[0:00] It is 7:10, we'll call the meeting to
order and we'll rise for the Pledge of
[0:03] Allegiance.
Thank you, Dave.
[0:09] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the
[0:15] Republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:22] justice for all.
[0:29] » All right, and I'll do a roll call.
>> Council member Ritsma?
[0:33] » Here.
>> Council member Earl Barkus?
[0:36] » Here.
>> Council member Zalewski?
[0:39] » Here.
>> Council member Eric Barkus?
[0:41] » Here.
>> And Mayor DeBord?
[0:44] » Here.
All right, so for the consent agenda
[0:46] tonight, I'm going to remove approval of
the agenda from that consent package cuz
[0:51] I'd like to amend it. Um so with that,
I'll look for a motion to approve the
[0:56] consent agenda minus the agenda
approval.
[0:58] » I'll make that motion.
>> I'll second.
[1:01] » Any discussion?
If not, roll
[1:06] » Okay.
Uh Chairman Council or Council member
[1:10] Ritsma?
>> Yes.
[1:11] » Council or Mayor DeBord?
>> Yes.
[1:15] » Council member Zalewski?
>> Yes.
[1:18] » Council member Eric Barkus?
>> Yes.
[1:21] » Council member Earl Barkus?
>> Yes.
[1:24] » All right, so for the approval of the
agenda,
[1:28] uh I would like to make a motion to
amend it. I'd like to include an item
[1:32] right after this agenda approval,
um
[1:36] to consider suspending city council
decisions and discussions regarding the
[1:41] future development projects or
agreements with the township.
[1:45] I would like that as number three right
after the approval.
[1:49] So I'll make that motion.
>> I'll second.
[1:52] » Any discussion or changes to the rest of
the agenda?
[1:56] If now?
>> Okay.
[1:59] Mayor of the board?
>> Yes.
[2:01] » Council member
Goldweber?
[2:03] » Yes.
>> Council member Eric Barcus?
[2:06] [clears throat]
>> Yes.
[2:07] » Council member Earl Barcus?
>> Yes.
[2:10] » Council member Winston Scott?
>> Yes.
[2:13] » All right, back to me then.
So, here's what I wrote up.
[2:18] Just some thoughts.
Uh it has become crystal clear
[2:21] throughout this year-long process, and
maybe longer, that the township boards
[2:26] are not acting in a transparent and good
faith manner.
[2:29] The lack of a clear direction and
actions and comments to that end has
[2:33] made it, in my opinion, impossible to
continue further negotiations relating
[2:38] to amendments to the water and sewer
agreements, or any further discussion of
[2:42] future projects or cooperative
development.
[2:46] I've attended and watched multiple
township meetings, and I've followed the
[2:49] process very closely, so these comments
I don't make lightly.
[2:53] Uh something as simple as allowing the
city attorney to continue in her
[2:58] capacity as a member of the negotiations
has now become an issue, as well. I feel
[3:03] like simple things like that are causing
stress and delays. It makes me
[3:08] » [clears throat]
>> have less faith that the more difficult
[3:11] things will be even more convoluted.
Uh I don't think from our perspective
[3:15] there should be any concession or
urgency in regard to future cooperative
[3:19] agreements or water and sewer agreements
with the township.
[3:23] We're already bound by the current
existing water and sewer agreements, and
[3:26] we'll continue to operate under them and
their terms for the time being.
[3:31] The changes to the existing water and
sewer agreements being proposed at all
[3:34] levels will impact our residents and our
community for decades, and there needs
[3:39] to be clear, concise, and honest
communication and good faith to that
[3:42] end. That has not been the case to this
point, and it is unfair to the community
[3:47] we were elected to represent to allow
that to continue.
[3:51] What I'm proposing to this city council
is to hold a formal vote
[3:55] to suspend
any city council or city staff
[3:59] discussion or decisions regarding future
development projects or agreements with
[4:04] the township indefinitely.
I believe it is time to take a
[4:08] significant break to allow these issues
to be corrected and cleaned up before
[4:12] any further damage is done.
So, I will make that motion.
[4:18] » I will second.
>> Any discussion on any of that?
[4:24] I will say for the discussion part of it
that we will be back as a council
[4:30] to hold a formal vote and council
comments before we re-engage, if we
[4:36] choose to re-engage down the road.
