Parks Recreation and Cultural Resources Department Greenway Committee
MEETING MINUTES

Monday, December 10, 2007 @ 6:00 p.m.

Call to Order/Roll Call


Robert Bush called the meeting to order at 6:05pm

 

Members Present – Robert Bush, Kerry Mead, Greg Lytle, Toby Kennedy, Bob Morris, Dana Stockwell, Steve Rembrandt, Leta Huntsinger, Cameron Sweeney

 

Absent – Laurie Ringaert, Katherine Williams, Venki Loganathan

 

Staff - Doug McRainey, Joe Godfrey

Adoption of Agenda
The December agenda was reviewed by the Committee. 

 

The following changes were made to the agenda:

Addition to New Business: Western Wake Greenway and Trails Consortium

Action: Leta Huntsinger made a motion to accept the agenda with noted change; motion was seconded by Cameron Sweeney. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.

Adoption of Minutes
The minutes of the October meeting were reviewed by the Committee. 

 

Action:  Greg Lytle made a motion to accept the minutes of the October 18, 2007 meeting. Leta Huntsinger seconded the motion.  The motion carried by a unanimous vote

 

PRCR Advisory Board Report
Doug McRainey reported that staff presented accomplishments for the past year and an initial list of potential projects.  Doug will give the Committee a handout with last year’s priority list from the greenway Committee and staff’s proposal for the coming year. Doug reported that there are two large projects upcoming and the amount of money that will be available for greenway projects is uncertain.  The Committee still felt that prioritizing the greenway projects every year is still important.

 

Old Business

 

Sign Plan Implementation
Doug reported that when the sign plan has been approved, staff with their respective capital projects will begin to develop sign packages.  Currently funded greenway projects that the Committee should expect to see sign plans for are portions of Black Creek, portions of White Oak Creek, Speight Branch, Batchelor Branch, Pirate’s Cove and Hinshaw Greenways.

Staff asked the Committee to consider several of the easier trails including Black Creek which extends from Lake Crabtree (ending point at Old Reedy Creek Road) to the Boat House at Bond Park. White Oak Creek begins from the same location (within Bond Park) and extends for the short term to Green Level Church Road and the long term to the American Tobacco Trail. Staff also asked the Committee to consider Northwoods Greenway which extends from Godbold Park down to Chapel Hill Road.

Hinshaw Greenway extends from Maynard down to Thurston Drive.  Staff’s thoughts on this segment include either a six foot or eight foot sign post at Thurston Drive and extending the trail to the entrance of Kid’s Together Park.

 

The Committee suggested that the implementation of the sign plan be divided up into manageable segments for future discussion and that it was important to get at least some of the signage up in the short term.

 

Toby suggested coming up with a unified schema that is scaleable for the next ten years to address trail naming and other issues.  Three major groupings of trails for the next ten plus years might include the (1) “Spine” (Black Creek/White Oak) and trails radiating off of that, (2) Southeast grouping anchored by the 1/64 Bridge and (3) the third major grouping is the northwest trails which are predominately developer-built (Amberly, Cary Park, etc.). 

 

The eight foot signs were initially to be placed at major thoroughfares along the greenway; however, there is the concern that too many of the eight foot signs might be used.  Staff felt that the eight foot signs should be used at the designated starting and ending points of the trails. An example would be Black Creek where you would see a series of six foot signs throughout the trail but the eight foot only at Old Reedy Creek and inside Bond Park. The Committee felt that the large 8 foot signs should be used at major trailheads which have parking, kiosks, etc at major thoroughfares.   

 

Toby Kennedy used the Black Creek, Ph IV project as an example, with six foot signs at southwest corner of Maynard and Highhouse and at the Shell property where the trail goes off road again with banner signs along the multi-use portion of the trail. 

 

Staff asked the Committee to consider the extent of the Speight BranchGreenway and whether it should extend from the Hinshaw Greenway down to Holly Springs Road or should it stop at Piney Plains Road and the east/west segment become Piney Plains Greenway.  

 

Staff reported to the Committee that the existing trail segments will be signed regardless of whether or not they connect into the “spine system”. 

 

Staff will come back to the Committee at a future meeting with a plan based on the discussions at this meeting. The Committee asked staff to look at the cost of the different size signs and how to best use the money available for each project.

 

Staff asked the Committee to consider the logical segment starting and ending points to determine the type of signs that will be placed.

