HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works April 14 20091 WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
2 Public Works and Safety Committee
3
4 April 14, 2009
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6 Committee Member Laurie Caskey- Schreiber called the meeting to order at 1:30
7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
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9 Present: Absent:
10 L. Ward Nelson None
11 Barbara Brenner
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13 Also Present:
14 Sam Crawford
15 Carl Weimer
16 Bob Kelly
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19 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL
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21 1. ORDINANCE AMENDING WHATCOM COUNTY CODE 2.78, SOLID WASTE
22 ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AB2008 -343)
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24 Jon Hutchings, Public Works Department, gave a staff report.
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26 Nelson moved to recommend adoption to the full Council.
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28 Discussion included the difference between public interest groups and citizen
29 representatives and the current membership.
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31 Crawford stated keep the same membership if they change two citizen
32 representatives to three representatives, and have one public interest group representative.
33 He is concerned that there would be two representatives from the same public interest
34 group.
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36 Brenner stated they can run that concern through the Solid Waste Advisory
37 Committee (SWAC). Don't hold up this ordinance.
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39 Motion carried 3 -0.
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42 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
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44 1. DISCUSSION OF A PROPOSED ORDINANCE REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF
45 SPEED LIMITS ON BIRCH BAY AND HARBORVIEW DRIVES (AB2009 -201)
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47 The following people spoke:
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49 • Deputy Cliff Langley, Sheriff's Office, submitted information (on file) and
50 stated he is the neighborhood deputy for the Birch Bay area. He gave a staff
51 report and discussed the traffic pattern.
52 • Joe Rutan, Public Works Department, gave a staff report.
Public Works and Safety Committee, 4/14/2009, Page 1
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• Mike Donahue, Public Works Department, explained the winter speed
percentile.
Discussion included the amount of foot traffic on the drive during the off season;
appropriate locations for certain speed limits; the role of the Public Works Department in
providing the technical information needed to make decisions on speed limits, and; the
results and recommendations from the traffic study for the Birch Bay area.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
The following people continued to speak:
• Ted Morrison, Washington State Parks Department Ranger, stated a speed
limit of 25 miles per hour throughout the year is a good speed through the
State Park to Selder Road at Birch Bay Village.
• Linda Clark, Birch Bay Village, stated she is not in favor of reducing the speed
limit during the winter from Birch Bay Village to Harborview. There are no
tourists, and they have to commute to Interstate 5.
• Doralee Booth, 8180 Birch Bay Drive, Birch Bay, read a letter from Cathy
Berg. She discussed the history of the speed limit; signed petitions
supporting a reduced speed limit, and; submitted and read from a handout
(on file).
• Edie Barry, 8250 Birch Bay Drive, stated it's not safe to travel at higher than
25 miles per hour any time of the year. Birch Bay no longer has an off-
season.
• Patrick Alesse, 4875 Alderson Road, stated he surveyed visitors to his store
about their preferred speed limit on Birch Bay Drive. From Harborview Road
to Alderson Road, the speed limit should be 20 miles per hour all year. From
Alderson Road to the State park, the speed limit should be 25 miles per
all year. North of Harborview Road, the speed limit could be 25 or 30 miles
per hour.
• Cathy Berg, 7585 Sterling Avenue, Birch Bay, stated the technical statistics
measure what vehicles do, not pedestrians and bicyclists. Do a study on the
use of the Drive by pedestrians and bicycles. Now, 144 new condos are
proposed for Birch Bay Drive, and will be located right in the middle of the
drive. That will bring in more people who will want to drive and recreate on
Birch Bay Drive.
Caskey- Schreiber stated continue working on this. Hold this item in committee for
two weeks.
Nelson stated that for the next meeting, he would like an update on construction
plans and ideas for how to get the connection done and how to make the northern route
safer to travel.
Brenner stated they would like more information on the big picture.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
Public Works and Safety Committee, 4/14/2009, Page 2
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ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
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Barbara Brenner, Committee Chair
Public Works and Safety Committee, 4/14/2009, Page 3
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