So, with that, JANELL?
[4:41] » THANK YOU.
>> [applause]
[4:48] » COUNCILMEMBER
>> YES.
[4:51] » COUNCILMEMBER ERIC BURGES?
>> YES.
[4:54] » Councilmember Burrell Burges?
>> Yes.
[4:58] » Councilmember Rick Ma?
>> Yes.
[5:01] » And Mayor DeBoer?
>> Yes.
[5:04] All right. Now, we will go to item
number four, citizen comment for the
[5:09] four agenda items first.
[5:17] All right.
>> We don't have a clock tonight, so
[5:20] » We don't have a clock tonight.
>> So, I'll be letting everybody know
[5:24] 30 seconds left
that your 3 minutes is almost expired.
[5:29] I am
>> 20
[5:31] 20 20 pages long?
>> No.
[5:34] Excuse me. There we go.
>> Okay. I'm Perry Beacham. I reside at 924
[5:39] Riverside Drive. I originally wanted
speed tables to slow traffic, but have
[5:44] come to to
to the
[5:47] had come to like the re-routing of
Riverside Drive.
[5:51] Riverside was never intended to be a
thoroughfare to leave Lowell. It doesn't
[5:56] have the infrastructure for 4,000 to
6,000
[5:59] 6,000 cars per week that was recorded by
the study.
[6:03] I had heard it said Riverside Drive is
the prettiest drive in Lowell, and I
[6:08] agree.
Everyone can still drive Riverside Drive
[6:13] and see the beauty of the Flat River.
It's not a race out of town. I do think
[6:19] it is unwise to spend 51,000
on a permanent diversion. The current
[6:24] diversion allows the city to open
Riverside for special events like
[6:29] triathlon, parades, or whatever the
future brings. Even with the diversion,
[6:35] I continue to see vehicles moving faster
than 25 mph, just fewer of them. I'm
[6:42] afraid that once the resurfacing is
complete, travel speeds are going to
[6:47] increase. I was traveling on Northshore
Drive in Ferrisburg this last week, and
[6:52] they had three to four speed tables that
kept vehicles in the 20 to 30 mph range.
[6:58] They were synthetic rubber and
removable. I assume they remove them in
[7:03] the winter.
I don't like the idea of stop signs. I
[7:07] watch cars every day sail through the
stop sign at the end of Riverside. I
[7:11] haven't seen the rendering of what
51,000 diversion looks like, but how are
[7:16] you handling bike traffic? Are they
going to have to be on the sidewalk? The
[7:21] city has a ordinance that restricts
bikes on sidewalks. I think it is crazy
[7:26] to put a child on a bike and put them on
the edge of the road with traffic, but
[7:30] that's a whole other topic.
It has been stated that Lowell doesn't
[7:35] have the manpower to to police all
streets in the city in a timely manner.
[7:40] So, I would still like to see several
speed tables along Riverside Drive that
[7:44] allows traffic to flow but at a
reasonable speed. Lastly, the
[7:49] restaurants on Riverside Drive have to
navigate Riverside Drive the same as
[7:53] everyone else. It is not exclusive
to
[7:59] non-residents. Thank you.
>> [applause]
[8:07] » Bruce Matthews, 326 Riverside.
First,
[8:11] congratulations on the previous motion.
It's just
[8:14] the kind of leadership that
we like to see. So, thank you.
[8:20] The
uh just receiving this memo from from
[8:24] Mike Burns
in the in the agenda for tonight.
[8:29] Uh late last week
Mike Stacy's been asked to place this on
[8:33] the place on the agenda the uh
uh barrier issue on Riverside.
[8:38] And so, my my question is where does
this come from?
[8:42] You know, we we spent an awful lot of
time talking about Riverside and the and
[8:46] the problems and documenting the the
safety issues and safety concerns. So,
[8:51] documenting the fact that the
quiet
[8:56] urban street
is uh is not designed for the kind of
[8:59] traffic that we documented in the city.
[clears throat]
[9:02] Um so, I hope that this is being brought
up again not to discuss whether or not
[9:08] there should be, you know, issues or or
addressing the issues of of speeding on
[9:12] Riverside but
you know, perhaps the issue has to do
[9:17] with the cost of the barrier or
whatever.
