Whenever you're in good, okay, awesome.

Awesome.

Um, so I'm Sue Annois, uh, Chair of the North Main Street Task Force.

I'm bringing a regular meeting to order for February eleventh.

It is now five three.

Would you mind calling the role?

Chair Andrew, I'm present.

Vice Chair Mehagan.

Present.

Lieutenant Brown.

Present.

Um, Tom Sadway.

Sarah Ingle is absent.

Jessica Lance.

Awesome.

Um, one thing that I like to do for these meetings, which you might remember, is for us to go around and say our names, because a few people fly that they do watch these online, which is great.

Thank you for watching this online.

But they can't read our name tags from a far.

So we could just say our names around the circle.

Um, and our delegation, that would be awesome.

Um, so I sue Andrew, I'm the Word Three Council member and chair of this task force.

Sean Raven, right off the safety.

Jess Lance, planning and development.

I'm uh resident of the neighborhood.

Leonella Felix, legal counselor.

Peter Mayor from the Sandwich.

Chris Equapaldi, SC State Clark.

Adriana Costa, Kirk Lady Sun.

Um Province TPW traffic engineering.

Hi, I'm Rosie Jaswell.

I'm the Green and Complete Streets Advisory Council representative.

Jenny Bagan, I'm the vice chair of the task force and representing Ireland Streets Coalition.

Awesome.

Thank you.

I also want to acknowledge everyone just introduced themselves, but welcome to the committee.

Yay, we're so legend here.

And um also acknowledge Claire, our lovely clerk who's been with us the whole time, has retired.

And um we already missed her so much, and also I'm so excited in your folks uh joining us.

So um just wanted to acknowledge Claire and her many years of service with the city, and she retired at the end of the calendar year.

So um we already gonna start.

Hello.

Uh let me know, but just the time.

No, whenever you've come is the perfect time.

Okay.

So we have a guest appearance by councilman Sam.

Perfect.

Okay.

Whatever you guys are ready to just come in.

Yeah.

Um, so quick um rundown on the agenda.

Um, we're gonna discuss uh new task force member, yay.

Um, we're gonna talk about some updates, some progress updates, particularly around lighting, um, and close out of that, any RSA updates from um Mr.

Raymond, um, and then just a quick update on some longer-term planning processes, a year of review, um, uh state legislative updates, and then a discussion about branch avenue.

Um, that is what Councilman Peterson and Councilman Royce will join us for.

So we might end up taking the agenda a little bit out of order.

So I'll just ask for that.

There's another committee happening at the exact same time right now that they hold on.

So when they have some time to pop out, they're gonna come in.

Um that was unintentional double scheduling, but it is always going to be nice in the week.

So here we are.

Um can we please read item number one into the agenda?

Anything to the record discussion info accepting the resignation of task force member Rachel Peterson.

Awesome.

Um, so Rachel had to resign from the task force because she's moved.

Um, and um, she didn't submit a letter of resignation, which normally would we could just accept.

Um, but we talked with Claire, talked with legal, so I'm looking at Leo just in case.

Um yeah, we can still accept her resignation, but we have to do it via a vote of this committee before we can add a new number.

Um, so can I please have a motion to accept the resignation of Rachel Peterson?

Motion to accept the resignation of Rachel Peterson.

But I have a second excellent.

All in favor, I need those uh it.

Um, Rachel has been uh removed from the task force.

We are going to welcome um and we have to do this via putting her on the council agenda, is what I'm told.

So it'll be on our next council agenda.

Kyle, can help me remember that.

Um you can come at any time and we'll be around.

Um if you text me when you have five.

Yes.

Perfect.

You're okay.

Um Arjuna would be joining us um as our neighborhood representative on the task force, so thank you to be willing to do so.

And I decided her join today, even though she can't, it's not a voting member yet, but we'll add her via um uh an update from the to the council, which is just the form that we have to go through.

Um can we please read item two to the agenda or into the record?

Sorry, the green.

Lighting and other progress updates.

Awesome.

Kyle, do you want to give the update on lighting?

Yes, um, chairwoman and uh members of the North Green Street Task Force.

Um, as you guys know, last year we undertook a project um that started off from our recommendations on the RSA as a short-term immediate actionable plan.

Uh Councilwoman uh Amber Blanc, I worked uh internally to help secure uh a good investment, and we worked in great partnership with Rygo.

Um around Energy, our contract repair zone, public property.

Um again, I want to thank all of our partners who really helped streamline that process.

Um as of February 2026, that project is complete based on the budget that we were able to work with.

So we executed again the along the um the North Burrial Room, the Southbound uh side of it, north of that towards the Petucket line, the various cobrahead replacements, and then the um university marketplace island with the decorative lights, um which have I think they've had in the transformation of really bright up the area, um added nice aestheticals.

Um but for all intents and purposes for that specific project with that budget, we are closed out.

Um have some punchless items to do in the the spring when the snow clears and soil kind of um softens.

Um some of the the machines I want to be a big impactful to the green space there.

So we want to work with parts of the party and forestry to help restore um any potential impacts that I have on with the trees over there or whatnot.

So we will work internally with that.

Um person has some slight punchless items to do um besides that once those punchless items happen to be fully invoiced and a full part of the full work.

Thank you for all of that, Kyle.

It was amazing.

And if you guys haven't seen the new pedestrian level life by the foods area, I think they look awesome.

Um I was just noticing the other day, not for the first time.

And they're really they really are transformative.

So thank you guys all for like that input and um like really highlighting the lighting as a big issue in that area and a big just like as always super high by Kyle for navigating all the all the things needed to be navigating together.

I give a lot of credit to our partners.

I think they really made things helpful and easy.

Um communication was pretty streamlined for like the complex corners of the area.

Um and again, I'm keeping my eyes upon any available funding that we can help school for, but I feel like it's an edge phase of the side streets.

I've been very open about wanting to do that as a next phase.

Right now we don't have the resources to do it, but I'm keeping my eyes open and we can come up on any farming for anything of the light and spernly, I would be happy to just jump on that and make that the next phase.

Um folks have any questions for Kyle about the close out of the lighting.

Just I assume this project it doesn't account for everything, like the other areas that that you want address or we'd want to address.

So I think yeah, maybe we can meet offline and kind of discuss areas that we need to get addressed in, or you know, maybe potential funding opportunities.

I mean that'd be great.

If the state level can help because I I I mean, I think the lighting is such a huge improvement.

I think it's very impactful, making a big difference.

You know, you won't know, but I'm sure it is.

And yeah, I appreciate your work on that.

Um, and I've already heard from a few of the business owners toward the southern part of North Maine near the Whole Foods, not the Whole Foods owners, but other folks in the area who've highlighted that they've noticed a difference just to share so folks know that and I think I shared this with you, Sean.

But um I had a constituent reach out a few days after the lighting was finally turned on.

I'm so excited when it's finally turned on.

Kyle knows I was like texting one Saturday night at 8 p.m.

Like it's hot.

Um sorry for Kyle, it's a quick lot.

Um, but um a constituent texted to let me know that they were driving down North Maine, and the man kind of wandered into the street, and um everybody stopped, and she texted me to be like we saw him, like we wouldn't have seen him otherwise, but everybody saw him and he stopped and they helped him get across.

And that's like a lot of decision surveys.

We can't prevent labors in the end who kind of stumbled into the street, but we can make sure that we safe.

So um, so people stopped, he got back safely, and she was like, anyway, so it was I just felt like I'm so glad that that wasn't a different kind of call, which it very much could have been, and so why don't you just keep that work going forward?

Um, as part of other progress updates, I wanted to share two other things and then try to make updates from Sean for the RSA, but two quick things or three quick things.

One, Kyle and I have also been talking with um Ted Carr, who's the director of economic development for the city, and he's open to coming to future meetings of the task force.

He thought about coming tonight, but there was anything on the agenda specifically for him?

Maybe on the Zoom.

