Reconstituted Bike Committee Is Off And Running

MOST MEMBERS ATTENDED
The Costa Mesa Bikeway and Walkability Committee, re-configured following the last election, met for the second time last night and tackled a full agenda.  All the members attended except one.  The three liaison members - Mayor Katrina Foley, Dr. Kirk Bauermeister and Brent Stoll - were also absent. 

ERICKSON AT THE HELM
The committee met in the cozy confines of Conference Room 1A at City Hall, a new venue for them and one that might prove to be problematic if everyone shows up for future meetings.  New Chairman, Jim Erickson - a hold-over from the previous group - took charge of the group with skill and time-awareness, keeping things moving throughout the evening.  Cynthia McDonald continues as Vice Chair and former Chairman Ralph Taboada remains in the group, so the continuity of the process is retained.

SMALL AUDIENCE, AGAIN
The audience attendance continues to be small - a maximum of six people showed up, with only a couple of us remaining through the full two-hour meeting.

OCC IMPACT
During Public Comments Marc Perkins provided a handout to the committee to add emphasis to his request for better integration of Orange Coast College into any future bikeway plans.  His contention was that the large concentration of bicycle riders at the college does, and will, have a significant impact on traffic and public safety as the campus continues to grow.  He cited the on-campus housing planned to provide for an increase in foreign students, whom, he postulated, would be mostly bicycle riders.

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM PROJECTS
Director of Public Services, Raja Sethuraman, guided a discussion of the Active Transportation Program projects that are part of the budget.  A budget study session apparently will be held next Tuesday evening, also in Conference Room 1A, and members were encouraged to attend to observe that process.

INPUT ON BIKE RACK LOCATIONS
Committee members were asked to provide input on their perception of the need for bike racks around the city, so the discussion went around the room with most members providing specific locations for the needs at both public and private locations.  There was the presumption that every public park in the city needs a full compliment of bike racks.  Emphasis was placed on the situation at Wilson Park, a venue that is under siege from homeless individuals.  Other areas of focus included the business corridors of 17th and 19th Streets.  The City has budgeted $50,000 for bike racks around town, so the staff will take the input provided and come back to the next meeting with a list which the committee will prioritize so the installation of new bike racks can commence - most likely being done by City maintenance workers with oversight from senior staffers as to placement.

BICYCLE MASTER PLAN
There was a discussion of the Bicycle Master Plan Project, HERE, and the new members were encouraged to go online to familiarize themselves with the document.

NEXT AGENDA ITEMS
Items planned for the agenda at the next meeting include:

• A discussion of prioritizing installation of bike racks
• The Bicycle Master Plan
• The feasibility of a "Walking Audit" - a tour of sites around the City
• A discussion of possible sub-committees to focus on specific ideas/areas.

PERSONAL BIKE RACK ASSESSMENT
During Committee Member Comments members Rick Huffman and Cynthia McDonald provided a handout describing their own recent drive around town to assess the need for bike racks.

BIKE PODS
John Merrill described a recent conference he attended at which Santa Ana's installation of "bike pods" - locked bike storage units accessible only via membership - and suggested that kind of infrastructure could be discussed by the group in the future.

DANGEROUS SITUATION AT NEWPORT BLVD/INDUSTRIAL WAY
A member of the public, who had arrived late with her son, asked to be heard as a "public comment" regarding a dangerous situation she and her son faces.  She apparently lives in the new condo units near Newport Boulevard and Industrial way and her son rides his bicycle to Ensign Middle School, being forced to cross both Industrial Way AND Newport Boulevard to do it.  He apparently had an accident where a car knocked him off his bike.  He spoke, describing his situation.  They asked the committee to pursue some kind of safety measure - a signaled cross walk, for example - to make it safer for folks traveling that route on bikes, or walking for that matter.

REVIEW THE OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN
Member Flo Martin referred the group to the Master Plan of Open Space on the City website, HERE - all 384 pages of it.  She referred to several excerpts from that document for their enlightenment.  McDonald reminded us that the cutoff date for written comments on that document is next Wednesday, May 10th.

