Something for those of us on campus & those that use campus infrastructure (all of us): WVU UPD goes mobile for semi-annual safety audit, turning to LiveSafe users
Pedestrian Advocates.
Following and attached are the draft December Minutes and the approved November Minutes. Dr. Devono's presentation was informative today, and for that we are grateful. His comments elucidated the need for us to work more closely with the Mon County Board of Education.
Let me know if you have questions.
Be well.
Bill
Draft December Meeting Minutes
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Public Safety Building – Training Room 1
Monday, December 7, 4:30 – 5:30 PM
The Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board’s mission is to promote a walkable environment throughout the City by developingsafe, attractive, and accessible walkways that connect neighborhoods and destinations.
4:30 pm Call meeting to order
I. Introductions:
a. Members: Matt Cross, George Lilley, Jimmy Simmons, Kim Hartsell, Bill Reger-Nash, Lt Matt McCabe,
b. Guests: William Blosser, Barbara Watkins, Council person Jenny Selin, Bill Austin
II. Approval of November 2, 2015 Minutes. Motion by George Lilley to accept minutes as presented. Second by Jimmie Simmons. Passed by unanimous voice vote
III. -Guest speaker Dr. Frank Devono, Superintendent, provided informative perspective on the Mon County Schools and walkability
a. The student population in Mon County is growing, Elementary school in Suncrest being expanded.
b. A CDC Study (MMWR 2005) indicated that threats of violence is not the biggest deterrent to students walking to school. Rather it is distance (61.5%), traffic related danger (30.4%), weather (18.6%), crime (11.7%), and school policy (6.0%).
c. Former Mayor Selin indicated that each and every school has housing nearby that will have young people interested in and able to walk to school.
d. The Mon County Schools currently invests $240k annually to traffic control (crossing guards).
e. Consolidated schools make commuting more difficult. However, the Board of Ed is willing to install sidewalks on their properties.
f. An interest exists in having Suncrest Primary School connect to trail, although there is a concerned about the steepness of hill going down to the trail. The School Board would want to meet ADA requirements. It is possible that if Collins Ferry Road were to be made more walkable, which might quality as an alternative route for people with disabilities. Bill Reger-Nash reported that MRTC and the Bicycle Board may have procured a grant to upgrade Collins Ferry down to the trail.
g. Chairman Cross indicated Timberline Apartments interested in accessing the trail. Dr. Devono was not aware of any overture being made to the School Board about working cooperatively to develop a trail with switchbacks behind Timberline and the Suncrest School.
h. Dr. Devono reported the Mon County Schools Clerk of Works met with Ella Belling and trails committee to discuss this linkage.
i. The Federal Department of Energy seems to own land that Collins Ferry crosses.
j. Eastwood School has $50k for infrastructure, some of which can be devoted to sidewalks. It was suggested to use the MPO engineer to assist the schools with doing an audit of the area for walking/biking.
k. Bill Austin reports that DOH is installing a sidewalk from Hartman Run Road to the Eastwood School.
l. Bill Reger-Nash suggested that a need exists for a Mon County Schools Safe Routes to Schools Committee to work on these issues. Dr. Devono indicated there is a Mon County Schools Safety Committee (one countywide and one in each school) that might serve that function.
m. Concern was expressed about parents and students willingness to walk to school. It was suggested that a social marketing campaign is an avenue to change knowledge, values, attitudes, behaviors, policies and environments.
n. Baltimore Street sidewalk needs to be addressed per Matt Cross.
There was time for no other reports.
IV. Old Business –
o Sidewalk obstructions, such as vehicles illegally parked on the sidewalk. Call Police Chief Ed Preston’s office at(304)284-7496.
V. New Business -upcoming seasonal snow removal awareness
Action Items: 1. Chair Matt Cross to contact Mon County Schools about the Safety Committee to work with a Pedestrian Safety Board subcommittee on Safe Routes to Schools issues. There is a County-wide committee and each school has such a committee. 2. Damien Davis and Chelsi Baker to send out notification to property owners about their responsibility to remove snow in winter. |
Next meeting: January 4, 2016, Training Room 1, Public Safety Building, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Minutes submitted by Bill Reger-Nash on December 7, 2015
Approved November Meeting Minutes
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Public Safety Building – Training Room 1
Monday, November 2, 2015
The Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board’s mission is to promote a walkable environment throughout the City by developingsafe, attractive, and accessible walkways that connect neighborhoods and destinations.
