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Unless anyone objects, I'm going to suggest Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 9:30 AM for our next meeting. The main reason for choosing a date so far out is that Sheila is out of town until Jan 28. Also, if we set it a bit further out, we can invite some other partners to participate and they probably have that date free at this point.

Below is a summary of our first meeting. Follow the meeting summary a recap of discussion on Coolidge Road, which Nancy Krupiarz would like us to keep tabs on and attend meeting regarding.

I will be forwarding this email with a cover note to a few additional partners who might like to join this effort.

Below is a summary from our first meeting:

A. How to run meetings: agreed on shared facilitation. Jessica can do notes and minutes.

B. Overall goal of group:    More walkable and bikable communities in Tri-County area (Ingham, Eaton, Clinton Counties).

C. Specific outcome goals:
             1. More bike lanes on arterial roads.

             2. More sidewalks with shadetrees, crosswalks, benches, traffic-calming, and other walk-friendly amenities that CONNECT NEIGHBORHOODS TO DESTINATIONS.

             3. More walk-and-bike friendly crossing at intersections.

             4. Better connections from roads to trails.

D. Strategies we identified for accomplishing these outcomes:

             1. Improve the level of citizen input in transportation planning and design.

             2. Take on specific road projects that are scheduled and work to become part of the planning and design process.

             3. Learn which aspects of current designs are requirements (shall), guidelines (should), and opinions (may). Identify where any of these are impediments to creating walk- and bike-friendly communities, and work to change them.

F. Possible actions to help us fulfill identified strategies:

             1. Look at Ingham County Health Department's Behavior Risk Factor Survey for more insight and data on why people aren't physically active or eating healthy (access to healthy food when you don't have a car can be an issue)

             2. Review transportation plans (3-year and 20-year) from Tri County and look for upcoming projects that we might influence. (Jessica will bring to next meeting)

             3. Identify a set of priority projects for 2006 that we can focus on. Come up with criteria we can use to figure out which programs will be highest priority.

             4. Participate in ICHD's Land Use and Health Conference on Feb 28 (www.cacvoices.org/conference)

             5. Engage the public with educational sessions on transporation policies, Tri-County area plans, and issues.

             6. Simultaneously educate ourselves and the public with these educational sessions.

             7. Begin combining various databases to create a list of people who can help in this effort:
                        - 2004 Urban Options Green Commuting Seminar
                        - 2003 Mid-MEAC "wishful" Walk and Bike Destinations Mapping
                                    Potluck
                        - 2004 Heart of Michigan Trail Summit
                        - 2005 Smart Commute list
                        - 2005 Okemos Road Public Meeting Sign-In, etc)

             8. Begin attending Tri-County Regional Planning Commission's CARTS meetings (Capital Area Regional Transportation Study Technical Committee) --- NEXT MEETING IS TUESDAY, FEB 7, 9:30 AM, 5303 S. CEDAR, CONF D&E, JESSICA PLANS TO ATTEND.

             9. Review the recommendations from Urban Options' 2004 Green Commuting Seminar (Jessica will talk to Pat Hudson and Aileen Gow).

             10. Review destinations that participants identified as what they wanted to be able to walk and bike to in their neighborhoods at Mid-MEAC's "wish-list" potluck. (Jessica will work on locating)

             11. Bring neighborhood groups into this coordinating group---- they are likely to have problem areas in their neighborhoods where they want to make changes.

I think these are the main areas we covered at the meeting. If I missed other topics, please let me know and I'll amend these minutes.

Below is a summary of what I'm calling a "Road Alert!" from Nancy Krupiarz. If others think it's a good idea, I'll set up a link from the Mid-MEAC homepage to a page of these kinds of "Road Alerts!" so that the website visitors can stay tuned in to what's happening in the area. We might also want to consider using some of our funding from ICHD to mail post-cards to our lists letting people know about these topics, or using staff and volunteer time to make calls to people to come out to city council meetings on such issues.

1/6/06: Road Change Alert!!! Coleman Road west from Coolidge to the railroad corridor which will take it under US 127 to Eastwoode Towne Center.

Nancy Krupiarz repors, on 1/6/06:

... It's at the very early planning stages where we can definitely have an impact if need be.

Lansing Twp., and City of East Lansing Parks, Ingham County Parks and us [Michigan Trails and Greenways Association] would like to make sure that there is a trail or similar nonmotorized accommodation incorporated into the road decision so that bicyclists and walkers can get under US 127 and connect EL to Lansing.

The developers of course will not want to build that into the road design since it will require curb and gutter, etc.

Tim McAfree thinks that the Planning Commission and elected officials will be all for the nonmotorized accommodation, but I just want to monitor and be ready if things fall apart.

I wonder if any of us could attend this planning commission mtg., and speak only if the nonmotorized accommodation idea goes awry.

Tim was going to get back to me on when this will be on the Planning Commission agenda.

Not sure if it will be before our meeting or not.

Would someone be willing to attend this meeting, whenever it is , to monitor? Art?
Anyone else from EL?

REPLIES

Leroy Harvey: I might be able to make the Planning Commision meeting, depending on when it is. Tuesdays are out and Thurs are tough for me.

Why does it require curb and gutter? Are there options that don't? Seems like curb and gutter INCREASE run-off as well. Maybe there are some creative low cost options to consider?

Either way, I'm happy to voice my/our support for a connected, quality trail system.

Art Slabosky: I have no ongoing time conflicts on weekday evenings and am interested in going. The hard part is that Planning Commission meetings are often interminable.

On the Positive side, existing Coleman and the new part of Coolidge both have bike lanes because of this same Planning Commission. Ingham County is also involved in this and I don't know their attitude . Bike lanes have a positive unintended benefit of reducing right-turn crashes. So it's not just about bicyclists.

Nancy Krupiarz: Yes, I agree that curb and gutter increase run-off. Since the developer would be paying for it, they don't want to have the responsibility of maintaining ditches, so they opt for curb and gutter to avoid that. Nice, huh. Art says he can go too, so I hope you can both go or at least one depending on when it is. At least we can keep tabs on this at an early enough stage of the game, so we won't lose this time.