[9:19] I don't think any of us that have been
in favor of of
[9:22] of addressing the speed issues, you
know, see that that $50,000 needs to be
[9:28] spent on it. It's certainly the barrier
is working as it is right now.
[9:33] But but I'd hate to see us reopen and
re-examine what we'd already re-examined
[9:39] at an item you know last last spring. So
I
[9:43] I encourage us if if in fact the purpose
of this agenda is item is to uh
[9:49] uh
reopen this whole case. I just encourage
[9:52] not to do that and if there's some
discussion about the barrier itself then
[9:57] you know then then I would like to go on
record as being in favor of maintaining
[10:01] the barrier in some capacity. So so
thank you for that. I'd also like to say
[10:06] that despite uh
uh
[10:10] furor on social media that is is is full
of uh
[10:14] full of errors. Um
Riverside Drive Drive is not private. It
[10:18] is not the intent of anyone on Riverside
Drive to do anything but share our
[10:23] beautiful drive, you know, with
everyone. I mean I'd anybody to come up
[10:26] sit with me on my porch and have a cup
of coffee and watch the river. Um
[10:30] there's no intent from my
from our our perspective to to close or
[10:35] privatize or any of that sort of thing
that
[10:37] is being battered around. So you know,
we we love our drive and we want to
[10:41] share it. We just want to share it
safely.
[10:44] Thank you.
>> Thank you, Bruce.
[10:48] » [applause]
[10:52] » Hi, I'm Gina Ladner. I live at 1451
Bowes.
[10:56] Um
I too have an issue with $51,000
[11:01] spent on a barrier. Um I don't know um
how many bids were
[11:08] um
considered.
[11:10] » [clears throat]
>> Probably is a cheaper way to do that and
[11:13] still keep the integrity of Riverside
Drive.
[11:18] Um
And this may or may not
[11:23] be
off course, but
[11:26] Riverside Drive speed traffic.
What about Main Street? It's two lanes.
[11:32] » [clears throat]
>> I counted
[11:36] and I stopped at 30 and it was less than
2 hours. How many semi trucks drove past
[11:41] my store?
That's just 2 hours. 30 trucks.
[11:46] Um and the speed, even the trucks aren't
going 25.
[11:52] They're just flying down there.
So, if we're going to if we're looking
[11:57] at safety,
Main Street needs to be considered as
[12:01] well.
Thank you.
[12:03] » Thank you.
[12:09] Good evening. My name is Bruce Washburn.
I live at 517 North Clinton.
[12:15] Um I just have a few comments. Uh
I believe
[12:20] as Barry mentioned and Bruce alluded to,
um
[12:24] I think the design the current design
was decades ago.
[12:29] So, I think we need to try to do the
best solution
[12:33] to appease both
the positive and negative uh
[12:38] direction we take.
And I would just like to step forward a
[12:43] bunch of steps and say I think it would
be a good idea to just consider
[12:48] um the way it currently is, they moved
it this side of the elm.
[12:53] Um maybe just do a simple curve which
would reduce our 51,000
[12:58] and um
put a green space, if you will, between
[13:02] that curve and then the curve that would
come naturally out of the elm to the
[13:07] existing curve.
And it would be a I think a very
[13:11] inexpensive
um I know a lot of the conservatives,
[13:15] you know, it has to be simple, it looks
good. Not just a big barrier.
[13:19] Magnetic signs, uh reflectors,
and I get that.
[13:23] Um but the other thing
I would consider, and I think you pretty
[13:28] much it,
the rubber speed bumps. Would keep
[13:33] traffic to a minimum. As both guys said,
nobody wants it to be closed. It's not
[13:38] closed. And it's the most beautiful
street we have.
[13:41] So, just maintain the traffic and speed
to something that's safe, most
[13:49] importantly,
and and good for all.
[13:52] So, those are the two options I think we
should consider. And you know,
[13:58] worth the weather now,
we can make a decision.
[14:01] So, I just hope you all will consider
that.
[14:06] » Thank you.
[14:10] » Hello. My name is Becky Soyka. I live at
1333 Boyds Bridge Road.
[14:16] And what my thoughts are as far as
Riverside goes,
[14:20] is
it really should be open. It belongs to
[14:23] the the town. It belongs to the people.
