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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/29/2008"ak Southold Transportation Commission Southold Town Hall September 29, 2008 Present: Neboysha Brashich, Jim Baker, Margaret Brown, Frank Field, Tom Fox, Ruth Oliva, Teresa Taylor, Capt. Many Fiatley, Jamie Richter, Tom Wickham, Kristy Winser, Planning Dept. Approval of Au~m~st 25 Meeting Minutes: The Minutes of the August 25 meeting received unanimous approval on a motion by Teresa Taylor, seconded by Ruth Oliva. F,~LU-I~: The EETC meeting on Sept. 10 focused on the Volpe study of the coordinated bus/rail proposal. Concom was expressed that reporting has not been timely. Phase I describing current conditions has been completed. Phase H is now starting. Volpe will present two or three possible remedies to the public transportation needs of the five ~:a~t End towns. Southampton has hired Glyhis Beny to be the coordinator of the project. Supervisor Req_uests: Mayor Nyce Request for "STOP" Letters at Sixth & Clark SWeets: This is a Greenport Village roadway so it is a Village matter, according to Capt. Flatley. Mattituck Church (Factory Avenue) Speed Reduction Request to 20mph: Capt. Fiately thinks 20mph is unrealistic. He would rather enforco the 35mph limit now in place. He will look into regulations for lower speed limits. The speed trailer is set up there now. East Marion (Gillette Drive) Speed Reduction Request to 20mph: The same philosophy applied to the previous request is applicable here. Mattituck (Old Sound Avenue) Request to Eliminate Truck Traffic: The request is to eliminate truck traffic and also make it one-way. This is already designated a "Tmck Route" and there are several businesses that depend on track traffic. The consensus of the Commission is to leave this stretch of road as it is. Mattituek/Cutchogue UFSD Request for Blinking Light at HS: Mattituck/Cutchogue High School Business Manager has asked Assemblyman Marc Alessi for funding for blinking caution lights to be placed at the approaches to the High School on Rte. 25. Mr. Alessi asked that the request be brought to the Commission before he presents it to the Ways and Means Committee. Tom W. is not sure the Town Board would support the cost involved but Jamie thinks there may be no cost to the Town. The Commission supports the light(s) if the state covers the cost. Greenport Request for 4-Way Stop Signs at 7* & Wiggins and the corner of 8a & Wiggins: It is the consensus of the Commission that 4-way stop signs are not needed in these locations. Long Island Trans_noaation Mana_oeraent - C,~mmnter Program~: The spokesperson for this program was not able to attend today's meeting. Current Transportation lssucs- U_txiates: North Fork Beach Condominium Signage Request: We will wait to see if money exists for the safety striping that we requested. Hamlet Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP): The final list will come out in December. Southold/Greenport Bus Shelters: Nothing has changed. Town Orientation]Interpretive Signage Project- RBA Update: Thc RBA went before the Town Board, gave an overview and answered questions. The board requested that RBA prepare the next steps with timeline and costs spelled out. Neb said that of the $140,000 for Phase II of the grant, the Town will be responsible for $15,000 in cash, and $15,000 in "in kind" contributions, with $125,000 coming from the federal grant. (Therefore, thc Town has a 20% buy-in.) This money is intended to fund the interpretive signs and kiosks described in thc proposal. RBA has received comments from stakeholders and the Town Historian. Steve Norman will then come to the Town Board with actual examples of the proposed signs. Harbes Winery: The project seems to be on hold. Cntehogue Heritage Project: An updated Tnfffic Study for the Heritage at Cutchogue is now available for viewing. It was updated in November 2007 from the original 2006 study prepared by Nelson/Pope. The Town Board and Harming Board are not happy with this study and may ask for a whole new study. Among several unsatisfactory items arc that it does not include the problems with the traffic light at New Suffolk Road and Rte. 25 in Cutchogue. It suggests a traffic light at Depot Lane and Rte. 48 which has never been desired by the Town. The Town Board is considering legislation to establish design standards for this and other similar projects, providing for more open space, more buffering, and a sliding scale on home size that fits the character of the area. Founder's Village in Southold is more in keeping with what the Town wants. If the area to be developed is more than forty acres, there needs to be a dedicated system of streets to access main roads rather than assuming access through adjacent neighborhoods. The Planning Board can have a big influence in shaping this project and the SEQRA process will play a major role in the final outcome. Five Towns Rural Transit: There was nothing new to report beyond what was covered during the EETC discussion. ~: RBA has been selected by the County as the subcontractor for the roundabout on Rte. 48 and Cox Neck Road in Mattituck. As per the request of the Cutchogue Diner for three parking spaces to be restored across the street, Neb sent a letter to DOT and received an answer in six days. DOT will review the situation as soon as possible and asked the owner for patience. NYSDOT has removed the "No Parking" signs across Rte. 25 from Krupskis farm stand and moved them 150 feet to the west. As per the Farm Stand Code, since the suggestions for parking at farm stands offered by this Commission were rejected by the Town Board, it was decided that we should now write a note to the Town Board explaining oUr concerns for traffic and parking and emphasize that it is a matter of urgent public safety. This could possibly be an addendum to the new code. Jim Baker met with the New Suffolk Civic Association and they are concerned about the number of signs (82) that must be posted regarding boat trailer parking. Parking tickets cannot be given if signs are not present. New Business: The Commission received a letter from Cutchogue Fire Chief Michael Boken, requesting that we ask the County to revisit thc traffic light situation at Cox Lane and Rte. 48. He would like the County to reconsider the installation of a turn signal, primarily for the westbound left turn lane, to decrease the number of accidents. Neb will wait until he hears from Bill Hillman, County engineer. Jamie suggested that a roundabout would be the best solution here. Myron Goldstein of Eastern Long Island Kampgrounds and a Greenport volunteer fireman sent a letter to Tom Wickham with a similar request. In a separate conversation, Mr. Goldstein asked that signs indicating the approach to the campground be placed ~4 to ½ mile on either side of the campground entrance, to allow large camping vehicles enough time to make the turn into the campground. Jamie will talk to the sign person in the County and Neb will write a response to Mr. Goldstein. We received thc draft of a memo to the Town Board by Tom Fox regarding the Commission's relationship to the Town Board vis a vis decision making and input on transportation/traffic related issues. A more orderly and systematic approach would improve efficiency and communication among resources. The Commission members will review the draft and return with comments. The next meeting is scheduled for 10 AM, Monday, October 27, 2008. Respectfully submitted, Margaret FL Brown