Two-Way Traffic Concerns Continue at Monthly Council Meeting
Planning and Development Project Manager Walt Smail goes over the amount of money that has been spent to date on the Kittanning Revitalization Project, which has not even completed Phase I yet but is already planning for Phase II. Discussion continued on altering those drawings last night.
Borough Council President Randy Cloak voiced his support for the traffic impact and regional studies that were done that called for two-way traffic along Jefferson and McKean Streets as part of Phase II of the revitalization project - including saying, “We got to give it our best shot.”
By Jonathan Weaver
A motion to keep Jefferson and McKean Streets as one-way only was not supported during last night’s Kittanning Borough Council meeting.
Council President Randy Cloak said the proposed action as part of the revitalization project was passed by Council in March 2013, after years of discussion as well as at public meetings. Discussion was also held at a town hall meeting in November.
“As we sit here tonight, the streets will go to two ways as the project progresses west,” Cloak said. “I believe the study is accurate. I will base my opinion on the recommendation of the professionals.
“Whenever we’re doing projects, there are always people who are opposed, but you know what we hear when we don’t do anything? ‘What are we going to do about Kittanning?’ We got to give it our best shot.”
“I have had enough of complaining about attempts to move things forward. Things are not working the way they are.”
Walker Motor Company Owner Ed Walker opposed the intended action and recommendation by Whitman, Requardt and Associates.
“I appreciate the fact that they think it’s going to make it more convenient, and it may be more convenient to go two ways. However, you’re going to run into issues with loading and unloading so you’re going to make it inconvenient,” Walker said. “In my case, I have a 100-foot car carrier that takes up half-a-block for 20-30 minutes – with it being one-way, (motorists) could get around, but now, they’re going to have a problem.
“And that’s just myself with a car carrier.”
He added that motorists that illegally double-park will also add frustration to other motorists.
“I can’t understand how they think it’s going to bring more people into town,” Walker said. “Imagine Market Street the way it is now and having vehicles unloading.”
Former Borough Police Officer Alan “Butch” Puccetti also continued to address his safety concerns with large trucks and pedestrian traffic after voicing them at the town hall meeting two weeks ago.
“There are some flaws in your study,” Puccetti said. “I’m speaking from 25 years experience with traffic in the Borough and then as a Highway Traffic Safety Consultant where I worked with PennDOT on various projects in 11 counties.
“How are you going to go from Market Street to South Jefferson Street? These are some common sense things I found flaws in.”
A supporting letter was received from the Kittanning Revitalization Committee – which includes current Councilwomen Kim Fox and Joie Pryde.
Councilman David Croyle motioned to keep one-way traffic after he heard changing designs would cost about $20,000, but his motion was not supported.
Councilman Ange Turco – Streets, Building and Maintenance Chair – nearly seconded the motion but supported Cloak’s.
“I’m going to go with your word, Randy,” Turco said.
Croyle said that Turco didn’t feel there were enough votes to make a difference.
“The business owners have been speaking for several years. Council didn’t take the time to hear them,” Croyle wrote in an e-mailed response. “Council persons who do not have a vested interest in the business district made decisions that affect the business climate. Unfortunately Mr. Cloak and his majority chose to take a stand against his own police chief who opposes two-way traffic, and business owners that will have to figure alternative ways to get deliveries. Council will in the future have to give even more parking spaces for unloading zones. The engineer said it would only cost $20,000 in a $2.2 million dollar project to make the changes now. It will cost us more than that in business trade in the future.”
It has always been my desire to have Kittanning be business friendly. We need business! We want business! It saddens me that Council doesn’t understand that they can have a pretty town after revitalization, but if they have no business, no one is going to come here anyway. Council keep doing things - including as raising parking rates - that make Kittanning very unfriendly to new and existing business.”
Planning and Development Project Manager Walt Smail said the revitalization project began in 2011 after five conceptual public meetings. An initial study was done in 2009 due to the site of the former Indiana University of Pennsylvania campus.
“We were looking at just replacing some sidewalks and putting up some lights and trees, but we decided that really wasn’t enough,” Smail said. “We envisioned coming off the bridge and looking up Market Street…and looking at Market Street, with all the utilities gone.”
He said grants and business donations . Nearly $300,000 was already allocated for designs of Phase II while Phase I is still 60 percent complete
“Counting design work, we have close to $2.2 million invested in downtown to date” Smail said.
Council members also voted that all signalized intersections along Market Street in the revitalization project and one along Water Street will be changed from a green sign with white lettering to a white sign with black lettering to match the signal poles, which will also be black.
Cloak indicated his desire for uniformity since there are several intersections without street signs or differing color combinations. He said the changes should cost less than $150.
A 120-day extension was also permitted to allow M&B Services contractors to receive materials and to permit West Penn Power time to work on signals in early-2015. The extension will extend the contract to April 23, according to Bellas, and was unanimously approved.
Smail said poles are scheduled to be shipped in mid-to-late December.
“We hope that happens – it’s been a long process to get these things fabricated,” Smail said.
Senate Engineering’s Bill Braun presented a nearly $462,000 bill for paving streets in October, but noted a problem along Union Avenue.
“Our inspector was there, and I think one of the trucks full of bituminous sat there too long. He told the contractors not to put it down, and they put it down anyway and, I guess, it didn’t compact properly,” Braun said. “So, the contractor came back to repair it by millings and repaving, except I think he did that during the rain – which is probably not going to hold.
“This pay estimate with retainage was return enough to correct those areas should they be a problem in the future. The project will sit until Spring when they can come in and address these issues.”
Senate Engineering Senior Engineer Jay Quaid said the former manholes were also a different size than usual, and had to be specially-made. The intention is to place those “as soon as possible, weather permitting.”
“If they can’t for whatever reason, we may just put cold patch over (the manholes) to keep them safe,” Quaid said.
Instead, Kittanning Borough Street Supervisor Jim Mechling was charged by Cloak to place cold patch by later this week. Cloak and Croyle were disappointed with how contractors lapsed in the contract.
Solicitor Ty Heller said contractors did not yet meet a level of material breach. A
Borough Council met in a five-minute executive session after the meeting was called to order to acquire the Borough website, www.kittanningborough.com
Free parking will be available from December 17 until January 1
Kittanning Borough | jweaver December 2, 2014
By jorn jensen, December 2, 2014 @ 9:10 AM
Still struggling with this unloading thing. If people don’t come to town, then there is no need to unload anything. With two-way traffic, there will still be curbside parking, both sides. When Walker Motors is expecting a car carrier, rubber cone a stretch of curbside in front of the store, in advance, and the truck can unload curbside. If all else fails, unload outside town and drive the new cars to the dealership. Have to wonder how the semi drivers deal with the current one way streets?
The parking meters problem is counter-productive. They need to be torn out. The stores’ competitors, up on the hill, have free parking everywhere. The merchants, downtown, need that same competitive advantage.
When, and if, you have free parking downtown, there are ways to deal with ‘parking space hogs’ - the city of Huntington, Indiana, figured a unique way to deal with that and it works.
By blutoblutarsky, December 3, 2014 @ 9:43 AM
I think the free parking is a very small piece of the pie when you’re talking about the competitive advantage between the stores at the “mall” and downtown.
You can’t be serious about unloading cars outside of town and driving them in? Wow.
By forward, December 3, 2014 @ 11:10 AM
There’s one person who’s gotten free parking five days a week for at least three years….right in the corner spot at Family Dollar. Just think of the hundreds of dollars in parking fees this person has fleeced from the borough.