Manager, 100 Antelope Road, White City, OR 97503; (541) 774-6355; jerry.marmon @odot.state.or.us, or assigned designee upon individual's absence. State shall notify the other Party in writing of any contact information changes during the term of this Agreement. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1. This Agreement may be terminated by mutual written consent of both Parties. 2. State may terminate this Agreement effective upon delivery of written notice to Agency, or at such later date as may be established by State, under any of the following conditions: a. If Agency fails to provide services called for by this Agreement within the time specified herein or any extension thereof. b. If Agency fails to perform any of the other provisions of this Agreement, or so fails to pursue the work as to endanger performance of this Agreement in accordance with its terms, and after receipt of written notice from State fails to correct such failures within ten (10) days or such longer period as State may authorize. c. If Agency fails to provide payment of its share of the cost of the Project. d. If State fails to receive funding, appropriations, limitations or other expenditure authority sufficient to allow State, in the exercise of its reasonable administrative.discretion, to continue to make payments for performance of this Agreement. e. If federal or state laws, regulations or guidelines are modified or interpreted in such a way that either the work under this Agreement is prohibited or State is prohibited from paying for such work from the planned funding source. 6 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 3. Any termination of this Agreement shall not prejudice any rights or obligations accrued to the Parties prior to termination. 4. If any third party makes.any claim or brings any action, suit or proceeding alleging a tort as now or hereafter defined in ORS 30.260 ("Third Party Claim") against State or Agency with respect to which the other Party may have liability, the notified Party must promptly notify the other Party in writing of the Third Party Claim and deliver to the other Party a copy of the claim, process, and all legal pleadings with respect to the Third Party Claim. Each Party is entitled to participate in the defense of a Third Party Claim, and to defend a Third Party Claim with counsel of its own choosing. Receipt by a Party of the notice and copies required in this paragraph and meaningful opportunity for the Party to participate in the investigation, defense and settlement of the Third Party Claim with counsel of its own choosing are conditions precedent to that Party's liability with respect to the Third Party Claim. 5. With respect to a Third Party Claim for which State is jointly liable with Agency (or would be if joined in the Third Party Claim), State shall contribute to the amount of expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred and paid or payable by Agency in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of State on the one hand and of Agency on the other hand in connection with the events which resulted in such expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of State on the one hand and of Agency on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, the Parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent the circumstances resulting in such expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts. State's contribution amount in any instance is capped to the same extent it would have been capped under Oregon law, including the Oregon Tort Claims Act, ORS 30.260 to 30.300, if State had sole liability in the proceeding. 6. With respect to a Third Party Claim for which Agency is jointly liable with State (or would be if joined in the Third Party Claim), Agency shall contribute to the amount of expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred and paid or payable by State in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of Agency on the one hand and of State on the other hand in connection with the events which resulted in such expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of Agency on the one hand and of State on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, the Parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent the circumstances resulting in such expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts. Agency's contribution amount in any instance is capped to the 6 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 same extent it would have been capped under Oregon law, including the Oregon Tort Claims Act, ORS 30.260 to 30.300, if it had sole liability in the proceeding. 7. The Parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of this Agreement. In addition, the Parties may agree to utilize a jointly selected mediator or arbitrator (for non-binding arbitration) to resolve the dispute short of litigation. 8. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts (facsimile or otherwise) all of which when taken together shall constitute one agreement binding on all Parties, notwithstanding that all Parties are not signatories to the same counterpart. Each copy of this Agreement so executed shall constitute an original. 9. This Agreement and attached exhibits constitute the entire agreement between the Parties on the subject matter hereof. There are no understandings, agreements, or representations, oral or written, not specified herein regarding this Agreement. No waiver, consent, modification or change of terms of this Agreement shall bind either Party unless in writing and signed by both Parties and all necessary approvals have been obtained. Such waiver, consent, modification or change, if made, shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose given. The failure of State to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver by State of that or any other provision. THE PARTIES, by execution of this Agreement, hereby acknowledge that their signing representatives have read this Agreement, understand it, and agree to be bound by its terms and conditions. The Oregon Transportation Commission on December 29, 2008, approved Delegation Order No. 2, which authorizes the Director to approve and execute agreements for day- to-day operations. Day-to-day operations include those activities required to implement the biennial budget approved by the Legislature, including activities to execute a project in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. On August 2, 2005, the Director, Deputy Director, Highways and Chief Engineer approved Subdelegation Order No. 5, in which the Director, Deputy Director, Highways and Chief Engineer delegate authority to the Region Managers to approve and sign intergovernmental agreements over $75,000 up to a maximum of $500,000 when the work is related to a project included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) or in other system plans approved by the Oregon Transportation Commission or in a line item in the legislatively adopted biennial budget. 7 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 City of Ashland, by and through its elected STATE OF OREGON, by and through officials its Department of Transportation By By Date Date By APPROVAL RECOMMENDED Date By APPROVED AS TO LEGAL SUFFICIENCY Date By By Counsel Date Date By Date APPROVED AS TO LEGAL SUFFICIENCY By Assistant Attorney General Date 8 5 Agency/State Agreement No. 27940 EXHIBIT A— Project Location Map 9 Agency/State Agreement No. 10 July 8,2011 JUL 2l Mayor Stromberg and City Council City of Ashland Ashland,OR 97520 Dear Mayor Stromberg and City Council: Regrettably, I am unable to testify in person,as I am going to be out of town during your hearing. Please Include this letter into the public record. I commend you for entertaining this experiment. It is not often that government entities are bold enough to contemplate experimentation and I appreciate that you are. I would like to encourage you to approve the "road diet" for North Main Street. I believe it is a progressive step in the right direction; yielding increased safety for all. 1 ride from Ashland to Medford to work three days a week. I ride on North Main Street to Valley View where I get on the Greenway. Even though I primarily ride very early in the morning it can still be a harrowing experience. I cannot tell you how many times cars have passed me within a few feet,with no cars in the left lane. Riding home Is even more dangerous. I attended both the Transportation Committee's public hearing and the presentation by Dan Burton. I testified in favor of the restriping experiment in front of the Transportation Committee. During those two meetings I heard many people both in favor and opposition. Those that were In opposition ranged from a gentleman stating that the City was looking for a problem to justify the road diet solution, to those that live off of North Main concerned about their access. First,I do not think the City Is looking for a problem,the problem exists. The crash data shown by the Public Works Director at the Transportation Committee illustrates the problem as does my daily experience. The City's goal should be to create safe and equitable travel opportunities for its citizens. There is data showing that the road diet will create a safer transportation system for all modes: pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike. There was also sentiment at the meetings that the lack of pedestrians/cyclists on North Main do not justify this change. In its present condition North Main is not a welcoming place for pedestrians and/or cyclists. I believe that once the reconfigured striping takes place you will see an increase in pedestrians and cyclists. The other issue raised was vehicular access onto North Main. While all those that live off of North Main may not have exactly the same ease of access, I trust that should you move forward with this the Public Works department will implement the most optimal vehicular ingress/egress scenario possible during this experiment. This town is special in so many ways and I am proud to say that I live in Ashland. I enjoy living here for many reasons and one of the main reasons is that I can easily and safely walk or ride my bike to the hardware store,to the movies or to get groceries. I want this same thing for my commute to work. Please don't get me wrong, I like my car and use it frequently. At the same time I support elevating the standing of pedestrians and cyclists to that of motorists and that is why I hope that you will approve the road diet experiment. Kelly A. Madding Diana Omura Versluts 337 Sheridan street Ashland Oregon 97580 July 19, 2011 Ashland Traffic Commission City of Ashland 20 E. Main Street, Ashland, OR 97520 Dear Commissioners: 1 live on Sheridan Street and drive to work to SOU or into town at various times of the day,and I am among the residents who will be affected by the"road diet"plan. Like David Churchman (Letter to the Editor) 1,too,have started counting the number of cars,bicycles,and pedestrians l see. 1 agree it isn't safe for bicyclists in some sections,and a safer bike path might encourage more people to use their bicycles. My non-scientific observation of pedestrians is that there are few on the sidewalks, Therefore, l suggest you allow bicycles and pedestrians to share the sidewalk through this section of North Main, instead of implementing a costly and disruptive"road diet". My proposal is based on my experience in Europe and something that is in effect in some cities in the US. Sharing the sidewalk works. Bikers will need to do their part and ring their bells. (Shouting"on your left"confuses people about whether they should step left or whether the biker is on their left.) To encourage more riders, allowing bicyclers to use the sidewalk is a much less costly solution to accomplish your goal. Sincerely, Diana Versluis cc: Ashland City Council i TUESDAY July 19,2011 r ' f e' Letters to the Editor Some traffic data on the road diet _Tiavug.seen no data on the topic,I offer the following sample of the .actual southbound traffic on North Main at Bush to aid peo- ple in malting up their own minde, as to the wisdom'of reserving one " lane in each direction for bicycles: Date Thne Bikes Cars 7/9 3:40-4 p.m. 3 . .164 7/10 1:15-135 p.m, 0 173 7/11 10:02.10:22 am. 0 183 7/12 11.11:20 a.m. 1 202 7/14 f0:554115 am. 3 195 7/15 .8:22-8:42 am. 0 ; 167 Totals 2 hours 7 1,084 ---..........._........,...._-..