Oh, is he on the zoom?

Yeah, he planned on attending remotely.

I'm not sure if you now.

Okay, when Darius comes back, we can see if he's on the zoo.

Darius does all of our IT and um his double two meeting tonight with both of the meetings.

Um, but there wasn't anything specific on the agenda.

But when we came together as a task force, it was both about safety but also the larger economic development along the street.

And so we're bringing Ted in as well to advise on if there are any things in particular that he can offer or that the city can be uh working to develop um to help folks along the street, and we're welcome.

Maybe that could be a future meeting topic with some of the business owners that we can follow the computer.

Um the second thing is related and finally finally oh my gosh, in conversation with the folks who own 1120 North Game, which is the vacant lot across from the parlor.

Um, so really excited about who that was, and um getting them on the phone.

So we started that conversation about what um what it might take to help them um realize some some development potential for that space.

So really excited about that.

Um and last but not least, this will be a future topic, but there is likely to be some public art going up at the Rochambo gate for North Barrow Round, which would be right along North Main as a way to like welcome folks into the barrel round and the park portion of the barrel round that like from North Main and will be like an asset for North Main, and you get like that to help it feel more walkable and like a city asset.

So um uh Annalisa from North Barrow Realm will join us at a future meeting um to kind of discuss that, but she's been part of that process above the department of arts, culture and tourism.

It's one of two sites in the city that are getting some new public art, and um, she shared with me that the bids have been open, they're working with a number of different artists, and um who are gonna kind of design things, and it'll be some sort of selection process that Lombisa is a part of, and she's excited to come share that progress with the task force um pretty soon, but uh it wasn't quite ready for our presentation this time, but she said I could give you a preview that it's underway, and it would be nice to have uh something like beautiful um get added to North Maine right at that video.

So those were my updates.

Um please read on the three into the agenda.

Oh, here's the right RSA updates, Sean Brayman RI DOT.

Sean.

Thank you.

Um there's a couple of outstanding items in my shop that I was hoping that would have gotten completed, but are still uh still outstanding, so still trying to get that um implemented probably in the springtime.

Uh one is this the striping improvements that were part of the a lot of signage that went up, you know, specific to um parking restrictions and things like that, just to kind of coincide with with the signage that was was put up for for added emphasis.

Uh the other one was some of the signal timing modifications for the uh the rest on red and the the exclusive PED uh just with the age of some of the signals.

Um it will take a little bit of time for maintenance crews to get out there.

They just keep getting totally different, different other uh emergencies.

So what I'm trying to do is pull out at least pull out the exclusive PED work so I can have an insult and do that instead, where um they don't need to do electrical work to make that happen.

So hopefully that gets implemented um sooner this winter.

So we'll have exclusive PED at all the approved locations uh that would do state traffic commission.

Um moving on to kind of next steps, and in my eyes is is looking at some additional temporary daylight opportunities.

Um looks like the only location that's been successful uh so far.

I think uh yeah, I know we were discussing you know potential great opportunities for four locations along the province, including possibly North Main Street.

So I think that's kind of a good next step, and how that kind of folds into the longer term project and what that may look like something things that maybe the project manager we want to you know test out prior to uh making um uh more permanent improvements uh about things like that.

So that's that's one area I want to kind of focus on.

Um the other we want to do some additional, I think traffic counts about pedestrian counts for additional locations for those mid-block crossings.

I think we identified potentially three as part of the RSA, you know, one between Randall Street and Branch Avenue.

Uh one between branch and roch and bow, and another one between Motion Bow and Frost Third Street.

So those are potential locations, but to get an additional counter information.

And that then we would probably have that as part of that project.

So do the meeting in the Abraham's thing for that.

Um other area identified as part of the RSA.

Um I think having conversations with FUNAI or city in terms of you know where there is parking allowed, like if it's not being utilized, uh potentially looking at other options for that space.

So I think it's even though it's like DOT road, we want to make sure the businesses are potentially compacted or but there's areas that just aren't being used, or there's other options for parking.

Um there's a parking distribution, which could be okay.

So we can all work together on that, and again that would coincide the project as well.

Yep.

Because I ultimately there's gonna be space, I think.

Yeah, for an area is able to reduce lanes, then you got our parking bike lane opportunities.

You got all these different, and it's sometimes that's not an easy decision to make or what what fits.

Maybe it all fits, maybe some of it is you know, bus lanes as well.

That's another aspect of it.

So uh that will take coordination, I think, as part of the project process.

That's where you bring everybody together, you get public meetings to get um input from everybody.

Um happy that the project is moving forward, and we're gonna come do the help with some of that coordination opportunities.

Do you know like the utilization of parking on work main, or would that be part of like what some of these next steps would be to figure out like how much of it is speed would be utilized?

I think that's some uh you know, usually a study could take place in I think you rely on the municipalities to help with that because they're the ones that tend to have a closer relationship with the businesses, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The behavior that that takes place there, so they work together to kind of figure that out, but we would need the cities, cities assistance, certainly maybe like between meetings, but let me know if this doesn't work.

Maybe we could like have you and um Melanie and um probably say they look at the bank, but say you're out loud, maybe Ted because of the business element like how well you and Kyle and I to like the followers.

Definitely coordination with the for the butters and parking or something.

Yeah, so you know there's some of the businesses that are relying on parking, and then it seems like there's rather large stretches where it's starting to get um so the future development, you know, there could be future developments coming in that we're state not aware of, but yeah, yeah, you guys are cool.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Discuss the any changes there or keep them involved as well.

Yeah, awesome.

Yeah, so Kyle Drop with the bottom up on that, that'd be awesome to be fine.

Um, any questions or thoughts?

Or was that anything to peg off?

That's true.

It's really I'm like, I did the final version ever go out to everybody that's I just want to if it has until it's the version three version three.

Okay, so the final version is going to go out.

Oh, yes, we can share.

Well, the matrix because there's other um the team leads, whether it's the city or group potentially to kind of go from there.

Yeah, and maybe we can like use the next meeting too to go through like okay, some of the team leads are not right outside who's taken up some of these other things that would be fine.

Right, yeah.

Or it could be a different team meeting, maybe it doesn't make sense for this to be put another person to do it.

Yeah, it could be something else.

Yeah, okay.

Cool.

So I'll send that out.

Apologize for oh no, you can't link questions.

You actually addressed a lot of them, so I'll try to make that sound too many.

Um you talked about restriping.

Uh we had talked way back about um restriping for narrow lanes for traffic calming.

Is that something that's potentially on the table?

Yeah, it wasn't part of that.

I guess work order I was referencing.

Uh we can always certainly do additional ones or or whatever the striping crew goes out every two years to refresh the stripes.

When we when we do traffic calming on on the road, typically if it's a 12-foot lane, we break down to 11 11 feet.

I don't know on the end what the what the lanes are out there now, but I'm gonna assume that if they're 12s, they're they they it feels wide feels wide.

Um that's an option.

Okay, you know, anything to make people feel like they should be going slower.

Um things that were in the six-month bucket, um, and the version three.

I don't know if that's yeah, that's not gonna start.

Um the Cypress branch intersection, evaluating for removal of the right turn lane in the northbound lane.

Is that still on the table?

Yes, yeah, nothing off the table.

I just I don't think we fully want to see if it wasn't analyzed.

Um case we might have looked at it and sold it or said, but if not all we could perform that analysis, okay.

Um another thing in the six-month bucket was uh snow removal plan for the median.

That's gonna be more DPW go, right?

That's not the right uh um the median meetings is owned by RideOp, but controlled by parks.

Right.

So parks doesn't need the sidewalks, like the crossing side.

Yeah, like and I you know, one of the reasons I'm bringing this up, uh I know we're all upset about snow, but I like watch somebody in the electric wheelchair the other day go up the vehicle lane to get from Doyle side to um I'm sorry from the west east side uh because the sidewalk and the media is here.

So I want to make sure we have like a plan.

