MEETING MINUTES FOR OCTOBER 1, 2008
Meeting was called to order at 8:17 a.m.
Present were: Carol Dobek, Bob Donahoe, Kathy Herrick, Don Ouellette, Judy Parmelee, Ron Rencurrel, Lois Roth-Johnson and Aimee Eckman
Excused: Dave Maynard
Board of Selectmen liaison Aimee Eckman was introduced to everyone on the committee.
Kathy sought clarification regarding the Town’s Policy Guidelines for submission of meeting minutes. Those guidelines imply that draft copies of meeting minutes are to be submitted to Town Hall once they are created, even if they have not yet been approved by the committee. Our procedure has been for the Secretary to send committee members a draft of the minutes in advance of the monthly meeting, and then to deliver a signed copy of the minutes to Town Hall once they have been approved at the monthly meeting. Aimee will look into the guidelines to clarify that our process is acceptable.
The minutes from September 3, 2008 meeting were approved.
Old Business
CCRT Ordinance: Bob Donahoe reported that Chief Hedlund believes that the town can pass a regulation/ by-law giving the police the authority to enforce the stop signs for bikers at the road crossings.
Bikeways Committee Size: Kathy reported that Judy Cannon, Search Committee Chair, has forwarded their support on to the Board of Selectmen to reduce of the maximum number of members of the Bikeways Committee from 12 to 9.
Brush Cutting/Mowing: Kathy reported that she never had to write a letter to Jon Peterson since the cutting was done a few days after our last meeting.
Healthy Motion Award: Lois Roth-Johnson reported that the award was “a pat on the back” for the recipients and did not involve any kind of monetary award, yet there was a great deal of detail and effort involved in the application. The State does not plan to offer a Healthy Motion award this year. This issue was dropped.
Membership Roster: Don Ouellette reported that we would have the roster next month.
Bikeways/Walkways: Carol Dobek reported that at the last meeting of the Open Spaces meeting, the safety of walkers was discussed. They reported that Open Spaces takes responsibilities of hiking TRAILS and not any paved walkways that are covered by the State or the National Seashore. Judy reviewed our long range planning notes and our desire to ensure that Town road improvements include biking safety concerns. For next month’s meeting, the Bikeways Committee will list and prioritize town roads that should include bike lanes and safety improvements if any new road work or construction is done. After the list is created, a letter documenting our concerns will be sent to the Board of Selectmen, DPW Manager Neil Andres, the Board of Highway Surveyors, and Seashore Superintendent George Price.
New Business
Bikeways Account at Town Hall: The account can be accessed after permission from the selectmen. The history of where the money came from was reviewed (Tour de Trail). $1, 800 was put into the account after that event but the event did not continue the next year. There has been no subsequent funding, and with various draws on the account over the last few years, our account balance is now $434. Kathy discussed using the money and trying to raise more money if we believe there is a need. She will research grants to see if there may be any that we are interested in pursuing.
Signs for Bikeways: The issue was raised as to what happens when the signs on the bike trail are destroyed. Who is responsible for their repair? Judy said that the map at the Brackett Road crossing is damaged and barely readable. Kathy will draft a letter to the Town’s Visitors Bureau to see if they can use some of their annual funding to replace or update signage along the bike trail.
Website: Committee members should check our information on the Town’s website, test the links, etc., and come to the next meeting with recommendations for updates or improvement to the site.
Letters: Don brought up the letters to the editor in The Cape Codder that have been appearing almost weekly. Concerns on the rules on the Bike Trail for walkers were discussed. Kathy will see if there are rules for walking on a bike trail.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:47 a.m. The next meeting will be November 5th at 8:15 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Carol-Ann Dobek
Secretary
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