Public Works Committee Meeting – December 10, 2024
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Public Works Committee Meeting – December 10, 2024
The Public Works Committee of the City of Winston-Salem met on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 2:00 PM. Chair Barbara Hanes Burke presided, with Vice Chair Scott Andree-Bowen and Councilmembers Robert Clark and James Taylor Jr. present. Councilmember Annette Scippio also attended. The committee considered a consent agenda of four items and four general agenda items, including street closures, transit service changes, a railroad crossing project, and a new transit technology platform. All votes were unanimous (4-0) except for the action on the Frampton Street closure, which was held in committee for further study.
Consent Calendar
- C-1 – Mount Hope Estates Annexation: Request for a public hearing (set for January 21, 2025) on the voluntary annexation of approximately 26.966 acres east of South Main Street and south of Jones Road, petitioned by Ensure Development LLC. Committee recommended approval by consent vote, referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
- C-2 – Kershaw Commons Annexation: Request for a public hearing (set for January 21, 2025) on the voluntary annexation of approximately 17.14 acres west of South Main Street and south of Fishel Road, petitioned by True Homes LLC. Committee recommended approval by consent vote, referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
- C-3 – Leaf Mulching Facility Lease: Resolution authorizing a new lease agreement with KDM of Wilmington, LLC for a site for the Sanitation Department’s leaf mulching facility (North Ward). Committee recommended approval by consent vote, referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
- C-4 – Lead Service Line Replacement Program: Resolution for approval of a federal funding application for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program. Committee recommended approval by consent vote, referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Brian Wolf (Head of School, Winston Salem Christian School) spoke on agenda item G-1 (Frampton Street closure). He expressed that safety of students is his primary concern, noting that a fatal accident occurred previously and that he recently pulled a student out of the crosswalk to avoid a school bus. He stated he is open to alternative safety measures but emphasized that closure remains the safest option. He had no specific timetable for a decision.
Discussion Items
- G-1 – Frampton Street Closure (Northeast Ward): Aaron King (Assistant City Manager) briefed the committee on the petition to close and abandon a section of Frampton Street. He noted that the action before the committee was solely to set a public hearing date (originally listed on the agenda as February 3, 2025, but the minutes later cited March 3, 2025 – a discrepancy exists). Staff identified concerns about losing an east-west connection for the surrounding area, which would force traffic to Leo Street and Sheraton Street, potentially increasing congestion on those streets. Councilmember Clark expressed concern for residents on Sheraton Street and requested that staff explore alternative safety improvements for the school crossing. Councilmember Burke supported further study. Dr. Wolf addressed the committee, reiterating his openness to other options. A motion to hold the item in committee and refer it back to the Public Works Committee for further discussion (with a return date of January 14, 2025) was made by Councilmember Clark and seconded by Councilmember Andree-Bowen. The motion carried 4-0.
- G-2 – WSTA Route Study and Service Changes: Jeff Fansler (Transportation Director) introduced Patrick McDonough (HDR, senior transit planner) who presented the results of the Winston-Salem Transit Authority (WSTA) route study. Key findings: 29 of 31 routes currently operate on 60-minute headways; the proposed Vision Network would provide 10 routes with 15-minute service, 11 with 30-minute service, and only 5 with 60-minute service. Under the current system, a resident at 25th and Patterson Avenue can reach approximately 32,000 jobs (one-fifth of the city’s jobs) within one hour. Under the Vision Network, that figure would increase to 107,000 jobs (about 70%). Similar gains were shown for Peters Creek Parkway (from 11% to 64% of jobs). The first phase of changes, to be implemented within the existing budget, include route straightening (e.g., Route 87, Route 90), frequency increases on Routes 83, 87, 107, and 90, and elimination of three underperforming routes (99, 100, 110) with the 15 busiest stops having alternative service. Route 108 was retained due to public feedback. Public engagement showed majority support: over 50% of residents willing to walk further for faster trips. The proposed changes are Title VI compliant, with projected net gains in ridership among low-income and minority residents (estimated 20,000–30,000 new riders annually). Councilmember Clark praised the data-driven approach. Councilmember Scippio noted that most routes run through her ward and emphasized the importance of frequent service. Councilmember Taylor asked about night service; Jeff Fansler reported a 0.5% ridership increase since night service was restored on November 11, 2024, with expected growth as marketing continues. Committee approved setting a public hearing for January 6, 2025, and recommended approval of the changes. Motion by Councilmember Clark, second by Councilmember Andree-Bowen, carried 4-0.
- G-3 – NCDOT Doris Street Rail Crossing Closure (Northeast Ward): Jeff Fansler introduced Brian Gackstetter (NCDOT Rail Division) and John Button (NCDOT Division 9 Traffic Safety Engineer). The project aims to close the at-grade railroad crossing of Doris Street (RC-2009A) due to severe geometry issues causing crashes. Over a five-year period, there were 27 crashes at the intersection of Doris Street and Old Walkertown Road, including rear-end, head-on, and side-impact collisions. The crossing sees approximately 550 vehicles per day and 15 trains per day at 35 mph. Since 1982, there have been 8 train-involved crashes, the last in 2008. Three alternatives were presented: (1) close the crossing and raise Old Walkertown Road by one foot; (2) close the crossing and raise the road by two feet (preferred by NCDOT as it significantly reduces driveway impacts); (3) close the crossing with no other changes. The project is in early stages; cost estimates are not yet available. The closure would require city council action and additional public engagement, including a workshop. This item was for information only; no vote was taken.
