MINUTES OF THE CITY OF CAPE CORAL

BURNT STORE ROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY COMMITTEE MEETING

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011

CONFERENCE ROOM 220A                                                                               10:00 A.M.

Chair McGrail called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.

Roll Call:                   Bliss, McGrail, O’Donnell, and Scariot were present.

                                    Alternate:  Wolfe was present.  King and Triscari were absent. 

Also Present:           Sarah Clarke, Project Manager, Lee County Department of Transportation

Persides Zambrano, Planning Manager

Steve Neff, Public Works Director

Tammy Hall, Lee County Commissioner District #4

Sgt. Dina Cox, Police Department

Stella Peters, President, Northwest Neighborhood Association

Hal Arkin

BUSINESS

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the meeting on January 20, 2011, were presented for approval.

Committee Member O’Donnell moved, seconded by Committee Member Bliss, to approve the minutes as presented.      Voice poll:  All “ayes.”  Motion carried.

Public Input

No speakers. 

Design Plans Update

Lee County DOT Project Manager Clarke provided an update and displayed power point slides on the design from State Road 78 to Tropicana. 

Design Update

• Reduce lane widths to 11 feet
• Provide hybrid signal for pedestrian crossing at Ceitus Parkway
• Add crosswalks with Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Devices (RRFD) at crossings at canals
• Additional hybrid signals or RRFDs can be added if needed
• Add southbound right turn lanes at Embers, Diplomat, and Tropicana

Right-of-Way Acquisition

• Concentrating on parcels in Phase I – SR 78 to Tropicana

· 65 acquired

· 37 County owned

· 2 under contract

· 21 on hold

· 6 condemnation proceedings

Hybrid Signal

• Signs warn motorists of the pedestrian crossing
• Signal dark until activated
• Signal activated by a pedestrian button; begins flashing yellow, then steady yellow followed by steady red as pedestrian crosses
• Used in City of Tucson and Detroit
• FHWA has approved hybrid signals for nationwide use

Rectangular Rapidly Flashing Device

• Recent ITE Journal study identified RRFDs as highly effective pedestrian crash counter measure
• USDOT/FHWA study showed device produced sustained yielding behavior over time
• Increased yielding percentages and distance
• Very effective at night

Discussion held regarding the lane width and if it was consistent with Charlotte County.

Discussion held concerning an enforcement problem on Burnt Store Road.

County Commissioner Hall asked for specifics so that she could inform Sheriff Scott.

Chair McGrail stated there was trespassing on the Zemel property and that the LCSO (Lee County Sheriff’s Office) was working with the CCPD (Cape Coral Police Department), noting he was comfortable with the way they worked together. 

County Commissioner Hall mentioned she met with the Charlotte County Manager about the coordination of this project.

Chair McGrail encouraged a joint meeting with Charlotte County.  He mentioned the legislators in Tallahassee should be notified of moving this project forward. 

Committee Member Bliss stated there should be some reasonable similarity when connecting the two counties. 

County Commissioner Hall stated the Board of County Commissioners would work on their end to get the City and Counties to get together.

Committee Member O’Donnell stated the principal, Jacqueline Collins, of Christa McAuliffe Charter School, provided her opinion about the proposed crosswalks on Burnt Store Road. He read into the record the following comments from her: 

• It is the Cape Coral Charter School policy that no bus stops will be scheduled on Burnt Store Road as it is too busy a thoroughfare therefore dangerous to pick up a child and stop traffic on that road.
• We only allow students to walk to school that live within the perimeter of the school campus.  We arrange for bus transportation if they live on the other side of Burnt Store Road to prevent children from attempting to cross.
• The important fact is, if crosswalks were established on this road, CHILDREN WOULD WANT TO CROSS to get to Jim Jeffers Park, and they could not prevent them from doing so after the school day was over (especially if their parents were at work and not home to prevent it.) 
• Crosswalks need to be “overpasses” placed in specific relationship to the locations of parks and shopping (where pedestrians are apt to cross the most.)  Anything else was unacceptable in her opinion.  The most critical area was from the boat ramp access area south to Pine Island Road. 

Committee Member O’Donnell stated it would be five to ten years before getting to the superstreet concept.  He noted when the economy picked up there would be commercial nodes on both sides of Burnt Store Road, which would increase pedestrian traffic, as well as bicycles and motorized traffic.  He noted no traffic lights were in the plan but instead five sets of signalized locations, which meant five stops along Burnt Store Road.

Ms. Clarke stated there were no intersections that warranted traffic signals.  She noted the only place likely to be pedestrian traffic would be at Ceitus.  She stated as commercial activity occurred in the future, they would consider lights. 

Committee Member O’Donnell noted how many accidents had occurred at the intersection of Burnt Store Road and Pine Island Road since 1997.  He asked what type of traffic control was planned for that intersection when Pine Island Road was widened from Chiquita to Burnt Store Road.   He asked if jug handle turns could be considered.

Ms. Clarke stated there was no plan for jug handles since it would require quite a bit of right of way.

Committee Member Scariot explained how the signal at Burnt Store Road and Pine Island Road remained solid green after the green arrow was off.

Discussion held regarding the accidents at the intersection of Burnt Store Road and Pine Island Road. 

Commissioner Hall stated she would talk with DOT about more signage there.

Discussion held regarding right turns on red. 

Hal Arkin, resident, asked what the latest projection was for Pine Island Road being widened from Chiquita to Burnt Store Road.

PW Planning Manager Zambrano stated right-of-way acquisition was in progress, and there was a construction date of 2014.

Discussion held regarding how impractical it was to have pedestrians punching a light to cross multiple times at Ceitus and if there was a way to put in a delay. 

Ms. Clarke stated they would have to find a balance with people crossing the street to avoid traffic back up.   She noted they might have to consider looking at a standard traffic light signal.

Time and Place of Next Meeting

Chair McGrail announced the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, January 19, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 220A.  He noted a quarterly schedule would remain similar to last year with meetings in 2012 on April 19, July 19, and October 18.   He mentioned meetings were subject to change depending on information available. 

Discussion held regarding the next projected public forum for drawings and layouts possibly next fall.

Committee Member Scariot asked if there was any input on noise abatement for the east side of Burnt Store Road.

Ms. Clarke stated it was County policy not to do noise abatement, noting there could be some buffering on new road way alignments. 

Committee Member Bliss asked if the next milestone design was completed and when there could be a presentation on it.

Ms. Clarke stated 90 percent plans would be sent out for comment.  She noted they had been on hold waiting for comments, noting they would revise the plans as per the State Road 78 widening plans.  She added they might have them by April. 

Discussion held regarding having a public meeting in fall of 2012 or early winter 2013. 

Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:49 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

                                                                        Barbara Kerr

                                                                        Recording Secretary