TOWN OF PROVINCETOWN
- BOARD OF SELECTMEN
ANNUAL TRAFFIC HEARING – TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2009
Chairman Michele Couture opened the meeting at 6:00
PM noting the following attendees: Michele Couture, Elaine Anderson, Mary-Jo
Avellar, Austin Knight, David Bedard
Other attendees: Town Manager Sharon Lynn,
Chief of Police Jeff Jaran, DPW Deputy Director Sandy Turner
Recorder: Vernon G. Porter
The following are meeting minutes, in
brief.
#1. CITIZENS PROPOSALS
Item 1-1. Traffic regulations
for Priscilla Alden Road were changed to allow parking only on the east side of
the street resulting in heavy parking on the east side opposite my
driveway. The street is too narrow and I
have difficulty backing out onto the street when another car is parked opposite
my driveway. I hereby request that you
designate a No Parking area on the east side of Priscilla Alden Road opposite
my driveway. (Requested by: John Zaner of Priscilla Alden)
Team Recommendation: We recommend to extend “No Parking” across from 4
Priscilla Alden by 18’ feet– see map & photos.
Chairman Couture read email
from Lauren Richmond into the record. In
favor: Roni Siegel & Liz Angelino.
Item 1-1. Board
Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to accept the Team Recommendation
to extend “No Parking” across from 4 Priscilla Alden by 18’ Feet.
Motion by: Mary-Jo Avellar Seconded by: Elaine Anderson
Yea 4 Nay 2 (David Bedard)
Item 1-2. There is no sign
stating Dead End at the end of the road.
We hereby request a Dead End sign at the corner of Bradford &
Priscilla Alden, and another Dead End sign at the start of Webster Ave &
Priscilla Alden. (Requested by: Roni
Siegal & Liz Angelino of Priscilla Alden)
Team Recommendation: We do not recommend. The public
way ends at Priscilla Alden & Webster Ave.
Priscilla Alden is not a dead end because you can turn onto Webster Ave
(Private) and that will put you onto Miller Hill Road. The area that is beyond Webster Ave is private
and we would recommend that the owners put a Dead End sign at the
beginning of their property to again send people down Webster Ave to Miller
Hill. – See map and photos.
Item 1-2. Board
Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to send a letter to the property
owners of Webster Avenue asking them to install a sign “Not a Through Street”.
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Elaine Anderson Yea 5
Nay 0
Team
Recommendation: We do not recommend – Crosswalks are meant to
take you somewhere safely. What is being
requested is to install a crosswalk to the other side of the street with no
outlet and just as dangerous, which is what Miller Hill has, a crosswalk to
nowhere. There is a crosswalk at
Brewster St to Dyer St and it goes to Commercial St. That is the outlet for that crosswalk. Every year there is over grown private
property plantings between Priscilla Alden and Brewster St, the DPW cuts those
every year to make the area safer for pedestrians. See map.
Item 1-3. Board
Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to
accept the Team Recommendation and NOT recommend a crosswalk at this time.
Motion by: Elaine Anderson Seconded by: Austin Knight
Yea 3
Nay 1 (David Bedard / Mary-Jo Avellar)
Item 1-4. Drivers are
constantly coming down Winslow St. the wrong way. I hereby request to replace/move signage
closer to Bradford St on Winslow St. by 50’ or so. Add one-way signs at Monument Parking Lot
entrance. (Requested by: Dennis
Sullivan).
Team
Recommendation: We do not recommend. Putting a one-way sign closer
to Bradford on Winslow will not help someone coming down the wrong way. They’ll
be too far to try to back up the hill.
We do have on Winslow at the intersection of the entrance to the
monument big signs “Do Not Enter” and “One Way”, “Left Turn Only”, “Traffic Bear Left”. It does look like one of two big red ,“Do Not
Enter” signs is missing from the right side of the road that we will reinstalled.
The monument has signs “Entrance Only and Exit Only.” See map and photo’s.
Item 1-4. Board
Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to paint “One- Way with Arrows”
at the intersection of Bradford and Winslow Street and further to add a “NO
RIGHT TURN” at the exit from the High School.
Motion
by: Mary-Jo
Avellar Seconded by: Austin Knight Yea 5
Nay 0
Item 1-5. The intersection of
Bradford St and Webster Place is dangerous when vehicles are parking in the
spot that directly abuts Bradford St. I
hereby request we remove the parking space and reduce the speed limit between
Ryder St and Prince St to 15 MPH. (Requested
by: Dennis Sullivan)
Team Recommendation: We cannot recommend the
removal of the parking space on Private Property and we do not recommend change
in speed because there is no history of a problem in that area– If you look
at the map you can see that the layout of the Webster Place private property
parking space at Bradford St is on private property. There has never been a speeding problem in
that area because of the curve leading to the big hill. See map.
Item 1-5. Board Action: Move
that the Board of Selectmen vote to accept
the Team Recommendation and NOT
recommend this item and have staff look in to the speed limit at this
area.
Motion by: Elaine Anderson Seconded
by: Austin Knight
Yea 4
Nay 1 (Michele Couture)
#2 – POLICE
& PARKING
Item 2-1. In order to coincide
with the Library’s renovation plans and outside layout to accommodate parking,
bicycles and pedestrians, I hereby request that Center Street become “One Way”
from Bradford St to Commercial St. (Requested
by: Jeff Jaran, Chief of Police)
Team
Recommendation: Recommends
– Parking is allowed on the east side of Center St at designated areas
prior to the Library. Center St is too narrow
to allow parking, and two-way traffic and this proposal will eliminate the
danger of this road being two ways. If
you’re on Commercial St you can exit to Bradford from Johnson St, Freeman St, or
Standish St. They are all in the area. See
photo’s.