It doesn't belong to just a select few.
[14:29] And as far as the speed limit, enforce
the speed limit. And that isn't the only
[14:34] street in town
that we're concerned about with people
[14:38] riding bikes or walking or
or even living on the street. I mean, on
[14:42] the east side of town, I lived over
there for years.
[14:46] And speed was always an issue, but we
never closed down any roads.
[14:50] But the best thing that you can do is
perhaps put in a stop sign or two like
[14:54] you did around the bowl.
And try that and see how that works with
[14:58] it being open.
Because it's it it actually is one of
[15:02] the most beautiful roads along with
several others in town. And I think we
[15:06] need to look at that, too, before we
just decide to shut it down and spend
[15:10] all this money and barriers and
blockades and
[15:14] you know, just really limit it.
Thank you.
[15:17] » [applause]
[15:21] » Jared Schwartz, 420 Riverside.
Um
[15:25] I just want to record
I agree with Bruce.
[15:29] Question comes to mind as to why this
issue is being revisited. I thought we
[15:33] had
two two rounds of public hearings, if I
[15:36] remember correctly, and it was voted on
in May.
[15:40] Um
but
[15:42] I'm assuming we'll hear more about that
after the comments are closed.
[15:46] Um
and I also want to go on record with
[15:48] saying that I I think the road should
remain
[15:52] closed in some way. Again, my concern is
that section of parking that's at right
[15:59] as soon as you come off M-21. Um
that you do a a weave before you get
[16:06] onto a more of a straightaway on
Riverside. And uh
[16:11] the traffic volumes have been cited
anywhere between 4,000 and 6,000 cars a
[16:16] week going through that weave.
The moment you come off M-21, you
[16:21] potentially have cars backing up right
there where you're at. With that volume
[16:25] of traffic coming through what is
essentially a glorified parking lot,
[16:29] you're going to have you
It's not a question of when something
[16:33] awful happens. It's a question Excuse
me, it's not a question of if something
[16:36] awful happens, it's just a question of
when.
[16:39] So, um I don't know the perfect solution
there. Um
[16:43] the maybe the barrier at
where it had been for the last few
[16:48] months isn't the best solution. Um maybe
it's something that needs to be farther
[16:52] down in some way and there's issues with
um
[16:55] uh service trucks and other things being
able to access the the businesses. I get
[16:59] out of my expertise, but uh
if the road is left completely open
[17:05] without any um
with the the repainting done without any
[17:10] barriers or any um speed reduction of
any sort,
[17:15] that section is going to be
uh
[17:17] awful.
Very, very dangerous.
[17:21] » Thank you.
[17:26] » Hello, Rob Newman, 928 Riverside Drive.
Saw this come up. Yeah, we've had two or
[17:31] three sessions of this. I don't know why
we're having this dialogue again. What
[17:34] you currently have in there has worked
very well. It may not be pretty to look
[17:38] at, but it has really made that road a
lot safer.
[17:42] Kids I'm not as worried as kids as they
used to be about it. And I think to
[17:47] change anything, maybe if you want to
improve the looks of the barriers, the
[17:51] barriers have worked.
Traffic will never slow down cuz we
[17:54] don't have enough police enforcement.
That's just the way it is. And until
[17:58] that changes,
leave the barriers that are there now.
[18:01] You can look at the speed tables, get
the road paved, and I want to address
[18:06] one other thing, too.
To the people that know the individuals
[18:10] that are out there that are threatening
city council, mayor, the the board,
[18:14] people on Riverside Drive. We have
people driving [clears throat] on the
[18:16] road honking their horns and flipping my
81-year-old neighbor off.
[18:21] I think that's really gone overboard.
And I blame social media.
[18:25] Thank god I'm not on it. So,
on a bright spot, thanks to the people
[18:30] that have helped, the Friends of the
Flat. I'm allowed to say that, I
[18:33] believe. The contributors, the the
people that sponsored us.
[18:37] There's some positive stuff happening
here in the world. I think we need to
[18:40] redirect to the right positive things.
Thank you.
[18:48] » Kimberly Hale.
[18:51] Can I wait a minute?
>> No, you're good.
[18:53] » Yeah, 1019 160th Street, Elco.
We also own the house at 528 Lafayette.