__..__....._._.......... _.............. Average 1.17 180.67 Standard Deviation 1.47 15.42 .Apparently, the closure will squeeze an average during the working day of 542 cars per hour (unevenly spaced — they now came in clusters of three to eight, probably due to the traffic lights) into one lane while giving a fall lane to an average of 3.5 bikes an hour. - David Churchman Ashland To: John Stromberg, Mayor Martha Bennett, City Administrator Date: June 29, 2011` Re: North Main Street Lane Changes Articles in the local newspapers on June 25, 2011, said that the City was still recommending moving ahead with plans to reduce—by half- the number of driving lanes on North Main, despite many, many neighborhood concerns expressed since the issue first arose in March, 2011. 1. The reasons cited included helping the (a) pedestrians, (b) bicyclists and (c) others. There is no help needed for (a) pedestrians because there already are side walks all along North Main (on both sides in many areas) that almost reach the RR overpass at Jackson Street. There are few (b) bicyclists on the road, and very few when compared to the great number of cars going in both directions. It is not known what is meant by (c) others. So, let's just say that the apparent reasoning is to help the bicyclists. 2. It must not matter to the Transportation Committee that more traffic would be driving in two fewer lanes, making it even more difficult to turn onto North Main from all of the many side streets. It had been thought that the City might consider making changes only for the greater good for the most people (i.e. the majority of travelers drive cars versus the limited number that ride a bicycle) —there is a far greater preponderance of car traffic compared to bicycle traffic. The past study and the current recommendation appear to be made for the benefit of bikers. 3. Many of the people turning onto North Main from side streets are older folks. Life will be made much more difficult for these folks by making them turn onto a street that has much more traffic going in fewer lanes. There will be even more frustration than there is today. 4. No mention is made at all about the most congested part of North Main, and that is the part that begins at the Methodist Church and goes east toward the downtown area. 5. There should have been a study (by City personnel) to see how the street could be widened, providing left hand turn lanes; rather than looking to narrow the road. 6. No mention is made of the Bear Creek Greenway, which was built with taxpayer provided funds in various cities. This was specifically designed for walking and cycling. It can be picked up by traveling down Oak Street to the Greenway. 1 7. If the plan goes through as recommended, travel on Maple Street (the only street with a stop light) will be increased,jeopardizing the flow of traffic around the Ashland Hospital. 8. This whole project seems to be rife with neighborhood concerns. Why not spend the money allocated to this project on a more urgent need in the City when the City budget is so tight to begin with. Money for all of our citizens is tight, and all of our individual budgets are strained, and so should be the budget of the City of Ashland. Apparently a lot of money has already been spent on an outside consultant or engineering firm who is located outside the City of Ashland. There is something to be said about the old economic principle —why spend more good money after bad? 9. We pay very large property taxes to live in our neighborhoods. We have every right to expect in return a reasonable entry toffrom North Main. Please share this material with each of the City Council members. Thank you. Respectfully submitted by concerned citizens. Ron Parker, President Blossom View Estates Home Owners Association 501 Schofield Street Ashland, OR 97520 (541)488-0532 Attachments: (1) June 25, 2011 email from Neal Thompson (2) Letter dated June 23, 2011 from Linda Florin 2 —Original Message---- From: Neal Thompson To: Ron Parker Cc: nealaud(a)mind.net Sent: Saturday, June 25, 20114:47 PM Subject: North Main Street"diet' North Main Street 1 printed off the North Main Street Road Diet maps and decided to walk the area from Schofield to Church. 1 picked mid Saturday afternoon and walked slowly, taking over an hour to cover the two mile walk in and out. During that time 1 met or passed only nine walkers and eight cyclists. There were literally hundreds, if not thousands of cars. Much of the time they were using both lanes, often side by side. was impressed by how much of the area has bike lanes, often on both sides of the street. There are adequate sidewalks the whole distance, usually on both sides of the street. If the proposed "diet" is for either cyclists or walkers, 1 see very little need for it. It may be that cyclists and walkers do not frequent the street at the same time as cars. One of the points in favor of the three lane system is safety, that It slows traffic. Why? Because traffic becomes congested, backed upl Maybe the answer to "speed" is proper signage indicating strict enforcement of speed laws. Is the effort to be a friendly city extend to forgiving drivers of their disobedience of laws? would be interested to know why we have not been provided information from the Transportation Commission on the accident rate as compared with other parts of the city. Also, 1 would like to see the Transportation Commission's request for information as it was presented to Kittelson 8& Associates. Why? I want to make sure it was not couched in terms requesting information on how to make the street more "habitable" for cyclists and walkers. One of the comments offered by the authorities was, "...reducing the number of travel lanes could also lower vehicle speeds." They also predicted that changes would slightly increase vehicle congestion but not travel times. Do they not know that slower speeds mean longer times on the road? Yes, fewer car lanes could add more space for bicycles. More space for foot traffic Is not needed since it is currently very adequate with sidewalks on both sides most of the way. The primary "squeeze" for bicycles is not along most of the road...It is present from Bush Street east. This is not addressed In the plan. Obviously, cyclists moving out of downtown need room here more than any other section from downtown. Why would you even consider "on street parking" across from Church Street as it intersects with North main Street? If there is any place that cyclists need room it is there. Maybe that "on street parking" was for the next block, not the island between Lithia and Main. Have you considered the congestion as the two lane traffic leaving downtown from Lithia Street and Heiman crowd into two lanes prior to the light at Laurel Street? There is only three hundred feet there. That will certainly be one of your congested areas. The arrows on Grant, Sheridan, and Schofield do not indicate allowable left hand turns onto North Main street. 1 suspect that is allowed but would like to see it confirmed. After seeing the heavy car traffic (also 1 experience it every day on trips from and to my home), I can not support the use of single lanes to either reduce traffic volume or speed, or give cyclists more room. 1 seriously question whether it will reduce accidents as the frustration associated with congestion will make the problem worse. Cycling out of downtown requires some skill but much of the problem is inside the downtown proper. Neal Thompson 545 Lakota Way Ashland, Oregon June 14, 2011 Mike Fraught ; Public Works Director We already have a bicycle path that will allow bicyclist to access down town Ashland from the greenway via Heiman St. or bicycle friendly Oak St. This is all done with no additional cost or expensive and unneeded changes to the traffic pattern. What will be the cost be to: I- try the proposed project 2- Remove the proposed project 3-Final cost including signage and barriers if the project is made permanent Sincerely, Adleen k Thornton June 14 2011 Mike Fraught ; Public Works Director First off let me say I am not anti bicycle. I have one and yes I do ride it. We have the greenway bike path that runs from Central Point thru Ashland. From the greenway you can come up Helman St. to the Plaza or tip Oak St. where the City spent a great deal of money making it bicycle friendly. Diverting traffic on to already crowded residential streets makes no sense as many of these are already narrow and parking restricted to one side. Where is the money coming from ? The City complains about not being able to hire new employees they say they need but we have funds to spend on a needless project like this. I know part of the answer is that it is free money from the state and the feds. The feds can just print more and the can make up the difference by cutting education or some other unimportant program. PERHAPS WE SHOULD TRY SOME FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY . By going from two lanes each way to only one you will double the cars in that lane so there will be fewer breaks in the traffic making it harder for cross traffic and pedestrians to cross Now according to the Tidings we could have a pilot program in September . How long would it last and how much would it cost? Now it sounds like striping and restriping is going to double the cost and you still have not given it a test during the busy summer season. In business I have delt with many government agencies including the City of Ashland and my great fear is that once the new striping is down we will suddenly run out of money to remove it and the test will become permanent. Sincerely Richard H. Thornton Traffic Commission Talk on North Main Good evening, Commission Members. My name is Lorraine Peterson and am the owner of Hersey House Bed & Breakfast at 451 N. Main. I wish to commend the Commission for its efforts to improve traffic flows and the safety of N. Main Street. I do have a few questions, however, that were not addressed in the material provided to residents. First,, I have questions about increased traffic congestion. I obtained the 2009 Average Annual Daily Traffic numbers for N. Main. The numbers range from 16,300 vehicles per day at Van Ness to 18,900 vehicles per day at Hersey Street. It's my understanding that the benefits of road diets on streets with Average Annual Daily Traffic (or AADT) volumes in excess of 15,000 are not certain. Given that our volumes exceed 15,000, what is the impact of these higher AADTs on the amount of congestion we can expect, the back-up of cars waiting to turn in the proposed center turn lane, and the effect on gaps in traffic? Second, the FAQ Sheet mentions that results of a 25 year study at three intersections indicated that congestion along N. Main will not increase significantly. However, OSF has announced that the past two years have been their best seasons ever, while at the same time, Ashland's lodging industry has experienced its worst two seasons. OSF has done a tremendous job of marketing to "locals" — visitors who can commute to Ashland for a play and dinner. Visitors who used to stay overnight, park their cars and walk to town, are now commuters driving into downtown. While this is a wonderful thing for our city, the consequence is that traffic on N. Main has increased as a result. Our 2009 traffic volumes already 1 exceed 15,000 AADTs; given the change in pattern of our visitors from staying overnight to commuting, it's reasonable to conclude our traffic volumes are going up. Third, the stated purpose of this proposal is to reduce the number of accidents, using national averages as its rationale. The problem with national averages is that they do not fit any one particular city. I have a few questions about the study data and its relevance to Ashland. 