Yeah, and I mean I'm not sure exactly who this I can check with the parks the highway, the highway department.

Yeah, they they maintain it.

I mean who's the clouds in or there's confusion?

Yeah, we should check in the show.

At the north end of the median, there's uh um as a way of um there are actually people here.

I'm not sure we have another spots, but um people out there struggling it.

Yeah, but again, I think we just need to have something formalized or somebody knows because they're the only one.

That's the only one I saw was driving through, you know, so I can't say that they're worth up to proxy.

Yeah, that might be they were out there in the parks with strongholders and stuff.

Yeah, then we can probably talk about it.

Yeah, I can just talk to them.

That maybe one spot that's yeah, there's each other, it may be crosswalk at the end of the snowbang, which is not great there.

That may that may be because that's not landscaped, so unless sure parts will be yeah, so it maybe it may be in the area north lane, yeah.

Old MOU where like right out Holmesville Parks like those it, but maybe for the snow stuff, it wasn't on the list because I know they got things out to do the sidewalk.

There's nobody there, you know, a median to no one abuts it, so there's yeah, they probably just didn't think of it.

Yeah, so it's gonna call it yeah.

I'll follow up with my D on that.

It might just like be that they have landscapers who do the mowing that had a lot of the follow-up.

Okay, thanks.

Um the thing on the six months was assessing for ADA and ProAt compliance and then inventory and wheelchair ramps and other accessible infrastructure.

Did that happen?

I don't think not the inventory of all the the ramps that's still outstanding and part of it will probably be conducted as part of the project.

Okay, the scope of the project and then you don't compliance will be updated or maybe they all will, anyways.

Uh but we can certainly do the do the remaining at least have that documented or not issues now, I guess, right?

Like if there's stuff we can address in the short term.

Okay, um I think that's it for my list for now.

Yeah, thanks for having follow-ups.

Did you have a question?

Yeah, I have two questions.

What I just went would was wondering whether you could repeat the intersections where you were thinking about daylighting opportunities.

Uh don't have that there were three.

There were sorry, there were three the random branch rotion.

Oh, the crossblocks.

Oh, the yes.

Yeah, these are mid-block crossings.

So potentially between Randall and branch.

Between branch and Rochambo.

Between Rochambo and Frost.

So there would be more cross-crossings.

Okay.

Midlock, yes.

And the daylighting, just to clarify.

So Dylan and I actually had a great conversation with URI, Dylan Truth Coalition, the and um about the potential to apply for grant more grants from RI who funded the um uh one at Benefit Street, you'll use the planters.

And um shout out to the streets coalition for leading on that.

And um uh and so after that conversation we had with Bloom, we were like, oh, wait, right out into the street, we should make sure that it would be okay to like actually do some of this daylighting on uh North Maine.

So Sean and I had a conversation that like it's feasible and we just need to work together to make sure it was like with materials that um uh uh right up approves of and it's you know uh done in a way that we could get approval of, but it wasn't off the table.

So um that's a follow-up.

One would oh sorry.

I was probably comment on that.

We keep saying day what name also what those planters can do is keep people from making it, but now illegal right turn play um on the shoulder, because that's also kind of a barrier to be able to point Rosie.

I was wondering if you had the list handy of where the exclusive phases were approved, not handy, but it was I think all the sections north of Rochambo.

So I think it's pretty much all of them now said not only but unfortunately Doyle is just the massive intersection.

All the north main except except Doyle.

We'll make that it haven't been yet, but that's but that was approved.

They've been studied in the state traveling machine.

Is there a crosswalk thing?

Yeah, I think it was part of the crosswalk on the south side of the branch site, but it's just with everything.

I mean, I mean you have a crosswalk there.

Um exclusive site.

Wait, we do one at a time, so we're still talking.

I'm sorry, sorry.

No, the answer's my question.

Oh, the answer didn't.

Yeah, I'll I'll follow up and make sure, but it's answer your question about adding a crosswalk.

Um we could, but it'll probably be pretty city.

You probably have to be a part of the structure project.

Um just one more just um to follow up on what Jamie was saying about snow removal.

I don't know whether this is sort of under the purview, but you know, a lot of the bus stops right now on the on the sort of far side sort of from the hill on north main.

There's just not much ploughing on that side at all.

Um certainly where up where I live, we're on North Maine.

So in terms of safety and accessibility, it's just not really working.

Yeah.

Um stops.

So I don't know who is responsible, you know.

There are obviously businesses along that side, um, who may be responsible for that sidewalk, but I just because it's so the main reason people walk there is to go to bus bus stops.

It's really like a public way, so I just don't know whether the city or someone else could take some responsibility.

Also along the burial ground, I don't know who's responsible there.

Yeah, the barrel round, the sidewalk is the responsibility of parks.

Yeah, if that's not done, let me know because they said they were sending crews out, but I don't know if like with the rate of snow if that didn't happen.

Um follow up with them as well.

Oh, thank you, pal.

Um, but for the other ripped, so any sidewalk in front of a business is supposed to be the business.

Um, speaking only as myself, I think we can do a better job enforcing that.

Um, and I don't think we enforce that much.

Um, but that is the business or the property owners for ripped to stop Sarah, we'll put you on the spotlight.

Is that usually Ripta, but you just have such a small crew?

If there's a shelter, we have a contract um with a with a firm that comes and clears the shelters.

And my understanding is that after the big storm, um they actually did shovel out all 300 plus or minus shelters around the state.

And the tricky thing is um if they shovel it out and then the plow comes, it fills right up again.

So what I don't know is the like how frequently or or like what the you know how that gets managed.

Um so that's shelters, and then just stops generally.

We do rely on um the property owners to do those out.

The abutting property owners and um because we have 3500 stops around the state, and it's just our team is mighty but small.

Um, and they are still working pretty hard to make sure that you know, on a priority basis, things are getting cleared.

Um so that is ongoing for sure.

Um, but if there is any particular stop, it's a particular problem.

Feel free to let me know and I can check on the status.

I mean one or more.

I wonder if there's follow-up that we should be doing with um not Nates division of DPW, but other DBW to make or DIS about like making sure property owners know about that that they should be shoveling out the rip to stops because I think beyond just like our property owners shoveling out their sidewalks.

I imagine some of them don't know that they should be shoveling out the rip to stops um if it's just a stop and not a shelter.

So maybe we can follow up with you the only members follow up on that.

Um we're gonna be working on probably for I don't know how much what the forecast is for the remainder of this winter, but we definitely like after action-wise, want to do at the start of the season next year, like a big ish sort of camp public campaign to let people know that this is an issue and to really try to like be good neighbors and sort of know what the law is and um what our responsibility is.

So um if that's something that we should touch base with coordinate with city communications on or something like that.

Yeah, yeah.

I would say like both like the um administration's communication, but also the council communication.

I'm sure we'd be happy to help that out.

And those are sometimes different channels.

So that would be awesome.

Also I want to give Sarah a shout out because there was like a staff that was reported as um someone hit it and there's glass everywhere, and I was like, Sarah, I'm not sure how to record this to you, and then Sarah just cleaned it up.

So just shout out to Sarah for my neighbors.

I know not what I intended, but I have to report it.

Like done and uh just highlighting that is their small and lighty team in the house, their head, their executive director planning right now to shovel.

I will furthermore add that um I was inspired in that partly by you and and getting that call, but also I had a co-worker.

I started working uh working at Ripta 10 years ago, and my co-worker um Lily, who now works for Ryda um on the planning team there, got her the young kids out with their like little kid shovels and shoveled out the shelter near their house.

Oh 10 years ago and 2015.

I think probably did it more than once that winter.

Um just yeah, we gotta do what they can.

Yeah, this is a total aside, but Cambridge did a really cute um campaign around where it was like if you sent in a picture of yourself as like a young person shoveling, like the city would give you a 15,000 gift card for like pizza in your neighborhood or something.

And so it's just like a really positive like kids get out there and like use your snow data shovel.

