2014.04.28 Council Agenda Item 09
Summary
Receive the final report for the North of Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Implementation Plan.
A public comment period will be included with this item (5 minutes).
ACTION: No Council action is anticipated.
Description
Since last fall, Falmouth has worked collaboratively with the Towns of Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, and Freeport and consultant StreetPlans to create a PACTS-funded plan for pedestrian and bicycle mobility improvements in this region ("NoPo Plan").
On January 27, 2014, the Council endorsed a multi-town construction grant application to PACTS for the (draft) short-term improvements recommended by the NoPo Plan. Staff prepared this application with the other four towns. The application has since received a #1 ranking in its category by PACTS staff out of 11 applications. See attached application and scoring sheet.
The North of Portland Bicycle Pedestrian Implementation Plan has now been finalized (see attached plan). The recommendations in the plan are conceptual in nature and do not bind the Town in any manner.
The Town received valuable local assistance with this project from Dr. Pat Connolly, Debra Coyman, Kathy Hillman-Reed, Theo Holtwijk, Lt. John Kilbride, Nathan Poore, Ann Reis, Jay Reynolds, and Bob Shafto, as well as a number of Falmouth residents who came to public meetings and participated in surveys.
Town staff recommends the following next steps:
- distribute final NoPo Plan to all project participants and post on Town website,
- continue informal collaboration with Cumberland, Yarmouth, North Yarmouth, and Freeport on bicycle and pedestrian issues,
- track 5-town PACTS-grant request for short-term bicycle improvements (see above),
- continue participation in current PACTS-funded Bicycle Wayfinding Study for area North of Portland,
- convene the ad hoc Falmouth Stakeholder Group to formally conclude the NoPo Plan effort, and
- in late 2014, develop a proposed scope of work for a Falmouth-specific update of its 2003 Bicycle/Pedestrian Plan and 2002 Trails Plan to be prepared in 2015.
(This item follows the Council's 2013 Work Plan priority 1.D. The work is expected to be partially funded through a previous PACTS grant. Staff will bring a proposed scope of work back to the Council for review.)
Attachments:
- Final NoPo Plan
- 5-Town PACTS Grant Application for Short-Term Improvements
- PACTS Scoring of Bicycle-Pedestrian Applications
