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09/25/2000CLEARWATER BEACH ENTRYWAY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CITY OF CLEARWATER September 25, 2000 Present: Commissioner Ed Hart Facilitator/Non Voting Chair Herb Brown Committee Member Lucile Casey Committee Member Hoyt Hamilton Committee Member David Hemerick Committee Member Bruce Littler Committee Member Arthur Lupien Committee Member Dan Moran Committee Member Roger Schulman Committee Member Bill Jonson Alternate Bob Bickerstaffe Alternate Absent: Carl Wagenfohr Committee Member Also present: Paul Bertels Traffic Operations Manager Lt. John Slack Police Sue Diana Assistant City Clerk Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter Chair Hart called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. ITEM #1 – Approval of Minutes Member Hamilton moved to approve the minutes of the regular meetings of September 6 and September 11, 2000, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. ITEM #2 – Rules of Procedure Member Casey moved to accept the Rules of Procedures as presented. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. The Chair reviewed how Sunshine Laws affect each board member, noting they cannot speak privately about beach entryway issues. ITEM #3 – Old Business – None. ITEM #4 – Roundabout Brochure and Video Copies of the City’s brochure on the roundabout were distributed. Updates are planned. The board reviewed a City-produced tape regarding the roundabout. The tape, produced before conflict points had been identified, needs to be updated. It was recommended the tape be distributed to the Visitors Bureau, the Chambers of Commerce, and hotels, and that the updated tape be featured often on C-View TV. Members were invited to schedule tours of the roundabout. ITEM #5 – New Business Crown Report The Chair requested board members review the updated version of Barry Crown’s report for discussion at the next meeting. The City Commission had received the report last Thursday, reviewed it, then forwarded copies to board members. A spreadsheet will be developed to track progress, identify priorities and costs, and establish project start and completion dates. Staff is working on cost estimates. It was stated some proposed changes, such as reducing the fountain’s height, is very expensive. Information related to roundabout vehicular and pedestrian traffic during the 3 weekends around Spring Break was distributed and discussed. Problems with the counter resulted in incomplete data vehicle counts. Pedestrians were counted for 12 hours daily, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Ideally, the traffic counter worked 24 hours per day. Public Works Administrator Mahshid Arasteh said only traffic in-bound was counted. Total traffic counts would double one-way data. It was felt it is important to determine the number of vehicles that enter the island daily. One Crown report option removes traffic from beach streets more quickly by providing access to beachfront parking closer to the roundabout. The Police Department reported videotapes of the roundabout indicate slow vehicles, searching for parking along Gulfview, cause backups on the roundabout. It was stated Charlie Siemon’s Beach by Design report recommended removing most beachfront parking. It was recommended board members review Siemon’s report, as it proposes to alter beach traffic flow and pedestrian transportation. It was recommended this document be considered when expensive changes to the roundabout are discussed. The City Commission had allowed the board’s scope to expand slightly to consider the beach plan. Many want fixes in place prior to Spring Break. Ms. Arasteh said changes currently planned include increasing striping, widening the entrance to Mandalay Avenue by one lane’s width to improve right turn movement, and moving crosswalks farther from the roundabout. Ms. Arasteh said staff is working with utility companies regarding changes proposed in Crown’s report. The cost of relocating utilities is significant. More information is required before staff can estimate project costs. In response to a question, Ms. Arasteh said the Crown Report had recommended a staggered pedestrian crosswalk across causeway traffic in front of the Marina. Safety concerns related to this pedestrian movement were expressed. In response to a suggestion, Ms. Arasteh said FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation), which owns the Causeway’s right-of-way, had issued a temporary permit to the City to allow parking east of the small bridge. The lot is difficult to access and many residents wish the Causeway to retain its pristine beauty. Members reported current problems include pedestrian movement across causeway traffic near the roundabout, traffic backups related to some beach businesses, difficult right turn onto Poinsettia, traffic backup affecting north beach residents, turn onto Poinsettia too close to Causeway entrance to roundabout, and conflicts related to the Mandalay access. It was felt current lane widths are adequate. It was stated increased traffic in late afternoon and early evening is related to crowds drawn to “Sunsets at Pier 60” activities. Member suggestions included: 1) moving lanes farther from the fountain; 2) increasing sight distances at roundabout entrances; 3) modifying Poinsettia access; 4) eliminating sharp turn onto Poinsettia; 5) adding lane for right turns at East Street and Poinsettia only; 6) improving truck right-turn movement; 7) widening Poinsettia to allow increased traffic; 8) improving traffic movement to north beach; 9) adding a lane for north beach traffic; 10) the roundabout’s radii be compared with an arc ideal for traffic movement; and 11) staff itemize costs for each recommendation. Concerns were expressed that Crown proposals may have little affect but cost a lot, the construction schedule for the roundabout had not allowed time for adequate input, changes do not alter the attractiveness of the promenade entryway and that changes do not reduce the size of the beach. Members were requested to forward questions, comments, suggestions, and concerns to Ms. Arasteh. A conference call will then be scheduled with Mr. Crown. It was requested staff estimate traffic volumes if traffic direction on Coronado is modified and report if the road can be widened. ITEM #6 – Other Items – None. ITEM #7 – Next Meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for October 2, 2000, at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5:32 p.m.