Minutes for NAC 3 Meeting on May 14, 2007

NAC 3 held its meeting at 7 pm on May 14, 2007, in the cafeteria at Monocacy Elementary School.

Connie Pryor, NAC 3 board member, introduced Stephanie Davis, the Community Outreach Specialist for the City. Stephanie explained that she reports what takes place at the NAC meetings to the Mayor and Board of Alderman. A part of Stephanie's job is to listen to the residents' concerns and line up appropriate speakers to address the issues. She emphasized that the local government cares about the citizen's concerns and this is the best way to stay informed and be involved.

Tonight's meeting, which centered on the topic of the Monocacy 15 Overpass

had a good turnout of 67 residents. Stephanie also pointed out that the NAC meetings are no longer "gripe sessions" but an active way for residents to interact with the City government and actually get concerns addressed. An example of this interaction is the result of the NAC working with the City of Frederick Engineering Department, which resulted in the new traffic pattern at the intersection of Hayward Road and TJ Drive.

Tonight's speaker was Mike Perrotta, a consultant for PB, Inc. in Baltimore,

MD, who is working with the City and State Highway Administration on the Monocacy Blvd. interchange with Route 15 that is being studied. A show of hands indicated that 75% of the attendance was from the North Crossing Community, which could go from a single entry community to having a much busier road when the construction is completed, because the neighborhood will become accessible to areas east of Route 15.

Community News:

Yard Waste Collection is on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

* Residents should place their yard waste out the evening before and collection is between 4am and 12 noon.

* Items should be in the 3 ply, large paper bags (not plastic bags) that can be purchased at Home Depot, WalMart, etc.

* The City will not pick up grass clippings but it will take tree limbs and larger yard waste that meet the City's requirements.

* For more specific information go to www.Cityoffrederick.com and click on Department Listings, then click on Dept. of Public Works, next click on Trash and Special Collections, then click on Yard Waste Collection - City.

Police Report:

The attending Police Officer tonight was Corporal Eric Stanley, who is assigned to NAC 3 & 4. He has been with the Frederick City Police for about 13 years. Cpl. Stanley had no major incidents to report but he did suggest that when residents do see something suspicious or want to reach a police officer regarding an issue, it's best to call the non-emergency Police Number, 301-600-2100 for the quickest response. (Emails are not as effective since officers have rotating days off and training). Police want the citizens' involvement and residents do not have to give their name if they are uncomfortable doing so. When there is a report of suspicious activity, officers will increase their patrols in the area. Every officer gets a copy of the Bulletin Report at the start of each shift which keeps them up to date with the activity on their beat.

Concerns from Residents:

* Speeding in North Crossing—The City put up Stop signs but they aren't having the desired impact. Cpl. Stanley will see if he can get the speed boxes placed there for the neighborhood. Besides letting the driver know his/her speed, the police use the speed boxes to collect data. He noted that the City only has a few of these speed boxes and they rotate them as needed. Speeding is a city-wide problem.

* Crime Bulletin—The city used to post the crimes that occurred so citizens could see what was happening in their neighborhood on the City's Website. It is no longer there. Cpl. Stanley said that it might be posted on the GIS Spires System now. Stephanie said that she will check with the City's Crime Statistician, Bill Dowes, and see if that information is being posted elsewhere.

* Park in Willowbrook/North Crossing—This City park used to be locked. Since the park is no longer locked, there is an increase in suspicious activity and residents want to know who to call to ask questions or share concerns with in regard to the park. Cpl. Stanley said to call police. Stephanie will relay concerns to Roelkey Myers, Head of Parks and Recreation, and she mentioned that in attendance this evening, listening to their concerns, was the Chair of the Parks Committee, Dwignt Rivera.

* Traffic/ Speeding—Many residents expressed concern over current traffic and speeding in the Christopher's Crossing area. Residents want to know what will happen when Christopher's Crossing goes all the way through to connect with Monocacy Blvd.

At this point, Stephanie introduced Devon Hahn, the newest Traffic Engineer for the City. Devon has only been with the City for 2 weeks and will be developing criteria for a Master Plan. Right now she is still getting up to speed. Ms. Hahn can be contacted at dhahn@citvoffrederick.com .

Updates on Traffic Improvements along US 15, specifically the proposed Overpass at the Intersection of US 15 and Monocacy Blvd. / Christopher's Crossing Project:

Guest speaker was Mike Perrotta from PB, Inc. Mr. Perrotta is a Project Manager and Senior Transportation Planner who is a consultant for the State Highway Administration (SHA) on the construction of the US 15/ Monocacy Blvd. Project. This intersection/overpass is to alleviate some of the traffic on Route 15 and give local residents an option to navigate to other areas of the City without having to get on Rt. 15.   The plan to connect Christopher’s Crossing and Monocacy Blvd. has been on the City’s Comprehensive Plan for 25 years.  The I- 270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study initiated in the mid-1990's, is considering both capacity and safety improvements along 1-270 and US 15, from Gaithersburg through the City of Frederick and northward on US15, consistent with proposed economic development and traffic growth. The Project Planning Study led by SHA was separated from the Multi-Mobile Corridor Study and initiated in 2006. SHA works with the County and the City when considering all options. The decisions on when to start a project are based on purpose and need. The support is there now and the SHA is ready to move forward with the design of this intersection.