And apparently it was like super successful.

My kids got out and had an exercise and also got pizza, and we should go back to read that sometimes.

I need to have to pass that on.

Yeah, it might such a cute idea.

Um, any other RSA updates or questions?

Awesome.

Okay.

Um can we please read item four into the record that time?

Update on longer term planning processes.

Awesome.

So I'm gonna give a super quick update here, which is um for the longer, and this is like all we can really say right now.

So I'm just gonna give it update.

No longer term STIP, the state's ratification improvement funds.

Um, that went out to bid, bids have come back.

Um, they are being reviewed right now, um, because they're being reviewed right now, and also I believe there are bidders in the room here with us.

Um, we can't talk about it, but like that process is moving forward, which is very exciting.

And um, the plan all along had been to do the things we can do now while we work on this longer term planning.

Um, and so I'm just really excited.

There were some really great bids, there were a good number of bids, um, they've been opened and that processing forward, and hopefully by our next meeting, we might have an update on that next plan going forward, the next process.

And so the planning department, I think Rye will be leading that effort.

Um that's probably difficult to say, right?

Pretty much right now.

But just as an update that it's happening, silence isn't nothing, it's just things are happening, and we can't be discussed in public.

Cool.

And Kyle, Kyle, are you part of this election committee?

I've yes, I've been uh thank you, Jess and um Rye, who was leading the project.

I have been sitting in on the new bar on the room.

So I'm gonna be following us.

So I'm grateful we have Kyle as well, uh, as well as our friends.

Um okay, can we please read item five to the agenda?

I'm gonna text Councilman White, so like no very well.

State legislative updates.

Excellent.

Um, at our last meeting, we had a great conversation about pardon me, potential legislative changes um coming out of the conversation we had with Elizabeth from the courts.

Kyle and I have had several follow-up conversations with Elizabeth as well as with our own policy team to make recommendations to the General Assembly.

And um I believe Jamie has also been having some conversations.

This is just to say there is follow-up happening from that um that work to see like what we can be doing about some of the um red light cameras and things like that and better enforcement.

Um, I wasn't, I don't know.

Now we go and spot zero percent like we got to bother, but if you did have any updates from the conversations I think you've also been having, you're welcome to share.

Um, I don't have any updates actually.

I think every kind of branch of most of this and she is yeah, wearing her solicitor hat right now, so probably can't share.

But um there's another version of Leo that is not in the room with us, and we'll follow up with her when she's not working for the city.

I like that.

Yeah, um, but there have been conversations and movement, so I just wanted to put that on here as like uh I know that came off as an action item.

Um, and action is moving is is happening and uh behind the scenes.

Um with a shout out to Elizabeth um from the courts who has been really dogging about following up on this.

And um just also share Elizabeth is happy to come back anytime if we have more questions or concerns and has been doing a lot of really cool work behind the scenes um to look at.

Um there's some contracts out now, which we can't really discuss because they're still in process, but for um traffic lights and dry light cameras and stuff like that.

How do we have a vendor who can help us like improve traffic safety and also do cool stuff?

So um she is a delight and is like was inspired by this meeting and is continuing to like look at where we should be helpful, and so also like excited to come back anyway.

Um, I'm gonna text uh our colleagues are gonna come for item six, so please ignore them when we don't.

Um, but are there any other?

I know that was vague, but I wanted folks to know it wasn't just like silence and silence.

Um, because I know sometimes it is at uh city or state meetings if nothing will be said, it there's an assumption that nothing's happening, and that's often true.

Um make sure just because we're done, there's no big update uh that you don't think nothing has happened.

Kyle, would you mind grabbing Justin?

Just give them like a little look from Councilman Voice, I mean um any other questions or comments or things people are excited about for legislation that we want to do.

I'd be excited to have was it is there's something to report on the um contractor, yeah.

Um, just news our career things with the camera.

Nice.

I think we should have an update from that by the end of February, so I'll invite her to our next meeting.

Yeah, hey.

Hi.

Yeah, I'm so sorry.

Why would you be sorry?

You're amazing.

Thank you for coming.

Can we read item six into the agenda, please?

Are you with records?

Oh, do that.

Discussion regarding Branch Avenue, inviting guests, Councilwoman Peterson and Councillor Royus.

Excellent.

So I'm so excited to be joined by two of my very favorite colleagues, Councilwoman Peterson and Councilman Brightis.

And we had a great conversation a few weeks ago, where they said, hey, there's some progress being made on North Main.

Let's do that on branch.

And if you want to help out, I was like, hundred percent.

So and um branch is a different piece than North Main.

But I wanted to invite Councilwoman Peterson and Councilman Royce to come talk with us a little bit about ranch, and um I will let them take it away, but I'm happy to um help guide the conversation.

But we're really I've been really excited for them to come join us and think about how we can leverage this kind of model of folks coming together um to also make safety improvements along branch.

Thank you very, very, very much for this opportunity.

We apologize for doing those.

There's another committee.

There's a public hearing going on in the other room, so we're doing both things at once, but um, I'll speak very briefly because Councillor Royus is much more thorough than I so I really wanted to say was just um this this particular committee has given us an example of what's what works and how to mobilize and do things um that are done efficiently and quickly for the betterment for the pedestrian safety for traffic safety, and it is literally the model that Councillor Royus and I have consistently been talking about for the last three years about what we need to do to make uh the improvements on our streets a little bit better.

Um Branch Avenue is uh is uh is a street that we both share, along with you, Council.

Also, we need to buy Celvin here.

That's right.

Yeah, branches right off North Main.

That's right, and it goes all the way extends into it stops right at Ward 14, and where we've seen um the most the most danger to our pedestrians and our neighbors that are in in that area um happens to be right in the ward 14 side.

Um councillor Royce and I share that one side is Word 4, one side is Ward 14, and one of the things that the neighbors have consistently been talking to us about, um, whether it's neighbors from Metcalf apartments or homestead apartments, which is um elderly complex.

Uh both of them are elderly complexes, right, Councillor Royce?

They are um uh one of the things that they're consistently talking to us about is about pedestrian safety over there.

Um it's no secret to anybody that we had um a few fatalities, a few uh in the area over the summertime, and I believe last year.

And um part of our commitment to our neighbors on Branch Avenue is to figure out what we can do better quickly and efficiently in a way that um will be will be helpful and and obviously immediate to to get to address the concerns.

Um North Main Street, you guys did it.

Like this task force did it.

You implemented things that were that are working out really, really well in and through the work through your work, counselor and what it has been amazing to watch just the steady quickness of how all of this could you know process itself and was done.

So we're coming very humbly asking if he could also be a part of this.

Um it's so important to our neighbors now over there.

We have um that's one of four elderly complexes in the area along with the high school right there, and pedestrian safety is probably the number one concern for all of our neighbors in that particular part of both of our words.

So um, again, I'm humbly requesting that you guys would be so willing to do something like this to just kind of allow us to piggyback off of this really great work.

Um, and with your support, we'll be able to really see some effective work being done in the branch side of problems.

Councilwoman.

Councilman Royce, do you want to um say we also share some yeah, definitely uh well said.

Oh my goodness, why is the C going down here?

Okay, it's a trick.

Oh, yeah, you're really sure.

It's coming on.

I don't need to be shorter anymore.

What's that?

It's a pressure tactic.

I'm just kidding, I'm getting together.

Um, I just uh uh chair, obviously, thank you for uh leading this work and for this this task force.

I think um I'm being very honest.

Uh you are you all are a model of what could happen when all the stakeholders come together and they really do see this as a vessel to really quite frankly it's like save lives.

Um so we were uh counselor Peterson and I are coming in sort of maybe desperation uh to maybe start tackling the low-hanging fruits of sort of pedestrian safety, and we hope that you all can join our fights as well and uh help us out.

Um there's so much expertise on this task force, and and so that's just my larger ask.