1. How many of the cities in the national study had AADTs in excess of 15,000? W flj .O 2. How may ofi th ci ies in the stuady mp7eem&road die s a 2- ' mile stretch of road?(� 3. How many of the cities in the study have alternative routes for motorists? I ask, because in 2010, the City of Medford implemented a road diet on 10th Street from Riverside to Oakdale for the purpose of adding bicycle lanes. To say traffic was significantly impacted during peak traffic hours immediately after implementation would be an understatement. Motorists routinely sat through 3 cycles of the light at Riverside & 10th; with an additional 2 cycles at 10th and Central. It took an additional 9 minutes for me to travel just two blocks. The problem was resolved a few weeks later by commuters taking alternative routes into downtown, and traffic flows generally pretty well now:. However, in Ashland, there are no alternative routes for drivers to use, a cept residential streets. It's a given that people will look for alternative r tes, and once they figure out that Scenic Street will take them from Maple to downtown, we run the risk of that becoming a heavily traveled street. Has that impact been considered? I admit to having concerns about implementing this road diet on a 2 mile stretch of highway during its highest peak traffic volumes when we know its average traffic volumes already exceed the ideal 15,000 AADTs. Averages are the middle of the highs and lows, making our summer highs quite a bit more than the 18,900 average at Hersey Street. The City of Medford's road diet shows us that there will be a significant impact on traffic flows. Add to that the proposed left-turn restrictions onto and off of N. Main and this program could be setting itself up for failure before it ever gets off the ground. There is no pressing need to implement the road diet this summer. Measures to restrict left turns onto and off of N Main to help reduce accidents could begin now without the road diet. lk I elb ieve a more opport ne time to implement this pilot would be in the fall. While it is true that if this program succeeds in the summer, it will succeed in the winter; it is also true that if this program fails in the fall or spring, it will fail spectacularly in the summer, with the potential unintended consequence of increased vehicle and pedestrian accidents as well as angry residents and visitors who are frustrated with new road conditions, increased traffic congestion and left-turn restrictions. Delaying implementation to the fall, would allow our AADTs to be closer to the 18,900 average, rather than at peak volumes. It would also allow our residents to adjust to the new traffic patterns and left-turn restrictions, and find alternative routes during lower traffic volumes. Hopefully this will allow a smoother transition by the time summer peak traffic volumes arrive. 3 !9V to e1� My name is Bert Anderson I live at 612 Chestnut Street near Maple, where my wife and I own the property. We I moved to Ashland 8 %z year s ago. I am 82 years old. Nancy is 75. I've driven a car for 65 years. I drive North Main at least once a day, sometimes, like today, twice. ' Q Three times a week I drive to the YMCA on the other side of town. d-t e/k. We shop at Market of Choice, and occasionally all the'other markets south of us. We go to restaurants,we shop downtown. P„�- We attend the Episcopal Church on Second street. � . We volunteer at OSF and attend all the plays, which adds up to about 30 trips per season. I'm here tonight because I'm substantially affected by the proposed Road Diet. In the past three weeks, I've done my own traffic survey. The trip from home to the YMCA is just short of 4 miles. It takes me about 20 minutes. So my average speed is about 20 miles per hour. Ito, p� /My second most frequent trip is to turn off North Main onto Van Ness to get to the shopping area of the Co-Op,Ace Hardware,the Grange,my accountants office, and A and 4a'Street shopping area. If the"Road Diet"plan is made real I would have to find another roundabout route. The Road Diet FAQ Sheet mentions the installation of bike lanes to increase safety of pedestrians. There are sidewalks the entire length of this project for pedestrians. /Just this afternoon, at 1 p.m., I saw driving North,that where North Main enters town, now down to one lane because of construction, at least 20 cars were backed up to Laurel waiting at the signal. During these twenty or thirty trips, I have yet to see a bicycle on North Main, coming into town or leaving. In the past occasionally I've seen someone riding a bike. My guess would be that 1000 cars use N. Main for every bicycle. In the 8 %z years I have yet to see a car crash or fender bender on North Main and Wimer/Hersey. And no data is submitted in the Road Diet FAQ Sheet, as to the number of accidents and over what time period. L \� A figure quoted is a 35% to 33%reduction in the total number of crashes on the roadway, J� supported by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Highway Safety Manual, 2010. But again there is no data. Percentage figures tell the truth only when larger numbers are present. A small same a would be 10 crashes over a given period of v'. L�L time. A large sample would be 20 or more. I would submit that since no data is presented to /a support the idea of crashes along North Main for any reason,the statement creates a false impression that we have a lot of collisions and crashes. One of the justifications put forth for creating a bottleneck coming into town is to slow traffic. x /\ To my knowledge most people try to obey the speed signs,which we seem to have more of in Ashland than anyplace on earth. On my way to the Y I'm in a 20 mile zone, a25 mile zone, a 20 mile zone, a 25 mile zone, another 20 mile zone, a 25 mile zone, a 45 mile zone, and another 25 mile zone going up Tolman Creek. Medfored,Talent and Phoenix all have less restrictive speed limits than does Ashland. �( There is mention of an analysis made that says the Road Diet would not increase driving time. I J\ don't know how this was arrived at when the express purpose of the Road Diet is to slow down traffic. If the average predicted speed through the zone is used, it must be understood that on a single lane road,half the traffic is moving below the median speed. So if I turn south on North Main from Maple, and a 75' Atlas Moving van,cement truck, or aging out-of-town driver is going 15 miles an hour, everyone behind is delayed. The slowest driver isn't necessarily the safest, we know that, yet the slowest driver rules the single lane road. J The argument has been put forward, that if the city can make drivers miserable enough, they will give up their cars and use bicycles, or walk. I can do neither. I have a neuropathy that makes walking difficult, as you might have noticed. I drive every day of my life. I cannot bicycle anymore. I'm dependent on my car to carry on my life. And what drivers are we talking about. People on the way to work, going to a medical appointment, getting to the Emergency Room, church, the theater,the market for food or to spend money in Ashland. Finally, I do not like the idea of a Road Diet because it is based on beliefs about what kind of town a few people want,not on the reality that people use their cars for important purposes. This is a proposal based on ideas, not real need. Statistics from outside sources are use to support it, not data from our own City Government. This is a"We doing it because it's good for you" proposal. I don't need it. We out here are real people out here, trying to get on with our daily lives. We're not traffic, we're an accident waiting to happen. If the traffic commission wants to help people,work on getting me through town Of more efficiently. The less time on the road,the less pollution my 94 Dodge pickup will put out, and useless$4 a gallon gasoline. Let's deal with the 1000 cars, the thousand busy people,not the one bicycle. Bert Anderson 612 Chestnut Street Ashland, OR 97520 �� of a k Y�, w ,Il w .........__ sANc� / d . - .. � -- .... .. .... ._ A,el aArle, '57L�t_C, Jim Olson From: Deltra Ferguson[Deltra@ashlandcreek.net] Sent: Thursday, March 31,2011 11:55 AM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Proposed Road Diet Hello Jim, You may (or may not ) remember me from the ad hoc safety committee work on Siskiyou Blvd. crossings near the High School and University. Today I am writing with thoughts about the road diet for this end of town. I begin with strong support for this pilot. We live on Maple Street, just above the hospital. My concern for the speed of traffic and danger posed to pedestrians and bicyclists has been growing over the last decade to a place of deeper concern, as ODOT finishes it's work on. the over pass leading from the freeway into town. I expect an up-tick in traffic from this construction. My kids attend Helman Elementary School as 2nd graders, and although they are fully capable of getting to school by bike, my partner and I do not feel the traverse across Siskiyou is safe enough at all. So, with my full support, I wish to offer you and the committee my thoughts. It will be Important to include a turning lane onto Hersey, heading south on Siskiyou. Failure to do so will funnel a great deal of traffic onto Van Ness (sp) which is highly residential as you know. You should also know that many of us on this end of town, deliver our kids to Helman by taking a left (heading south) from Siskiyou Blvd. on to Glen Street. If this is not accessible via a turn lane, the morning traffic will have to funnel somewhere. I understand that the intention is to eventually realign the intersection of Hersey/ Siskiyou and Wimer (thank goodness, I've been dodging cars for many years at this point). In the meantime, however, don't make the mistake of angering the neighborhoods that will suddenly find their quiet streets turned to throughways. Good luck with this very forward thinking project and let me know if I can be of assistance in any way. Deltra Ferguson 345 Maple Street 541-621-0517 1 Jim Olson . From: info @siskiyoucyclery.com Sent: Wednesday, March 30,20112:34 PM To: Jim Olson Subject: Re: Public comment on Road Diet Thanks for the clarification, Jim. The stretch of road that you're talking about certainly needs bike lanes. That Is a very scary place to ride one's bike -- I've only done it because I had to and not for fun and recreation. When a cyclist tries to hug the curb, they have to deal with the occasional drainage grate (that's a wheel-grabber and they're hard to see at night until you're right upon them), and the side of the road is often filled with debris that is dangerous for cyclists. I fully support the proposal -- I'm getting excited just thinking about It. Bernice ----Original