[19:01] Um
and we also are supporters of Friends of
[19:05] the Flat and utilize the river. I am
here speaking against the barrier, and I
[19:12] am also against
the $51,000
[19:17] price tag that seemed to have come after
this approval,
[19:22] and how many bids were placed on this
project?
[19:26] Um
I did see
[19:30] the
uh studies that were or done on
[19:34] Riverside about uh I think there were
studies of 909
[19:40] cars per day during the week or 79 on
the weekend
[19:44] um
when it was open.
[19:47] Well, with that being closed, that
traffic is being diverted down Main
[19:51] Street and at the light.
And that's a safety issue also, and
[19:56] people taking alternate routes
to get over to Riverside
[20:01] or crossing.
Um
[20:05] the road is a public road that everyone
should be able to enjoy
[20:08] to take to actually get where they're
going, not have to go out of their way
[20:13] to see it.
Um
[20:16] I know there are a lot of people
that live on it that like the barrier,
[20:21] and I get it.
But
[20:24] over on Main Road,
they got a stop sign.
[20:28] I don't know how in front of a retired
teacher's bay window.
[20:34] And I don't know that that was ever
tried on Riverside.
[20:37] I don't know on Riverside
if any tickets were ever issued.
[20:42] It sounded like the cars were counted,
but I don't know if there was any action
[20:47] or accountability there.
And I don't want to be disrespectful
[20:53] towards police force because I
appreciate them. They do a great job.
[20:58] But were they ever directed to give it
the attention and actually issue
[21:01] tickets?
Um
[21:04] it's a small town. Word spreads.
And I think that would have gone a long
[21:09] way.
You've got Monroe, also people are still
[21:14] speeding down. You got Washington,
they're still speeding down. You have
[21:18] the extra traffic coming through.
>> [clears throat]
[21:20] » Pardon?
>> 30 seconds.
[21:21] » Oh, I'm sorry.
Okay. Well, I'm in favor of speed bumps,
[21:25] stop signs, and no barrier.
And I also really don't like that the
[21:29] price tag came after the fact.
>> Yes. [applause]
[21:38] » I don't have to answer to you again,
Alan. Um, one of the first to express
[21:41] that um understand the issues with
either barrier or speed tables. There's
[21:45] a lot of different options that are out
there. I don't live on your side, so I
[21:48] probably won't have an opinion on the
say. What I am more concerned about is
[21:51] $51,000 for a barrier. We just bought
some plastic plastic dollars for
[21:55] probably a fraction of that cost.
And use that money elsewhere in other
[21:59] needs that the city has. A huge
debt on fixing. So, I would really
[22:04] encourage you the city council to take a
look at that. Um, since we have a lot of
[22:07] needs in our money going on. And I also
like to leave Main Street alone. We know
[22:11] we don't get to live and work in the
city. We have to go some places. We're
[22:14] not equal people because we drive. We
have to go somewhere. And I would
[22:18] suggest you leave Main Street alone.
Otherwise, and that will ask that you
[22:21] build a bypass. And the city probably
has to foot the bill. Thanks.
[22:25] » Thank you.
[22:29] » Hi, I'm Audrey Sweigart. I live at 1231
White Birch Road.
[22:34] Um, I just wanted to say um I saw the
Riverside Drive topic [clears throat]
[22:38] mentioned and I was happy to see it come
back through. I've been to previous
[22:43] meetings and um
I know safety on Riverside was an issue
[22:48] and I totally agree with that. Um, it
was never looked into on Hudson or where
[22:54] the other streets where the people would
have to
[22:57] alternate their route. So, it would be
nice to kind of get other alternatives.
[23:03] Also, the price tag was a little
concerning, too. I know the barrier was
[23:06] a temporary solution.
So, if there's other temporary things
[23:11] that we could try that might be more
affordable, like a couple of stop signs,
[23:15] and just try it and see how it goes
because there's safety issues on many of
[23:19] the other roads, too, especially with
how congested it's been after Riverside
[23:24] isn't shut down, but it's, you know,
diverted. So, it has been very congested
[23:29] in town, so it would be
worth looking into other alternatives.
[23:33] But, appreciate the time. Thank you.
>> [applause]
[23:38] » Sharon Ellison, 407 North Division.