TWO PROBLEM AREAS
Member Bob Graham provided a short presentation on areas of concern - cables that complicate bike riding across the street from Estancia High School and what he described as a growing junk yard at the Costa Mesa Golf Course.  He showed slides of each and asked the staff to investigate solutions.

OC MARATHON THIS SUNDAY - BE PREPARED
Before Erickson closed the meeting at 8:34 p.m., Sethuraman reminded the group of the upcoming Orange County Marathon on Sunday, which will snarl traffic in several parts of the City, beginning with the far Eastside and including areas in the north and northwest sides before concluding at the Orange County Fair and Event Center.  You can read more about it HERE, which also includes links to specific road closures.

ANOTHER GOOD GROUP - DOING GOOD WORK
My impressions of this new group is very positive.  The new members bring new energy and I'm encouraged that they will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and continue to make Costa Mesa a much more bikeable and walkable city.  Thanks to them all for volunteering to take on these challenges ahead.

NEW Location for Bikeway and Walkability Committee Meeting!

 TELL YOUR FRIENDS...
The Costa Mesa Bikeway and Walkability Committee will meet again on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 beginning at 6:30 at a NEW LOCATION!  This meeting will be held in Conference Room 1A at City Hall instead of the Senior Center.  Unfortunately, one of the links on the City Calendar still shows the Senior Center as the meeting site.  Please advise your friends who normally attend of this very significant change.

THE AGENDA
The agenda for this meeting, HERE, doesn't do much to provide detailed information on the individual items to be discussed.  However, here's the roster of items planned for discussion:

• Active Transportation Program Projects in Budget
• Bike Projects Prioritization
• Bike Rack Program - List of Locations
• Items for the next agenda

NEW GROUP, PLENTY TO DO
I missed the first meeting of this new committee, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this new group - a homogenization of the previous committee and some new folks - goes about doing their work under the guidance of new Chairman Jim Erickson.

HERE'S THE TEAM...
Thanks to this committee for their volunteer spirit:

• Jim Erickson - Chairman
• Cynthia McDonald - Vice Chair
• Alan Engard
• Michelle Fay
• Robert Graham
• Michael Habitz
• Richard Huffman II
• James Kane
• Dan Leibson
• Andrew Levins
• Flo Martin
• John C. Merrill
• Kari Nieblas Vozenilek
• Scott Porterfield
• Ralph Taboada

PLUS
Liaisons:
Mayor Katrina Foley
Dr. Kirk Bauermeister - Newport Mesa Unified School District
Brent Stoll - Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce

See you there - AT THE NEW LOCATION!

Two Committees Off And Running

TWO MORE COMMITTEES GOOD TO GO
As mentioned in my earlier post, the new Finance and Pension Advisory Committee and the re-constituted Bikeway and Walkability Committee both met yesterday, elected leaders and have launched themselves off on their assigned tasks.  Although I attended neither meeting, sources who were in attendance provided some insight for us.

FINANCE AND PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHOOSES FISLER AND TABOADA
The Finance and Pension Advisory Committee chose former Planning Commissioner and current Mesa Water Board member Jim Fisler as Chairman and Ralph Taboada as Vice Chair.  Members Wendy Leece, Taboada, Robert Juneman, John Hinson and Anna Vrska were selected to become members of the Pension Working Group, a sub-committee that apparently will be charged with examining the pension issues and providing information to the broader group.  Although the information was a little fuzzy, it seems that Taboada will act as chair of that group.  It's unclear when they will next meet.

BUDGET SHORTFALL PROBABLE...
Among the issues discussed were the current year budget - apparently all signs indicate a slight budget shortfall by the end of the fiscal year in June.  I'm told Interim Finance Director Steve Dunivent provided a series of options for the council to consider.

NEW FIRE PLAN NOT DISCUSSED
There was a plan to hear from Fire Chief Dan Stefano on the latest iteration of his deployment plan, but that didn't happen.  This item is on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Tuesday.

So, this group is organized and ready to operate.  Thanks to the volunteers who formed this group.  They meet next on May 10th.