Message---- From: Jim Olson [mailto:olsonj @ashland.or.us] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 201102:19 PM To: info @siskiyoucyclery.com Cc: 'Jim Olson' Subject: RE: Public comment on Road Diet Hi Bernice Thanks for your note. At this time we are not looking at making any changes to lane numbers or widths in the central business district. The road diet pilot project would start at the north city limits and end at Bush Street were the lanes would resume the same configuration as they are now. I hope that helps. This email transmission is official business of the City of Ashland,and is subject to the Oregon Public Records taw for disclosure and retention.If you have received this message in error, please contact me at 541-488-5347.Thank you. James Olson Engineering Services Manager 20 East Main Street Ashland,OR 97520 Phone:541-488-5347 Fax:541-488-6006 From: info @siskryoucydery.com [malito:info @siskryoucydery.com] Sent:Wednesday, March 30, 20111:41 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Public comment on Road Diet Dear Sir, To quote the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, May 15,2010(Vol. 19,No. 8),page 34: "At last month's Bicycle Leadership Conference,Bike Belong's Kate Scheider presented data that showed women were substantially less likely to bike for transportation than men.Only about 10 percent of female respondents reported riding for transportation,according to the survey. When asked what factors discouraged biking for transportation,the No. 1 answer among men and women was car traffic." Some people have commented that cycling commuters should use the Greenway Bike Path. Many commuters 1 from Medford, Phoenix and Talent do use the bike path but cannot be expected to stay on it to reach their destination as the bike path may be several blocks away from their worksite.Also,more Ashlanders are using their bikes for running local errands including grocery shopping, and the bike path is not an option for somebody who lives on Wimer and shops at the Food Co-Op. Personally, I drive my car more than I ride my bike through Main Street, but I am willing to be inconvenienced or slowed down when driving so that others may share the road with me. A safe route for all modes of transportation is desirable. I do wonder though how you will deal with the large trucks that park on Main while making their deliveries in the morning. Which lane will they use and how will the traffic be re-routed to accomodate them? Regards, Bernice General Manager Siskiyou Cyclery 1729 Siskiyou Blvd. . Ashland, OR z Jim Olson From: Richard[dchard812@gmail.comj 'Sent: Wednesday, March 30,20114:67 PM To: olsonj@ashland.or.us Subject: North Main Road Diet Dear Mr. Olson: Due to a prior engagement I won't be able to attend the Transportation Commission meeting tomorrow. However, I would like to comment on the North Main Road Diet. I live at 237 Greenbriar Place (near the hospital). Currently, I won't ride my bicycle on N. Main as I am a casual rider (63 years old), not a hard-core rider. Taking the back roads to town is longer and more difficult. So I currently drive my car to town and park. I will be using N. Main for riding my bike to town a lot more often if the Road Diet is approved. I have also noticed many vehicles speeding on N. Main, and, when driving, am often either passed or tail-gated even if I'm going close to 30mph (speed limit 25mph). The Road Diet might help with that issue. I hope it works out well and can become a permanent change. Thank you for considering my thoughts on this subject, Richard Chambers 237 Greenbriar P1. Ashland, OR 97520 1 Jim Olson From: Dan Ralls[rdrallsl @gmail.comj Sent: Thursday, March 31, 20112:411 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Road Diet Dear Mr. Olson, We are writing you regarding our objection to the proposed change in the street plan for North Main in Ashland. As we live uphill from N. Main off of Wimer on Prim St., we make many left turns from N. Main,up Wimer to our home on Prim St. We would find the proposed change very inconvenient. It seems we would be giving up our right to this access for a limited number of bicyclists who could use the existing bike paths. This, coupled with the reduction in the number of lanes under the "Road Diet" plan, seems counter productive to the flow of traffic through our city. Ruth and Dan Ralls 537 Prim St. Ashland, Or. 97520 541-482-4985 1 Jim Olson From: Don Stone[dons97520@jeffnet.org] Sent: Thursday, March 31,2011 2:07 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: ROAD DIET, Mr. Olson... Due to a previous commitment, I may not be able to attend the 3/31 meeting before public testimony concludes. I will be late, if there at all. However, the following is a copy of the letter that I am submitting to the Daily Tidings in opposition to the proposed Road Diet plan. Please provide copies of this to the Transportation Commission members: THE "ROAD DIET" IS A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM The Ashland Transportation Commission's proposed 'Road Diet", the reduction of North Main Street from four lanes to two is a solution is search of a problem. The Road Diet FAQ sheet published on their website presents no evidence that this solution is needed. In fact, it ignores the fact that the existing road configuration serves motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists quite adequately. They state that "nationally published research indicates" that three lanes will reduce crashes but they have not stated the estimated number of crashes that this configuration would avoid in Ashland; the number of bicyclists that use North Main or have been involved in —accidents there, or why the existing sidewalk is inadequate. Where are the numbers? Where are the facts? The facts are that there is a sidewalk and there are striped lanes the full length of North Main, albeit narrow, for bicycles. They acknowledge that congestion will increase but then state that the length of time to travel this corridor will remain the same. By what logic do they reach this conclusion? The stated reason for crashes is "misjudgment". If congestion is increased as expected, how will misjudgment of oncoming traffic be eliminated? The unmentioned but real problem that they do not want to acknowledge is that the speed limit on North Main is unreasonably low. The fact is that the 25MPH limit is largely ignored is because the street can be safely driven at 30 to 35MPH. A "stated" limit does not mean that it is logical or correct limit. "Nationally published research" substantiates this as well.. The solution? Do not inconvenience the vast majority of motorists using North Main, drop this unsupported and illogical idea and raise the speed limit to 30MPH minimum. Regards... Don Stone 395 Kearney St Ashland, OR 97520 1 . Jim Olson From: David Chapman Idavid @council.ashland.or.usr Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 10:14 PM To: Don Stone Cc: olsonj @ashland.or.us; faughtm @ashland.or.us Subject: Re:"Road Diet" North Main Street Don, The meeting will be on Thursday at 6P M, not tomorrow. So maybe you can attend after .all. In any case, thank you as always for your opinions. The lines on N. Main are fog lines and not really meant to be bike lanes. They do however give the cyclists some protection on the wider parts of the road as we hoped they would. Experienced cyclists are fairly comfortable using the lane when necessary on the narrow sections, but this is not true for most riders. True, walkers do have a sidewalk. The difficulty is making a safe crossing other than at the lights on Maple or Laurel Steets. But the key is that the new configuration should also prove safer for cars and traffic should move better when left turn movements are from a center turn lane. Remember that if this proposal moves forward, it is a trial or demo. It would be paint only and could be repainted if things don't aren't working as well as hoped. The plan is to carefully monitor the results. It may not be intuitive that conditions would improve by losing one lane, but I can point you to some examples if you care to look into it. Thanks, David. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Stone" <dons97520Lijeffnet.org> To: olsonj@ashland.or.us, faughtm@ashland.or.us, "David Chapman" <david @council.ashland.or.us> Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 5:42:35 PM Subject: "Road Diet" North Main Street It appears that due to a conflict, that I may not be able to attend the meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening. at 6PM regarding this subject proposal. Therefore, I want to go on record as opposing this proposed narrowing of North Main Street to 3 lanes. This is a solution in search of a problem. The only problem with North Main Street is that that speed limit is absurdly low. This is a 30 to 35 mile an hour street limited to 25.MPH. Very few motorists observe this low speed limit and most are travelling at 30 to 35 MPH. The posed problem is nonexistent. here is a sidewalk that goes as far north as one block from Jackson St. here are bike lanes in both directions, albeit narrow. But they are there. So what is the problem that you are trying to solve? Solve the problem that exisits and raise the speed limit to a minimum of 30MPH. Regards Don Stone 395 Kearney St Ashland, OR 97520 1 Jim Olson From: Audrey Thompson[nealaud @mind.net] Sent: Tuesday, March 29,20114:13 PM To: olsonj@ashland.or.us Subject: Fw: Regarding revising lane structure on main street ---Original Message--- From: Neal Thompson To: olsonaashland onus Cc: nealaud(cDmind.net Sent:Tuesday, March 29,20114:08 PM Subject: Regarding revising lane structure on main street Hello, We can't image what you are thinking regarding making North Main into a two lane road with a center turning lane. Already it often takes several minutes to gain access to North Main from the side streets to the south. It's even worse trying to get off Schofield and Sheridan, particularly if we turn left to get out of town. There are few cyclists, a few more walkers along North Main and the walkers have plenty of room all the way into town. The bike lanes are narrow near town but that is little reason to punish the drivers all the way out to the railroad crossing. As far as traffic coming into town and turning left on Hersey or Van Ness, there is rarely a need for a turning lane there as most of the traffic readily moves to the outside lane when they see turn signals light up. We strongly feel the change would be a mistake. Adding more stop lights would even be a worse error and entirely not indicated. Neal and Audrey Thompson 545 Lakota Way Ashland, Oregon t From: Colin Swales [mailto:colinswales @gmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 14, 20114:48 PM To: Betsy Harshman Cc: Brent Thompson; Dan Dorreli PE; David Chapman; David Young; Derek Severson; Eric Heesacker; Eve Woods;Jenna Stanke; Jim Olson;John Gaffey; Julie Sommer; Larry Blake; Matt Warshawsky; Mike Faught; Nathan Broom; Scott Hollingsworth; Steve MacLennan;Tom Burnham; Sandra Pfeil; Nancy Slocum Subject: Re: FW: North Main Street Betsy, Please could you fwd. a copy of the Daily Tidings article that is mentioned. thanks Colin On Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 5:17 PM, Betsy Harshman <harshmab9Dashland.or.us> wrote: Good aftemoon, Mike asked me to forward you the following email... Betsy Harshman,Administrative Supervisor City of Ashland, Public Works Department 20 East Main Street,Ashland,OR 97520 541-552-2410 or 541-488-5587 Fax: 541-488-6006,Try: 1-800-735-2900 This email transmission is official business of the City ofAsMland,and it is subject to Oregon Public Records law for disdosure and retention. If you have received this message In error,please contact me at 541-552-2410. Thank you. From: Ron Parker[mailto:roarkerCcpmind.netl Sent: Saturday, March 12, 20113:55 PM To: Martha Bennett Subject: North Main Street I couldn't find the manager of Streets or Public Works in the directory, so am sending this to you in hopes you can forward to the correct party. We read in the paper this week that Ashland is considering elimination of one lane of the North Main Highway so that bikes and pedestrians can be accommodated. I think this is a stupid,stupid idea.I hope we didn't spend more of the City's tax money on a consultant to come up with this Idea.We recognize that there are a few bikes and pedestrians that use this highway.There Is already a sidewalk that runs from down town to the RR crossing. I think the city should be Looking at the greater good for the majority of travelers, and just the bikers and walkers. It is already hard enough to get onto the highway from side streets now. I am sorry if my language may be a bit rough, and maybe a little bit emotional, but I just think this is crazy. Thanks for listening. Ron 4 Jim Olson From: Alan Burjoski[alanbur @charter.