I'm gonna call the public works meeting October 8th, 2025, 630 PM.

Can I call it to order?

Um absent Eric Mankins, President Josh O'Neill, Dan Callahan, Mr.

Bill Boyle, absent Russell Leary, and President Trudy Healy with us tonight.

We have Mr.

Mark Neary.

We're gonna start out with communication number two zero two four five four four, Michelle Shea, district number two.

Commissioner requesting a status update in the public works committee review in the conditions of the walking trail tenor tunnel underneath Harrison Avenue south of Dickey's barbecue.

Mark, do you have an update?

Thank you.

Thank you, Chairman uh O'Neill.

I do not have any further updates on the walking tunnel.

I think we're still waiting for uh traffic study from MDT to see if the crosswalk this that is in presently is warrants a safe passage.

But I haven't I don't have any details or updates.

Question, Commissioner Callahan.

Yes, Mr.

Neary.

What's a safe passage?

It's a crosswalk.

Thank you.

Mr.

Neary.

Chairman O'Neill, when I brought it to MD MDT, um th the the question about the walking tunnel it was safer for pedestrians to walk underneath Harrison Avenue in the culvert.

Uh when MDT did the project on Harrison Avenue, they put the crosswalk in with the place in the center for you know if you if you didn't make it all the way across.

But I think we all agree that the traffic there has increased tremendously.

Um there is uh one thing that our electrician handles all of the crosswalk lighting and he informed me, which I didn't know.

If you just wait for the light to turn red, it turns green faster than if you push the button.

So I think I don't know if that's happening, but I I'm sure the people that are are worried about crossing on Harrison Avenue have probably done both and probably maybe got caught in the middle.

So we asked MDT to do a study there to see the increase in traffic to see if that is still uh safe.

It it had to have been deemed safe when they put it in.

But I don't know if it still is, and that's kind of what we're wondering about.

But we're gonna have the the culvert doesn't work anymore.

I mean it's you know it's it's full of water.

It's a culvert.

It's to to take water, but we might have to look into something else.

But until we get these numbers back, we don't really know.

And it's it's MDT's, it's not ours.

And that's where we're at with it.

And it's if MDT, you know deems that the crosswalk is still safe enough, it probably won't do anything.

But I think you know, until we hear something back from them, I don't I don't have any updates on it.

Thank you, Director Neary.

Do we have any other questions?

Commissioner Shea, do you have any questions regarding that?

Um thank you.

Director Neary, I think we just um I guess it's the um whatever the board decides they want to do uh regarding leaving it on.

Um I don't know if we keep it on there to keep keep it rolling.

I don't know, I don't know what our next move is.

I just don't want it to die.

Just I I guess I do have a question.

So the culvert is, I know that was a mysterious thing, whether whose it was, but it is MDT's.

Commissioner Neary.

Correct.

Correct.

Okay.

Commissioner Shea.

Thank you.

Um Commissioner O'Neill.

I just have a question for for Mark, and I think I know the answer to this, but MDT is going to do a traffic study during peak times, correct?

So spring summer when people are out and moving around.

Um so if if there's not going to be any forward movement until it doesn't sound like there will be any other forward movement until that traffic study is done.

Um I would be okay with the committee um wanted to put this in suspense until maybe April.

Thank you, Commissioner Shea.

Um, would somebody like to make a motion on that?

Um or any more discussion.

Commissioner Callahan.

I would make a motion that we put it in suspense until Mr.

Eary hears back from MDT on the the study, and then you can advise us and we can take it out of suspense.

That sound good?

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh those so there is a uh motion on the floor.

Um would you repeat that motion again, Mr.

Callahan?

We'll put it in suspense until Mr.

Neary hears back from the MDT on the study, and then we can pull it out of suspense to revisit it.

Sounds like a plan.

All those in favor?

Any opposed.

Thank you.

Moving on to communication number two, 2025-297.

Russ O'Leary, Commissioner District 5, informing council of commissioners about the concerns of regarding roadside trash and and landfill covered load requirements.

Thank you, Chairman O'Neill.

Um I actually also uh Commissioner O'Leary asked about putting signs up on Iron Street, and I'm not exactly sure where, but it was all on empty MDT right away.

And I did get permission to do that as long as it's in an ordinance that can be utilized, and I believe it is, but we need to know, you know, I have to let them know what kind of signs, how big, whatever we want to do with it, and I'll need an encroachment permit to put them on there.

My fear is people don't read the signs, and is it gonna be a waste of our money to put them up?

But I mean it's kind of well, I do have that was that's what Commissioner O'Leary asked me to look into, and we do have permission to do it if we want to.

Thank you.