First of all, I want to commend you for
[23:43] readdressing this because
there's a lot of scuttle about this
[23:49] still. I know you've had lots of
hearings, [clears throat] you've
[23:51] discussed it, you've done a lot of
different things, but still people are
[23:54] complaining about it. So, it's very
brave of you to step up and take one
[23:58] more look at it before anything is done.
I live on Division Street. When I go
[24:03] through town about 5:00, the line almost
starts at the Methodist Church for the
[24:08] traffic light. So, I do cut over to go
by Riverside. I don't speed, but I
[24:14] always just cut over cuz it's the only
way I can get to the other side of town
[24:17] because the traffic light is so
congested.
[24:20] Um so, I understand that, and I
understand the speeding and the safety
[24:24] on a small street like that. It's got to
be terrifying. But, closing a street
[24:29] isn't the only way to keep it safe.
So, maybe some other rubber bumpers
[24:35] would be worth a try. I think people
might be happier with that.
[24:40] There's a lot of places in town where
where people speed. So,
[24:44] I don't know what you can do, but I can
certainly see
[24:48] for me, I never drive down Riverside
anymore. It's kind of a hassle to zigzag
[24:52] around, and I used to like to go down
it. I used to walk down it, but now I
[24:55] just
I just don't even go there anymore. It's
[24:58] It's kind of sad, but it is beautiful.
And um
[25:02] I think we shouldn't keep closing
streets. We closed Horatio, we closed
[25:06] Water Street, we shut down Lincoln Lake
used to go through, now that's all the
[25:11] zigzaggy things. And so we're just
making our streets smaller, you know,
[25:16] the paths that we can take smaller and
smaller. So
[25:20] I We need to keep them safe, definitely,
but um closing them is probably not the
[25:25] best idea. I think the bumpers would
It's worth a try. It doesn't cost
[25:29] $51,000.
>> Yep.
[25:32] » [applause]
[25:36] » Hi. Um Robin Briggs, I live on 1004
Riverside Drive.
[25:41] Uh
Yes, people, it has gotten much nicer.
[25:44] It is a much nicer road to walk down,
drive down, live by.
[25:49] What I'm not happy with is a $51,000
bill
[25:53] to block off the road. I still go around
with Warner, I still take Riverside. Um
[25:59] but 51,000 seems a lot of money when
there stops extra stops signs we pull
[26:04] out of the road that we could put on
there. Try that versus blocking off the
[26:09] road completely first, then maybe rubber
stoppers. I There's got to be a cheaper
[26:14] version to make that road safe.
Especially after I
[26:19] I am on social media. Um
saw a report from somebody that put on
[26:24] it about going to visit their cemetery
and got kicked off their spot because
[26:30] Oakwood doesn't have a fence to keep
the people out of the private property.
[26:35] I think there was a failure on
somebody's part. I don't know if it's
[26:38] the city council or whoever does the
zonings, but
[26:42] when we sold that or said that they
could build that there, they should have
[26:46] been automatically told to put a fence
in. Let's block that off. Let's make
[26:49] that private and public and I
a dividing line perfectly there.
[26:56] I would like to see that 51,000
go towards that
[27:00] and put it in. Put it Put a fence in
that whole line. Put stop signs on our
[27:05] road. See how that works. Doesn't work.
Go put something else in.
[27:08] Put that in. I think blocking the road
should be the last thing. Sorry,
[27:12] neighbors, but there's got to be uh
cheaper way to do this than that.
[27:18] Oakwood needs to be addressed, ladies
and gentlemen.
[27:21] » YES.
>> [applause]
[27:26] » HI, JACKIE SAYLOR,
9689
[27:30] Chew Chew Lane,
Altoona.
[27:33] Um I just wanted to be noted um
regarding the minutes for
[27:38] last actually June,
that everything that occurred after the
[27:43] farm update was in violation of the open
meeting act because people were
[27:48] prevented from entering the room and
participating in the meeting. Thank you.
