High Street Project

 

                   Agenda, Monday December 3, 2001

Meeting:  Al Lavender (Mayor Elect), Geordie Vinning (Planning Office), Mary Eaton ( High Street Committee)

Purpose:  Explanation of Agreement with MassHighway on High Street Project.

 

 

I.                                            Agreement with MHD

 

A.     City project, not MHD project

B.     HTSD cost estimate

                                    1. Phase IA $1,520,000

2. Phase IB  $ 500,000

            3. Design fee 10%, Construction Service fee 15% = $500,000

            4.  Phase II  $2,170,000

C.     100% reimbursable: “force account”

D.     Inappropriate standards waived

E.      Phased in order of priority

F.      Current status

 

 

Phase IA.         Repair roadway pavement

 

A.     Take off about 4 inches, overlay about 2 inches; essentially “curb-to-curb;” (plus associated lowering of manholes, etc.)

B.     Wheelchair ramps at all side streets

C.     Keeping existing curb line

D.     Slower traffic and public safety: consideration of pedestrian signals and “traffic calming,” esp. at school crossings for public safety (plus upgrade of existing signals)

E.      Striping and sign modification

 

 

Phase IB.         Three-roads

 

A.     Common sense approach to clarification of turning and travel lanes

B.     Resident-drawn draft design

C.     Re-create historic feel for 21^st century

D.     More aesthetically pleasing gateway to City

E.      Safer

F.      A visual indication that traffic is entering a residential area from a commercial zone.

 

 

Phase II.          Sidewalks

 

A.     Most are considerably wider than AAB/ADA requirements

B.     Possibility of narrowing to provide planting space for tree roots

C.     Marblehead precedent:

            1. MHD funding, City project

      2. Landscape architect, not highway engineers for sidewalk design

            3.  Successful AAB waivers;

            4.  Praised historic implementation

D.     Apply for variance for “Ridge;” if unsuccessful, no change necessary

E.      Trees and roots: customized approach, block-by-block:

            1. Narrowing sidewalks to give trees more room to grow;

            2. Re-routing sidewalks around trees

            3. Ramping surface of sidewalk up and over large roots

            4. Potentially removing approximately four unhealthy trees for public safety (to ensure             no harm to people and property), while planting new trees.

            5. accepting imperfect sidewalks

 

 

III.                                       Next steps

 

A.     Potential timeline for phased projects

B.     Response to MHD:

            1.  When

            2. How (letter?; meeting?)