VILLAGE OF COLONIE THOMAS TOBIN 2 THUNDER ROAD DEPUTY MAYOR COLONIE, NY 12205 PATTY SCHWARZ LOCKART (518) 869-7562 FAX (518) 464-0389 TRUSTEE EDWARD F. SIM, MAYOR JACK MURPHY TRUSTEE villagehall@colonievillage.org JAMIE BLOT CLERK www.colonievillage.org Traffic Advisory Committee December 12, 2019 6:30 p.m. There was a meeting of the Village of Colonie Traffic Advisory Committee, held on December 13, 2019 at the Village Hall, 2 Thunder Road, Albany, NY 12205. The meeting started at 6:30 p.m. Chairman Prevratil called the meeting to order with a salute to the flag. Those Present: Chairman, Mr. Frank Prevratil Mr. George Lashoff Mr. Daniel Hornick Mr. Les Samiof Mr. Dan Judge Mr. John Gillivan Secretary, Julianne Okun Colonie PD Officer, Jason DePaulo Liaison, Mayor Edward Sim Kevin France, DPW Traffic Advisor Ms. Mickey Angier – 21 Woolard Avenue Ms. Barb Zanella – 13 Harriet Street Mr. Bill Gariepy – 587 Sand Creek Road Ms. Meg Roberts – 555 Sand Creek Road The minutes from the November 14, 2019 meeting were reviewed, amended, and approved. Mayor Sim updated the Committee on the 4-way stop signs at the intersection of Holland and Harriet. The local law has been approved, the paperwork with the State of New York has been filed, and both signs have been installed. Mayor Sim stated that should there be a warmer day, about 40 degrees, the DPW will paint the pavement to correspond with the stop signs. Mayor Sim asked Officer DePaulo if the Colonie Police can start enforcing the new four way stop signs, possibly issuing warning tickets first. Mayor Sim also stated the 30MPH speed limit signs on Sand Creek Road have been changed in accordance with the law passed within the Town of Colonie. Sand Creek Road will now run 30MPH from 155 all the way through Wolf Road. Mayor Sim kept on the topic of Sand Creek Road and stated that he, with the help of Mr. Hornick, had been in talks with the CTDC executive 1 director, Michael Franchini, to apply for the Linkage Program that helps local communities attain funding for planning assistance. Mayor Sim stated that, should the Village of Colonie be awarded the grant, the intent is to hire an outside firm to conduct a comprehensive study of the Sand Creek corridor and the surrounding cut through streets and possibly come up with solutions for the traffic problem in the Village of Colonie. Mayor Sim stated the Village of Colonie has not been awarded any grants in the past, and Mr. Franchini noted that the CDTC prefers to awards grants to those who have not obtained funding in the past. Mayor Sim stated the Village has also partnered with the Town of Colonie and Mr. Franchini has drafted a letter of support to increase the Village’s chances of being awarded the grant. Mr. Lashoff asked Officer DePaulo if there was any kind of record keeping for accidents in the Village of Colonie, and if it would be possible to obtain those records. Officer DePaulo stated there is monthly report that is generated by location of accidents and would see what he could do about giving the Village a copy of those records. Mr. Judge asked if there was an update on the firehouse light, with Mayor Sim stating the base has been installed and they are just waiting for the pole and the cameras to be installed. Mr. Judge asked if the cameras would be operated by the Village, with Mayor Sim stated the cameras would be operated by the Town of Colonie Police Department. Ms. Mickey Angier of 21 Woolard Avenue asked what the reason for the light in front of the firehouse would be, with Mayor Sim stating that the trucks have a hard time getting out on Central Avenue with the traffic coming both ways. Ms. Angier wanted to take this time to say that everything the Traffic Committee has been doing lately has been great. She also wanted to thank Mayor Sim and the Department of Public Works for the excellent job that was done clearing the roads during the recent snowstorm. At this time, Chairman Prevratil opened the floor up for discussion. Mr. Bill Gariepy of 587 Sand Creek Road stated his concerns for Sand Creek Road, noting that between the hours of 4:30PM and 5:15PM the number of cars in immeasurable. Mr. Gariepy also noted the amount of time his mailbox has been destroyed from the speed of the cars, with Mayor Sim adding the ‘Welcome to the Village” sign has also been destroyed several times in the past year. Mayor Sim stated that it could be possible to put flags on the new 30MPH speed limit signs, as has been done on Lincoln Avenue, to draw more attention to the new speed limit. Mr. Gariepy wanted to make note of the 4-ton weight limit on Sand Creek road, and there is constantly work trucks exceeding the speed limit, with the vibrations affecting Mr. Gariepy in his home. Mr. Gariepy’s concern is that once construction starts on the apartment buildings at the end of Sand Creek Road, there is going to be various kinds of construction trucks cutting through Sand Creek Road. Mayor Sim asked Officer DePaulo to look out for the over 4-ton trucks in Sand Creek Road, as they are not supposed to be using the residential roads as cut throughs to the works sites. Mr. Judge stated that the Traffic Committee is committed to finding solutions for these kinds of traffic problems, stating there have been talks in the past about a light at the intersection of Locust and Hunting, but nothing there has never been enough room for the underground utilities. Mayor Sim stated that with recent and updated technologies, it may be possible to install a red light at that intersection, but there would need to be a comprehensive study completed with professional recommendations. 2 Ms. Meg Roberts of 555 Sand Creek Road suggested there be stop signs at all intersecting roads, such as Mordella, Delafield, and Peter Drive. Chairman Prevratil stated that would allow the cars a chance to get out onto the Sand Creek Road. Ms. Roberts stated that the light at Hannaford backs up the traffic all the way to Peter Drive with no chance for traffic to pull out. Stop signs would allow for the break in traffic that Sand Creek Road needs. Mr. Gillivan noted that there is also no cross walk for pedestrians to cross Sand Creek Road. Mr. Judge stated a red light on Hunting would be helpful, even if it a flashing yellow light on off hours and work as a sensor the rest of the time, like the lights on Sunset and Shaker Run. Mayor Sim stated that the professional recommendations from the comprehensive study will help work out solutions, provided the Village received the grant. Mr. France asked what the time frame would be for the grants, with Mr. Hornick stating CDTC usually awards grants around January/February. Chairman Prevratil made a note of the sidewalk situation after the snowstorm. Chairman Prevratil applauded the DPW’s work with the clearing of the streets and sidewalks, however the businesses on Central Avenue plow their own parking lots and put the snow back onto the sidewalks, making it difficult for those with handicaps to use the sidewalks, or even forcing them into the street. Chairman Prevratil asked if Code Enforcement or law enforcement could look into these establishments remove snow properly and professionally. Mr. Samiof noted that since the 4-way stop signs have been installed at Holland and Harriet, cars now seem to be cutting over Woolard, which may become a problem in the future. Mayor Sim stated that the budget for next year will start to be compiled in February, and that he intends to have a line for the Traffic Committee. Mayor Sim stated he is looking to possibly purchase the speed detectors that go on the light poles, and while they are expensive, perhaps the Village could purchase a couple next year and a couple the year after. Mayor Sim stated that the number one issue he receives from residents is the traffic situation. Mr. Judge thanked the audience for attending, as it is very important for the Village to hear and see the issues that are happening. Mr. Lashoff made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:15PM. Mr. Hornick seconded the motion. VOTE: All in favor of the motion. Respectfully Submitted, Julianne Okun Traffic Safety Coordinator 3