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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes.OSTB.20220527 MINUTES City of Aspen, Open Space and Trails Board Meeting Held on May 19, 2022 5:00pm at Pearl Pass Room, Aspen City Hall City OST Board Members Present: Ted Mahon, Howie Mallory, Adam McCurdy, Ann Mullins City Staff Members Present: John Spiess, Matt Kuhn, Michael Tunte, Austin Weiss, Brian Long, Micah Davis Adoption of the Agenda: Ted made a motion to approve the agenda; Ann seconded and the vote was unanimous. Public Comments, for topics not on the agenda: None. Approval of the Minutes: Ann made a motion to approve the minutes; Ted seconded and the vote was unanimous. Staff Comments: Matt: The County signed a contract with Tom & Carolyn Moore for the Moore Open Space acquisition in early May; this will become public tomorrow. The City is contributing $1 million; the County will contribute $9 million. City Council is expected to pass a resolution next week, followed by expected BOCC approval. Adam asked about the family issue related to this process; Matt explained that a small portion of land has been removed from the open space deal with potential for it to be added at a later time pending resolution of the issue. John: Arbor Day will take place Saturday. The bark beetle mitigation project will begin Monday. Brian: The first reading of trails municipal code revisions was May 10th; the second reading will take place on May 24th. Austin: Austin and Mike traveled to Bariloche in early May to consult with a group there on a large park development plan. New Business: Easements: Matt provided an overview of easements and licenses throughout the City as requested by Dan Perl. Easements and the like are non-possessory interests in property owned by another person. Matt defined easements, licenses, and agreements for purposes such as trails, fishing, recreation, conservation, prescriptive, and ski easements (private, public, alpine, Nordic, seasonal). Jim True was present to answer questions. Trails constitute the greatest number of easements. Matt highlighted certain easements, and the various roles of other entities such as the County and AVLT. Matt explained that conservation easements conserve a value on a property, such as agricultural, natural resource, or managing development. Jim explained that conservation and trail easements are different in legal concept, and that access and limitations vary among these easementa. Licenses can be terminated and are not held in perpetuity. GIS information on easements is not published or made available to the public. Pitkin County provides a map of fishing easements in the county. Howie commented on the history of various easements; the Board should be mindful of this information as development takes place. Ted asked how often licenses and hand-shakes are checked on; Matt explained that they have specified time intervals and that the City responds to requests and check-ins. Howie added that the importance of these easements is part of the rationale for supporting the Half Cent ballot item. Old Business: Safety in the Core Umbrella Project: Tricia Aragon, City Engineer, and Jack Danneberg, Project Manager, presented: This project addresses community sentiment that the downtown core feels unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Project goals are to increase safety for all users, improve mobility and connectivity in the downtown core, balance equitable use of the right of way, and maintain parking. The Lab is designed to test safety measures and gather public feedback prior to permanent installation and will be in place from June through October 2022. The Lab has physical elements (curb extensions, converted parallel parking, a new 4-way stop, counterflow bike lanes, etc) and programmatic elements (reclassification of parking spaces, limited construction use of parking space, increased citation fees, striped parking, a bike safety program, etc.). The lab space includes four intersections on Galena and Cooper Streets. Staff will monitor success and gather feedback. Ted asked how the new features will be managed in winter; Jack explained that snow removal will be considered in the installation phase. WeCycle, free shuttles, and the Downtowner will have increased service within the lab. Outreach will gather community feedback. A ribbon- cutting event “Bikes are Back” will take place in June to celebrate a north-south bike connection through the downtown core. Howie suggested that the lab should be in place into off season and winter to support non-motorized travel during winter. Jack explained that certain lab elements are not designed for winter use, considering plow spoils that could make winter bike travel more dangerous. Howie mentioned that year-round bike-pedways depend on surface management for success. Brian commented that Streets, Engineering, and Parks will need to coordinate on winter management. Ann asked how success will be measured; Jack explained that staff will observe, conduct surveys, analyze accident data, etc. Ann suggested that WeCycle, the downtowner, and shuttle changes should be made permanent. She also commented that roadway simplicity is known to be safe, citing examples in Europe where simple streetscapes are effective, and suggested returning to two-way streets with parallel parking. Trish explained that pedestrian behavior is different at certain intersections, calling for specific safety measures. Ted asked how far the counterflow bike lane would go; it is planned to end at Hopkins. Ted suggested continuing the bike lane to Main Street as a way of helping cyclists cross Main Street and reach the Rio Grande Trail. Trish and Jake expressed interest in this idea and a discussion followed. Austin mentioned that this idea could help bring visitors to the Jail Trail and change the feel of the “do not enter” signs at the Main Street/Galena intersection. Farm Collaborative Learning Center: Eden Vardy reported on the learning center project at Cozy Point Ranch. He provided a recap of recent budget challenges and a current alternative plan for the learning center which will accommodate a phased approach toward a final building that will be close to the original concept. If an exemption is granted for a change order in the building permit, they will proceed with their proposed building. Eden described the proposed changes, including eliminating the lean-to, an open-air main space, and decreased restroom facilities. Howie asked whether one main septic system could suffice. John explained that a single septic field would not provide sufficient capacity and that the on-site treatment system that was explored would not meet requirements (insufficient streamflow in Brush Creek). Three septic fields would be needed, and spatial implications would be a challenge. Ted asked when the building would be completed if approval is granted. Eden explained that it depends on whether re-designing and re-permitting would allow construction to begin in 2022; timing is unknown while awaiting the building permit. Maroon Creek Trail: John updated on progress. The joint meeting with Pitkin County to discuss alignment was successful. The owners of the S & J parcel declined to discuss an easement on their property. Much of the trail will be adjacent to the road, including along the ARC. Otak is proceeding with alignment options with these new parameters. Ann asked what the alignment would have been with easements; John explained options further from the road. Matt commented that the trail will be fine and this direction will save time. Austin added that the alignment near the road may offer opportunities to improve the complicated ARC portion of the trail. Howie asked if redesigning the bridge has been considered; Austin said that it has to an extent. Micah asked about the vision for going through the ARC parking area. John explained that the trail would likely be located on the street side of the parking lot. Adam asked about timing; it is planned for next year. Brian mentioned school construction planned for this summer and associated impacts to the campus trail. Mike asked about campus trail user destinations; Brian explained the mix of users and destinations. Board Comments: Ann: Commented on the difficulty of describing the route to the Bells to visitors, emphasizing the complicated current route. Adam: None. Ted: Asked about Parks staffing. Matt explained that forestry and trails are well-staffed, while landscaping and other positions are short-staffed. Changes in positions and benefits are being planned for next season to attract more employees. Mike mentioned that construction positions continue to be difficult to fill. These staffing challenges are resulting in delays with certain work. Ted also commented that e-bikes are now allowed at 18 Road and other area trails. Howie: Commented that speed limit signage seems to be needed on Rio Grande Trail for safety. Brian said that speed limit signage language is included in the trail code revisions. Matt mentioned Parks is purchasing a digital radar speed sign to improve safety and collect speed data. Howie asked about the City’s goal for percentage tree canopy cover over town. Matt said there is no percentage goal, but that the City’s progressive code supports a dense canopy. Next Meeting Date(s): Regular meeting June16, 2022. Executive Session: N/A Adjourned: Howie made a motion to adjourn; Ted seconded and the vote was unanimous.