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HomeMy WebLinkAbout031102S CC Min CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002 MUNICIPAL BUILDING 3800 UNIVERSITY BLVD. 6:30 P.M. The City Council convened in Special Session in the Municipal Building Conference Room (3800 University Blvd.) on March 11, 2002, with the following members present: Mayor Lewis presiding, Council Members May, Farley and Griffin. The City Manager, City Secretary, City Attorney and Police Chief were also present. The notice for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Texas Government Code, th Chapter 551, on the 8 day of March 2002 at 3:00 p.m. STEP project and repaving of University Boulevard. Matters related to the STEP project and authorization to proceed with the repaving of University Boulevard. Landscape Architects, Tim Hansen and Lauren Griffin, presented two versions of proposals for implementing the Statewide Transportation Enhancement Program grant project. Both versions would involve reconfiguring traffic and parking along University Boulevard to include a median. City Manager Sherman Yehl reported that once a proposal is approved by the City Council, the final design of the project could begin and construction could start and end while the schools are recessed for the summer. Council Member May stated that he objected to the proposed plans because the plans channeled east and westbound traffic into single lanes bordered by parking. He commented that the plan created a dangerous situation because it mixed traffic and children. After a complete discussion of this item, Mayor Lewis stated that there was a consensus among other members of the City Council and authorized the consulting engineers and landscape architects to move forward with Concept Plan A. The City Council recessed the Special Session at 7:25 p.m. to convene in Regular Session. The Special Session reconvened at 8:10 p.m. City Council Special Session, March 11, 2002 Enforcement of quiet hours for youth sports. Matters related to the enforcement of quiet hours for youth sports on the Little League and Softball fields. Council Member May commented that he had requested this item be placed on the agenda for discussion because he had received numerous complaints about the noise from the softball fields and the lights being left on after the games had ended. Members of the Tri-Sports Association were present at the meeting and discussed the game schedules. Residents of the 3700 block of Rice were also present. Council Member Griffin commented about the number of hours of sleep children needed every night. She agreed that the games should end earlier. After a complete discussion of this item, the Tri-Sports Association stated that they would make every attempt to have the games start on a timely basis so that the lights and noise would end at the designated times. Sidewalk design consultant. Matters related to proposals received from consultants for the sidewalk design project. Mr. Yehl stated that a formal recommendation would be presented at the next council meeting. Cost and benefit analysis for additional firefighters. Matters related to preparing a cost and benefit analysis to quantify whether the risk- reward profile is feasible regarding the request for six additional firefighters. Council Member Farley requested that the Staff prepare the analysis to be presented before the beginning of the next year?s budget process. Wakeforest speed humps. Matters related to the permanent installation or removal of speed humps on Wakeforest Street. Police Chief Kevin Begley stated that Wakeforest, north of University, was identified as a Traffic Hot Spot due to apparent cut-through traffic and excessive speeds. The City?s former Traffic Task Force recommended to City Council the installation of traffic calming devices commonly called on Wake Forest north of the 6100 block. turtles 2 City Council Special Session, March 11, 2002 Council authorized staff to install these devices temporarily in the 5700, 5900 and 6000 blocks and to assess the impact that the turtles had on speed and traffic volumes. The devices were left in place for a minimum of 90 days and removed in December in accordance with the Hot Spot policy. th With the turtles in place, the following 85 percentile speeds were recorded: 5700 block ? 27 MPH 5800 block ? 24 MPH 5900 block ? 33 MPH 6000 block ? 24 MPH Average ? 27 MPH Following the removal of the turtles, speeds were again measured in these four blocks. th The 85 percentile speeds recorder were: 5700 block ? 27 MPH 5800 block ? 30 MPH 5900 block ? 33 MPH 6000 block ? 33 MPH Average ? 