*****

BIKE COMMITTEE CHOOSES ERICKSON AND MC DONALD TO LEAD THEM
The Bikeway and Walkability Committee met at the Senior Center last evening and chose Jim Erickson as Chairman and Cynthia McDonald was selected to continue as Vice Chair.  All members, as well as Chamber of Commerce liaison Brent Stoll, attended.  Mayor Katrina Foley and NMUSD liaison Dr. Kirk Bauermeister were absent.

ALL BRIEFED AND READY TO GO
According to Public Services Director Raja Sethuraman, the committee was briefed on important procedural issues - the Brown Act, etc., - and were oriented about recent accomplishments and discussed issues they would like to address moving forward.  Again, another good group, willing to work for the betterment of the of the community.  Thanks to them all.  They will next meet on Wednesday, May 3rd.

Of Bikes And Bucks - Two Meetings Today

FIRST MEETINGS FOR TWO COMMITTEES
Two re-constituted Costa Mesa committees meet for the first time today, will select officers and make sub-committee assignments for the work ahead.

FINANCE AND PENSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The new Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, combined by the City Council recently to blend the technical expertise required for discussions of both the Pension issue and the broader Finance issues, meets for the first time today in Conference Room 1A at City Hall beginning at 4:30 p.m.  You can read the agenda report HERE.

BLENDING THE TALENTS
This group is an amalgamation of old and new members of both the two previous committees, so it should be interesting to see how the backgrounds and personalities mesh (or clash) as they work to provide potential solutions for the City Council.  The members of this committee are:
Jim Fisler
Robert Juneman
John Hinson
Wendy Leece
Al Melone
Nick Peterson
Tom Pollitt
Richard Riva
Ralph Taboada
Rebecca Trahan
Anna Vrska
Sandra Genis is the Mayor's Designee

PENSION WORKING GROUP?
I did notice on the agenda the selection of the Pension Working Group members.  One of the reasons for combining the Pension and Finance committees was to save on staff time.  I wonder if this sub-group will meet separately, how frequently and how much extra staff time will be required for this particular activity?  It makes me wonder of the wisdom of combining the two committees if they're going to have a separate group discussing pensions.  Curious, indeed.

BIKEWAY AND WALKABILITY COMMITTEE
Then, beginning at 6:00 p.m., the new Bikeway and Walkability Committee meets at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th Street.  This is an earlier start time than previously and this is an unusual date due to the recent creation of this group.  You can read this agenda report HERE.

The new members of this committee are:
Alan Engard
Jim Erickson
Michelle Fay
Robert Graham
Michael Habitz
Richard Huffman II
James Kane
Dan Leibson
Andrew Levins
Flo Martin
Cynthia McDonald
John C. Merrill
Kari Nieblas Vozenilek
Scott Porterfield
Ralph Taboada
City Council Liaison is Mayor Katrina Foley
Newport-Mes Unified School District Liaison is Dr. Kirk Bauermeister
Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Liaison is Brent Stoll

START PEDDLING, RALPH!
This should be an interesting afternoon/evening for you committee-watchers.  It will be especially interesting for Ralph Taboada, who has previously held leadership positions in both committees, as he sprints from one to the other today.

WON'T ATTEND, BUT WILL TRY TO REPORT ANYHOW
A previously-scheduled social event precludes me from attending either of these meetings, but I'll attempt to report of each from alternate sources.

THANKS, FOLKS...
Thanks to all above for their dedication and for volunteering to spend the time and energy to improve things in our city.

Bike Committee Wrestles With 19th Street - Both Ends

19TH STREET ISSUES DOMINATED THE DISCUSSIONS
The Costa Mesa Bikeway and Walkability Committee met again last night at the Costa Mesa Senior Center from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. to continue their tasks.  Last night those tasks included heavy doses of 19th Street.  Most of the committee members were present

PACKED HOUSE
I arrived about five minutes late after my dash from Corona del Mar and missed Public Comments.  As I entered the room I found the audience section packed with interested residents, eager to hear, and participate, in discussions to be held.