And I think um several months ago, um, one of my neighbors died due to traffic violence.

It was his second time uh getting hit by a car.

And the first time he um he he had said he would be more cautious.

Uh uh he had gone through rehab, and the second time when he was struck by a vehicle in the same area on branch Av, uh being extra cautious did not save his life.

And um, he was a resident of Metcalf's uh apartments, which is a the other elderly complex.

Um, and you know, I will be just be honest, after that experience, it was my just been my personal mission uh to make some serious change so that is not another um Michael DeMola because you know he he deserves to be here uh today, and I feel like as a city we have certainly failed him.

Um so um I I think and I and I think his family's looking for some immediate change in that section.

I have a whole list of priority intersections of the North and I'm overwhelmed about where to start, but I think if we look to branch AV and Olmsted, that intersection which has been identified in the safe shoots plan and see what we can do.

Um that would give me some hope.

Um, and uh uh and there's already uh from what I understand federal funding and a lot of the information you have in front of you regarding that um the north end and the priority intersections is from Alex Ellis uh from planning.

Um and he sent he sent me a PowerPoint presentation that he presented at my neighbor uh neighborhood meeting on Monday, and he identified the safe the uh 11 priority intersections in the safe shoots plan.

Um and then uh you know kind of explained to me that again, branch and olmstead where that where Michael DeMola in the area in that area passed away.

Um there is a demonstration grant uh from uh from the federal government that I believe the city is looking uh to use those funds to improve uh traffic safety in that section of branch AV.

And so I guess um Shelly, uh Councilor Peterson and I will need to figure out what that will look like in terms of what the city response will be.

Uh but I uh the demonstration grant uh the intent of that, I believe, is to just essentially slow down vehicles using uh different types of infrastructure.

Um so I'm look I'll I'll be reaching out to the city to see what that looks like.

Probably Nate on my left here get another email from me.

Um but I I feel like we should start there, but I'm just overwhelmed about um even the spreadsheet that you might that you might have in front of you.

It's um it's a very long table, it goes back from 2007 to 2025, and um it's basically where should we fix stuff list first?

It's like it's it ranks streets by crash index, uh which is weighed by score.

Um I don't want this, I don't want to hijack this task force.

Um, and so I figure we start in that section because it's also shared by Counselor Peterson.

But there's a lot, uh a lot to be said um about that list.

Um, I think Smithfield Av Nelly intersections pretty serious, but um it's just some food for thought in terms of that list.

I think um if I had magic wand, I'd I'd I'd make sure um all of those intersections are removed from that list.

But um I I'm over to questions or you know, if um, but I'm with your help, I'm hoping to tackle that section of branch AV and see what we can do together.

So I'll stop there because I've been talking a lot.

No, that was amazing.

Thank you, Melissa.

And I was just excited to bring it in today, and also wanted to like celebrate this task force and the great work you guys have been doing.

These folks are seeing the efforts and the improvements that we made on remaining again, are still very much in progress because there's so much left to do.

Um, and also want to see that as a model, and a big high five to Sean because Sean and I didn't connect about branch um to um map out like that it is not actually the state or the the uh the parts that connect to the highway to state.

So um, I think Kyle, did you look at the hand up a second ago or my uh yeah?

Um I I appreciate the uh the input from our our counselors here, and I definitely hear them.

Um I think one of the great things about this task was that made actionable steps real was that RSA.

Um really a diagnostic type of document that helped us understand.

We all knew North Main Street and had problems.

We all knew you know those pedestrian fatalities happening there.

We all experienced it, but have that living breathing document through things out professionally with recommendation for how to mitigate those things.

I think was the lack of better phrase a violence here, and it was like a how-to manual of how to approach things short term, medium term, long-term.

Um, and ride out was obviously instrumental and helping fund that um branch out of the strip space, you know, not being in state move, but I think you know it may be beneficial to look into potentially put some resources to do a professional RSA at maybe maybe even do a light one um at key intersections and really have some professionals look at that and give us some recommendations, tackle priorities like help us map out how do we do this efficiently.

I feel like that's how this task force was able to springboard a lot of action.

Um planning into action, and we are still using that as a roadmap to kind of guide what we're doing here today.

Can that be funded via C D BG funds or or NEF?

I believe so.

At least at the very least network potentially.

That's just my recommendation.

I think that'll be useful here.

Um, thank you, Company.

Did you have a we were talking about branch avenue?

I mean, there's a lot of things that can be done for safety below the need for a lot of funding, but just a couple things on the list that that uh you know the traffic engineering under their preview has some CIP money for safety.

We also have the um the speed camera safety fund that we use revenues from the so a couple things that are that we've initiated in board four.

We're doing a Charles Street road safety audit.

I think you mentioned some of the work that planning has done in terms of uh mapping out throughout the city where the safety problems are based on accidents and severity of accidents.

Yeah, so that's probably gonna be going forward.

Yes, so um, I think you know, Ride Ut is uh showing some interest in helping that because part of that Charles Street we're even looking at towards Mill Street too, because that's a lot of where the where the high accident area is actually going up to Ball Street.

That's what that's a scope right now.

We're working with Ride Eye and we're working with a consultant to kind of define the scope.

So that's that's something that's probably gonna be moving forward.

Um Ryan's so just clarifying.

Right, it's probably gonna be something that's gonna be shared in terms of funding.

Funding, yeah, for Charles Street.

Yeah.

Um, do you um and that but that's because some in Charles, some of the jurisdiction in Charles Street's is Ride dots proportion?

Yes.

Okay.

I'm just thinking generally.

So the section we're we're referring to, it sounds like Ryda doesn't own that section.

So would we have to fund what's that?

We well, we you know brand near the Q.

Yeah, we're working, we're working.

It doesn't I don't I don't think we're bound by the by the actual uh maintenance responsibilities of a given road.

There's gonna be some sharing between us and right to get to get that done.

Yeah, just to clarify from a right-up perspective, because yeah, the roadway itself is a city-owned road, the traffic signals believe at 146 and at 95R ride up traffic signals.

But in terms of like safety, you know, we you look at reduction of crashes on all roads, whether it's state or cigarette.

So we're always a partner, yeah.

Um, it just yeah, on the funding side of things, you know, we try to assist where we can.

Obviously, yeah.

I think we want to help the city with Charles Street.

We just have so much funding as well.

So we just in terms of distributing it around all communities.

Um, you know, we always try to partner and spread out as much as we can, but we're I don't want because we don't own the road doesn't mean we're hands off we want to we want to be involved.

No, I appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah, so we're working on that right now.

So the um, but we we've gotten a proposal and then we're just trying to see how we can fund it.

There is money that the city has available also, so that's probably something that's gonna be moving forward.

We're just working just working out some of the details with that uh progressing.

Um the other thing I'm looking at your list is um this is actually board 14.

It's at the top of the sheet.

Is a few years ago we did we did a RSA at Douglas and Admiral and also Douglas of River.

So um it's in my CIP plan.

We we are I know putting together preliminary design uh for uh Douglas and Admiral, so we can at least get an idea of what the cost might be for that.

Thank you.

So um it's not funded.

The construction is a funded, but we'll we there's this possibilities to get that.

But I think the first step is to really look at geometric changes.

There's there's a need for signal replacement there for a lot of reasons.

So um that's a couple of things.

Uh one to four chain, I think that might just be the intersection of Adamborough, Hawkins, Douglas.

It's Douglas and Admin.

I think Hawkins is a little further down.

It's not okay.

Yeah.

I wonder if like a good next step that you know disagree would be maybe the three counselors meet with Ryda, Nate, and uh Kyle on like what the next steps of this should look like and some of the mapping out, and like it sounds like Rhino might have some resources or in this technical assistance to help with the work that sounds like it's in progress with me.

And like maybe at some point we can bring it in the channel is what we should have been so helpful with actually taking.

That becomes uh Oh, is that like a thing because that's not your area?

Yeah, so I stop um at uh the highlight that we guess you know.