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 20116:26 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Potential narrowing of N. Main St. I suggest you widen N. Main, not make it narrower. It should be 2 lanes in each direction plus a center turn lane for safety. Surely, traffic is not going to decrease over the years. Making a main thoroughfare one lane is each direction invites congestion,driver irritation, and could cause many safety concerns as people try to pass cars turning right, buses that stop,and slow drivers. If the reason for potentially narrowing the street is to accommodate bicycles, you do not have the needs of most of Ashland citizens and visitors in mind. There are plenty of safer bike routes through the city. Alan Burjoski 520 Lakota Way I Jim Olson From: Linda Florin [florin @ashlandhome.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 30,20117:16 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Comments on the proposed narrowing of N. Main /I wrote the note below to you, and sent it earlier today.. Since then I've had additional thoughts. The city wants to encourage public transportation with the use of buses. If the proposed lane reduction was adopted, what happens to the traffic when the bus is stopped in the single lane while it picks up and drops off riders? How much back-up of traffic would there be in the afternoon? I understand that there is a cycling problem in Ashland.. For many years I cycled here, and I used Hersey and E. Main St. which have bike lanes, oak St. to get to Eagle Mill Rd., and other streets which were less congested than N. Main. Now there is a bike path which goes through Ashland. My biggest problem was getting back up the hills after I biked! For .many residents, the geography is not friendly to bike riders unless the person is strong and has a bike that easily climbs the hills. In a community with a large percentage of retirees, there won't be a lot of cyclers. This small town can't be all things to all people, and it seems that preserving the main thorough fare through Ashland for vehicular (car, bus and transport) is vital. Thanks again for considering my ideas, Linda Florin 541 482-0944 To whom it concerns: It doesn't seem that this narrowing of N. Main is well considered. I've been here in Ashland for 31 years - initially on Scenic Or off Manzanita St. and currently on Sheridan St. This has meant that during the past three decades I've used N. Main to get to my residence, and the traffic on it has increased a great deal - especially in the past 10'years. There are times of the day when N. Main is easy to navigate but the afternoons in particular can be a challenge. SOU students leaving class to go home and tourists add to the traffic. I think there would be delays, and frustrated drivers with the elimination of a lane as N. Main and Hersey are the only choices to travel across town. During the Festival season, many out-of -town drivers add to the congestion. Traffic is likely to get heavier in the future. Under the proposed lane elimination, it would become more difficult to access N. Main from many of the side streets feeding into it. It's currently difficult to make a left turn on to N. Main from many side streets as there isn't good visibility at some intersections and as mentioned earlier, the traffic is often busy during the work day. . In today's Tidings' article there was a reference made to the problem at N. Main/Wimer intersection. That really is a big problem but it.could be dealt with in other ways. What about signal lights? I've thought for a long time that a signal was needed there so people could safely make left hand turns, and the traffic was better managed. t I would encourage the city to look at other alternatives for cyclists than the elimination of a full lane of the main artery through Ashland. There are a lot of negative consequences for many Rogue Valley residents, SOU students, and tourists with the current proprosal. Thank you, Linda Florin 2 Jim Olson From: Pat and Wayne Sorsoli lwsorsoli @charter.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:08 PM To: olsonj @ashland.or.us Subject: Narrowing of North Main Street We do not approve of narrowing North Main Street. We daily have to enter North Main Street at either Sheridan St. or Schofield St.. Due to the limited visibility and the heavy traffic in the four lanes, it is now very difficult to access North Main St.. If you decrease the lanes to three lanes it will be even more difficult. This is true when accessing North Main St. from Schofield St., Sheridan St. and Grant St.. Making Main St.three lanes may make it easier to make left turns OFF of Main St., but will make access to it virtually impossible and very dangerous. Wayne and Pat Sorsoli 495 Sheridan St. Ashland, OR. 97520 541-482-4873 t Jim Olson From: Elizabeth B(ebfeel @gmail.com) Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 8:56 AM To: olsonj @ashland.or,us Subject: North main idea This seems like a complete waste of money! Please reconsider this bad idea. There seems like alot of other projects in town that we could apply this money to.I was an avid cyclist for years and never found riding out of town difficult mainly because there were TWO lanes so plenty of room for cars to pass you. Also many alternate routes such as down Oak and then to Eagle Mill. More scenic and safer anyway. It is frustrating that the City of Ashland continues to waste money time and time again while continuing to ask the citizens to pay for more projects. Such as the Library which still has no parking is open limited hours and uses tons of energy leaving a whole building of lights on at night. Libraries are a great thing but the old one seemed to work just as well as this one. In this economy shouldn't we be saving our tax dollars for the good of the community like a new fire station, schools,ect. Please consider canceling this project ASAP Sandra Bryant Ashland resident since 1976 t Former Student Liaison for the Ashland Transportation Commission From: harshmab @ashland.or.us To: colinswales @gmail.com CC: brenttho @mind.net; Dan.w.dorrell @odot.state.or.us; david @council.ashland.or.us; dyoung @jeffnet.org; sdversod @ashland.or.us; eric.heesacker @gmail.00m; Eve_woods @hotmail.mm; stanke]S @jacksoncounty.org; Olsonj @ashland.or.us; galley @charter.net;julkwmmer @yahoo.com; blakel @sou.edu;ashland @azcotech.com; faughtm @ashland.or.us; n.broom @rvtd.org; hollings @ashland.or.us; macienns @ashland.or.us; ntbumham @gmail.com; pfeils@ashland.or.us; slocumn @ashland,or.us Subject: RE: FW: North Main Street Date:Tue, 15 Mar 201108:22:43-0700 Good morning, As Colin requested, a copy of the article follows,as well as a link to the Daily Tidings article. htt ://www dailvtidines com/arms/abes dll/article?AID=/20110311/NEWS02/103110302/-I/NEWS07 N. Main could go on 'road diet' officials, public exploring options for reducing cars Photo 1 of 1 I Zoom Photo t The city of Ashland Is discussing the idea of narrowing North Main Street In an effort to make more room for bicyclists and pedestrians. Julia Moore / Dally TidingsJulia Moore By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Posted: 2:00 AM March 11,2011 A street near you may be going on a"road diet"this summer. City of Ashland officials are exploring whether some car travel lanes could be narrowed or eliminated to make more room for bicyclists and pedestrians. North Main Street between Helman Street to just north of where It dips below a railroad crossing on the edge of town is the top contender for the potential slimming treatment. Its four lanes would be narrowed to three lanes—two car lanes going In opposite directions plus a center turn lane.That would free up space on the sides of North Main Street for people to bike and walk, said Erin Ferguson, an engineering associate for Kittelson&Associates, Inc. 2 The Portland-based consulting firm is helping the city comply with a state mandate to update Ashland's Transportation System Plan. A draft plan is scheduled to go before the Ashland City Council for possible adoption in early 2012. Pilot projects could be tested before then. Rather than make permanent changes,crews would repaint stripes on North Main Street to reduce the number of car lanes for a three-to six-month trial period. "It's really like a live laboratory for the community to see it,"said Marc Butorac, senior principal engineer with Kittelson & Associates. Another possibility is narrowing Main Street as it travels through town between Helman and Gresham streets. Ashland Street from its Intersection with Sisklyou Boulevard out to Clay Street also has been Identified as a"road diet"candidate. City officials are talking to Oregon Department of Transportation officials about the Idea to narrow car lanes since Main Street doubles as state Highway 99 and Ashland Street is also state Highway 66. Another idea to make Ashland more pedestrian-friendly is to pilot a "street patio." A temporary wood patio could be built out Into a road, taking up several street parking spaces.With the addition of some tables and umbrellas, local restaurants would have added outdoor dining space and people would have a place to eat and mingle.A drawback would be the loss of parking spaces. Potential"street patio"sites include Main Street and Llthia Way downtown, the downtown Plaza area and A Street near Lela's and the Coquina. In a Colorado town, Ferguson said business owners, high school students and a Lowe's home improvement store teamed up to build temporary plywood street patios for a summer pilot project. "It was such a success, they decided to look for long-term funding to make the patios a more permanent feature,"she said. At a Wednesday workshop to gather public input on potential transportation system changes, Michael Niemann said he bikes to work at Southern Oregon University from his home on Oak Street. He said he would like to see more bike lanes in town, with less emphasis on car lanes. "We've found out the more lanes you build, the more cars fill up those lanes," he said. "You can never build enough lanes." Joanna Niemann said "road diets"could encourage people to get out of their cars. She also liked Transportation System Plan proposals for traits along many creeks in Ashland. Resident Helga Motley said she liked the concept of"road diets,"but didn't think there was enough room for"street patios" downtown. She also said that with Ashland's aging population and