Meeting: Thursday, July 20
Committee members in attendance: Jamie Davis (Chair), Mike DiBlasi, David Dempster, Rick Kuehn, Tammy Saldivar, Hersch Sangster
City liaison: Councilor Robert Husseman
Absent: Brenda Lamb, Mike Griffin, public works liaison, Dave LaDay, Keizer Police liaison.
What happened: Three members of the public addressed the committee on speed issues on Claggett Street NE.
Danaya McGanty, Richard Moore and Naomi Rodriguez spoke about the need to find solutions to speeding on the residential street east of River Road in central Keizer.
Issues included garbage receptacles blocking travel lanes, a tight intersection with 10th Street NE. Each were told by Chairwoman Jamie Davis that sharing concerns with the Greater Northeast Keizer Neighborhood Association is a good start to finding a solution.
McGanty said he had spoken with many homeowners on Claggett Street who expressed speeding concerns.
Committee member Sangster remarked that murals painted on a street slows traffic speeds, while DiBlasi said that trees are a traffic calming tool as well.
As usual, Verda Lane NE was a topic of citizen input. The planned renovation south from Dearborn Ave. NE to Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway is in the design and planning stages. The project will add bike lanes, separated sidewalks with planters, a left turn lane onto Alder Drive and a realignment of Alder Drive with Claxter Road NE to create an intersection. No dates for the project have been released by ODOT.
Tammy Kunz addressed the committee about crosswalks on Verda Lane at Verda Crossing, the large apartment complex under construction. Kunz, president of the Greater Northeast Keizer Neighborhood Association, told the committee that she received more than 200 messages of concern regarding the three separate driveways for Verda Crossing. She suggested a crosswalk with a flashing beacon at either May or Dixon Street NE to make it safer for kids walking to nearby Kennedy Elementary School.
Ken Gierloff addressed the committee about parking issues at Arnold and Beebe Streets.
Tammy Saldivar, the committee’s point person on the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan, said input from neighborhood associations have been incorporated. She wants to send a draft to the associations and the city’s Community Diversity Engagement Committee for final input. It will then come back to the committee for a vote. If approved it will be forwarded to the city council and then to the legal department for final clearance.
David Dempster reported the committee had $667 for purchase of bike helmets. He also said that many Keizer neighborhoods do not have sidewalks, an issue he wants the committee to address in the future.
Next meeting: Thursday, September 21, 6 p.m.