I would say that one of the easy things that may work for you the low-hanging fruit really was lighting.

Lighting.

Lighting.

Thank you.

And that might be an easy solution in some of these cross blocks to just physically go out there at night and take a really good stocking.

What light is there, and you can reach out to uh single company prism.

That was an easy tricks in some places too.

I have the direct contact and just have you.

So um Kyle, if you could help us maybe bring right nate and us together in the coming days, you know, that that's possible.

Yeah, awesome.

And then um the lighting issues, yeah.

We can raise things.

Yeah, I mean that's part of the RSC process, everybody's gonna be involved.

So I'm sorry, Sean, is it?

Yes, so I don't want to keep calling Rai Down, sorry.

I've been calling a lot worse.

Sean is a gift from God.

You can also call him that we thank you for the opportunity to come.

Um it's very important to both myself and counselor.

So it's a long time coming for both of us.

Yeah, one of the top things that we talked about.

And whatever we've learned here, I think uh uh other task force members can jump in, but we'd love to make sure it's relevant for branch and that you're not losing more residents to traffic items.

Thank you very much.

Jamie has anything.

Yeah, just for a process going forward.

Um we kind of expanding the scope of this task force.

That could be a question that we could consider if we want to expand the scope of the task force, or we want to just like work with the counselors on like this model and how we help them for excess.

I guess one thought I don't know, is like as we are moving toward um the kind of the design phase and eventually a construction phase on the North Main Street, like the regular activities here and want it down a little bit less as that process is happening, so it might naturally make sense to sort of expand the geographic scope.

I don't know for that point yet.

Um King and I talked well flying um before and uh about Charles Street and uh particularly Charles Street from uh Worms basically all we have to like uh where it is like Saddam Street.

Yeah, some of that is some of that's like yeah, and some of that's horrendous.

Yeah, I mean that would be easy, like that's that's very close.

Yeah, that's like the other model could be um yeah, so reformulating this like as North Main Street progress is gonna start happening somehow.

Um just looking at I streets now.

Yeah, that's part of the RSA that we're looking to move forward.

That part of Charles you could be titled this this room and then say, hey, because there's other streets that are just as bad.

So it's a part of Charleston Avenue, which is part of I think uh Charlesman uh I'm not really good at the word apps, but that's also horrendous.

I used to live up here, I was my car post-pro, it's just as bad.

Yeah, and I think this has already been observed here, you know, this thing that to get your credits here for having all this started.

Like we found the formula that's like actually getting stuff done.

I hate to see this wind down as North Main Street kind of resolves into a safer roadway, like while we kind of have this team or like rolling form at things, like I can see this just persisting over the years.

Um kind of moving from area to area.

That's what's in the that's kind of where I see uh safety proof.

It's like looking at cordovers, not just specific uh spots, you know, you gotta you gotta address the the entire corner and then province has a lot of high risk as you mentioned.

Yeah, that sounds exciting.

So I'm excited for next steps when two of my narrative comes.

Thank you guys for bringing this up and for joining us.

Did your meeting end?

Uh yeah, they rub me my bag, so I'm assuming this is um the only other thing we have on the agenda for tonight.

Excuse me, we didn't uh enter this.

Oh, that one can I at least have a motion to enter this packet as we did it with as we did one.

I'll make the motion to make this packet exhibit one.

Sorry, second, yay, all in favor?

Yeah, any clothes to make sure that there's anything in the very much.

Maybe should we um can you please read items that in to the record?

How about comments?

Awesome.

Um, did anyone sign up for public comments?

We can also just call them.

Um looks like Michael, good to see you, friend.

How are we doing?

Like English.

Um I have a kind of a few things.

I've been studying nothing on different hours.

One of the things is that I see the majority of is where the lights went up and on.

It didn't cover where the problems are really at, uh, where sometimes if you're a woman and and you just don't like who's walking after you, your questioner, you cross the street, and then therefore that dark area puts them in great danger.

So that said, one of my thoughts was is federal funding is sometimes hard in asking taxpayers to get more money to sit there and actually create two benches, have it pop out, put more light in, and have companies like Hasbro put a game there, donate it, have their names on it to promote their companies, but at the same time take away that expense to bottleneck some parts of those roads while making it beautify and lighting up that spaces over here.

The second issue, and I know you fixed it in one plot where Rochambo is most of progress, and it's kind of sad.

When they give you a right of way to walk, yeah, they don't shut down all four ways.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And they let you take a right.

So that means that they think that they've got more rights than a person that doesn't have anything around.

Yeah, and I watch time after time, kids almost get hit, elderly people get almost hit, wheelchairs, and as my email to you, yeah, my brother got hit.

He's in the middle of the road, and now one person but the drive in behind that's an implement sat there and tried to block him by his body, not even by a car.

And that's pretty sad that we're in society like that.

Yeah, but there were also a lot of streets in right way McDonald's is is a great part to say it goes from one lane to two lanes back to two lanes to one lane, yeah.

And you just constantly see people wanting to hit each other.

Yeah.

To me, I think if it's one lane the whole way, you shouldn't be changing it up because you're creating confusion.

You've got a lot of relying.

Um high school students and college students or new to the area, right there coming through that way.

Yeah, and any more confusion than what it already is is gonna get people hurt.

Yeah, I think we really need to think about more lighting, and like I said, the spots that are are not there, but one last thing I'd like to say that's an easy fix.

If you go where there are many ambulances coming up, yeah.

Instead of taking a fast right, going up, coming back, or taking a fast left, take it a right and going around.

They go down the one-way street of North Main Street directly head on to Taz.

Not once, not twice, all day long.

I sat there for almost 15-16 hours.

So close cut through, were you saying?

Like, there are no customers.

They go down, they go straight towards the red light, they go down the one-way direction, the opposite direction, and you've got people going head on with them.

Yeah, someone's gonna get hurt.

Yeah, yeah.

It's easy to take Fifth Avenue.

I think it's a fifth screen.

Yeah, there I think it is that they want to go down and just cut that street right there and let it take a left there, yeah, versus going directly head on.

You're gonna kill the driver of the the passenger war the game, it's either which way it's it's catastrophe to me.

I think it's all no, that's a good yeah.

That's and let's I'm gonna look at Sean, but also Jess up for like the longer term process of like needing a battery.

Um, but that was what I took.

Thank you, Michael.

Um Arjuna.

I don't I feel like now I'm here, so maybe I don't know.

Okay, yeah, you can still add if you had something you want to dead.

Um I just wanted I with the with the sidewalks and the snow removal.

I think it's not so much the roof stops, even though they some of them are, you know, I know it's difficult to get to, et cetera.

But I'm just wondering about communication about how between different because it sounds like a lot of different people are are responsible for this, and it's very or the snowstorm was unprecedented, kind of unprecedented in recent history, but it's it does impede the safety on the north main.

So I'm just wondering whether there's something else that can like communication-wise that can be improved, yeah, even within the eight of the different government agencies that are or parties that are responsible for minimum security prison uh work that links and all that goal shovel.

That would be probably the cheapest, the easiest.

And I think like um, I think the um I can also reach out because I think it's a mix of like the private business owners, but then also the parks, DVD.

I think there's like a mix, then I think what's causing some of the confusion.

So I'll follow driving point bay, but also parks and finding out like what's the how we're doing of that that work.

Um, one last okay problems safe the street to make that's what you should take into just cover all the problems because every single street has major issues, and if you got the platform, I've seen this and you could be even a testimony to a my cousin Paul Fitzgerald created and cleaned up Box Boy as one of the offices in Paris Buddhist when he left.

He took the plane with, I don't think that's right.

I think it should be in a ready that stays, and that way when you fix one area or another area, it needs to be fixed.

You have the map that's already been created, it doesn't need to be a rebuilt.

Yeah, yeah, thank you for that.

It's good feedback.

Um, yeah.