hills, many residents find it hard to bike and walk around town. "I've been here 30 years, and I've watched people age to the point that they can't walk," Motley said. However,even with proposed changes, Motley said people would still be able to use their cars. Dan Gunter,who works for the city's street division,said his personal opinion was that the street patio idea is workable, and proposals to make alleys more welcoming for bikers and pedestrians have a lot of potential. More sidewalks, especially on Sisklyou Boulevard past Walker Avenue,would be good improvements. I think Ashland's perfect for things like that," he said. As far as narrowing North Main Street, Gunter said city and ODOT officials do have to keep in mind that the street, also known as Highway 99,would serve as a bypass route If traffic couldn't travel on Interstate 5 for some reason. Residents can read more about potential transportation system changes and submit comments by visiting www.ashlandtsp.com. City officials are also seeking comments about proposals to make intersections at East Main Street and North Mountain Avenue, Tolman Creek Road and Ashland Street,and Walker Avenue and Ashland Street more pedestrian-friendly. For information and to view drawings of proposed changes and make comments,visit www.ashiand.or.us and click on "Open Gty Hall." Staff reporter Vickie Aldous can be reached at 541-479-8199 or viaidous @yahoo.com. Betsy Harshman,Adminlstrative Supervlsor City of Ashland,Public Works Department 20 East Main Street,Ashland,OR 97520 541-552-2410 or 541-488-5587 Fax: 541-488-6006,TTY: 1-800-735-2900 This email transmission is official business of the Gty of Ashland,and it is subject to Oregon Public Records law for disdosure and retention. If you have rece ved tbls message in error,please contact me at 541-552-2410. Thank you. 3 Jim Olson From: Iloyd haines[Iloydmhaines @yahoo.comj Sent: Monday, March 28,2011 1:48 PM To: Jim Olson Subject: RE:testimony, March 31 Traffic Commission meeting Thanks, Jim, for the clarification. Yes, it does alter my feelings and I would like the traffic commission to consider, at the appropriate time, the modification of the downtown configuration to accommodate "head-in" parking. Lloyd M. Haines 96 North Main #202 'Ashland, OR. 97520 Office-541-482-9300 Fax-541-482-9334 --- On Mon, 3/28/11, Jim Olson <olsonlAashland.or.us> wrote: > From: Jim Olson <olsonj @ashland.or.us> > Subject: RE: testimony, March 31 Traffic Commission meeting > To: "'lloyd haines'" <lloydmhaines@yahoo.com> > Cc: "Jim Olson" <olsonj @ashland.or.us> > Date: Monday, March 28, 2011, 12:45 PM Hi Lloyd Thanks for the note. I > just wanted to offer one point of clarification. > The pilot project affects North Main Street only. Just past Laurel > Street the single south bound lane of.traffic will be again merged > into two lanes so that at Bush Street the traffic lanes will be back > to the original 4 lanes (both directions). Although there has been > some talk regarding lanes reduction on East Main Street in the central > business district, this project will not address that section of > highway and no changes are planned at this time. I'm not sure if this > will alter your recommendation. > This email transmission is official business of the City of Ashland, > and is subject to the Oregon Public Records Law for disclosure and > retention. > If you have received this message in error, please contact me at > 541-488-5347. Thank you. > > James Olson > Engineering Services Manager > 20 East Main Street > Ashland, OR 97520 > Phone: 541-488-5347 > Fax: 541-488-6QO6 > -----Original Message----- > From: lloyd haines (mailto:iloydmhaines@yahoo.comj > Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 10:58 AM > To: olsonj @ashland.or.us 1 > Subject: testimony, March 31 Traffic Commission meeting > Hi Jim, > I hope this note finds you well. > Please consider this as testimony to be submitted at the upcoming > Traffic Commission meeting of March 31, 2011. > > I am Lloyd Matthew Haines and my address is 96 North Main Street, > Ashland. > I have an ownership interest in 8 downtown building, most of which > will be affected by this proposal. > I can only support the proposal to reduce the number of driving lanes > if, and only if, the downtown parking configuration is modified to > allow head in parking and thus increase the number of downtown spaces. > As you know, we have a downtown parking problem that is quite > difficult in the summer months. Downtown employees park on residential > streets to avoid to the 2 hour downtown parking restrictions. > Residents constantly complain to the City about the situation. The > City has implemented a "repeat offenders" program which compounds > fines for multiple violation of the 2 hour rule. And, if the City > Council approved the proposed > 189 seat > restaurant on Lithia Way without parking, the problem will be > exacerbated. > So, if we proceed with modifying the traffic flow, we should improve > the parking situation, And, as such, unless there is sufficient room > for the head in parking, only one(1) bike lane will be possible. > > So, in conclusion, I can only support the proposal if parking is > modified to accommodate "head in" parking and: the bike lane proposal > is adjusted to permit sufficient room for the new parking layout. > Thank you for considering this testimony. Best regards, > Lloyd Matthew Haines > > > Lloyd M. Haines > 96 North Main #202 > Ashland, OR. 97520 > Office-541-482-9300 > Fax-541-482-9334 2 Jim Olson From: David Chapman[david @council.ashland.or.us] Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 10:38 PM To: Joan Drager Cc: olsonj @ambra.ashland.or.us Subject: Re: North Main Food diet loan, You have made a lot of good points in your letter. Thank you for the careful consideration. In answer to some of your questions. 1. You are correct that adding bike lanes does not address safety issues for motor vehicles directly. (That is just a happy opportunity for cyclists.) But turns will cross only one lane of traffic making turns easier. This is a demo project with paint only. If things work as planned, then we could consider some islands for planting and pedestrian refuge. You are right, crosswalks will need to be addressed. 2. In most cases, emergency vehicles would probably use the middle lane. But you are right cars would clear to the bike lanes. 3. Buses for the trial would pull into the bike lanes, but in a permanent plan probably require pullouts. In some areas there is sufficient right of way. 4. Good point on evacuation routes. I don't know the plan there. We could probably just use the center lane. 5. Yes indeed much monitoring is planned and a public discussion would precede any permanent change. 6. The TSP is looking at freight routes. 7. The TSP is looking at the possibility of an extra interchange. Though I would say that would be unlikely anytime soon. Thanks again, David ----- Original Message ----- From: "loan Drager" <jddrag@opendoor.com> To: "Jim Olson" <Jimo @ashland.or.us> Cc: "Greg Lemhouse" <greg@council.ashland.or.us>, "Carol Voisin" <carol @council.ashland.or.us>, "Michael Morris" <mike@council.ashland.or.us>, "Dennis Slattery" <dennis @council.ashland.or.us>, "John Stromberg" <john @council.ashland.or.us>, "Russ Silbiger" <russ @council.ashland.or.us>, "David Chapman" <david @council.ashland.or.us> Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 2:36:10 PM Subject: North Main Food diet Dear Jim, I received a letter Dated 3/24/11 regarding the proposed narrowing of North Main Street to 3 lanes. I have come down with a nasty cold so I won't be able to attend the meeting. I have reviewed some of the documents and the proposed changes in our transportation plan. Some of the changes reminded me of Ashland when it was like a rural hillside village with two way traffic through town before the Lithia north bound lanes were added. A time when we got 1 around on our fat tire bicycles. I would love to see Ashland reduce cars through our downtown without sacrificing our safety. The following concerns need to be addressed. (1) The Nationally published research that was used may not take the following factors into account. Four lanes converted to cutouts with a turn line may very well reduce accidents as it provides a safety lane to make right or left turns. However, might this be accomplished by creating turn lanes at busy intersections by creating merge traffic designation at those locations. The Van Ness, Wimer St. Hersey St., Glenn Street may be four areas to create merged traffic designation with a safe space to make a turn. Most of the accidents on North Main are a result of not having adequate signs and cutouts for turning. I'm not sure whether adding cycle lanes was part of this study and doesn't seem relevant in addressing the accident reduction. The problem is creating safe spaces for making turns where people are likely to make a left or right turn. Devoting a center lane where not needed seems inefficient. Maybe we should just plant trees / lawn like on the Boulevard with turn outs. That would be more esthetic pleasing and pedestrians wanting to cross could use the island to cross with some pedestrian crossings. There are no cross walks from Laurel Street to Maple. Any plan that doesn't allow for crosswalks between Helman and Maple is not pedestrian friendly. (2) The city of Ashland purchased the ambulance service as they said the former provider was not making sufficient time responses. I hear the ambulances often, day and night. I would want to have time responses monitored to determine how narrowing of lanes would affect response times and safety to other motorists, cycles, etc. Also, other emergency vehicles assisting in the north end of town. Where would motorists go if a siren is heard. Move over in the cyclist lane or where? What route would a fire truck take to reach homes from Helman to the North end of town? (3) Public transportation buses. North Main is a high volume transit route. This would create a leap-frog pattern, not only for cyclists but motorists would be forced to stop or navigate around the busses. (4) Ashland has limited evacuation routes. North Main is one of them. What if, a natural or man-made disaster occurs.? If people needed to quickly exit, how would the Road Diet plan affect evacuation? What plans are in the transportation plan to provide for this contingency? (5) If a trial plan is chosen we should monitor the ratio of motorists to cyclists. we have spent millions on the Greenway to provide a safe environment for cyclists. With many demands on our budget, I feel we should maybe try the temporary changes for an extended time to determine it's longer term affects. More public discussion after this temporary option is implemented would provide us with the pros and cons before for making these changes permanent. (6) Central Street is becoming an alternative route for Semis and large vehicles. We've had parked cars on Helman that prevent 100' plus vans from navigating the Central / Helman intersection. What can we do to alleviate this problem. As traffic is slowed motorists will look for alternative routes, sometimes creating more traffic in residential areas and making it hard for residents to exit their driveways. The most likely streets will be Central, Van Ness, and Hersey. Glenn Street might have been a route but Orange has been narrowed from Helman to Orange which reduces its desirability to take some of the traffic. This is too bad as motorists trying to go to the dog park or the neighborhoods off Helman would have been accommodated. (7) Is there any plan to provide an exchange at North Mountain and Interstate 5? This