Minutes from the November 11th, 2004 West Windsor Bicycle/Pedestrian Task Force Meeting

 

Meeting Attendees: Roger Alig, Ken Carlson, Meg Chicco, Susan Conlon, Bruce Ellsworth, Chris Gaylo, Dan Gerstenhaber, Shing-Fu Hsueh, Daryl MacMillan, Alison Miller, Art Pope, Sandy Shapiro, Don Smart

 

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

 

GENERAL BUSINESS

·         Previous Action Items- Arrange a walk of Zaitz Park Trail- A walk has been arranged for 11/14, 10AM.

·         Peter Bilton moving on- Peter informed us that he is leaving the GMTMA and will no longer be participating in the Task Force.  We wish him well.

 

Recreational Trails

·         Zaitz Park Trail- Ken C. and Bruce gave an update on the plans for the Recreational Trail Grant application for the Zaitz Park Trail which is due December 15th.  Ken and Bruce met with Kevin Appelget before the Task Force meeting to coordinate the various application related activities:  Bruce will be drafting the grant application.  Ken drafted a resolution in favor of the application for Town Council which Alison will shepherd through council.  Ken will also get a letter of support from Alan Hershey of the NJ Trail Association.  Kevin will refine the trail map for inclusion in the application and will seek additional letters of support from the Audubon Society.  Arnold e-mailed Ken that he contacted Rush Holt’s office.  Rush Holt will be happy to provide a letter in favor of the application (he would like us to provide him with a draft of the letter).  Mayor Hsueh said he would be happy to walk the application through the DEP.  Kevin is leading a trail walk of the property on 11/14.

·         Millstone River Trail- Ken C. gave an update on the plans for implementing the Millstone River Preserve Trail.  A public information meeting on the Trail plans was held on 10/13 and was attended by, among others, Alison, Arnold, Ken C., Kevin Appelget, Dan Dobromilski, the Mayor, and four local residents.  The meeting went well and there were no major objections to the current plans.  The next steps are to prepare the necessary environmental permits for the trail (Kevin Appelget is currently preparing the permit applications). Ken C. informed the Task Force that the township has a letter of agreement to purchase the Gunther property, an 8 acre parcel along the Millstone River that will ultimately be part of the Millstone Preserve and trail network. 

 

Bikefest Update

·         Dan gave an update on the plans for the 2005 West Windsor Bikefest, scheduled for Saturday, May 28th.  The Bikefest Committee is lining up corporate sponsors.  The Committee is also developing the various bike routes, including a new 35 mile route that will lead out of town that will likely go past Grover’s Mill Pond.  Arnold is also trying to put together a family-oriented West Windsor history-oriented ride.  The Township has created a display of the 2004 Bikefest in the lobby of the Municipal Building.

 

Discussion of Orth-Rodgers Presentation to the Planning Board

·         An update was given on the Orth-Rodgers presentation of their Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan to the Planning Board on October 27th.  At the meeting, Ken C. gave a short introductory speech about the Task Force and township’s involvement in the Planning Assistance process and praised Orth-Rodgers for their contributions and the DOT for their support.  Orth-Rodgers followed with a presentation of their Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan.  Following the presentation, the Mayor commented on the Planning Assistance process.  Planning Board members seemed very pleased with the Bike/Ped Plan.  Ken N. and Alison made comments during the Public Comments portion.  The Planning Board will now consider the Orth-Rodgers recommendations. 

·         Orth-Rodgers plans to supply all Task Force members with a bound copy of the Final Plan.

·         The Mayor stated that he would like to see the township make progress next year on the bikelanes project on Page 26 of the Orth-Rodgers report.  These projects are bikelanes on Edinburg Road (north of Mercer County Park to New Edinburg Road), South Mill Road north of New Edinburg Road), Rabbit Hill Road (north of Big Bear Brook bridge), Southfield Road, and Lanwin Boulevard.  Many of these projects are contained within the Task Force Project Priorities List. 

·         A copy of the Orth-Rodgers report has been provided to the County Engineer. 

 

Discussion of Bike/Ped Projects with the Mayor

·         Status of PSE&G ROW Trail- The Mayor announced that the Township and PSE&G have signed an agreement granting West Windsor access to the ROW for a recreational trail.  Construction of the trail should start in the spring and be completed by the end of summer.

·         Alexander Road Bridge over NE Corridor Rail Line- The Mayor said the $11 million project to replace the Alexander Road bridge should be initiated in the second half of 2005. 

·         Next Steps for the Task Force’s Bike/Ped Priorities List- The Mayor stated that the projects listed in the Priority list prepared by the Task Force will be taken into consideration as the Township prepares its Capital Budget for 2005.  The Budget is due before Town Council by January 15th, and Town Council is supposed to pass the Budget by March 15th.

·         Bike/Ped Improvements for Route 571 in Princeton Junction- The Mayor stated that the township is using the $59,000 it was awarded to conduct a traffic study of Route 571 in the Junction.  A traffic counting study has been completed, which will be followed by computer modeling of traffic flow under different design scenarios. The study should be completed by the end of November, after which a draft plan will be shared with the County and the Public.  The Mayor estimates that a consensus for the ultimate design should be reached sometime in 2005.  The County will then spend $500,000 it has allocated for a detailed design plan followed by implementation.  

·         Sidewalk along Alexander Road entrance to Acme and removal of newsboxes along Route 571 at Acme Shopping Center- The Mayor said that he would follow up with Chris Marion on the status of the sidewalk at the Alexander Road entrance to the Acme shopping center and the moving of the newsboxes off of the sidewalk in front of the shopping center.

·         Cooperation with County on Edinburg Road Bikelanes- The Mayor stated that he has had conversations with the County regarding bikelanes on Edinburg Road from New Edinburg Road to the Mercer County Park entrance.  The County stated that they would be in favor of placing Share the Road Signs along the route.  The Task Force and the Mayor agree that a better solution would be the installation of bikelanes which will necessitate the re-centering of the center line near the Park entrance to allow for bikelanes on both sides of the road. 

 

Action Items:

·         Initiate preparation of Zaitz trail Grant application- Bruce

·         Provide Rush Holt’s office and Alan Hershey of the NJ Trail Association with a draft of a support letter for Zaitz Park Trail application- Ken C

·         Obtain copies of the Orth-Rodgers final Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan as well as CD copies formatted for both Mac and PC- Ken C.

 

Upcoming Meetings:

·         Town Council Meeting, 8 PM- Resolution in favor of Zaitz Trail DEP Grant Application will be presented.

·         NEXT TASK FORCE MEETING, 7:30 PM