Um, I think I learned uh in the recent hearing about the snow removal is that the city has this like inspector program where city employees during a storm are going around and kind of checking on what needs to be cleared, what has to be cleared.

I'm wondering if there would be a way for things for like critical pedestrian infrastructure, like the bus shelters and the bus stops and um maybe even on major corridors, um, you know, just basic sidewalk access, like extending that program to the days after the storm to kind of catalog stuff that's not getting cleared.

Yeah, because it seems like once the plowing stops, I think that system gets kind of demobilized, or you might already have kind of the infrastructure in place to say like we need some volatile stuff after the fact.

It might just be a way to like get the information together if it's falling under you know the businesses and ripta different people, you know, clearing bus shelters or whatever.

Um yeah, no, they can say that that's great.

Yeah, um is that something I should bring up to director High Day, do you think?

Um yeah, yeah, they I mean, you know, there are inspectors on um any major major snow event.

Um, and you know, I think it's it's also um there was an ordinances on people people buddy properties are required to so it's just it's that could be another option too.

Yeah, I don't know if that's being discussed.

Yeah, okay.

I think I'll that's a problem I think around the city.

Yeah, yeah, that's been the problem is a lot of the people just throw it back and forth, which doesn't help.

Yeah, which is also against city ordinance.

Yeah, yeah.

The snow is a good um issue.

It is melting.

Yeah, today got to 40.

There was melting though, so it's I think it's been what a best.

But we should keep talking about this after it melts, just so that's like we don't find ourselves next January saying, Oh yeah, the snow, this is a problem.

What a thing.

Um Dylan.

Hi everyone telling Child's problems streets coalition.

Um I guess on the topic of snow moving, I feel like the thing that we're dancing around is that I would love to see like the city be responsible for removing snow on sidewalks.

Um, there's programs in other cities that work really well, like for instance in Vermont, uh Rochester, New York.

Um, this is also a recommendation of the safe streets plan.

Um, and I think you know, relying on property to do the right thing clearly does not work.

I think we're seeing that right now.

Um, so just something that I think we should be part of the conversation.

But um, I wanted to update you on the plans that we have that uh uh brought up earlier for the intersection or I guess for the next phase of um the blue traffic um partnership.

We are going to partner this blue grant with um the N ARP grants, um, and we're targeting that intersection of Doyle where Charles gave it.

We are going to partner the blue grant with um the N ARP grant um and we're targeting that intersection of Doyle where Charles gets uh there's so much pedestrian activity between um you know the the Doyle Baside and the Charles Gate.

And I think there are it's just such a massive intersection.

Um there's a lot of opportunity for um to sort of narrow some of the turn releases.

So I think uh one of the things that will be a component about is closing the or or making the right turn lane um next to Jerry's when you're coming down like the street, um a right turn only lane, because right now it is a through lane to go left or straight or left onto North Lane.

Um and that's something that's actually already been approved by the STC.

So it shouldn't be the rule, and um it should be you know, I think it'll be part of our part of our planet.

Right now, our current installation is covered in snow and the the flights suppose um, I think when the snow melts are not going to look very happy.

Um the the materials that were used there, I think were not the best.

Um, and I think we need to rethink the materials that we use um in these conditions, um because they they pop out if you just if you just pull them on um so they certainly you're talking about ranch and northway you're talking about branching off the benefit in North May.

Benefit and point, yeah, it's a benefit.

Uh so yeah, we would love to look at other options if that's possible.

Um or kind of the next one.

And yeah, just thank you to the task course.

I think um council counselor Peterson and Roy is kind of really um uh really identified how successful this group is.

I really do hope that the the scope of group can expand, you know, the two branch app.

I think it makes sense geographically.

Um the whole city, you know, uh we do have the Green Complete Street Advisory Council that Rosie sits on um and it's a monthly meeting that you've been bringing some concerns to as well.

Um but yeah for the first one of the this body I would love to see the scope expansion.

Well, maybe Jalen Um Jason.

Yay.

Hi everybody, my name's Jason Cashband.

I am a Ward 3 resident.

I live on only street, and I'm also a dietitian and I have a practice on Broadway, West End, right around Peter's spot.

Um and why I have a many well, several things because we've got a fun like neighborhood group of like 60 plus people.

So they knew I was coming, and so they sent some stuff my way.

Um is that okay if I just kind of read through?

Yeah, you can read the okay, cool.

Um I'll also preface this by saying like the way that I personally think about this stuff really comes from the sort of like public health approach, um, and also thinking about like structural determinants of health.

We have a lot of these very like specific pointed pain points.

And I guess I would love to kind of keep in mind that as we're frustrated with people that don't always stop at stop signs or not observing the traffic speeds, uh and trying to find balance of enforcement also remember that everyone's nervous system right now is like super overthought.

That's like ice is going around still kidnapping people, tens of thousands of people are getting kicked off of snap, Medicaid, like the state agencies themselves are all confused, a lot of like miscommunication and undercommunication.

So I just want to keep all that in mind as I'm reading very specific things about snow and stuff.

Um okay, the first one was a question about fixing utilities, such as street lights more efficiently or faster.

And the person said their example is the stoplights by the entrance of 146 weren't working for a week.

So that was number one.

And then Charles Street.

Yeah, it's on Charles Street.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay, that was one.

And then this person said in the summertime, the stop lights on Grandville, and whatever that intersection is right by the hospital.

I guess those are both uh street lights.

So I don't know if those are.

They said street lights.

Probably the children.

Those can also be put in through, like if you're communicating back to the group, those can be put in real time in 3.1, so we can see an address.

I think they have, and I say I have some personal ones that I've been working on with Tim and my friends at 301, as and like doing like traffic studies and stuff, and they keep getting resolved.

But I'll bring that up because they're they're definitely not resolved.

Yeah, that's um it does get looked at.

It does get looked at.

I mean, there are there are certain traffic signals in the city that are city maintained and some of the state, you know, most sort of the city.

But um the 301 wouldn't want to get it depends on what what the what the situation is.

Sure.

So sometimes it's it's a matter of the the power result.

And we're waiting for I think on Charles Street.

We were waiting a few days for uh for renoving to restore power.

For some reason they were really slow and restoring power, but it it's various reasons.

So and I'll just emphasize for 311 to make sure they're doing it.

Um okay, clean up this is like familiar to everybody cleaning out proper lanes from snow and sitting on sidewalks.

So a bunch of examples here.

One of them is, and councilwoman Andrew and I have talked about this, like the Camp and Doyle, uh Mysterious who owns after MLK, and that little like uh what did we say it was technically called?

The whatever that little like green.

Oh, that's all by public property, right?

So it's only by public property.

So yeah, it's the city.

I know there's the priority list from DPW that we all learned about from the hearing, but that never ever gets salted, shoveled.

The folks who are in charge of the MLK stuff, they stop right where their wine is.

Yeah, fair.

So not just this storm, literally everything's taken care of.

So we're all hanging out in the streets as cars are flying down uh in front of the school.

So that's one of them.

Um the north so we didn't talk about this specific one, I think, unless I missed it.

But yeah, I mean, we keep talking about the island, but that the bus stop in front of Whole Foods across to the province center, so that's one that's still not finished yet.

I mean, and and I bite, so I'm going around the opposite way of traffic to get through.

People are just not, I don't know where people are crossing right now.

Uh so that's one.

Um, other sort of like for the future, again, things that literally never get done in the three and a half years of my life here.

Um the amtract sidewalks, that's opposite um the state house.

Yeah, so that just never never gets done.

Uh we talked about snowball, right?

On the side of the house, yeah, like ice.

When you say not get done like yeah, yeah, but that's better.

Right here.

No, I'm I'm just saying like someone got good, but it never makes it up.

Uh, and station of road, they're also responsible for the like we want to go sledding down, you know, towards north main.

So again, thinking about like whose responsibility is I appreciate that it's federal ground, but like well, the rest of it, we gotta do something.

I don't think we can't just like for three and a half years never have it uh period for safety.