would alleviate a substantial amount of traffic coming in or leaving on North Main. 2 Please forward these concerns to the proper committee for discussion and review. Thank You, Joan D. Drager 3 Jim Olson From: Eve Woods[eve woods @hotmaii.com] Sent: Monday, March 28,20116:26 PM To: harshmab @ashland.or.us Cc: Brent Thompson Transportation Comm.Ashland; Dan Dorrell PE -ODOT Liaison to Ashland TC;david @council.ashiand.or.us; David Young Transportation Comm.Ashland; seversod @ashland.or.us; Eric Heesacker Transportation Comm.Ashland; eve woods @hotmail.com; Jenna Stanke-Jackson County Rds Liaison-TC;Jim Olson Traffic Com.Ashland-Staff Support;John Gaffey Transportation Com.Ashland; juliasommer @yahoo.com; Larry Blake -SOU FVP; ashland @azcotech.com; Mike Faught- Dir.of public works in Ashland; Nathan Broom-RVTD Liaison to Ashland TC; Scott Hollingsworth-Ashland Fire Dept-TC; maclenns @ashland.or.us;Tom Burnham Transportation Com.Ashland; pfeils @ashland.or.us;slocumn @ashland.or.us Subject: RE: North Main Street HI Everyone, I would like to add my two cents to this plan to put the roads on a diet/add a street patio In front of businesses down town. I don't feel that all of the angles of these proposed changes are being considered. The down town area is so dose to the park I don't see the point In adding a ded(to the sidewalk. It seems like a waist of resources and space. Having a deck in front of stores will not necessarily Increase business but rather encourage looting behaviors. This proposal of taking away parking spots is not a good Idea. There are already huge problems with parking availability and held up traffic In down town Ashland. Are you trying to eliminate disabled people or people with mobility issues from visiting Ashland? I fear that these changes are not for the greater good but rather for those individuals who are very physically active. I, like many other people want to be able to park at least 200 feet or closer to my destination. We need more parking down town, not less. It would also be helpful to have a shuttle/bus system from parking garage to the down town area. (Perhaps near the university). Students would use it in the off season and tourists would use it during the busy busy season. One place that I really want to see the road changed Is right by Gorilla Bites. There are some pedestrian safety issues there. People trying to cross the road may not be able to see cars coming because of the cars parked on the corner In the plaza parking lot. It is also an issue for drivers to not be able to slow down enough to stop on that blinding corner when a pedestrian just pops out from around a car all of a sudden. This was mentioned many times when I took community surveys in 2008/2009. I understand that many people want bike paths all over Ashland. I think that is great, but please don't take away my ability and the ability of other mobile challenged individuals from being able to find a dose enough parking spot so that we can enjoy the many down town attractions too. Making the lanes thinner sounds like a better idea. I don't like driving so dose to other cars but I also don't like having to swerve into another car lane to avoid a bicyclist Making the lanes thinner should help all of us share the road better. That is good. My concern is that big Semi trucks or SUV's will not be able to stay in their little lanes especially when making a turn. If there is already a sidewalk please don't make it wider, keep it the same. There are by far more cars and bikes on the road than people walking on the sidewalk. Also,do not take away any parking spots from down town. That will not help your cause. There will be a more negative environmental footprint from those driving in circles trying to find a parking spot over the few people that start to ride their bike downtown. You have to offer options before you take them all away, (Ride your bike or walk can not be the only options because I can't do either). Thank you for taking the time to consider my opinion and others in the community. Sincerely, Eve Woods 1 h Rogue Valley Transportation District From the Desk of Paige Townsend, Senior Planner 3200 Grater Lake Avenue•Medford,Oregon 97504-9075 Phone(541)608-2429•Fax(541)773-2877 Vlsi!o r wekrite at:www.rvtd.org TO: James Olsen and Ashland Transportation Commissioners RE: North Main'Road Diet'Impacts on Transit DATE: March 29,2011 Due to potential traffic and safety issues caused by the proposed narrowing of North Main Street, RVTD may need to remove and relocate bus stops.RVTD will make this decision after the pilot phase Is complete and will notify city staff of any changes to the stop network.Specific bus stop traffic issues are provided below,refer to the attached map.We request that staff review the list of proposed' changes and respond with how the city could assist with these safety provisions. Please acknowledge RVTD's other concerns also described below. The areas of concern are as follows with proposed solutions: • Stop#10410 north of Grant St. Propose to move stop north by 40 feet to utilize the wide shoulder. • Stop#10830 north of Maple St.Allow bus to utilize the hatched shoulder area and widen to 10'. • Stop#10820 at Big AI's.Shorten curb median at south edge to allow further clearance around, bus in center lane.Or move stop north 200 feet to wider shoulder at angle and widen to 12'. • Remove stops#10430 south of Winner St.and#10440 south of Laurel St.to a combined stop located north of Manzanita St.Current stop locations are adjacent to concrete median (#10430) and left turn lane with adjacent traffic(#10440).The new location allows for traffic to pass a bus using the center turn lane.To assist with pedestrian safety, please consider installing a crosswalk on the north side of Manzanita across North Main St. ADDITIONAL SERVICE CONCERNS Negligent Driving by Others RVTD is expecting that by narrowing North Main St.we will experience an increase in negligent driving around our vehicles. Public transit vehicles retain legal right to the full travel lane when at a bus stop and can pull back into traffic when needed without yielding.Drivers who merge around a bus will need to make a complete lane change into a center turn lane or median area. 'Lane sharing'is a frequent occurrence causing collisions between vehicles and buses-most often side mirrors are swiped off the bus due to driver negligence. Bicyclists will also be adversely affected by buses stopping and completely blocking the bicycle lane. Cyclists will also need to either wait for the bus to merge out of the bicycle lane or make a complete lane change around the left of the bus. RVI-D drivers are trained for sharing the roadway with cyclists and most often collisions with cyclists due to the bus stopping are caused by negligent cyclist behavior. Route 10 Schedule Adherence RVTD wants to see the 35 mph speed limit retained along North Main St.to provide schedule adherence on the Route 10 traveling to and from Medford.This service is currently at the brink for keeping on schedule due to several issues over the years that include additional traffic signals, Increased congestion and reduced speed limits along Hwy 99. Previous speed reductions In Ashland have impacted RVTD's ability to maintain schedule adherence. The distance of the North Main corridor that will be narrowed is approximately 1.25 miles.If speeds are reduced to 25 mph RVTD will lose between 3-5 minutes in travel time each route. If the schedule adherence problem continues or is exacerbated RVTD has three options: 1) Extend the run time of the route from 2 hours to 2 X hours.Passengers would experience an additional 20 minutes in travel time or 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel between Ashland and Medford. 2) Reduce the geographic coverage of the route as was done along the East Main St loop in 2008 by limiting trips to certain times of.day.RVTD will consider removing the E.Main St.loop entirely in addition to other areas in the route. 3) Install transit signal priority technology on signals to allow buses to jump through traffic and avoid delay while waiting at stop signals.The city could also mitigate cued up traffic by adjusting timing on lights to allow the higher volume traffic through. Please consider the concerns and recommendations outlined above.We expect the city could provide some accommodations and look forward to hearing from staff on these issues. Ci e y �s, /�o �, �t?s� ev- I oS <—f'%qua-q lal� � �- ov) )C) / � � ��� c� l� )-Vt7 L4jo 1- q 3rj ��� )o 1� y Co WU f r / ' a (/ C/o UVO c�eQ a U L h) won/ r t s h G0 Ct u aV.—LP ate, "s . .Mr. Dan Gregg � +'*�E'L?3=t_)R17 t;�g:�3�5 TO Bas 1195 Ashland,OR 97120 ..2ki `IL L.;:.Gt k,-f ?!tit '1. L. la a1 From: John Javna <javna@opendoor.com > Subject: NO "ROAD DIET": Here's Why! Date: July 26, 201111:04:34 PM PDT To: undisclosed-redpients:; Hi there Have you heard about the proposed "Road Diet" on N. Main St.?I've sent you this email because you'll be impacted by it. Here's my request: If, after reading the info below,you agree that the Road Diet needs to be slowed down for further study, please forward this email ASAP to anyone on your email list who travels on N. Main St., along with a personal note. We want to reach EVERYONE in Ashland with this message. We encourage you to attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 2 at 7 p.m. It matters if you show up! To do more : Email the City Council members at iohn0council.ashland.or.us . Thanks. --John P ROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS... COME TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON AUGUST 2 On August 2nd,the Ashland City Council is voting on whether to accept the Traffic Commission's decision to rush into a "trial" Road Diet on North Main St. If they have their way, starting in September, North Main will be a two-lane street with a turning lane. And the "trial" will be at least one year. By insisting on making this drastic move RIGHT NOW, the Traffic Commission has disregarded the recommendation of City staff to wait until spring (so they can fix the Wimer/Hersey intersection), disregarded the opposition of the RVTD(the county bus service), disregarded the majority of comments made by citizens at their hearings(which opposed it), and ignored the impact this will have on surrounding neighborhoods. We don't know if the Road Diet is viable in the long run. But we do know that the"trial"should not happen in September. The community hasn't had a real chance to consider this huge change. Sure, there were a few hearings and a web site posting. But most people in Ashland still have no detailed idea of whats actually being proposed . This is not the way a small-town government should operate. Pagel of 3 Just to be dear: There is no urgency to make this change. If the community decides it wants a road diet, we can just as easily do it a year from now. OUR IMMEDIATE OBJECTION: FrS BAD PLANNING.The Road Diet, as proposed, is very poorly planned. Dozens of critical details haven't been addressed at all. In fact, rather than solving problems, the year-long trial seems likely to create s erious problems for people living in the surrounding neighborhoods . Here are a few examples of what we mean: According to the City's consultants, if the Road Diet"trial" is implemented in September, more than 1,500 cars will be forced onto the surrounding neighborhood streets every single day . That's over 10,000 new cars a week on quiet neighborhood streets, because of changes at a number of intersections. Northbound drivers won't be able to turn left on Wimer or Coolidge; southbound drivers won't be able to turn left on Van Ness or Central. There