 

Toby Kennedy suggested 3 meetings which would include the northwest, southeast and center portions of the greenway system.

 

There was a question regarding developer-built greenways  and whether developers would be required to install signage?  Staff suggested having the developer submit a separate plan for the trail and recommended signs based on the Town codes.

 

Recap

Staff will take existing funds and come up with sign plans for several of the greenway trails and bring them back to the Committee at future meetings. Robert Bush asked the Committee to agree that one of the priorities is the existing greenways that have money available in their capital fund and also that the Committee will defer to staff to develop a sign plan for each one of those greenways and bring it back to the Committee for their comments at future meetings.  The Committee strongly supports getting some signs installed as soon as possible.

 

 

Budget Priorities

 

Staff presented the December 2006 (FY08) Priorities previously identified by the Greenway Committee.  These included:

  1. Park and Greenway Signage.
  2. White Oak Creek Greenway Phase III-IV (MacArthur to Bond Park) – Important because it is a primary system and part of the Bond Park hub. (Funded - $400,000)
  3. Black Creek I & II Renovation – Important because it’s one of the most popular and used greenways, but it’s in disrepair (Not Funded – identified as important, but pushed out to another budget year)
  4. Black Creek Phase V – Connection to Black Creek Phase III Project – Important connection. (Funded - $70,000 – Design)
  5. Bachelor Branch, Phase II – Links into Thomas Brooks Park and brings us closer to a loop trail in that area. (Design Previously Funded).

 

December 2007 (FY09) Proposed priorities

 

  1. Contingency Greenway Construction Fund
  2. Batchelor Branch , Phase II (extension of the first phase to connect to Highcroft) – Committee recommended requesting funding for construction.
  3. Black Creek Greenway, Phase V – Request would be for funding for construction.
  4. Black Creek Greenway, Phase I & II Renovation – The Committee recommended asking for design money.
  5. Higgins Greenway - Dorothy Park connection, potential cost or $700,000-$800,000 because of the need for four bridge crossings along the segment.
  6. Middle Creek Greenway - Project is fully designed and permitted from Jamestown south through Middle Creek Park.
  7. Swift Creek Greenway (connection over to Ederlee & Regency) - Pedestrian bridge and trail parallel to Regency Parkway extending to traffic signal that would connect over to Symphony Lake greenway (ask for design money for the pedestrian bridge).  (Robert suggested a pedestrian underpass crossing at the Regency traffic light).
  8. Symphony Lake Greenway (Bridge replacement (design & construction money, possible public art project).
  9. Southbridge Greenway - Approx. 3/10 mile segment with one crossing over a buffer
  10. White Oak Creek Greenway – Phase IV - Pedestrian bridge to Davis Drive Park.

 

The Committee indicated that the FY07 list continues to be a priority and also identified the following projects as priorities for FY08.

Continue with the Signage Program

Black Creek Greenway, Connection & Phase I & II Renovation

Batchelor Branch Phase II

Higgins Greenway

 

 

New Business

 

NC 55 Sidewalks
Cameron Sweeney presented information about the sidewalks that are currently in place along Highway 55.  The sidewalk is five feet wide and located 18 inches from the Highway 55 which has a posted speed limit of 50 mph.  This sidewalk is not considerable desirable by DOT standards. The Committee discussed several options including widening the sidewalk and finding an alternate connection to the greenway from within the neighborhood.   

 

Action: Steve Rembrandt made a motion for the Committee to support the Ashley Woods neighborhood’s efforts to ask Town Council to implement improved and safer pedestrian solutions for the White Oak Creek Greenway side walk connection along Highway 55; motion was seconded by Leta Huntsinger. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.
 

Greenway Gates
This item will be moved to the January agenda.

 

Walnut Creek – Mountain Bike Trail
John Leonard from the Triangle Off Road Cyclists organization had previously approached the Committee about building a mountain bike trail in the SAS Soccer Park. Staff and interested Committee members will meet with him this Friday, December 14th at 9:00am behind Cary Town Center Mall to walk a portion of land that the town owns and discuss the feasibility of building a trail in the Walnut Creek area. 

 

Western Wake Greenway and Trails Consortium
This item will be moved to the January agenda.

 

Suggestions for upcoming agenda items

Discussion of Sign Plan Implementation by quadrant

Greenway standards for developer-built greenways.

 

Adjourn 8:35pm