2019.09.23 Council Agenda Item 11

Background:

The Johnson Road-Route 88 intersection has been analyzed and discussed many times over the past 10+ years. Former Councilors, individually and sometimes in small groups, have taken public comment and conveyed it back to staff that more needs to be done for traffic calming, bike ped safety, etc.

In 2011, the Town and State built sidewalks to Underwood Park, created a couple of on-street parking places and built a pedestrian crossing. This crossing is not located at the intersection because one needs a safe and accessible landing spot. The stop sign was not possible because MaineDOT would not allow it at the time and creating a landing for pedestrians would have eliminated parking at the Town Landing Market. Community discussions on this topic had initial energy, but public interest has declined over the years.

Current Status:

This summer based on input from the public, the Town Manager has committed to developing some options for this intersection and recommends that an open-ended public forum be conducted this fall to learn more about what the public wants and what ideas and concerns people have. This forum could help drive some of the future design work. It will also be important for the public to be educated about what can and cannot be done based on highway design standards and rules.

Guidance is requested at this meeting from the Council on how to set up this public forum:

• When should the forum be held?
• What should the scope of the forum be? Discuss just the specific intersection, or also area parking, sidewalks, Underwood Park, and more?
• Where should the Forum be conducted? The Town has held neighborhood meetings at the Holy Martyrs Church in the past.
• Should the Town hire a facilitator for this event?