will be no left turns out of Wimer, Hersey or Coolidge. Instead,traffic will be increased on Nursery Street, Maple, Manzanita, N. Laurel, and all the surrounding cross-streets like High St., Rods, Central (between Laurel and Water), Scenic, etc. •This can obviously create serious safety issues: Drivers already go too fast through the neighborhoods. No w add over 10,000 cars a week, with a large number of oommuters in a hurry m get somewhere,and imagine the impact. Many of the affected streets have no sidewalks -- pedestrians, including kids, use the streets to get around. Cars are pulling out of driveways and alleys. There are bad comers where visibility is already a problem. There are wildlife and pets to avoid. There's at least one school and a neighborhood park in the area. Obviously,t his requires some attention... and yet the issue hasn't been addressed. • Many affected streets, like a part of High, are narrow and have cars parked on two sides. In some places, that essentially makes them one lane -- too narrow for all the potential new traffic. Bottlenecks will increase. The City may have to restrict parking on these streets. Some people may not even be allowed to park in front of their homes. Is this worth discussing? •According to the city's consultants, at every intersection along N. Main --except one-- people will be waiting longer(at already backed-up street comers)to get into traffic. This could even become a safety issue, as frustrated drivers dart out into the traffic, perhaps endangering bicyclists. Do we really want this? • Perhaps most importantly,the quality of life for people who live around the Road Diet will be seriously affected. An i ncrease of traffic changes the character of neighborhoods, affects property values, turns quiet Page 2 of 3 residential streets into thoroughfares. There's more noise and pollution. And regardless of how temporary the Road Diet is, many people's commuting habits will be changed for good -- so once this change takes place, traffic patterns will be permanently affected. Shouldn't we take the time to think this through?Shouldn't the integrity of Ashland neighborhoods be a priority in any plan? •The impact isn't restricted to the Immediate vicinity. There's bound to be a ripple effect. For example: People headed for the freeway may begin taking Oak to Eagle Mill instead of tackling the bottled-up N. Main traffic, increasing traffic on Oak. And Church St and Scenic Dr. may have a big increase in traffic when drivers realize the most direct way to Wimer from town is on those streets, rather than via N. Main. Has anyone thought this through? •There are potential problems at Bush, Central, Nursery. Glenn, Lori, Almond, Rock, Scenic, Manzanita, Skidmore, High, Hersey, --all unaddressed by this Road Diet plan. I f you want more detailed info, email us at NolkoadDiet*gmail.com and we'll send you a map that shows EXACTLY what could happen.You'll see that the community hasn't had the time to evaluate the true impact of the Road Diet, or to correct the biggest potential problems yet.The Traffic Commission's position seems to be, "Lets try it and see what happens." But the City's position should be "Lets be sure we're not disrupting people's lives before we plunge into something that isn't urgent...or necessary." Let's slow down, STAND UP FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, and make this important decision TOGETHER! WE URGE YOU TO HELP US get the City Council to defer the Road Diet decision at least until spring. JOIN US AT THE COUNCIL MEETING ON AUG. 2! SPEAK UP! Thanks. The Committee to Slow Down the Road Diet: John Javna, Cynthia Scherr, Ron Bailey, Adleen and Richard Thornton, Brooke and Jim Fredericks,Vicki and Greg Capp, Marilyn Schreiber, Kerry Kencairn,Juli Teitelbaum, &Casey and Rick Seltzer. Page 3 of 3 Diana Shiplet From: Russ Silbiger [russ @council'ashland.or.us] Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 1:48 PM To: Diana Shiplet Subject: Fwd: Road Diet Rage email If it's not to late I would like this added to the packet on the Road Diet issue. Russ Silbiger Ashland City Councilor russ(a@council.ash land.or.us 541-482-6907 This email is subject to Oregon public records law for disclosure and retention. ----- "Colin Swales" <colinswales(agmail.com>wrote: Russ, I expect by now that you will have received a copy of the fear-mongering "Road Diet" campaign spam that John Javna has sent out. I am hoping that in spite of this well-organized mis-information campaign you will see the wisdom of voting for this project in spite of the self-serving opposition. Please let me know if you need any actual facts on this matter. thanks Colin (541) 840 7492 1 Diana Shiplet From: Terry Holderness [holdernet @ashland.or.us] Sent: Wednesday, July?7, 2011 11:42 AM To: Diana Shiplet Cc: Martha Bennett; Mike Faught; 'Colin Swales'; 'Steve Ryan' Subject: email for the transportion committe I have received a couple of requests for information related to traffic enforcement on North Main rather than respond to everyone separately I wanted to make sure everyone had the same information so I have asked Diana to post my replay along with several emails to the entire transportation committee. In response to Colin's comment about the numbers of citations issued on North Main we do more enforcement on North Main then other area of the City. We do this both because of the number of accidents we have had in the past and the number of complaints we receive from people about speeding in the area. Keep in mind that even 809 citations written each year that is only 2.2 on average each day. If about half of those are for speeding that is only a little over one a day. As to the question from both Colin and Steve about the economics of traffic enforcement that is a better question for the court to answer but I will give you what I can. Our officers write all citations because we believe that writing citations changes behavior and helps reduce accidents. if we could reduce speeding by doing something other than writing citations that would be great, we do have other things we could do with our time and we know that writing citations sometimes creates resentment against the department by the people receiving the citation. I often get emails from people who have received tickets that complain that writing tickets does not promote community policing or good community relations. While I agree with that in part we are also responsible for public safety and writing citations to reduce traffic accidents is part of ourjob. I would expect that were we to see a reduction in speeding activity on North Main we would we at least see some increase in traffic citations in other areas of the city. As to the revenue generated by the citations the Police Department does not receive any revenue from citations we write. That money goes into the general fund and it is my understanding,based on the city's budget, that the cost of running the municipal court is $429,000 a year while they are estimating they will generate $430,000 dollars in revenue. This would mean that the whole system, all municipal court activities vs. total revenue, is pretty close to revenue natural. I have no idea if the money raised by speeding citations is used to subsidize other court activities or if a reduction in speeding citations would result in a corresponding reduction in court expenses. That is an intemal issue for the court and in no way impacts how or why we engage in any enforcement activities. I think we can all agree that having the Police Department base any enforcement action on revenue generation is inconsistent with the values of this community. Improving traffic safety by improved design, engineering or education is always preferable to having to accomplish the same goal by writing citations. Terry Jim or Steve M, ( cc TC chair, Council liaison, APD chief) I think it has been categorically shown that speeding vehicles increase the likelihood of injury or death. Would it be possible to have the data on the number of speeding offences that have occurred along the N.Main/downtown corridor to help with the ongoing re-striping discussion for tonight's Transportation Commission meeting? thanks Colin . t The Police Department has written 809 citations on North Main during the last 12 months. We do not have a way of sorting that data by both location and violation but city wide about 40%of all or our citations are for speeding . I believe that we are likely to be writing a higher percentage of citations for speeding on North Main and would estimate that somewhere between 50%to 70%of our citations in that area would include speeding as a violation. Terry Thanks Terry, I personally find those figures quite depressingly shocking. Questions were asked last night at the joint PC/TC meeting about whether such a large number of citations actually translates into a significant revenue income for the City, or whether instead the extra time policing and prosecuting such traffic violations and accidents actually is a burden. Do you have any opinion on that? thanks Colin Chief Holderness sir, I try not to interrupt, but this is important enough I have cc'd Mayor Stromberg because I think he will find the information central to an important decision Council will make Aug. 2 re. North Main Street: As chair of the Ashland Transportation Commission, I simply must ask, -A question emerged from discussion in our combined Planning and Transportation Commissions meeting tonight, re. Ashland's Transportation System Plan for the next twenty years, Is writing speeding tickets a cost or a revenue generator for your department? Put differently, does writing speeding tickets generate the taxpayer income, after all costs are included, or do speeding tickets cost society more in labor; records; risk; adjudication; collections etc.etc., than is embedded in the fine paid by the speeder, or does that fine accurately cover all costs borne by the taxpayer? Maybe the stops generate seizure revenues; Catch escapees??? etc??? Say your department wrote zero speeding tickets one month because everyone magically complied with the law all the sudden. Would that be a loss or a gain of revenue to the City? The reason I ask is, -If the >800 speeding tickets on North Main in one year were reduced to say 500, or 100, would that be a loss or a gain to the City of Ashland?What if we add the gain from your officers being able to accomplish other business instead of write speeding tickets??? = If there was less speeding on North Main, and we wrote less speeding tickets, would our officers be able to pursue the rest of their caseload for example, and would that be a gain, or would we rather have them writing speeding tickets? 2 I know you are busy but I hope you see the critical value this has for our planning decisions and our common goal of minimizing cost (and injury)to all our stakeholders. On a personal note,thank you for your department's apparently stellar record of TASER non-deployment. You seem to be breaking new ground using it as a tool for conflict prevention rather than resolution: If this is true,Ashland will be a model for the rest of the nation, soon! Regards and thank you, Steve Ryan Ashland Transportation Commission chair Terry Holdemess Police Chief City of Ashland, Police Department 1155 E Main St, Ashland, Oregon 97520 (541) 482-5211 ext. 2138 (541) 552-2154 fax TTY 800-735-2900 terry.holdemessa.ashland.or.us This email transmission is o//icial business of the City of Ashland, and it is subject to Oregon Public Records law for disclosure and retention. ff you have received this message in error, please contact me (541) 482- 5211. Thank you. 3