Presentation by
Library Trustee Mick Rudd on the proposed upcoming renovations. He also indicated that they were not asking
for any decision on this matter this evening.
Comments from
Public: John Golden, Howard Burchman, Peter Page,
Sarah Peake, Donna Walker
Chairman Couture read email received into
record from: Joan
Lenane, Tom Shirk (White Porch Inn), Will Leaf, Rainier Horn (Carp Diem),
and Dave McGlothlin & Jim Rizz
(Christopher’s By the Bay.
Item 2-1.
Board Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to not take any
action on this agenda item.
Motion by: Austin
Knight Seconded by: Mary-Jo Avellar Yea 5 Nay
0
Item 2-2. I hereby request the
installation of four (4) way Stop signs at the intersection of Howland and
Bradford St. (Requested by: Jeff Jaran, Chief of Police)
Team
Recommendation: Recommends. This will create a safer intersection, and offer safe access to the
playground and the East End Market. This
will slow down traffic speeds along Bradford St, and will allow breaks in heavy
traffic flow heading into town that will enable side streets and driveway
openings to enter or exit onto Bradford St.
See photos and map.
Comments
from Public: Jonathan Sinaiko, Sacha Richter, Pete Page,
Vernon Porter, Gary Pasnick
Item 2-2. Board Action: Move
that the Board of Selectmen vote to accept the Teams Recommendation, and
install four (4) way Stop signs at the intersection of Howland and Bradford
Street, and include painted lines and
warning signs ‘stop ahead’.
Motion by: Austin
Knight Seconded by: David Bedard
Yea 4 Nay
0
Abstain 1 (Mary-Jo Avellar)
Item 2-3. I hereby request a
sidewalk on Conwell from Rte 6 up to Cemetery Rd located on the west side. This will give pedestrians and bicycle
traffic a safer route to travel. (Requested by: Jeff Jaran, Chief of
Police).
Team
Recommendation: Recommended and Not Recommended –The Chief being half of this team of course
recommends. The DPW on one hand recommends and knows this
is a safer access down Conwell to Cemetery Road. The problem is it does not belong to us so we
do not recommend. This is a State road
to Harry Kemp Way. We have already tried
to get this done with the State, but the only way they would do the
construction of a sidewalk is if the Town would take over the rest of all state
roads that are in Provincetown boundaries.
That would be Conwell to Harry Kemp Way, Race Point to Seashore
boundaries, Snails Road, and 6-A from Allerton St East to the Town Line. With all the cuts in budgets and personnel,
we are ill equipped to handle Rte 6 on January 10, 2010, which we will have
full responsibility for. To add even
more state roads would just add to the burden of not enough money and not
enough staff to take care of these areas, as well as all the Town Roads and
Private Roads that we take care of in one form or another. See Map.
Item 2-3. Board
Action: Move that the
Board of Selectmen vote to instruct the Town Manager to direct Staff to secure the appropriate information that would allow
Representative Peake to go forward to the Secretary of Transportation to
acquire funds to provide a sidewalk from the Transfer Station to the curb on
Conwell Street; also see if we could
have Glenn Cannon from the Cape Cod Commission do an analysis so that
Representative Peake has the information that she need; further that the
Assessors Department map out the areas that are the town property, and do outreach to those people who have homes in
the effected area.
Motion by: Mary-Jo
Avellar Seconded by: Elaine Anderson Yea 5 Nay 0
Item 2-4. We hereby request, as
a Pilot Program, replace meters in the West End Parking Lot with a Coin/Credit
Card pay station. (Requested
by: Parking Dept – Patricia Benatti).
Team
Recommendation: This is a Board of Selectmen Policy Decision
Item 2-4.
Board Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to
table this item to next meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 6 PM.
Motion by: Mary-Jo
Avellar Seconded by: Elaine Anderson Yea 5 Nay
0
Item 2-5. We hereby request, as
a revenue-enhancing program, to assign one police officer to a four-hour detail
to monitor Handicap Parking spaces for violators. A four hour detail cost $160.00, a HP
violation ticket is $300.00, and a citation is $500.00. The citation can only be written by a Police
Officer. Police officers also have a r1
screens on their laptops so they can check HP card information. This will free up the HP spaces for legal HP
parking. (Requested by: Parking Dept-
Patricia Benatti).
Team Recommendation: Do
Not Recommend. Checking Handicap
placards and plates is part of police officers duties. We do recommend that the police and parking work
in concert to find and fine violators.
Item 2-5. Board Action: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to accept
the Team Recommendation and NOT approve this request.
Motion by: Elaine
Anderson Seconded by: Mary-Jo Avellar Yea 5 Nay
0
Item 2-6. We hereby request the
town to review the permit regulation change adopted July 28, 2008, allowing
non-resident property owners to purchase a resident permit with only a
registration showing a Provincetown resident address and a non-resident mailing
address. (Requested by: Parking Dept- Patricia Benatti).
Team
Recommendation: This is a Board of Selectmen Policy Decision.
Item 2-6. Board
Action: Move that the
Board of Selectmen vote that in order to receive a resident permit sticker, one
must provide proper proof of residency via a drivers license and car registration with a
Provincetown residential address.
Motion
by: Michele
Couture Seconded by: Elaine Anderson
Yea 3 Nay 2 (David Bedard / Mary-Jo Avellar)
Motion to adjourn by Austin Knight at 9:10 PM.
Minutes transcribed by: Vernon G. Porter, Secretary to Board of Selectmen
March 25, 2009