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PBSD MSTBU Agenda 07/05/2012 PELICAN BAY SERVICES DIVISION pagnnE Municipal Service Taxing and Benefit Unit Atl 2 BY: NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2012 THE AD-HOC COMMITTEE TO DEVELOP AN APPROACH FOR STUDYING PATHWAYS & TREES OF THE PELICAN BAY SERVICES DIVISION BOARD WILL MEET IN REGULAR SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 5 AT 12:00 PM AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER AT PELICAN BAY, LOCATED AT 8960 HAMMOCK OAK DRIVE, NAPLES, FLORIDA 34108 AGENDA The agenda includes, but is not limited: 1. Roll Call 2. Discussion of developing an approach for studying pathways and trees a. Scope of project b. Selection of experts c. Project timeline ✓ 3. Audience Comments Fiala Hiller ,✓ 4. Adjournment Henning'?-' Coyle ✓ Colette - ANY PERSON WISHING TO SPEAK ON AN AGENDA ITEM WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE (3) MINUTES PER ITEM TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. THE BOARD WILL SOLICIT PUBLIC COMMENTS ON SUBJECTS NOT ON THIS AGENDA AND ANY PERSON WISHING TO SPEAK WILL RECEIVE UP TO THREE (3) MINUTES. THE BOARD ENCOURAGES YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS IN WRITING IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. ANY PERSON WHO DECIDES TO APPEAL A DECISION OF THIS BOARD WILL NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDING PERTAINING THERETO, AND THEREFORE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD IS MADE, WHICH INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY WHO NEEDS AN ACCOMMODATION IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING YOU ARE ENTITLED TO THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE. PLEASE CONTACT THE PELICAN BAY SERVICES DIVISION AT (239) 597-1749 OR VISIT PELICANBAYSERVICESDIVISION.NET. Misc. orres. Date: 911 l 112' Item#: ILf2 ZAILI 6/25/2012 11:13:59 AM Copies to: July 5,2012 Ad-Hoc Committee to Develop an Approach for Studying Pathways&Trees Ideas for consideration on how to approach the pathway project(K.J.Dallas) Page 1 of 3 From: Keith Dallas To: ResnickLisa Cc: Neil Dorrill Subject: Ideas For Pathway Ad Hoc Committee Consideration Date: Sunday,June 24,2012 1:40:05 PM Attachments: 2012 Pathway Proiect.docx Lisa, Attached are my ideas on how the PBSD might approach the Pathway Project now being defined by our Ad Hoc Committee. Would you please distribute these materials to the Ad Hoc Committee (and the rest of the Board for their information) so this approach, along with their ideas, can be discussed at our July 5th meeting. The objectives of our committee are to define: • The scope of our project • The kind and selection process for our experts to guide us through this project • The way we see the entire project proceeding, along with potential time frames. I would hope that we could develop some consensus at our first meeting about most of these details, so that a draft of our proposal could be developed during the summer. We would then refine the approach at our September 24th meeting. The approach would then be presented at our October 3rd meeting (which I am unable to attend). Keith July 5,2012 Ad-Hoc Committee to Develop an Approach for Studying Pathways&Trees Ideas for consideration on how to approach the pathway project(K.J.Dallas) Page 2 of 3 PBSD Pathway Project A potential way to study the coordination of tree scape and pathways along Pelican Bay Boulevard would be to conduct a series of Town Hall meetings, analyzing the situation starting with very specifics and over time considering more general questions, as follows: • Root Barriers: o Look at alternative approaches to root barriers, including expert opinions on potential harm to be caused to nearby trees and recommended distancing of root barriers to adjacent roots of various sizes. o Using the preferred method, analyze the impact of such an approach if applied to existing pathways (without any widening) for at least two sections (the section from the Commons to North Tram Station and at least one other problematic section, maybe from North Tram to US41 on northwest side of Pelican Bay Boulevard). o Without indicating any preference, also analyze for same sections the probable impact to adjacent trees of building a 6 foot and alternatively an 8 foot pathway. o Analyze the pros and cons of alternative surface materials, specifically asphalt versus concrete surfaces, including costs to install and future maintenance costs. o Analyze the methodologies and ramifications of alternatively periodically merely resurfacing pathways. o Develop preliminary recommendations. • Uses and Preferred Width of Pathways o Review historical documents and Collier County laws regarding potential uses for pathways. o Survey residents regarding current usage of pathways, including frequency and types of usage, as well as frequency of use of Boulevard for bicycling. o Explore potential ways Boulevard could be modified to encourage more bicycle usage. o Educate and survey residents about alternatives for pathways and/or bicycle paths on Pelican Bay Boulevard. o Develop preliminary recommendations. July 5,2012 Ad-Hoc Committee to Develop an Approach for Studying Pathways&Trees Ideas for consideration on how to approach the pathway project(K.J.Dallas) Page 3 of 3 • Tree Canopy o Develop overall plan for tree canopy for length of Pelican Bay Boulevard, including where canopy should be modified and enhanced. • Present Overall Conclusions to Community o Use all available venues for presenting final analysis and recommendations to community, including Pelican Bay Post, Email Blasts, and Town Hall Meetings. The first step in any such study would be to first define the scope of the project, the types of experts to be used in the analysis, and the method for selecting those experts. Upon selection, the experts should then develop with the PBSD the specific study steps to be taken. KJD 6/24/12 July 5,2012 Ad-Hoc Committee to Develop an Approach for Studying Pathways&Trees (J.Chandler)comments re:developing an approach to pathway project Page 1 of 1 ResnickLisa Forwarded message From: John Chandler<johnchandler219@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Jun 24, 2012 at 6:05 PM Subject: Pathway Widening To: Keith Dallas <keithdallas @comcast.net>, Dave Trecker<djtrecker @yahoo.com>,teedupl @aol.com As part of the recommendation that you plan to give the full PBSD Board at its October 3 meeting, I suggest that you consider what the