Special Selectboard Public Meeting 2/10/25

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Special Selectboard Minutes 02-10-25 149 KB

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Town of Richmond
Special Selectboard Meeting

Public Informational Meeting
Minutes of February 10, 2025

Members Present: Bard Hill, David Sander, Jay Furr, Lisa Miller, Adam Wood
 

Absent: None

Staff Present: Planning Director Keith Oborne.

Others Present: MMCTV Erin Wagg, Lisa Kory, Erin Farr, Engineers from WSP Erik Maki and Annabell Dally and Jason Charest, Martha Waterman, Susan Wells, Cara LaBounty, Jean Haskin, Lisa Kory, John Kart, Maria Brown, Keith Jennings, John Rankin, Diane Mariano, Tom Butler, Trevor Brooks, Kyle M, June Heston, Veronique, Vicky LaPlant, iPhone (52), Jon, Nick

MMCTV Video: Recorded by MMCTV by Erin Wagg

https://youtu.be/mJT51xJew4Y?si=vjwkj03XZJE_c-_u

Call to Order: 7:03 pm
 

Welcome by: Sander

Public Comment: None

Additions or Deletions to Agenda: None

Items for Presentation or Discussion with those present

Presentation by Engineers from WSP from Scoping Study of Cochran Road
Timestamp: 0:01

https://www.richmondvt.gov/fileadmin/files/Selectboard/Meetings/2025/01/1_Richmond_Scoping_Study_Draft_Alt_Pres_Notice.pdf

https://www.richmondvt.gov/fileadmin/files/Selectboard/Meetings/2025/02/2_Richmond_Cochran_Road_Scoping_Study_Alternatives_Public_Presentation_02-10-25_Final.pdf

People who participated in the discussion: Oborne, Maki, Sander, Hill, Charest, LaBounty, Miller, Wood, Furr, Wells, Waterman, Haskin, Kory, Kart, Jennings, Brown, Rankin

Maki gave a presentation of the power point (link above) regarding the scoping study WSP engineers have conducted on Cochran Road. Some ideas involve adding sidewalks, widening the roadway, changing signage, adding a bike path, and lowering speeds. Maki mentioned prices per foot and per mile, ranging from $100,000 to over $2.5 million. Hill warned that for a Town like Richmond where the total Town Budget is $4.3 million, this is a lot of money to spend on one road.

Miller mentioned that mixing pedestrians, bikes and automobiles isn’t a good idea. Furr concurred and said that the speed humps have helped some on Cochran Road, but the cars still go too fast and it’s not a safe road to walk on. Miller believes we should look at more than one option presented by WSP. Wood believes improving the walking path along the river at Volunteers Green would be a cheaper option. Hill wondered if there were portions of this study that taxpayers would be interested in pursuing. Charest mentioned there are some grants available for some of these types of improvements. LaBounty suggested some presentation improvements and she feels Stormwater issues will occur by adding impervious surfaces and that cost was not included in the cost calculations.

Wells indicated that lots of people use Cochran Road and often park near the Round Church where she feels it’s important to get better crosswalks. Waterman thinks the study shows some exciting options for improvement of safety. Haskin believes in using the Police and ticketing people for speeding rather than having speed humps. Oborne read letters from residents who were complaining about the speed humps. Kory likes the speed humps, but she thinks it’s important to remember the reasons why the study was deemed important initially and that the number of cars and bikes is increasing on this road and she feels much safer once she reaches the sidewalks on Bridge Street when she walks into Town.

Miller wants the similarities of the three recent studies done in for the Town in recent years to be combined and completed as part of the solution. Kart concurs with Miller; he was previously on the Transportation Committee and says that intersections were not improved despite studies done in that case also. Jennings was also on the Transportation Committee, which isn’t active and he isn’t sure he wants to continue serving on that committee because of the lack of follow through. Brown does not think enough people in the Town are engaged in this conversation, because it’s an expense that will have to be paid by taxpayers. Furr pointed out that the sidewalk study and intersection study was done prior to the flooding and the need to pay for flood damages superseded following through on either of those studies. Hill said time and money was depleted due to the floodings.

Miller emphasized that all three studies are important and not abandoned, and parts of this Cochran Road study could be chosen to be completed relatively cheaply. Jennings emphasized that taking the next step to move this project forward is needed. Wood stated that community input and future volunteers may be needed. Oborne asked for suggestions regarding next steps, which Wood replied should include a discussion with the Highway Department and figuring in feasibility of completing any portions of the study. Oborne pondered if an ad hoc committee needed to be created.

Charest stated they would be taking the feedback given tonight and organizing the study in a way that makes sense and any improvements they suggest should be applicable to all seasons. Oborne said he needs more input to create a Town plan. Charest wondered why parking was restricted on the eastern end of Cochran Road, to which Rankin stated that parking near Wes White Hill is not permitted, but parking is permitted near the Jonesville bridge.

Adjourn

Hill  moved to adjourn. Miller seconded.
Roll Call Vote: Hill, Furr, Miller, Wood, Sander in favor. Motion approved.

Meeting adjourned at: 9:02 pm

Chat file from Zoom:
 

None 00:41:18 Jean Haskin:    Make a river walk path along the river

00:41:59          Jean Haskin:    Put sidewalks up Wes White Hill

00:42:20          Jean Haskin:    What about street lights?

00:55:24          Jean Haskin:    The speed humps have slowed people down

01:00:56          Jay Furr:          mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part3/fig3b_29_longdesc.htm \

01:20:25          Jean Haskin:    Added cost to maintain the sidewalks?

01:22:45          Jean Haskin:    Turn the green into a parking lot

01:30:56          Keith Jennings:           None of the low-cost solutions from the THCB intersection discussions and the Richmond Village Bridge St. bike/ped safety meeting have been implemented

01:31:26          Lisa Kory:       Reacted to "None of the low-cost..." with 👍

01:33:03          Cara:    Reacted to "None of the low-cost..." with 👍

01:36:01          Cara:    Is there a reason the road could not shift to one side and have one recreation path, rather than both sides?

01:38:25          Erin Farr:         I'm putting kids to bed so I can't comment, if we could make a sub committee to explore the zillion dollar sidewalk on the west side of route 2, could we make a sub committee to make proposals for Cochran Road, which in my opinion is a larger issue

01:47:30          Erin Farr:         Seeing the timeline, I think it is important that the feasibility study is done when all the mountain bike trails are open. In the spring they are often closed for mud and that drastically changes the amount of travel between Cochran Road trails and Chamberlin hill. I also mentioned timing of the travel studies for the TCHB being during the school year and they did the study in the middle of the summer when there was no traffic obstacles which in my opinion is not an accurate study.

01:48:26          Martha Waterman :     Richmond residents have already voiced support for a walkway when surveyed for ARPA

01:54:01          Cara:    Walkway support was not based on a $ amount, that is the missing detail.

01:54:48          Erin Farr:         The incremental approach will also help us to start by serving the RESIDENTS of Richmond with smaller changes, (example Susan crossing to her home safely) and then we can expand to serve the biking/rec communities that are NOT RESIDENTS and come here specifically for recreation

01:54:49          Cara:    I do agree, there is support. I was on the ARPA committee

01:55:59          Cara:    There are no sidewalks around Round Church green, so sidewalks to nowhere are the issue for some people.

01:56:18          Erin Farr:         Reacted to "Seeing the timeline,..." with 👍

01:57:24          Erin Farr:         Thanks Jay also my previous comment

01:58:29          Erin Farr:         That was it thank you!

02:00:07          Erin Farr:         That would also need to be run by the Richmond Land Trust because they own the Bombardier Meadow