Minutes from the Jan. 8th West Windsor Bicycle/Pedestrian Meeting

 

Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Peter Bilton, Ken Carlson, Meg Chicco, Bruce Ellsworth, Dan Gerstenhaber, Markus Loecher, Daryl MacMillan, Alison Miller, Ham Pakradooni, Don Smart

 

Web site:  http://www.princetonol.com/groups/bikeped/

 

Sidewalks

·        Eckerd Development- The developer for the proposed Eckerd drugstore on Cranbury Rd and Rt. 571 will make a presentation in front of the Zoning Board for an increase in the Floor-Area-Ratio on January 8th.  Sandy and Meg and local residents will be there to make public comments.  Interested members of the Task Force planned to attend the meeting following the end of the Task Force meeting.

·        Safe Routes- Meg pointed out that Plainsboro was just awarded $35,000 for a sidewalk near Towne Center Elementary School.  It was pointed out that we should be aware of all the due dates for Safe Routes funding.

 

Bikelanes

·        Bike Tour- Dan updated the Task Force on a meeting he and Ken Naglak had on January 8th with the Mayor.  Also present at the meeting was Bob Harry, WW Manager of Human Services.  Dan said the Mayor is very much in favor of the Bike Tour and will support efforts in building awareness of the tour, seeking sponsors, and in providing operational support.  For more details about the meeting, please see Dan’s minutes of the meeting (located on the Bike/Ped Task Force web site in the “Meeting Minutes” Folder).  It was suggested that an effort be made to hold the Bike Tour meetings at a time when township officials will be able to attend to ensure optimal collaboration on the event.  The Bike Tour date is set for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 29th.  The rain date is Sunday May 30th.  Additional volunteers are needed to help plan the event.  Please contact Dan if you are interested. 

 

Local Planning Assistance

·        Ken C informed the group that the date for the Orth-Rodgers Public Meeting has been changed to Thursday, Feb. 19th (6:30 PM).  This works out well as this will give the Task Force time to review the Existing Conditions Memo and to discuss the memo and the Planning Assistance project at the next Task Force meeting on Feb. 12th.

·        Electronic copies of the Orth-Rodgers Existing Conditions memo are not yet available. Ken C instead distributed hard copies to members who were present at the meeting.  Four complete copies (containing color figures), sent by Fed-X from Orth-Rodgers, were distributed to various Task Force members (a fifth copy was reserved for Ken Naglak).  Ken distributed copies of the memo he had made (minus the color figures) to the remaining members.  Ken will contact Orth-Rodgers and ask them to send additional sets of maps for those members who were given incomplete copies.  These will then be distributed.  If you were not present at the meeting but would like a copy, please contact Ken. 

 

Recreational Trails

·        TEA-21 Grant application for D&R Canal Trail- Ken C read an e-mail he received from WW Landscape Engineer Dan Dobromilsky.  In this e-mail, Dan informed us that NJDEP Natural and Historic Resources Division has contacted the township with a recommendation that the township apply for a grant in the amount of $500,000 to construct a trail along the D&R Canal on the West Windsor side of the canal.  The Mayor would like to know if we are interested in working on this project.  The application is due in mid to late February.  Bruce Ellsworth and Markus Loecher indicated that they are interested in spearheading this effort.  This grant application will require a lot of effort and work on the application needs to start as soon as possible.  One of the first things to do is get on the town council agenda for their endorsement of a supporting resolution.

 

Action Items

  • Contact Orth-Rodgers to obtain sets of color figures from the Existing Conditions Memo- Ken
  • Provide feedback on Existing Conditions Memorandum- All
  • Initiate work on TEA-21 grant for D&R Canal path- Bruce, Markus, and Ken C

·        Get the TEA-21 grant application on the town council agenda in order to obtain a supporting resolution- Ken C

  • Find out due dates for Safe Routes funding- Meg

 

Upcoming Meetings

  • Tuesday, Jan. 13th-Bike Tour Subcommittee- 7:30 PM Municipal Center
  • Feb. 19th, 6:30 pm- Orth-Rodgers Public Meeting

 

Next Bike/Ped Meeting:

·        Feb. 12th, 7:30 PM

·                    Tentative Agenda items: Orth-Rodgers review, Sidewalk prioritization, Bike Tour planning