Minutes - Public Works Committee - 01/17/2006

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cleared, but not recreational trails. Recreational trails could be designated as multi-use with the snow packed and used for walking, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. He stated a separate policy is needed for sidewalks, and there are several kinds; some are association maintained, and some can be in a neighborhood on an easement. The City will need to clear trails that are part of the transportation corridor. Public Works Director Kapler indicated to this point all of the trails in the City are considered as multiofunctional, and need to be wheelchair accessible. In the future they may be able to create designated recreational passages. Chairperson Elvig commented Councilmember Cook's suggestion for multi-use trails works well with a comprehensive park, whereas this is the City where people want to get around to do their every day activities. Having the amenity of a recreational trail would be good, but a distinction needs to be drawn of what the average residents are doing daily. He suggested the first step should be to lay the trails out on a map for review. This can be used to start to derive a policy and a scope of how the snow removal should be handled. The consensus of the Committee was to recommend that the City Council direct staff to draft a map of the sidewalks and trails in the City, and to work towards drafting a snow removal policy. Public Works Director Kapler expressed his appreciation as a resident of the development of the trails in the City. He commented it was not many years ago that there was nothing done on these trails in the winter, and now they have people using these assets of the City year-round. COMMITTEE / STAFF INPUT Substandard Private Streets Assistant Public Works Director Olson indicated this is a discussion item for the Committee. Direction will be needed from the Council regarding areas in the City when a private road/private road intersection has conditions that are not up to City standards, such as icy conditions that could cause an accident. He explained if the City is contacted by the Police Department in the case of an accident, the City is not responsible for maintaining these intersections or private roads. This is a public safety concern and there should be discussion of how the City responds to this type of situation. Chairperson Elvig noted there is public transportation on private roads, such as behind Landmark Bank. He asked if there has been any input from the City Attorney. Assistant Public Works Director Olson replied the City Attomey indicated he would conduct research on the issue. He explained this type of situation goes beyond private roads and into the Cobom's parking lot, which is private property. He explained when the City originally allowed City code to allow for private streets under certain circumstances, the rationale was the difference between the land use in townhomes. These roads are private driveway collectors that are used to do the same thing as a parking complex, but spread out linearly. Public Works Committee / January 17, 2006 Page 12 of 14