HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/23/2004Southold Transportation Commission
Southold Town Hall
February 23, 2004
PresenC Neb Brashich, Margaret Brown, Lt. Marty Ftatley, Tom Fox, Jamie Richter, Michelle Zaloom, Supt. of
Hwys Pete Hams, Victor L'eplattenier, Town Board Liason Tom Wickham
Neb and Tom Wickham met with Supervisor Josh Horton on January 23 to discuss how he and the Town Boazd
would like to proceed with the Transportation Commission. Neb brought the original mission (the Scenic Byways
Management Plan) for Josh to see. Now that that has been accomplished, Routes 25 and 48 are "scenic".
Supervisor Horton agreed that it is important to maintain a good quality of life in Southold Town and to deal with
traffic on the Main and Town roads. Issues that were discussed included:
*Traffic lights on Rte. 25
*The traffic congestion which occurs on the west end of Rte 48 where the road narrows to two lanes.
(Tom suggested that we should ask the County for a traffic study of the area and we will also get an
accident report of the intersection with Cox Neck Road for the last 18 months)
*Safety in parking on Rte. 25 at Orient ferry
*Undergrounding of power lines on the Causeway. It will cost $150,000 for the feasibility study and the
Town's part would be $30,000. Neb asked Josh if he would reconsider the proposal and stressed the
importance of not taming down an approved grant. Tom said it would help to have a written
definition of each item for Josh to study. It is important to move quickly as the State is expecting an
answer. At the meeting with Josh, Tom told Josh that he did not think the Town Board would agree to
spend $400,000 on Phase II and Josh agreed. Phase II will only work if other funding can be found
during Phase I to pay for the project. Neb said there may be funding from the EPA and LIPA should
be asked [o help for security reasons and for the precedent set on the South Fork. We will try to have
an undergrounding proposal ready by the next Town Board meeting.
* Local bus service is of great importance to Supervisor Horton. He feels that the minority and poor
members of our community are not adequately served. He asked if the Commission can get more
busses on the road. Smaller more efficient busses have already been suggested to the County (which
presently runs the local bus service) to no avail. Michelle mentioned someone in Vermont who has
had success with anot-for-profit bus service. Tom W. suggested we write up a history of what has
been done so far and what was available in the past along with the successes or failures.
SEEDS: Neb brought a paper entitled "Preliminary SEEDS Performance Measures -December 2003. It shows
the Steering Committee and Stakeholders Outcomes. This can be discussed at the next meeting. In March the
results of the computer input will be presented to the Mayors and Supervisors, the Villages and Towns, and to the
public at large. Two meetings are coming up: On February 25 the NYMTC RegTOnal Transportation Plan
Meeting will be held in Hauppauge; and on March 12 at Southampton College "Ending the Gridlock: East End
Transportation Futures", given by the Institute for Sustainable Development. Neb plans to attend this meeting.
Walking Trails: Neb met with Troy Gustafson, Jack Larsen, Victor, Melissa Spiro, and Valerie to discuss English
Walking trails. They discussed how it could be done here and focused on reviving walking trails through Moore's
Woods in Grcenport. Supervisor Horton stopped in. It was suggested that it would be wise to start with a small
project, perhaps in Orient, and then branch out and link areas. Tom W mentioned that the Town has preserved
lots of open space but the key may be in gaining permission to cross private property. They should begin by
exploring this aspect. Neb will see how it is done in England. Troy and Jack wanted to do this on their own and
just wanted to let the Town know their ideas. Neb will invite Jack to attend a Commission meeting.
Resurfacin¢ of Route 25: Neb reported that at the last Promotion Council meeting there was growing concern
about the resurfacing project and what it will mean to local businesses. At the end of March or early April, the
DOT will select the contractors. They don't know where they are starting - Greenport or Cutchogue. The
contractor will decide. There needs to be a public information system in place -maybe on the Town website - to
let the public know what is happening: alternate routes, road closures, night time work, weekend work, etc. Jamie
reported there will be a meeting March 2, lOAM, at Town Hall with the DOT to give details of the project.
People may offer ideas on mitigating the impact during the work period at this meeting. Pete said work may not
start until late summer and would try to avoid hamlets during the peak seasons.
Water Taxi: It is necessary to find out the full scale of the Trolley Service -its routes, etc. before moving ahead
with the water taxi. Tom Fox will go to an EETC meeting to give information about a water taxi service.
New Business: Victor reported that Tree Committee co-chair Mike Domino gave him notes proposing an
azboretum and tree nursery near Custer Institute. They will approach Town Board with goals for atown-wide
effort to increase appreciation of trees, and propose a Tree Code aimed at preserving as many trees as possible.
Old Business: Distribution of the Commission Minutes to the Town Board was approved by the Commission.
The next meeting will be March 22, 2004, at 10 AM, Southold Town Hall.
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