[27:59] » Hey there, Betsy Lefeuvre Wagner,
Residents United for Healthy Growth. I
[28:02] live in Altoona, but Growth in the
address. So, I just wanted to come up
[28:06] here. First of all, just thank you all
because the first action you took this
[28:09] evening was, you know, one of the most
important. I think that when it comes to
[28:13] transparency in government, it's really
the bedrock of our values, right? Our
[28:17] democratic values. It's important that
you, you know, Mayor, thank you for
[28:21] bringing that motion forward um in
suspending, you know, the future
[28:24] development and making sure that the
township understands there needs to be
[28:28] transparency and open government with
you all uh especially as it pertains to
[28:32] the proposed data center. Did want to go
ahead and just throw in ask one
[28:36] clarifying question. Uh I recognize you
might not be able to answer it now, but
[28:40] still would love to put it on the
record, which is just to understand that
[28:43] while that is suspending actions with
the township, whether or not actions
[28:47] with Microsoft continue to move forward.
I ask this recognizing that this summer
[28:52] there was due to be a memorandum of
understanding with Microsoft in and
[28:55] around
water agreement being able to look at
[28:58] engineering and such and just would like
to know if that is suspended as well.
[29:01] Again, really thankful for the work that
this council continues to do. Huge shout
[29:06] out to Eric who has made himself
very open and accessible to many in this
[29:11] community to be able to talk about water
sewer agreements as well as the work
[29:14] that Mike has done. But again, this
issue of Microsoft is one that would be
[29:18] a bit more helpful to understand what
are those next connections and next
[29:21] steps. So, thank you.
>> It does for the record.
[29:25] » It sounds like it.
>> Yes.
[29:27] » Okay, so there was so THERE WAS A
>> [applause]
[29:32] » THANK YOU.
[29:36] » HI, I'M KEN MCWILLIAMS IN RIVERSIDE.
THANKS first of all for getting the wall
[29:40] going. That's awesome.
Um it's been long overdue.
[29:44] Um I was also surprised on the 51,000
for a barrier. I know at one point um
[29:49] there was a discussion about potentially
putting a gate across so that um
[29:55] for things like a parade or
um bigger events or um
[30:00] um DPW or fire or police needed things
like that to open it.
[30:05] Um I'm not sure what happened to that.
Um that's still being considered or not.
[30:10] Um
Also, um I just want to reiterate that
[30:14] you have these folks here um before
brought it up. I'm using stop signs and
[30:18] speed tables potentially only decreases
the traffic volume by about 20%.
[30:24] Um if that's the case, then that's still
way over what you would expect say in a
[30:29] road behind Creekside Kingdom or or any
[clears throat] of those local
[30:34] neighborhood roads.
So, um thanks for all your work on this.
[30:39] Thank you.
[30:44] » Good evening, uh Steve Doyle, 706
Riverside Drive. When the barriers went
[30:49] in a couple years ago, they pretty much
solved the problem overnight. Uh speed
[30:56] count was 4,000 cars
a week, and then actually
[31:01] a few months back earlier in the year,
another speed count was done, was
[31:05] actually around 6,000 cars.
And Riverside Drive is a local street.
[31:11] You know, it's one of the only It's the
only local street that actually you
[31:14] could leave Lowell
and go on to a a major road. So, it's a
[31:19] local street. Uh it's a very high
traffic count.
[31:23] Um
any other, you know, speed bumps or stop
[31:27] signs
is really kind of
[31:30] counterproductive. This street This
street is not closed. Yes, you do have
[31:34] to drive up a block and, you know, go
around the block, but you can drive, uh
[31:40] you know, 85%
of the
[31:44] with, uh
you know,
[31:46] no speed bumps or stop signs would be
great. Would be great. And then if by
[31:51] doing by doing that
speed bumps or stop signs, now we all
[31:55] Now we all have to
contend contend with that.
[31:59] » So, please stop, please. We're not going
to do that.
[32:02] We're going to let the public comment on
this Let me stop you for a second.
[32:05] We're going to let them make their
comments, which you are all free to do.
[32:09] We are not going to shut up from the
audience. We're not going to interrupt.
[32:12] Please. Thank you.
>> So, anyway,
[32:14] so anyway, I think I think the speed
bump or the speed barriers done
[32:19] a great job. Um the 51,000, yes, that's
a lot of money, and maybe we could find
[32:25] out find solutions for that, too, to try
to, you know, reduce that and other
[32:30] methods.
Uh so, thank you.
[32:32] » Thanks.
[32:37] Anybody else for agenda items?