WEST 19TH STREET BIKE TRAIL
First up was the much-flogged West 19th Street Bicycle Trail Project, which extends from the end of West 19th Street into Talbert Nature Reserve.  This issue was recently discussed by the City Council, who directed staff to return it to this committee for further vetting.  There's not much to vet because the issue at hand - the development of an environmental report for the proposed project - is already approved.  Nevertheless, the committee gave the issue a thorough going-over.

CINDY BLACK SAYS NO...
Resident and environmental activist Cindy Black - not a member of the committee - was invited to present a short slide show reflecting her opinion of why this project as presently constituted is a bad idea.  She showed slides of the current, rain-drenched condition of the area in question and also showed examples of recent illegal removal of vegetation.  She also questioned why, since the City of Costa Mesa does not own this property, we should be spending any money on these studys.  She showed images of protected and endangered species that would be impacted by the planned concrete roadway.  Five members of the public addressed this issue, too.  The committee ended up spending an hour dissecting and discussing this subject.

EAST 19TH STREET TRAFFIC CALMING
Next up was the other end of 19th Street - the so-called East 19th Street Neighborhood Traffic Managment Project.  This issue drew many of my Eastside neighbors to discuss it, particularly in context with a similar project completed a couple years ago on Broadway, which parallels East 19th Street in that part of town.  In a nutshell, this project will place traffic calming measures the length of East 19th Street from the city border at Irvine Avenue westward to Fullerton Avenue.  These consist of chokers at the intersections of all cross-streets, which will slow the traffic and, in theory, make it safer.  The project is funded by Federal Safe Routes To School funds.

MOST NEIGHBORS SUPPORTED THE PROJECT - EXCEPT ME
All of the neighbors who spoke supported this project - except me.  I opined, based on my more than 43 years of living in this neighborhood, that slowing traffic on 19th Street - much of which is headed for the terminus of the 55 Freeway at Newport Boulevard - will result in drivers seeking relief on parallel streets - most likely 20th Street and Costa Mesa Street.  My view was singular among those in the room.  Others praised the Broadway project, indicating it is now quieter and safer.  They addressed this project in similar terms, indicating that the traffic currently moves too rapidly through the neighborhood.  This project would certainly slow it down.

MONUMENT SIGNS AND SHARROWS
This project, which includes a monument sign at Fullerton identifying the area as "Eastside Costa Mesa" and a similar, but smaller sign near the intersection of Irvine Avenue, has funding for $855,000.  Discussion included the wisdom of actually designating East 19th Street as a "bikeway", including the application of "sharrows" markers along that route that would, could, should alert drivers of their responsibility to share the FULL lane with bicyclers.

MOVE IT FORWARD
After a 45 minute discussion the committee voted - 11-1 - to recommend moving forward with this project.  Member Cindy Brenneman voted no.

VACATION OF RIGHT-OF-WAY AT FULLERTON AVE./19TH STREET
Next up was the discussion of the vacation of right-of-way of a piece of city-owned property at the corner of 19th Street and Fullerton Avenue.   Following a short, fifteen minute, discussion, the committee voted 8-4 to recommend moving forward with the vacation plan.

UPCOMING PROJECTS
The committee also briefly discussed upcoming projects - Merrimac to the Golf Course rehabilitation and the Arlington Bioswale, which is 90% through the design process.

FUTURE DISCUSSIONS?
During the discussion of potential future agenda items the following issues were proposed:

CYCLE-CROSS EVENT?
Jim Erickson suggested they discuss a CycloCross event at one of the parks, or at least consider a skills clinic.  The group seemed to favor a further discussion.

GREEN COAST DAY AT OCC?
Flo Martin suggested a discussion of the Green Coast Day event in April at Orange Coast College, referring to local bicycler Roy Duval.  She also mentioned that he, Duval, has a source for new bicycle racks and would install them free of charge throughout the city.  That will get further discussion.

CLOSE THE LOOP
Staff liaison newly-anointed Public Services Director Raja Sethuraman, suggested they close the loop on some existing issues - the original list of projects and funding for them plus the Bike Master Plan itself.

"POLICIES" VS. "RECOMMENDATIONS"
Chairman Ralph Taboada inquired whether the new City Council will address the "Recommendations" vs. "Policies" issue that was sidetracked by Councilmember Jim Righeimer.