- G-4 – UMO Platform for Transit Services: Kelly Garvin (Assistant Transportation Director) presented a proposal to enter into a $868,529 agreement with UMO Platform for a mobility service application providing bus tracking, trip planning, and cashless payments for WSTA. The total includes $382,000 in capital costs funded by an FTA grant, with the remainder from the existing transit budget (budget neutral). UMO is already used by Greensboro, High Point, and PART, offering regional integration. The app allows payment via mobile app, reloadable card, credit card, or Apple Pay. It also supports partnerships with employers, universities, and social service agencies. Councilmembers expressed strong support, noting the convenience of cashless payments and the potential to attract new riders. Motion by Councilmember Clark, second by Councilmember Andree-Bowen, carried 4-0. The item was referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: All four items approved by unanimous consent and referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
- Frampton Street Closure (G-1): Motion carried 4-0 to hold the item in committee and refer back to the Public Works Committee on January 14, 2025, for further discussion of alternative safety improvements. The public hearing date is in question: the agenda listed February 3, 2025, while the minutes stated March 3, 2025.
- WSTA Route Study (G-2): Approved unanimously (4-0) to set a public hearing for January 6, 2025, and recommended the proposed service changes.
- Doris Street Rail Crossing (G-3): No action taken; item was informational only. NCDOT will conduct further public engagement and present a final proposal to the city.
- UMO Transit Application (G-4): Approved unanimously (4-0) to authorize the agreement with UMO Platform at a total cost of $868,529, referred to City Council on January 6, 2025.
- Committee Orientation: The city manager provided updates on upcoming events, including a strategic planning session (January 29–30), a tour of public works facilities (January 24), civility training (January 22), and new council member essentials (January 9–10). The meeting adjourned at 3:19 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I'd like to call to order the December meeting of the Public Works Committee. I am Public Works Chair, Barbara Burke. And committee members joining me today are Vice Chair Scott Einstreet Bowen, Councilmember Robert Clark, and Councilmember James Taylor. Our agenda is made up of two parts the consent agenda and the general agenda. It is the practice of the committee to act on the consent consent agenda with one motion. So before entertaining a motion on the consent agenda, committee members, are there any agenda items you would like to have pulled? There are no items. Madam Chair, I move for approval of the consent agenda. Second. Thank you. We've had a motion. It's been uh moved by a motion by councilmember Taylor, seconded by councilmember Clark. We're ready for a vote. All in favor, let us know by thumbs up. I'll vote on the thing. I'm the only one doing it. I'll vote. Hey. City Clerk, would you please read agenda item G1? Item G1 request for a public hearing on a petition to close and abandon Frampton Street and notice to all persons interested in the closing thereof. Located in the north northeast ward. Thank you. Mr. King, would you please uh tee this item up for us? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I'll offer a brief summary on this and a little bit of kind of um process standpoint. So so when we do um street closure, so what is before you today is really the action to set the public hearing date. It's not necessarily to debate the merits of the case itself, but to set the public hearing date. So when you when you vote here in a few minutes, that is the action you'll be taking. Um I do want to point out, usually when we bring a U street closing request, they're fairly straightforward and non-controversial. Um in staff's review of this request, there were some issues identified, and I at least want to get those on the table to make the committee aware of those. Um so to get you oriented, Jamie's pulled up kind of the larger area in question here. Um you can see basically Highway 52 there to the east, Akron Drive to the south, Patterson Avenue to the west, and basically the island of land that it creates with Leo Street, Sheraton Street, Frampton, Mildred, etc. Um, you can see Frampton Street there running east-west where the red marker is located, and that is a section of street that is requested to be closed. Staff wants to make sure that the committee is aware when you look at that larger island of land in there at a holistically east-west connections are limited. There's obviously no east connections, eastern connections across Highway 52, and connections back out to Patterson are basically restricted to Frampton and Sheraton. So while you see Winnipeg Street at the top of the screen, Mildred Street Auto Service in there, those streets do not connect to Patterson. So the request before you to close that section of Frampton Street would force all of the traffic in this greater area back down Leo Street to the intersection of Leo and Sheraton and ultimately back out to that lower intersection with Sheraton and Patterson. Staff has concerns about losing an access point in here and the connectivity issues that creates. So those are concerns that were raised by both planning staff and DOT staff. And at your February 3rd public hearing on there, so there's an opportunity to debate those merits and go into further conversations. But we at least wanted to get those issues on the table with the committee today. Okay. And um, as Ms. Thank you, Mr. King. As Mr. King stated, this is um an item that will go to public hearing. Are there any questions from committee members or others uh regarding this item?
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