[32:41] All right. Well, let's move on to the
Riverside Drive area. Let me answer
[32:44] Bruce's question. Where is he?
I asked to bring it back.
[32:49] And here's why.
[32:52] I'm not asking for nothing to be done
because I want Riverside Drive to be
[32:57] safe for everybody. I'd love to see
south of Riverside Drive in the
[33:00] downtown, especially with the new
restaurant coming.
[33:03] What I would like for us to discuss one
last time before it goes in
[33:07] is are we being good stewards of your
money
[33:10] spending $51,000
on a
[33:14] Is there a more cost-effective way to
create the same safe free zone?
[33:19] So, I probably should have
[33:23] communicated that better before I just
had it put on the agenda. So, I'll take
[33:27] the responsibility for that.
But, am I being a good steward of
[33:31] taxpayer money
spending $51,000 on
[33:35] a problem
and then
[33:38] telling people we don't have money for
other stuff that we need. So, I hope
[33:42] that answers your question. I apologize
for the way I communicated it to
[33:45] everyone.
Um but, it's time to do the work. You
[33:49] know, and I have one last discussion
before
[33:52] we spend that money on that problem.
So, I hope that answers your question.
[33:55] » Thank you, Mike.
>> Yeah. So, so real quick, I want to
[33:57] answer the change order question. So,
this project was bid It's a federal
[34:02] project for the community development
block block grant program. It's a 50%
[34:06] match by the federal government. When we
awarded this When we move forward with
[34:10] this project, um the county bids and
approves it for us, meaning that if
[34:14] there's anything additional, it has to
be a done with the with a change order,
[34:18] meaning we have to have go through the
contractor to do it. We cannot go off
[34:22] for bid. That's just the way it is.
And so, um once I was directed to put
[34:27] the barrier in, we went and initiated
share change order because that's what
[34:31] had to be done with the whole of the
project for.
[34:33] Um the project is actually at $46,000.
That being said, um now is the time if
[34:39] you're going to not do that, um is to uh
to make the decision to change it. Um
[34:45] the project I should add is still
$200,000 below the engineer's estimate.
[34:49] So,
um granted we have not had we've had a
[34:52] horrible experience with TVD per
instruction. And basically, as far as
[34:56] I'm concerned, they're pretty
incompetent. But, um
[35:01] but there is a savings there and and the
project is still $150,000 under budget.
[35:06] That being said,
if the if the council wants to go into a
[35:10] different direction, we need to know
today because they're about ready to
[35:15] start putting base base gravel down and
start pouring concrete. And once they
[35:19] pour concrete, that's when it's game
over. So, I've held off the concrete
[35:26] um
for a couple days. So, but we need we
[35:29] need to know what we're going to do. The
one thing I asked you to do, please do
[35:32] not put temporary barriers in the road
to where we screw it in the road. We
[35:36] will regret that 15 years down the road.
Please don't do that.
[35:42] » All right. So,
>> I think I have two
[35:44] » Yeah, hold on. Sorry, you had public
comment. I'm sorry, go ahead.
[35:48] » Can you guys hear me? Oh.
>> I'm sorry.
[35:49] » Um there's two public comments I want to
put into record. Um
[35:54] one from David
Bacot.
[35:56] Um said, "Dear City
Council, thank you for letting me
[36:00] express my opinion even though I can't
attend the meeting tonight. We live at
[36:05] 804 Riverside. I have two young
children. Since we've moved in, I've
[36:10] been very concerned about my children's
safety due to the excessive speeding on
[36:14] Riverside. I expressed my concerns by
calling the police station several
[36:19] times, met with the chief of police, and
spoke with the city council
[36:23] meeting and spoke at the city council
meeting.
[36:26] Unfortunately, the police station does
not have the resources to adequately
[36:31] um enforce the speed limit. Although
sometimes annoying,
[36:36] the barrier can direct has drastically
reduced the amount of traffic and
[36:40] speeding on Riverside. If the river If
the barrier is removed, I guarantee
[36:46] people will drive even faster than
before now that the road is being
[36:51] repaved. Please consider
leaving the barrier in place or some
[36:56] other permanent speed solutions such as
the speed tables. David.
[37:03] And the second one to read into
the meeting,
[37:07] um
from Janet
[37:11] Genie Vander Loop. Just excuse me.