COMMITTEE COMMENTS
During Committee Member Comments several issues were addressed.
Jim Erickson suggested these comments might be restricted to 2 minutes.

Jim Kane had a laundry list of issues, including congratulating Sethuraman for his recent promotion; the recent award bestowed on the City for the Harbor Boulevard Bike Trail; the new bike racks at City Hall and the Senior Center (he suggested lighting the area at the Senior Center for safety); a Walkability webinar that was being conducted soon; he wondered about the Placentia Avenue bike crossing signal project, which seemed to have stalled; he complained about the Harbor Blvd. Bike Trail expansion joints, which apparently give riders a good jolt when crossing them and he asked about spacing of the Tanager Bike Trail posts.

Flo Martin also addressed the Harbor Blvd. Bike Trail, and wondered if the lights are on 24 hours and also addressed the bumps on the trail.  She also wondered about the cost of the new bike racks.

Taboada mentioned a recent trip to Ft. Collins, Colorado and observed many bicyclers out in 18 degree weather.

RAJA COMMENTS
Sethuraman told the group the Placentia Bike Signal project was stalled because of a problem with the contractor, who has been replaced by another via the Bonding company and the project should be completed soon.  He told us the new bike racks cost $500 each. He told us the posts at the Tanager trail would be widened.  He also mentioned that the discussion of the upcoming OC Marathon routes would be on the agenda at the next City Council meeting.  He also mentioned a Shuttle Transportation project with OCTA that would move from the South Coast Plaza area to the Lab/Camp location allowing residents and visitors to move between those two venues via public transportation.  Currently there is a shuttle from South Coast Plaza to Disneyland.

KUDOS, AGAIN...
The meeting adjourned to their next meeting on March 1st at 8:56.  Once again, I was impressed with the way this particular committee works.  They manage to vet issues without rancor, reach well-reasoned conclusions, considering opinions of the other members carefully.  Last night, due to the large turnout of residents to discuss 19th Street issues, Taboada held a light rein on the discussions and actually permitted brief comments by members of the public outside the normal Public Comments segment on each issue.  It made for a very comfortable situation and most viewpoints were heard and considered.  Kudos, once again, to the members of this committee for their diligence and dedication to these important issues.

Bike Committee Tackles 19th Street Projects And More

MEETING WEDNESDAY NIGHT
The Costa Mesa Bikeway and Walkability Committee meets again beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th Street.  The agenda is posted HERE.

A FULL AGENDA
As you can see, they will deal with:

• West 19th Street Bicycle Trail Project
• East 19th Street Neighborhood Traffic Management Project
• Request for Vacation of Right-of-Way at 152 East 19th Street
• Trail Rehabilitation (Merrimac to Golf Course)
• Arlington Bioswale Project

MAKING A REAL CONTRIBUTION
This dedicated, hard-working group led by Chairman Ralph Taboada and Vice Chair Cynthia McDonald, continues to make good progress in making Costa Mesa more bicycle friendly and more walkable.

Bikeway and Walkability Committee Meeting Summary

ANOTHER GOOD MEETING
Last night I attended the Costa Mesa Bikeway & Walkability Committee meeting - my first in many months - and found the Senior Center lobby in full Christmas mode.  I saw a few new faces but the same focused attention to business as I've observed in the past.  Most of the members attended - Ralph Taboarda, Cynthia McDonald, Russell Baldwin, Cindy Brenneman, Leah Ersoylu, Maggie Gallagher, Rick Huffman, Jim Kane, Jim Kerins, Andrea Marr, Flo Martin, John Merrill and Chamber of Commerce Liaison Brent Stoll were in the room,  with only Jim Erickson, Brian Valles and Newport Mesa Unified School District Liaison Dr. Kirk Bauermeister absent.  Council Liaison Katrina Foley attended this meeting, too, and provided some momentum to the process.