One other point that I want I was a question about as far as snow removal that we learned in the DPW hearing was it seemed that after a number of days or whatever, they decided they were only going to be doing evening snow removal as far as like bringing the files out to what traffic congestion.

Um but to just like reiterate the point we're now almost two weeks out, and I bike, I walk, I take the bus.

There's plenty of you know, anecdotally plenty of time during the day where traffic is very, very light, and it feels like if we have the resources that could be used during the day if they're theoretically kind of working around the pot still to get through that priority list.

Yeah, I'm wondering why we're not sending it.

I'm not I'm not directly involved in in small rule, but I'm pretty sure they the highway crews are out during the day.

They just I think they concentrated a little more different equipment, like front end loaders and stuff at night when when park cars weren't there and so forth.

So I think it wasn't just exclusively at night, but I I can't tell you for sure because I'm involved.

Yeah, and I don't want to like cut it off because this is specifically about Normain, so some of these are less relevant to this task force to just not cut it off, but yeah, like I can't like I can't respond to that.

I don't know.

That's okay.

I mean, I guess it still involves North Main because we're talking about bike lanes and sidewalks and around schools, so that's all for snow removal.

Is there anyone that can respond to that about like snow removal?

The snow rule is like outside the core view of this task force, but I can follow up with you other council person active fact.

Oh okay.

Um other three one one thing about again, it's like extending off of North Main, but a safety traffic issue, like Camp Brown only intersection where we've got the Baptist Church MLK going across to O Pi.

That's been something that's just been resolved, even though we have people flying from North Main to Hope Street.

It gets worse in the summer.

Um it's a special kind of worse now with the snow stuff, but are you saying the issues like speeding?

Yeah, because we only have a two-way stop on camp and brown, but going from like North Main to Hover vice versa.

Yes, I know there's a speed trap during school hours, but it doesn't you've aren't paying attention after school hours when it's not clocking.

So yeah, I if you want to talk to you about that, we've studied that a few times.

So for an only stop.

So yeah, do you is there an update?

Because it just has all right.

Um so we uh we tried to we actually tested it out with a temporary stop.

Yeah, on only street one, yeah.

The uh the result of that during the afternoon peak, there was just significant backup.

So that kind of we're hesitating to put put an all-way stop for just for that reason.

Um so we can we can possibly look at some other measures there to improve safety, but um it was a there was a little bit of a negative impact on that for the for an always stock there, so for the darkness, yeah, yeah.

What's up?

Because they don't cause sliding back.

Well, it says sliding back because the snow skulls have red light on a snowstorm, it's gonna possibly slide back.

Yeah, I mean that's but I I mean that what we noticed it wasn't during a uh it was we put a temporary stop there and only you I don't want to do it, yeah.

And then it just during the afternoon peaked up the after the the traffic backed up significantly, so um it was a delay issue there, so yeah.

I would love to talk to you more about that just so we can kind of find more creative ways to sure make sure people are because it's yeah, it's pretty mistake, right?

That's where I think three and happier.

So I get to watch, yeah.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, okay.

So last north main thing, someone brought up.

Um, and I think this was from one of the climate plans, but just like the climate idea in general.

Um hard there, and then maybe this is like PvD3 thing, but adding more trees as far as like heat sink mitigation because that's yeah.

So um the Summit Neighborhood Association does do a regular tree planting, and Sherry wanted to join us today.

She was just asking me she couldn't eat it tonight uh as the president of SNA.

Um, and we did smooth down plant some trees on North Main in their last go round, and they've been prioritizing that like the Camp Street, Mount Hove neighborhood for the tree planting.

Um SNA does an amazing job with the tree, just shout out SNA who's not here, but the Summit Neighborhood Association does like way more tree plantings than like anyone else in the city is kind of stunning.

Um there were some on North Main.

Um, the last go round over I planted two of them.

Um and the city forrester like protected us with his big truck because it's very dangerous to have your butt sticking out of our main one plant.

Um so I think that's probably an option, and that would be uh Sherry helps organize that.

Sherry and Del.

It used to be um Emily, another um another person who helps out, but Sherry would be the person chat with Dylan to have a yeah, there's uh we actually have a really good tree canopy ordinance for private property.

If private property has a then Jessica, if you can play in if I'm getting this correct if private property has a buffer uh against a yeah, like a public sidewalk, and there's a parking lot, parking lot is required to have a certain amount of tree canopy, and that buffer is required to have trees every 25 feet.

The problem with North Maine is there's not a lot of buffers, yeah.

Um, and there's no incentive for any of the properties to create bobbers.

Um, but one little tiny victory uh was the well, I wouldn't call it victory because it started with the pet boys cutting all the trees street trees down, um, and there were two big ones shaving that R line stop, and so that really incense me.

They they cut all the trees down in the park.

Um but they were now in violation of the board.

So we reached out to the office, they sent somebody out there.

Um they got to the prosecution days, I guess.

I'm not really sure what exactly um all that is, but that boys ended up letting all the trees agreed to compliance for uh for the ordinance.

So I think it's really important that people know that that ordinance exists, yeah, but it's only enforceable as much as there are the buffers are there, and a lot of like places just have their park lines paved right up to the start.

So a lot of that probably has to do too with when those buildings when those developments were built and when the zoning ordinance implemented that because if those things were done before the zoning ordinance, then their grandfather they don't have to adhere to the zoning ordinance.

So just throwing that out.

Theoretically, yes.

Again, enforcing it.

There are a lot of different, I don't know the ins and outs of that, but theoretically.

And you gotta be careful because the trees are half the problem with why people can because it's great in the shadows in the doctors in the streets that makes the street lights shine on the street.

Yeah, but some of the trees you're gonna create light and possibly reduce the accents.

But when you go in on main drives like that, you've got to kind of think people like the trees are becoming more lost for the Alpha.

Jason, did you have more on your list for me?

Yeah.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Um, Kevin.

Hello.

Uh my name is Kevin Sington.

I'm representing Bloomberg Island.

We're happy to fund the planting at the intersection benefit in Portland, Maine.

Not just because of the great flowers, and that's what we're here to do is help get flowers planted in public places.

Um, but as you all know, as well as anybody, the terrific traffic calming effect that that had.

Um, and so we're excited about the impact that that had.

I guess not just a I mean it I guess it's a pilot of sorts because I'm not sure we've done it anywhere else.

Um in our students in in our work, yeah.

Um so we're excited to do more of that, and um been talking with the streets folks and with the counselor on some potential projects, and uh we do have a grant information out now.

So um Dylan mentioned it.

You go to Bloom Rhode Island.org, click the grants page.

The grants are open through the end of the month.

We have grants up to 10,000 for um nonprofits.

We also give mini grants out to 500 to individuals because there are a lot of traffic circles out there that need love.

Um we have found anecdotally through two years of this grant making that trees, flowers, plantings, uh side lines aside, um slow traffic.

And that wasn't really something we expected, but we're for people that are finding community gardens uh and places you know like that like that like those on the south side of Providence that you've learned taking a minute and have enough breaks.

So we're excited to do more of that.

And also you just wanted to come by and say hi to more.

Yeah, thank you.

Yay.

Um awesome.

That is all the public comment we have.

I'm gonna add my own public comment who are not member of the public and say thank you to Jess, who is leading public service, and we're all very sad about it.

I was really happy for her in your next steps.

And just want to think her for everything.

Oh my god, everyone for the city, but particularly for all the parts are on the task force the last several years.

So thank you, Jess.

Thank you, Jones.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I'm in oh god, I should know what we're gonna join Ryan's for.

I don't know the numbers.

Um awesome.

Well, if there's no further comment and we've done everything on the agenda, time just a motion to adjourn.

Second, all in favor.

Excellent.

Thank you all so much.

We will reconvene soon.

Lots to do.

I'd rather say that.

Oh my god, there's no computer.

Yeah, so it might be okay.

So I need to just