I'm I'm kind of on both sides of of this, whether we put up more signage or if there's another alternative to um address the public in another matter.

I mean, I I mean other signs will work or they won't work, it'll keep awareness, but um what other awareness can we give to the public of trying to keep our town clean because that's what it is.

It's the ignorance of other people that are just doing this that shouldn't, and it's hard to police, it's hard to not saying it's not good to waste the money on signs or whether it will be a waste, I don't know.

But um commit or Chairman Neary.

Uh thank you, Chairman O'Neill.

Uh enforcement is key.

And we listen to Sheriff Lester that if they see somebody and trash is blowing out of their car, they will or out of their truck or whatever they will.

You know, it's it's littering, that's against the law.

We do have the ordinance that it is supposed to be covered loads going to the landfill.

Garbage coming out of a truck, though might not be going to the landfill either.

You know, I mean, it's enforcement for sure, but they can also pull into the landfill and tarp their load, and before they go to the window, they're covered.

So, you know, I mean, it's also a double-edged sword.

If we try and turn them away from the landfill, they go behind big butte and throw it away, and we end up going up there and cleaning it out anyway.

So we're better off to let them in.

It's it's it's tough.

Garbage is an issue.

Um, I believe once we started these conversations, things did get cleaned up more than what Commissioner Healy is is cleaning up through her district.

I believe people did start picking garbage up.

I thought it was good, but we're also going into winter, and we're gonna have spring, and it's gonna be a mess again.

So I don't know if I mean we can put signs up, but you can put we try it with speed signs, we try it with everything else.

You know, it nobody really follows the rules.

I don't know that it would be.

I guess we could try it.

It will be because it we can't just put a small sign up, it's gonna have to be a sign that they're gonna have to be a you know bit large enough that you can read going 65 down the highway.

Um I'm not saying it it isn't affordable, but I I don't know if it's really a good way to spend our money.

Thank you, Director Neary, Commissioner Callahan.

Thank you, Chairman.

Um I think if we put it up on Iron Street where the speed limit is still 35.

I don't think we'd need to put multiples.

I think if we put maybe one sign somewhere near the beginning, if that's where we're able to do it, um, then they can say they're not aware.

And we can ask Sheriff Lester's guys to they don't even have to see garbage come out.

It's it's a state law that any time they uh see somebody's load unsecured, they can pull them over and at least give them a warning if that isn't working, then we start writing tickets.

But I think if we put a sign there, and I know uh I get tons of complaints from people out of Rocker, and they'll stop out there, put the tarp on before they hit the dump.

So uh it's just a matter of, and you know, and I think maybe if we talk to the highway patrol, maybe they'll help us on this issue too.

You know, when they're out and about and they see something, see if they'll start you know, notifying people or even writing the ticket.

Normally they're they'd prefer to write the ticket the warnings, so maybe that's a suggestion we try that route.

I don't think we got to put a bunch of signs up.

I think, yeah, I would say one on Iron Street and one on Santa Claus Road, you know, right there by the by stocks or something, and let's try that and see where that goes.

And at least that way they can't say they didn't know.

They they drove right past the sign.

There's no excuse, you know.

Unfortunate, it's been neglected for so long, nobody knows the real law.

And we just got to make them aware again.

So thank you, Commissioner Callahan.

At this point, I hope there's no warnings.

I hope they just start getting tickets.

Like I may say that I'll make sure I'll cover my own load if when I go out there.

So yes, I'd be the guy that would, you know, I would test it for the warning.

So um let's just write them right now.

Like you're warned now.

Here's your warning, like cover your darn load.

Maybe we should have Mr.

Smith or somebody put an article in the paper about you know this committee, what we've been trying to do and what we've trying to address, and see where that you know, that's meeting some of the public.

All righty, thank you, everyone.

Do we have any more comments, questions regarding that?

Um I guess for this communication, whether we know, out of respect to Russ, she's not here.

Do we want to leave this on for one more week?

Yeah, or you know, one more until the next committee meeting, and we can maybe have some more ideas for you for us, if you will.

Um you like to make a motion what we want to do with this communication.

Okay.

us she's not here do we want to leave this on for one more week yeah or or you know one more until the next committee meeting and we can maybe have some more ideas for you for us if you will um you'd like to make a motion what we want to do with this communication okay motion yeah we got a second on keeping um commissioner boyle um like to keep me keep communication number two zero two five two nine seven we'll keep it hold it right now and then um commissioner callahan second to that all those in favor any nays motion passes at this time there's nothing else on the docket anything for the good of the order nothing task director nearywise here in the hot seat well at this time that's it so um can I get a motion to adjourn all those in favor