 FLO ON MERRIMAC WAY DANGER
During member comments Flo Martin presented a slide show depicting what she described as a dangerous situation on Merrimac Way - the same presentation she made at the recent City Council meeting.  The combination of pending major construction, narrowed roadways and lack of sidewalk space is, as she put it, "An Accident Waiting To Happen" - she used a slide for emphasis.  Member Russell Baldwin affirmed her opinion.

Cindy Brenneman opined that fallen pine needles from the recent wind event are making many of the existing bike paths treacherous.

Jim Kerins, who arrived late,  inquired about the status of the 19th Street Bike Trail project, since it was the subject of discussion at the recent council meeting.

Maggie Gallagher observed that the lights are STILL not working along the new Harbor Blvd. bike path.

Jim Kane also chimed in on the Merrimac Way situation and asked for an update on the 19th Street Bike Trail.  He also wondered about the crossing on Placentia at Fairview Park - work seems to have stopped.  Acting Public Services Director Raja Sethruaman explained that there had been a delay.  Later he said something about the contractor defaulting and the bonding company was now involved and a new contractor will soon finish the project.  Kane also spoke briefly about a Sustainability Seminar and will provide handouts and business cards dealing with bike racks.  He was also concerned about the condition of the pavement on the Harbor Cornerstone Trail.  Foley opined that perhaps the contractor could repair it under a warranty.

RALPH WAS ANGRY TUESDAY
Chairman Ralph Taboada told the group that Copenhagen recently passed a law that 50% of the communters must do so by bicycle.  He then addressed the council meeting discussion of the 19th Street Bike Trail, citing that he left the meeting angry because he was forbidden to address the issue as a commentor because he got his card in late.  He had wanted to set the record straight that their committee had NOT discussed the environmental portion of the planned trail.  Sethruaman had been charged with contacting the relevant agencies to determine whether our current plan is satisfactory before spending any more money on it.  That has not yet happened.

MORE ON THE 19TH STREET TRAIL
Rick Huffman complained that they didn't have enough notice on that item because it was a Consent Calendar item - something that might not be discussed at all.

Sethuraman gave a history of that project, observing it went way, way back - perhaps as far back as 2005.  He said that Federal grants are involved and that Cal Trans, US Fish and Wildlife and other agencies are also involved.  The discussion went on and on and on and it was left that Sethuraman will be addressing the issues with "resource agencies" and report back to the council before proceeding, even though the council approved this part of the project.

PRIORITIZATION OF PROJECTS
They approved the minutes of the prior meeting then went about the lengthy process of trying to prioritize their projects.  Foley played an active role in this process and, in fact, good progress was made toward winnowing down their long list if potential projects with an eye toward obtaining budget funding for the most important.  They defined specific areas where individual projects contribute to a larger plan.  It was an interesting process to watch because this group continues to be tightly focused and collaborative.

GIVING BICYCLERS SPACE
In future meetings members may hear solutions on how to make the public more aware of the need to provide bicyclers 3 feet clearance - state law requires it.  In the meantime, Foley suggested Public Information Officer Tony Dodero should write something for public consumption on the issue that could be "blasted" out to the school district.

Regarding the cost to produce a completed Bike Map for the General Plan, Sethuraman indicated the latest bid they received was $50,000, and that he's going to ask for more bids, since that number seems high.

ARLINGTON DRIVE PROJECT
The committee was advised, in response to a question, that the Arlington Drive Project MUST be completed by June, and that it's well underway.

NO JANUARY MEETING
There will be no meeting in January due to the holiday closure of City Hall and the fact that their meeting would have been scheduled on January 3rd, with insufficient time for any kind of staff preparation.  It is presumed the next meeting will be the first week of February.  The meeting adjourned shortly after 8:30.

STAFF SHORTAGES IN PUBLIC SERVICES
A side note:  it was mentioned again that there are about a dozen vacancies in the staff ranks in the Public Services organization.  This shortage cannot help but create slowdowns throughout the management of projects.  Human Resources is working hard to fill those slots and contractors are being used in the meantime.

FOUR OF US ATTENDED
So, I'm glad I was among the four attendees at this meeting.  I missed watching them work and appreciate the progress they've been making and am looking forward to more good works next year.  Kudos to all.