optimal width of this pathway should be, irrespective of trees, and then temper that by tree damage considerations. I suggest that you also estimate the total cost of widening the east and west pathways of Pelican Bay Boulevard from end to end and compare that to the number of residents who will actually benefit from this widening. My opinion is that the optimal width of the pathway is six feet. Reasons for this opinion are: -The present width is fine for walkers. If a bike needs to pass them,they can easily step off the pathway for a few seconds as the biker passes. Bear in mind,physical counts of walkers and bikers on the pathway between the Commons and the North Tram Station(taken during season and at various times of the day) show extremely low usage. The statistics show that the average pedestrian,walking one way, will encounter only two or three bikes as he/she traverses this 1.3 mile stretch. Mr or Mrs Average will also encounter only seven or eight walkers. -If we assume that there will always be some bike riders on this path,despite statistics showing that it's safer to ride on the boulevard,the present width makes it awkward when two bikes pass. The handlebars on bikes are two feet wide. Thus,when two bikes pass, each with its wheels one foot from the edge of the pathway,there is only one foot of clearance between the bikes'handlebars. For some riders,this is disturbingly close so they go off the pathway into the grass while passing. Given the length of the grass and the sandy soil that lies beneath it, some of these riders struggle to maintain momentum and to get back on the pathway. -Obviously, a pathway wider than six feet would give these few passing bikers even more space, however, I fear that a seven or eight foot wide pathway will cause some riders who currently use the boulevard to abandon it for the pathway. Safety experts (FDOT among them)warn against bikes riding on pathways where there are a significant number of crossings. In our case that's association driveways. In just the stretch from the Commons to the North Tram Station,there must be over a thousand vehicles exiting these associations during season(if we assume only one car per unit and only one car trip per day). John Chandler July 5,2012 Ad-Hoc Committee to Develop an Approach for Studying Pathways and Trees of the Pelican Bay Services Division Board Comments by Diane Lustig Page 1 of 1 From: Lustial To: Womble.Mary Anne; officeChoelicanbayservicesdivision,net; Dallas. Keith; Chandler,John;Trecker, Dave; Craven,Tom Subject: Input for 5 July Ad hoc committee on pathways&canopy Date: Wednesday,July 04,2012 3:45:47 PM Greetings from Diane Lustig, Hyde Park resident--but currently "AWOL" in Garmisch Germany. My sincere appreciation for the efforts you are all making to keep us informed and involved in the decisions you are making to address pathway widths and the health of the canopy. Your postings to the internet, etc, allow us to keep well-informed, even when thousands of miles away. 1. Mr. Chandler, I especially appreciate your drawing attention to the issue of addressing the linkage between bicyclists and pathway width. Pelican Bay is really at a strategic decision point regarding its encouragement of biking and its providing for the safety of the bikers. There has been much talk at the Strategic Planning Committee this past year to "looking to the future." Biking as a recreational activity among senior citizens, and biking as an alternative form of transportation is part of that future. I encourage the PBSD to think proactively and make decisions at this point that will insure that Pelican Bay has the pathways in-place that will meet the growing interests in biking. A bicycle lane should be included in Pelican Bay Blvd, regardless of the ultimate pathway width. As we have discussed at past PBSD meetings, the safest place for bicyclists is in the street. Since the primary objective of widening the paths was to address safety, then I whole-heartedly encourage the PBSD to simultaneously come to a decision on the "striping" of Pelican Bay Blvd to provide for a bicycle lane. This will provide significantly enhanced protection for the biker, and encourage more bikers onto the street, making the pathways safer for the pedestrian. You are correct when stating that bicyclists currently riding in the street will be encouraged to ride on the pathways-- if widened. I am one of those individuals who will do exactly that. 2. Keith, your email communication posted on the PBSD website similarly addresses the issue of biking, especially identifying the options regarding striping, etc. Again--"Thank-you." As we have talked together in the past, I encourage PBSD to explore the feasibility of simply adding striping--with a broken/dashed yellow line--down the middle of the far right lanes on Pelican Bay Blvd. This allows cars to use both lanes when no bike is present, but will force a car to actually move to the left lane to "pass" any encountered bike. As a bicyclist, feeling "squeezed" into a narrow lane just increases my sense of instability, much like John Chandler described in his posted email. 3. I very much appreciate the attention that PBSD is giving to the health of the tree-canopy. A healthy, and full canopy is integral to the beauty of Pelican Bay. It is integral to the enjoyment and comfort of the walkers. It is a key factor in providing noise abatement from Route 41! Like bicycling, PBSD should address the canopy as a "strategic issue," because it is such a priceless asset, and it takes 20plus years to restore. The issue of pathway widening has called attention to the canopy's health and its "completeness." However, the issues associated with the canopy go well beyond just the width of the pathways. County codes regarding types of trees and spacing, introduction of disease/parasites by any one of the scores of landscapers employed within Pelican Bay, resistance to storm damage, replacement and proper placement of trees that have been removed/destroyed are just a sample of the issues that PBSD, along with the Foundation and the individual associations need to sit down together to explore, and work together to resolve. As you drive along Pelican Bay, you'll notice several areas where the canopy is now incomplete. Again, thank-you for your efforts to keep the Community informed, and to solicit input. Sincerely, Diane Lustig (Leaving Friday for 5 more days of biking on Italy's bike paths!! Why not have the Committee come over on a "research" trip?)