Missoula Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Minutes

Meeting #:
Date:	Tuesday, October 01, 2019 at 3:00 P.m. - 5:00 P.m.
Location:	City Council Chambers 140 W. Pine Street, Missoula , MT

Voting members present:

• Cory Simenson (vice-chair),
• Britt Arnesen,
• Jenny Baker,
• Jessica Dougherty Goodburn,
• and James Walter

Regular member(s) absent:

• Chris Siller

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1.

Call to Order

Cory Simenson called the meeting to order at 3:05 pm

2.

Roll Call & Introductions

3.

Approval of Previous Minutes

Summary notes from September 2019 meeting were reviewed and approved as amended to include the link to Bicyclists in Amsterdam.  Motion by James Walter - all in favor. 

4.

Approval of Current Agenda

Brit Arnesen requested a discussion about 5th and 6th street be added to the current agenda. James Walter made a motion to add the requested agenda item - all in favor.

5.

Public Comment

There was no public comment.

6.

Comments from City Staff, Agencies, Boards, etc.

There were no staff comments.

6.1

Staff update (Aaron Wilson) 

Aaron Wilson, Transportation Planning Manager, informed the board that he will be staffing BPAB meetings while Ben Weiss, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, is on leave following the birth of his child. Ben Weiss will be working intermittently over the next couple of months, but Aaron Wilson will be the primary contact for updates and any necessary coordination between the city and the board. The board reviewed possible upcoming projects of interest including: 

The Long Range Transportation Plan update

Area West of Reserve Master Plan

BUILD grant in collaboration with Missoula County

 

 

7.

New Business

7.1

Board officer elections

Aaron Wilson reflected on the bylaws to ensure understanding. A bylaw amendment, made in February, changed the elections from December to October.

Cory Simenson reminded the board of September's nominations and opened the discussion to begin elections. Jenny Baker nominated Cory Simenson as Chair. The vote was unanimous. Corey opened nominations for Vice-Chair. James nominated Jenny as vice-chair. The vote was unanimous. 

• Authorize the appointment of Cory Simenson and Jenny Baker to the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair for November 2019- November 2020.

  AYES: (5)	Cory Simenson, Britt Arnesen, Jenny Baker, Jessica Dougherty Goodburn, and James Walter
  ABSENT: (1)	Chris Siller

  Vote results: Approved (5 to 0)

7.2

2020 calendar 

Cory Simenson requested that the group move November's BPAB meeting to the second week of November because of election conflicts. The board opened a discussion on the change. Cory Simenson moved to make the November meeting change. The vote was unanimous. The calendar will be considered changed as presented with the addition of the November meeting change.

The board opened a discussion regarding the possibility of holding BPAB meetings after regular working hours at 5:00 pm. It was noted that meeting times must be approved by all board members and compatible with MCAT, City of Missoula staff, and Council Chamber room reservations. Bylaws would not prevent changing the meeting time. The board decided to leave the time at 3:00 pm and have further discussion at a later time. 

• Adopt the 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board calendar as presented. 

  AYES: (5)	Cory Simenson, Britt Arnesen, Jenny Baker, Jessica Dougherty Goodburn, and James Walter
  ABSENT: (1)	Chris Siller

  Vote results: Approved (5 to 0)

8.

Old Business

8.1

CoW meetings through 2019

The board opened a discussion on the problems that the BPAB Committee of the Whole has been experiencing including a lack of adequate summary notes and MCAT's availability to record the meetings. James moved to discontinue regularly schedule COW meeting and to schedule, as necessary, future COW meetings as necessary. The vote was unanimous.  

It was noted that subcommittees do not require a motion or a quorum and can be created by the Chair as long as they are publicly noticed and summary notes are taken. Subcommittees can be created as needed with a majority vote and the Board Chair has the ability to appoint chairs for each committee as needed.  Bylaws do not stipulate how often the COW meetings must happen.

 

• Move to discontinue regularly scheduled Committee of the Whole meetings effective October 1, 2019 and agree to schedule said meetings as necessary.

  AYES: (5)	Cory Simenson, Britt Arnesen, Jenny Baker, Jessica Dougherty Goodburn, and James Walter
  ABSENT: (1)	Chris Siller

  Vote results: Approved (5 to 0)

8.2

5th and 6th Street Restriping

NEW ITEM

The board discussed the restriping on 5th and 6th street. The board found that some citizens seemed frustrated by the changed, but noted that it had not been recognized that there was an actual change in traffic flow. They believed wider lanes made their cycling experience feel safer and more enjoyable. Aaron Wilson, Transportation Planning Manager, noted that his office has received calls, comments, questions; some of which he believed were due to confusion related to weather delays. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Office will complete an evaluation to look at congestion happening at intersections and suggest improvements as needed. 

The board discussed adding barriers and colored paint to differentiate the bike lane from the driving lane. Funds were not available at the time of this project, but if additional monetary resources were found, the board believed that additional bike lane improvements could be helpful. 

9.

General Comments and Announcements

There were no closing comments by the board. 

10.

Upcoming Meetings

November's meeting will be held on the 12th at 3:00 pm in Council Chambers.

11.

Adjournment

Cory Simenson adjourned the meeting at 3:36 p.m.