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Councilmember Pentin referred back to the issue with mail delivery trucks and asked if the City could stipulate in the letter teat Black Avenue is not the most direct path for these trucks. Mr. Tassano said they could make that request in the letter as well as when they pull vehicles over. Councilmember Pentin asked if the committee considered sharrows. Mr. Tassano said no as sharrows do nothing to narrow the roadway and only indicate that bikes should travel in that area even though there is not sufficient space to provide them with a full lane. He said he has seen them used in a close spacing pattern to achieve a similar narrowing feature but residents indicated that they would prefer not to have a painted roadway. Staff chose not explore the issue further for that reason but it is something that could be considered as an additional tool in the after study. Mayor Thorne opened public hearing. Johanna Yoder expressed her appreciation for the entire effort. She acknowledged the need for similar plans throughout town but said that Black Avenue is unique in its proximity to two elementary schools, a middle school, preschool, high school and recreation centers as well as its volume of youth pedestrian traffic. She cited charges on Valley Avenue to redirect traffic leaving Safeway as a major contributor to the traffic safety issue on Black Avenue. She said she appreciated the proposed calming efforts to the west of Greenwood Road but expressed concern for the portion east of that. She explained that crossing Black Avenue can be very difficult and thought the issue had more to do with carelessness or lack of concern as opposed to visibility. She said she was encouraged to see the installation of a speed lump and hoped to ultimately see one installed on the eastern end of Black Avenue as well. Eric Helmgren said he lives on the corner of Black Avenue and Greenwood Road and is a daily witness to the dangers of speed on this street. He noted that in addition to the schools identified by Ms. Yoder, Black Avenue serves students of Gingerbread Preschool, Quarry Lane Preschool and Walnut Grove Extended Day Child Care. He said that Black Avenue also serves as one of four major cut-through's from Hopyard Road to Santa Rita Road, all of which have high traffic volume and speeds but not the unique youth and pecestrian features of Black Avenue. He requested the Council's support in making it safer situation for the entire community. Mayor Thorne closed public hearing. Mayor Thorne said he has spent time on Mr. Helmgren's front porch and can attest to the validity of residents' concerns. He asked how staff would determine the need for and implement further improvements on the eastern portion of Black Avenue. Mr. Tassano explained that Black Avenue serves as a collector road and therefore the fire department needs an opportunity to determine that response times are not impacted by improvements like the speed lump. He said that staff would conduct speed and volume counts and meet with residents again six months after the installation to see if additional improvements are warranted and desired. Mayor Thorne said he supported the proposed plan and moved approval of the staff recommendation. Councilmember Narum seconded the motion. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio stated her support as well but asked that staff implement some of the lower cost items in the more immediate future. She said that both she and residents understand that a $300,000 project will not happen tomorrow, but thought that installing a portion that falls within the allotted $25,000 (such as speed lumps) now and reserving the rest pending CIP approval would go a long way towards improving safety. City Council Minutes Page 5 of 20 December 17, 2013