31 MPH th The average represents just over a 12% increase in the average 85 percentile speed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that vehicles slowed significantly when crossing the turtles because of their design and they could not be safely traveled at the posted 30 mph speed limit. However, it appears that the drivers then accelerated between the devices and the STOP signs to make up for those lost seconds. This is a common phenomenon when there are multiple traffic control and calming devices. Mr. Richard Wong, P.E. and principal engineer with Wilbur Smith Associates advised the City that this phenomenon could be avoided by the strategic placement of the devices in a multi-block area ? approximately 300-400 feet apart. Chief Begley stated that it is difficult to determine the impact on traffic volume that the turtles may have had. In October 2000, the average vehicles per day on this stretch of Wakeforest were about 568. The post-turtle data collected in January 2002 would indicate that traffic volumes range from 708 to 1,092 . VPD Chief Begley stated that it is the staff?s belief that the design of these particular turtles was not appropriate for a major collector street. The jarring impact of the turtles required drivers to slow down far below the posted 30 limit. That does not mean that MPH Wakeforest shouldn?t be a candidate for traffic calming. Should the Council wish to consider a permanent installation of traffic calming devices it would be appropriate to (a) survey area residents about the perceived effectiveness of such devices as well as the level of acceptance by West U residents; (b) have both the design and specific location of the devices be recommended by a traffic engineer; and (c) refer the matter to the City?s Public Safety Board for final recommendation. 3 City Council Special Session, March 11, 2002 The City Council agreed to defer a decision on the traffic calming devices until after they have the results of the survey being sent to residents this month. Priority Area 7B. Matters related to a sidewalk ramp report and infrastructure improvements in Priority Area 7B. Mr. Yehl reported that the sidewalk ramps would not be installed where sidewalks currently do not exist until after the sidewalk program begins. The construction activity will be reported on the City?s website. Zoning and Planning Commission consideration of five-foot side setbacks. Matters related to a request for the Zoning and Planning Commission to review five-foot side setbacks with no vertical intrusion. A motion was made by Council Member Griffin, seconded by Council Member Farley, to request that the Zoning and Planning Commission review the five-foot side setbacks with no vertical intrusion. A vote was taken on the motion with the following result: Voting Aye: Mayor Lewis, Council Members May, Farley and Griffin Voting Nay: None Absent: Council Member Jackson Performance metrics for Municipal Court Judges and Prosecutors. Matters related to the establishment of performance metrics for Municipal Court Judges and Prosecutors. Mayor Lewis stated that she would speak to representatives of other cities to identify benchmarks for the establishment of performance metrics for Municipal Court Judges and Prosecutors. 2002 Community Survey. Matters related to the proposed West University Community Survey. Mr. Yehl reported that from time to time, the City has conducted community surveys to assess the level of satisfaction residents have about services as well as identify current issues salient to West U citizens. A random sample survey was completed in 1997 and a survey of all residents was completed in 1999 with the assistance of Dr. Richard Murray 4 City Council Special Session, March 11, 2002 of the University of Houston. A survey was also completed in 2000 regarding the City?s parks. A new survey has been developed and consists of nine sections ? city services, solid waste and recycling, the library, public safety and traffic, the YMCA, sidewalks, City Council and staff, demographic questions, and an open-ended query. It is proposed that a random sample of residents be selected and is estimated that between 750 and 800 surveys should be mailed out. Anticipating a 75% response rate, there should be a 95% confidence level in the survey results with a four percent confidence interval. Mr. Yehl asked that the City Council review the survey and make suggestions, corrections or changes in the format or design. Improvement and construction of Edloe bridges. Matters related to the improvement and construction of the Edloe bridges including columns and lighting. Mr. Yehl reported that Harris County is responsible for the basis bridge construction. The enhancements such as brick columns and lighting are the responsibility of the City. The 2002 budget includes $50,000 allocated for the project. The City Staff will present a plan for the clean-up at a later date. Report from Board or Commission Liaisons. The City Council reported on Board or Commission meetings attended by the liaisons. Council Member Griffin reported that the Parks and Recreation Board discussed playground equipment and safety issues regarding some of the proposed concrete structures. She requested that since the utilization of the West University recreation center was being delayed, removal of the backstops at Colonial Park should be reconsidered. Council Member Farley reported that the Public Safety Board addressed the Weslayan traffic study, visibility triangles, speed limit on Auden, emergency response and unsupervised children at the library. Inquiries, requests and complaints. The City Council reviewed matters received from the public and referred them to the appropriate department or will place them on a future agenda for consideration or action. Adjournment. 5 City Council Special Session, March 11, 2002 With no further business to come before the City Council at this time, a motion was made by Council Member May, seconded by Council Member Farley, to adjourn. The Special Session adjourned at 9:50 p.m. 6