01-10-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 10, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. (6. OLD CRYSTAL BAYROAD RECONSTRUCTIONPLAN UPDATE, Continued) Loftus stated the students also cross the street to access different activities on the fields and to catch the bus at the middle school. Kellogg stated school faculty also crosses the street at different points. Franchot stated the current layout of the road makes it more hazardous to cross and that parents currently are dissuading their children from walking or riding bike due to safety concerns. Printup stated spending money to make Old Crystal Bay Road more attractive is not appropriate and that safety of the road is the most appropriate. Printup asked what input the police department has provided on the layout and the ability for them to respond promptly given the roundabouts. Kellogg indicated the input of Police Chief Farniok has been received throughout this process on the design and layout of the road. Kellogg pointed out three different median options were laid out previously that the Council felt were too expensive, so another option would be to bid it as an alternate. i� McMillan stated she does have a concern that the median will get so wide that it becomes another lane and that she would like to keep the road within the current parameters. Kellogg stated the design width of the new road is 11 feet whereas the current width is 12 feet. The • narrower road will help reduce speeds and improve safety. McMillan commented a wide median without landscaping would be a waste of space. Kellogg stated the question raised in the past has been whether the City has the money to landscape now or to design the project so the landscaping can be incorporated in the future. McMillan stated another issue to look at would be whether irrigation would be necessary, which is something the City has not historically done. McMillan commented she does not want to have a median with nothing in it. Kellogg stated the width of the median will need to be determined in order for them to finalize the plans and specifications. Bremer asked what size median is being considered. Kellogg stated a two to three foot median of solid concrete was discussed as well as a four to five foot median. Franchot noted the landscaping in the median will also serve as a barrier to pedestrians. Franchot pointed out there are no private residences along Old Crystal Bay Road and that it really is a public thoroughfare. He commented he does not see this project being turned into requests from private residences for beautification. • Page 4 of 12