4:30 pm Call meeting to order
VI. Introductions:
a. Members: Chair Matt Cross, Dwight Harshbarger, Jimmie Simmons, Bill Reger-Nash, 6th Ward City Council Jay Redmond, George Lilley, Stan Cohen, Maria Smith, Lt Matt McCabe, Ella Belling
VII. Approval of October 5, 2015 Minutes. Motion by Stan Cohen, Second by. George Lilley Passed by unanimous voice vote.
VIII. -Guest speaker MainStreet Morgantown Assistant Director Barbara Watkins discussed the proposed walking map for downtown Morgantown.
a. Growing Healthy Communities Grant from Benedum and DHHR to develop safe walking routes. The goal of the grants is to promote shops, restaurants, and other businesses in the downtown. Timeline to complete material and report is May 30, 2016.
b. Focus on identifying and publicizing safe sidewalk routes within the city
d. There is a favorable increase in student housing density in the city which can ultimately alleviate traffic congestion as there is less need for private automobiles.
e. Reger-Nash pointed out that an extra 15 minutes of walking per day represents 5 lbs of fat burned in a year.
f. Matt Cross suggested that not infrequently there are sidewalk obstructions, such as vehicles illegally parked on the sidewalk. When these are observed, call Police Chief Ed Preston’s office at (304)284-7496.
g. Barbara Walkins reports walking 1.5 miles to work.
h. Jimmie Simmons recommends weekly community walks in the different wards/neighborhoods. There is a need for a champion to lead this effort. Pls attempt to identify anyone who might want to take on this initiative.
i. Ella Belling commented that this mapping project is a huge undertaking. Recommends a digital format as well, which Barbara indicated is contingent on funding of stage 2.
j. Matt Cross recommends identifying bus stop locations on the walking maps.
k. Jay Redmond indicated that there is city council support for sidewalks. The new User Few may be a possible funding mechanism. Suggested a clear sidewalk plan, with defined routes from each neighborhood to the downtown, would be well received by City Council.
l. Stan Cohen reported that Café Baccus offers a free snack to walkers in conjunction with the purchase of a meal. Since students are interested in service, it would be wonderful to mobilize them in this project.
m. Jimmie suggests surveying those in receipt of restaurant discounts to determine how they arrived from their home to the restaurant location.
n. Ella Belling suggested showing preliminary routes to the Ped Safety Board, which Barbara Watkins indicated is the full intent of MainStreet Morgantown.
IX. Report
-Chair Matt Cross
· Commended Dr. Misra and Saba Ashfaq of the WVU School of Public Health for the Heads Up Campaign, which kicked off last Wednesday.
-Mountain Line Maria Smith.
· Bike Rodeo will be end of March early April indoors.
· Asset Management Plan study is underway.
· Mobility Coordinator offering travel training/inservices to community groups.
-WVU Kim Hartsell. Not present.
-Rail Trail Ella Belling.
· DOH Sabraton Road Improvements: Nov 9 is deadline for submitting Green Bag Rd (CR 857)/Route 7 improvements.
o There are currently four proposals, with two proposals that include Round-Abouts on Green Bag Road (CR 857). The others are on Sabraton Ave. and farther away from the Decker’s Creek Rail Trail crossing on Green Bag.
o Round Abouts are designed to keep vehicles moving and therefore the Green Bag Road Round Abouts will impinge on the Deckers Creek Rail Trail crossing. This will make it difficult for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross the Green Bag Road.
o Consider policies for Complete Streets.
· Ella met with DOH about pedestrian and bike crossing near CVS / Golden Corral that could be done without crossing Beechurst.
· Greenspace meeting has expressed interest in the development of a crossing from White Park across Don Knotts Blvd, which is the gateway into Morgantown.
o Stan Cohen reported that Dave Harshbarger recommended a short bike/walking trail down to the traffic light.
