Session 09-05, a meeting
of the Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order by Chair Marquardt
at 5:35 p.m. on August 18, 2009 at the City Hall Cowles Council Chambers
located at 491 E. Pioneer Avenue, Homer, Alaska.
COMMITTEE
MEMBERS: Haina, Marquardt, Roberts,
Velsko
ABSENT: Smith
STAFF: Public
Works Director Meyer
Deputy
City Clerk Jacobsen
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
The
agenda was approved by consensus of the Committee.
PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
There
were no public comments
RECONSIDERATION
There
were no items for reconsideration
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A.
Regular
Meeting Synopsis of July 21, 2009
The
synopsis was approved as presented by consensus of the Commission.
VISITORS
There
were no visitors
STAFF & COUNCIL REPORT/COMMITTEE REPORTS/BOROUGH REPORTS
There
were no reports
PUBLIC HEARING
There
were no public hearings scheduled
PENDING BUSINESS
There
was no pending business
NEW BUSINESS
A.
Quarterly
Meeting Schedule
Councilmember
Roberts commented that there is a Resolution coming forward at the next Council
meeting addressing meeting schedule changes for Commissions and Committees.
The
Committee members agreed that this is a good idea and the schedule noted in the
memorandum included in the packet is acceptable; the recommended schedule being
5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of February, May, August, and November.
It was
noted that if there is a project that needs their attention, a special meeting
could be called. There won’t be a lot of discretionary funds this budget, so
this is probably a good idea.
ROBERTS/HAINA
MOVED TO SEND A MEMORANDUM TO CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY SUPPORT A QUARTERLY
MEETING SCHEDULE AS PROPOSED IN THE MEMO.
It
was noted that Councilmember Roberts could mention their support in her report.
VOTE:
NON OBJECTION: UNANIMOUS CONSENT.
Motion
carried.
B.
Public
Information for Road Improvement Process
The
Committee discussed that there would probably be more incentive for LID’s if
the arterials were paved. It would be a smart move as there would be less
maintenance costs overall for the City, and paving main roads should be a
function of the City.
Further
discussion included verbiage for the news letter and felt it would be best to
keep the statement short and include specific facts, dollar figures, and that
neighbors working together can make it happen. It was suggested that if there
were a database of the gravel road, perhaps information could be mailed to
property owners with specifics about how the LID process works. Another
suggestion was having a list of Frequently Asked Questions on the internet.
The
Commission agreed on the following language for the Question of the Week:
Are
you aware the City of Homer will pay up to 75% of road improvements should you
and your neighbors form a Local Improvement District (LID)? Would you
participate? Why or Why not?
Concern
was raised whether funding is available for road improvements with the City’s
budget shaping up the way it is. It was noted that there are HART funds and
discussion ensued on road costs.
INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS
A.
Resolution
09-87, A Resolution of the City Council of Homer, Alaska, Requesting that the
Kenai Peninsula Borough Share a Portion of the $16 Million it Recently with the
Cities Located within the Borough.
There
was brief discussion about this resolution. It was noted that City Manager
Wrede was attending a Borough meeting when this would be discussed.
COMMENTS OF THE AUDIENCE
There
were no audience comments.
COMMENTS OF THE STAFF
Public
Works Director Meyer reported that they are set to pave Freight Dock Road. He
said they are grinding and repaving Soundview, Mountainview, Svedlund, and
Herndon. There was discussion of the Reber Trail and the parking. It was noted
in the July 21 minutes there was reference made to parking being developed at
the bottom of the Reber Trail, but that is not the case and the parking was
probably in reference to the base of the spit.
Discussion
ensued regarding the Spit Comprehensive Plan sessions that were held out on the
spit. The Committee agreed that they would like to see the results of the
parking study.
COMMENTS OF THE COUNCILMEMBER
Councilmember
Roberts said she is glad they are going to quarterly meetings. She thinks the
will continue to be effective, but they need to keep track of what they want to
do. She noted that the project of looking at the design manuals and code and
coordinating them so they make better sense hasn’t been on the agenda. She
doesn’t want to lose track of that and wants to make sure it stays on the back
burner.
COMMENTS OF THE CHAIR
Chair
Marquardt commented that he is glad they are going to a quarterly meeting
schedule. He thanked everyone for coming.
COMMENTS OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
There
were no Committee member comments.
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business to come before the Committee the meeting adjourned at
6:45 p.m. The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for September 15, 2009 at 5:30
p.m. at the City Hall Cowles Council Chambers.
MELISSA
JACOBSEN, CMC, DEPUTY CITY CLERK
Approved: