City Supports Complete Streets Policy
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
During its meeting Tuesday night, the council approved supporting a Complete Streets policy presented by Tim Dombrosky, Warsaw assistant city planner.
The policy would allow the city to direct their transportation planners and engineers to routinely design and operate right of ways for transportation projects that are user-friendly to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
Warsaw Plan Commission would need to discuss the Complete Streets policy and make a recommendation that would need to be approved by city council.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city currently has rules developers must meet for things such as drainage, parking, and lighting, but does not currently have rules for developers to follow to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
“When a developer comes in there is a zoning ordinance and development standards they know they must meet, but currently there is not a development standard for creating safe travel for bicyclists, pedestrians or places to put bicycles,” Thallemer said.
Thallemer said he supported the city working to adopt the policy.
Councilman and Plan Commission member Jeff Grose said he agreed he thought it is a good idea for the city to review how they could implement a Complete Streets Policy.
Fred Helfrich, Kosciusko County Velo Cycling Club advocacy chair, and approximately 20 of the group’s members attended the meeting to show support for the city adopting the Complete Streets policy.
Helfrich said the organization is working on submitting an application to the League of American Bicyclists to make Warsaw and Winona Lake a bicycle-friendly status.
One of the questions in the application process is whether or not a city or town is a bicycle-friendly community that accommodates bicyclists through bike racks and bicycle lanes.
Also during the meeting, the council set two dates for strategic planning meetings to discuss goals and vision for the city.
The meetings will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 6 and 21 and are open to the community.
They will be after the city council meetings that are from 4 to 5 p.m those evenings.
The city entered into a $5,000 contract with American Structurepoint Inc. to conduct a strategic plan for Warsaw.
The kick off work session on Feb. 6 will be a four-hour workshop to develop an understanding of the current conditions of the community, a vision and direction of the community, and the beginning development of goals to achieve that vision.
The meeting will be an interactive conversation and presentation that is designed to present information for consideration and solicit input from attendees.
Key stakeholders such as business leaders, education and workforce development practitioners, property owners, public officials, and real estate officials will be identified to help provide input in the strategic plan.
Plans are to have a strategic plan adopted for the city by the end of March, Thallemer said.
The council approved city councilman Mike Klondaris to serve as street light commissioner for the city.
His duties will be to report back to the council when he receives concerns from residents that street lights are needed, and if street lights are out.
Also during the meeting Warsaw Fire Chief Mike Brubaker provided a fire report.
Brubaker provided a 2011 Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory Activity Report that had 1,246 responses in 2011. The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory had 90 responses in December.
The council also approved a resolution to allow department heads to submit to the clerk-treasurers office a request when needing to transfer money from one budget category into another that will need to be approved by the city council.
The council also approved conflict of interest statements for those who are employed with the city for: Thallemer, Charlie Smith, Klondaris, Becky Anglin, Dave Tackett, Bob Gonzalez, Todd Slabaugh, Brubaker, Rob Barker, Aaron Bolinger, Ed Kipker, Fred Parrett, Dave Vercauteren, and Cindy Dobbins.[[In-content Ad]]
During its meeting Tuesday night, the council approved supporting a Complete Streets policy presented by Tim Dombrosky, Warsaw assistant city planner.
The policy would allow the city to direct their transportation planners and engineers to routinely design and operate right of ways for transportation projects that are user-friendly to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists.
Warsaw Plan Commission would need to discuss the Complete Streets policy and make a recommendation that would need to be approved by city council.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said the city currently has rules developers must meet for things such as drainage, parking, and lighting, but does not currently have rules for developers to follow to accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
“When a developer comes in there is a zoning ordinance and development standards they know they must meet, but currently there is not a development standard for creating safe travel for bicyclists, pedestrians or places to put bicycles,” Thallemer said.
Thallemer said he supported the city working to adopt the policy.
Councilman and Plan Commission member Jeff Grose said he agreed he thought it is a good idea for the city to review how they could implement a Complete Streets Policy.
Fred Helfrich, Kosciusko County Velo Cycling Club advocacy chair, and approximately 20 of the group’s members attended the meeting to show support for the city adopting the Complete Streets policy.
Helfrich said the organization is working on submitting an application to the League of American Bicyclists to make Warsaw and Winona Lake a bicycle-friendly status.
One of the questions in the application process is whether or not a city or town is a bicycle-friendly community that accommodates bicyclists through bike racks and bicycle lanes.
Also during the meeting, the council set two dates for strategic planning meetings to discuss goals and vision for the city.
The meetings will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 6 and 21 and are open to the community.
They will be after the city council meetings that are from 4 to 5 p.m those evenings.
The city entered into a $5,000 contract with American Structurepoint Inc. to conduct a strategic plan for Warsaw.
The kick off work session on Feb. 6 will be a four-hour workshop to develop an understanding of the current conditions of the community, a vision and direction of the community, and the beginning development of goals to achieve that vision.
The meeting will be an interactive conversation and presentation that is designed to present information for consideration and solicit input from attendees.
Key stakeholders such as business leaders, education and workforce development practitioners, property owners, public officials, and real estate officials will be identified to help provide input in the strategic plan.
Plans are to have a strategic plan adopted for the city by the end of March, Thallemer said.
The council approved city councilman Mike Klondaris to serve as street light commissioner for the city.
His duties will be to report back to the council when he receives concerns from residents that street lights are needed, and if street lights are out.
Also during the meeting Warsaw Fire Chief Mike Brubaker provided a fire report.
Brubaker provided a 2011 Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory Activity Report that had 1,246 responses in 2011. The Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory had 90 responses in December.
The council also approved a resolution to allow department heads to submit to the clerk-treasurers office a request when needing to transfer money from one budget category into another that will need to be approved by the city council.
The council also approved conflict of interest statements for those who are employed with the city for: Thallemer, Charlie Smith, Klondaris, Becky Anglin, Dave Tackett, Bob Gonzalez, Todd Slabaugh, Brubaker, Rob Barker, Aaron Bolinger, Ed Kipker, Fred Parrett, Dave Vercauteren, and Cindy Dobbins.[[In-content Ad]]
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