-Greenspace Rick Landenberger. Not present.
-City Council Jay Redmond.
· Indicated that there is support among City Council for sidewalks.
· He is not sure about funds from the recently passed User Fee being used for sidewalks.
· Wants clear sidewalk improvement plan for Council to consider.
o Focus on economic development of the downtown.
-MPO Bill Austin.
· Transportation Improvement Program will be helped by pedestrian advocacy at the meetings.
· Wed 4-7 pm meeting at the Mountain Line Office to discuss Westover road and sidewalk improvements which complements the Morgantown Ped Safety Board Plan.
-City Engineer Damien Davis. Not present.
-Police Officer Lt. Matt McCabe.
-Dwight Harshbarger expressed interest in the legality and feasibility of streets without sidewalks, such as Buchannon, to having a type of bike lane painted along one side of the street for pedestrians.
· This street is the only route to the downtown from the South Hills neighborhood. Marking of share the roads.
· South Hills has no sidewalks to downtown.
X. Old Business
- Education campaign, sidewalk funding. Not addressed at the meeting.
o Sidewalk obstructions, such as vehicles illegally parked on the sidewalk. Call Police Chief Ed Preston’s office at(304)284-7496.
XI. New Business
-Upcoming seasonal snow removal awareness, prepare discussion for school sidewalks
with Dr. Devono in December.
Action Items: 1. All: Identify a champion to lead weekly neighborhood 30-minute walks in Morgantown. 2. All: Examine the Connecting Network of Sidewalks (CNS) on pages 26-28 of the attached Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Plan. 3. All: Attend the December 7 Pedestrian Safety Board meeting. Dr. Devono will be present. Among other issues, he will discuss walking issues as they relate to the new Suncrest School along Collins Ferry Road. 4. All: Submitting comments and suggestions to the State DOH regarding Greenbag Rd/Route 7 improvements. These are due prior to Monday, November 9. 5. Matt Cross: To call Brent Walker of DOH about Ped Safety Board input into the DOH study of Morgantown crossing signals. 6. All: Identify ADA issues as they relate to sidewalks in Morgantown and the surrounding communities. In the absence of explicit code, ADA concerns that are being ignored. |
Next meeting: Monday, December 7, 2015, Training Room 1, Public Safety Building, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Draft Minutes submitted by Bill Reger-Nash on November 2, 2015
Professor Emeritus, West Virginia University School of Public Health
Associate Chair, Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Walk 30 to 60 minutes daily.
Feel the Power of Half an Hour.
Room 3812 E, Health Sciences South
Morgantown, WV 26506-9190
Phones: Office - 304-293-0763; Cell - 304-685-6740
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Reger-Nash, Bill
Sent: Monday, December 7, 2015 1:34 PM
To: Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board; Regina Mayolo; Jan Derry; Summers, Martha; Cohen, Stanley; Hartsell, Kimberly; Mike Fike; Sarah Bias; Abildso, Christiaan; Debbie Cain; Dwight Harshbarger; Maria Smith; Stout, Margaret; George Lilley; Jimmie Simmons; Jonathan Rosenbaum; Bill Austin; Matt Cross; Emily Vasile; Frank McGhee; Rye, James; Ella Belling; Frank Gmeindl; Claire Chantler; Don Spencer; Damien Davis; Nutter, Roy; Bill Kawecki; Coole, Charles; Nicole Gauthier-Schatz; jingzhangaicp@gmail.com;mmccabe@cityofmorgantown.org; Jennifer; citycouncilward6@cityofmorgantown.org; Ryan Simonton; Jones, Emily; Pam Queen (pqueen@diminionpost.com); Denzine, Gypsy; Barbara Watkins (barb@downtownmorgantown.com); Saba Ashfaq;bconley@dominionpost.com; Amy Pratt; Matt Cross
Cc: Misra, Ranjita; Andrew Denny; Samantha Shawley; Kathryn Long (klong6@mix.wvu.edu); Hand, Gregory; Pape, Olivia; Pierskalla, Chad; Reger-Nash, Bill
Subject: REMINDER: Pedestrian Safety Board MEETING TODAY AT 4:30 PM Pedestrian Advocates,
Look forward to having you with us today as we continue to work toward safer and more efficient pedestrian movement in our community. FURTHER, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Frank Devono will be present to address pedestrian issues related to the new Suncrest School.