General course of events are as follows:

*Project Planning (completed early 2008?)

*Final Design (current funding has $6 million) (2008-2009?)

*Construction ('2010-2011?)—if funding is obtained

Right now the project is still 7-8 months away from final Planning and Approval for the interchange. Frederick City, Frederick County, and the State have each contributed $2 million towards the estimated amount needed for Final Design. Any of this money not spent on Planning and Design will roll over into the project for construction or other expenses. Right now the best case scenario for construction is 3-4 years, depending on the funding for construction. Funding for construction from the private developers will be needed to get this project on the fast track. However, there is a good possibility that the private funding will be available since there are properties in the area waiting to be developed by such businesses as Lowes and Wegmans on the east side of Route 15 and the North Point Plaza on the west side of Rt. 15. With the City's Comprehensive Plan for growth, the projected number of vehicles per day on Rt. 15 by 2030 is approximately 60,000 cars. The County and State must anticipate the growth and accommodate safety on the roads. Capacity must be added when looking 20-30 years down the road. One of the main issues is getting Fire and Rescue to both sides of Rt. 15.

Also in attendance tonight was April Stitt, a Transportation Engineer from the State Highway Administration. She and Mr. Perrotta stressed that safety is the number one concern. Top priorities include improving vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian safety as well as mobility of the US 15 corridor. One of the reasons to move forward with this project is that the current intersections of Rt. 15 with Willow Rd and Hayward Rd. has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the state. Other items being considered are the proposals and suggestions for a Park and Ride (like at the Urbana 1-270 Intersection,) sidewalks and bike paths to cross Rt. 15.

Informational Public Workshop-June 7, 2007

TJ Middle School, 1799 Schifferstadt Blvd., Frederick, Maryland from 5:30 - 8:30 PM The SHA team has gathered all environmental, inventory and traffic data, drafted and received concurrence on the purpose and need statement from environmental regulatory agencies and the Federal Highway Administration, and conducted more detailed design and study of the alternatives. Everyone living in the area will receive a Newsletter which summarizes key project findings, analysis results and next steps.

The SHA invites the Public to attend and review the "US 15/Monocacy Blvd. Project Planning Study." Public input provided at the June informational meeting will be used in the selection of a preferred alternative. This open house forum will allow attendees to conduct a self-paced review of important project information and meet with SHA, Frederick County and Frederick City representatives who will be available to receive comments and answer questions. There will be no formal presentation. The SHA encourages the public to attend this Workshop.

Objections from residents:

Many residents living along Christopher's Crossing aren't happy with the potential for increase in traffic that will be at their back property lines when Christopher's Crossing and Monocacy Blvd. are connected. One resident stated that on the East side of Rt. 15 where Monocacy Blvd. has 4 lanes of traffic, there is a grassy area between the sidewalk, and the property owners. This at least provides a little bit of a buffer between a busy road and the homeowners' property line. He claimed that there isn't a buffer area between his property and those of his neighbors on the Christopher's Crossing Road. He hadn't planned on having a busy road right in his backyard. He felt that this was unacceptable planning on the City's part.

Stephanie Davis, Mike Perrotta, and April Stitt encouraged residents to come to the Workshop on June 7th to voice their concerns/complaints.

Meeting adjourned at 8:20. Connie Pryor thanked Mr. Perrotta and other attending officials for using their personal time to come and address the NAC. Connie had Mr. Perrotta pick a name for the winner of the raffle. Steve Travis won the prize, a book of Summer Cold Desserts.

Contact Information:

* Stephanie Davis, Community Outreach Specialist for the City, (NAC liaison to the

Mayor and Board of Alderman) Stephanie@cityoffrederick.com 301-600-1384

* Devon Hahn, Frederick City Traffic Engineer dhahn@cityoffrederick.com 301-600-1443

* Tim Davis, Frederick City Planning Division tdavis@cityoffrederick.com 301-600-1884

* Michael Perrotta, Project Manager for PB, Inc. perrotta@pbworld.com 1-800-548-5026

* Leo Sawada, Project engineer, lsawada@sha.state.md.us 1-800-548-5026

Questions and/or comments may also be mailed to: Maryland State Highway

Admnistration, Baltimore, Maryland 21303-0717 Attn: Leo Sawada