Agenda - Council - 04/24/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE # RAMSEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SAFETY AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES By: Steven Jankowski, City Engineer Background: Staff had been contacted by the principal of Ramsey Elementary school regarding a safety concern associated with parents and students crossing Nowthen Blvd directly across the trail stub coming west from the end of the 148 Lane cul de sac. The sight distance from southbound traffic coming over the hill at this location is less than desirable. Pedestrians likely cross at this location because there is no trail on the east side of Nowthen Blvd and they are not likely to walk south to the marked pedestrian crossing at Sunwood Drive when their destination is the school to the north. The pedestrian use of this location for crossing Nowthen Blvd should be discouraged. At the present time there are marked crosswalks with crossing guards during school arrival and dismissal periods at Sunwood Drive and at 150 Lane along Nowthen Blvd. It would appear the best solution toward encouraging use of these crossings would be the extension of the trail system along the east side of Nowthen Blvd. It should also be noted that the emergency evacuation site for the elementary school is currently the old Ramsey City Hall. However, when this facility is razed within the next several years the new evacuation site will be Lord of life Church. It will be necessary that a trail system be completed to accommodate such an evacuation by that time. The trail crossing should also be .extended between 150 Lane to the old city hall and Alpine Dri ve to allow children from the new Meadows development and the area north of Alpine Drive safely travel to and from the school through the sidewalk and trail system. This last segment is anticipated to be installed this summer as a requirement of the Meadows development. The City's park and trail plan calls for the installation of trail on both. sides of county and state highways, and the proximity of this segment of Nowthen Blvd relative to Ramsey Elementary School makes this trail installation a high priority. A map illustrating the existing and proposed trailed improvements is attached. The 150 Lane to 148 Lane should be constructed as a higher priority over the segment extending the trail system to Lord of Life Church. Financial Considerations: The range of costs associated with the installation of these trail segments are summarized below: No Segment 1 150th Lane to 148th Lane 2 148th Lane to LOL Church Total Cost Range Length $16 /ft $20 /ft 1200 $ 19,200 $ 24,000 2650 $ 42 $ 53,000 $ 61,600 $ 77,000 if