Public Safety Building, Training Room 1, 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
You are encouraged to read the article about Free Range Kids, which is attached.
Please attend if at all possible.
Be well.
Bill
Professor Emeritus, West Virginia University School of Public Health
Associate Chair, Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Walk 30 to 60 minutes daily.
Feel the Power of Half an Hour.
Room 3812 E, Health Sciences South
Morgantown, WV 26506-9190
Phones: Office - 304-293-0763; Cell - 304-685-6740
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
From: Reger-Nash, Bill
Sent: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 10:14 PM
To: Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board; Regina Mayolo; Jan Derry; Summers, Martha; Cohen, Stanley; Hartsell, Kimberly; Mike Fike; Sarah Bias; Abildso, Christiaan; Debbie Cain; Dwight Harshbarger; Maria Smith; Stout, Margaret; George Lilley; Chertok, Ilana; Jimmie Simmons; Jonathan Rosenbaum; Bill Austin; Matt Cross; Emily Vasile; Frank McGhee; Rye, James; Ella Belling; Frank Gmeindl; Claire Chantler; Don Spencer; Damien Davis; Nutter, Roy; Bill Kawecki; Coole, Charles; Nicole Gauthier-Schatz;jingzhangaicp@gmail.com; mmccabe@cityofmorgantown.org; Jennifer; citycouncilward6@cityofmorgantown.org; Ryan Simonton; Jones, Emily; Pam Queen (pqueen@diminionpost.com); Denzine, Gypsy; Barbara Watkins (barb@downtownmorgantown.com); Saba Ashfaq; bconley@dominionpost.com; Amy Pratt
Cc: Misra, Ranjita; Andrew Denny; Samantha Shawley; Kathryn Long (klong6@mix.wvu.edu); Hand, Gregory; Pape, Olivia; Pierskalla, Chad; Reger-Nash, Bill
Subject: Pedestrian Safety Board December Meeting Agenda, Article on Free Range Kids Greetings Pedestrian Safety Board Members and Friends:
Following is the December meeting agenda for Monday, December 7.
This is a busy time of year, but your attendance will be appreciated. Remember that the opponents of pedestrian safety do not sleep! Attached is:
*superior format for the agenda that also includes the minutes from the November meeting
*an article by Mark Fenton about "Building a World for Free Range Kids." This is important preparation for our meeting with the Superintendent of Mon County Schools, Dr. Devono (someone should confirm our meeting with him as he is a busy man).
December Meeting Agenda
Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Public Safety Building – Training Room 1
Monday, December 7, 4:30 – 5:30 PM
The Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board’s mission is to promote a walkable environment throughout the City by developingsafe, attractive, and accessible walkways that connect neighborhoods and destinations.
4:30 pm Call meeting to order
I. Introductions:
a. Members:
b. Guests:
II. Approval of November 2, 2015 Minutes.
III. -Guest speaker Dr. Frank Devono, Superintendent of Mon County Schools can give us ideas on promoting walking to school (See attached article by Mark Fenton about “Building a World for Free Range Kids”
Reports
-Mountain Line Maria Smith
-WVU Kim Hartsell
-Rail Trail Ella Belling
-Greenspace Rick Landenberger
-City Council
-MPO Bill Austin
-City Engineer Damien Davis
-Traffic Commission Matt Cross
IV. Old Business –
Education campaign
Sidewalk funding
o Sidewalk obstructions, such as vehicles illegally parked on the sidewalk. Call Police Chief Ed Preston’s office at(304)284-7496.
V. New Business -upcoming seasonal snow removal awareness
Next meeting: December 7, 2015, Training Room 1, Public Safety Building, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
Professor Emeritus, West Virginia University School of Public Health
Associate Chair, Morgantown Pedestrian Safety Board
Walk 30 to 60 minutes daily.
Feel the Power of Half an Hour.
Room 3812 E, Health Sciences South
Morgantown, WV 26506-9190
Phones: Office - 304-293-0763; Cell - 304-685-6740
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.