City Council Planning Sessions

Monday, August 13, 2018 1. Call to Order The Planning Session was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Gresk. The following were: Physically Present: Mayor Gresk Councilwoman Fitch Councilman Prendiville Councilman Rutledge Councilman Scalzo Councilman Suess Absent: Councilman Barbier City Staff Present: City Manager Michael Dzugan Assistant City Manager John Duguay Forestry Superintendent Kevin Maloney Public Works Administrative Superintendent Susan Wallace Public Relations Coordinator Susan Bishel 2. Public Comment Nancy Flannery, 816 W. Elm St., chair of the Wheaton Historic Commission, spoke about the history of Adams Park and requested that the City Council keep in mind the will of Katherine Adams Wells. Mrs. Flannery stated she is working to locate the original will and will share it with the City. She stated this is a much-loved and only City-owned park, and while it needs to be updated to make it ADA accessible, she would like to see the City retain the spirit of the park as expressed by Wells. Linda Price, 214 E. Park Avenue, stated residents on her street received a survey from the City asking about traffic concerns with speeding cars on their street about a year ago, and she learned about 2 weeks ago that the City will be adding sidewalks on Park Avenue. She expressed concern about cars excessively speeding on this street and believes that sidewalks will not solve this problem. She’d like to see curbs added and other actions taken to slow down speeding traffic. Tony Olivito, 240 E. Park Avenue, stated he is concerned with the process by which the City decided to add sidewalks on Park Avenue. He stated some people on this street are not in favor of this because they have greater concerns with traffic, and he does not feel there was an adequate opportunity for residents to give feedback. Patty Sorokin, 222 E. Park Avenue, stated she would like to have seen some changes made to the sidewalks being added, such as making them closer to the street, and she would like for curbs to be added, too. 3. Approval of July 23, 2018 Planning Session Minutes  8-13-18 PLANNING SESSION MINUTES PAGE 2 The Council approved the July 23, 2018 Planning Session minutes. 4. Adams Park Landscape Design Assistant City Manager Duguay stated the City hired Upland Design to help develop a long-term design and maintenance plan for Adams Park. The City seeks to update the ADA transition plan originally created in 1996. Based on public feedback from three meetings and two surveys, Upland Design created a proposed conceptual design, keeping the historical aspects of the park in place. City staff recommends the concrete work be done in the near future, and other features added over time. Michelle Kelly of Upland Design reviewed the planning process and how the designers received feedback about the community’s goals for Adams Park. The designers concluded this project aims to meet federal and state accessibility requirements, reduce overall maintenance, provide guidance for landscape improvements/replacements, and establish the community’s needs and desires for the space. Ms. Kelly reviewed the history of the park, which was donated to the City by Katherine Wells. The original plans were completed in 1942-43, with much of this design in place until 1970, when a new master plan was created. One of the key issues Ms. Kelly highlighted is the condition of the concrete pavers, which shift with weather and make the paths not accessible for all. In response to Council questions about the path’s accessibility, Ms. Kelly stated there are stairs in two locations and there is a step up to the fountain, but the paths are not accessible because they do not meet the width and/or slop requirements to make them accessible. Ms. Kelly reviewed an overall site inventory and the results of the surveys, which showed that 88% of the survey respondents had an overall opinion of the park that is very good or excellent. She reviewed three idea boards created based on the survey from which the designers sought public feedback. Option A kept the paths mostly the same; Option B created a more prominent outer path and removed the diagonal paths; and Option C was the most different path from the current path. People polled favored Option B, based on 136 people surveyed online and 50 people in person. Ms. Kelly reviewed the proposed preliminary master plan, which removes the step up to the fountain and uses accessible stamped concrete with the look of historic stone. The proposed plan adds formal gardens around the fountain, defined entries with closure around the perimeter and more open spaces inside the park. The plan suggests removing one of the gazebos that is in an area where there is poor drainage and replacing it with a rain garden. The master plan is proposed to be completed in phases, making accessible paths the primary phases. In response to Council questions about ADA requirements, Ms. Kelly stated pathways have to be stable and slip-resistant, have a slope of 5% or less (and less than 2% for sloping sideways), have a vertical shift no more than ¼ inch, and gaps between of no more than 1/8 inch. There can be stairs, but they can’t be used as an accessible route. In response to Council questions about why this work should be done now, Assistant City Manager Duguay stated the park is not accessible, and while Public Works has been able to make some of the smaller changes, larger changes are needed to make the path accessible to all residents. 8-13-18 PLANNING SESSION MINUTES PAGE 3 To answer questions about the pathways, Ms. Kelly stated after Upland had already created the proposed designs, she just recently found some old aerial photographs, and the proposed plan turns out to be very close to the original pathway design. The City would be returning the park more to its original historical layout. In response to a question about the fountain, Ms. Kelly stated the City has been keeping up with the maintenance over time, and there are no large-scale renovations needed. In response to Council questions about the project’s costs and inflation over the course of the proposed timeline, Ms. Kelly stated the estimates are based on a 7-year timeline, with the most expensive elements being completed early in the project. She stated therefore she does not anticipate the project costs to significantly exceed the estimate. Some Council members expressed concern that the proposed plan does not preserve some features of the park that make it unique, such as the brick pathways, the sloping areas and the variety of paths. In response to a question about the remaining scope of work for Upland Design, Ms. Kelly stated she will continue to identify possible grants. She outlined other work done as part of this project, including an inventory of all planting beds, providing a plan that gives updates and recommendations to what is already there and a maintenance plan for the City to follow in the future. The majority of the Council expressed support for the plan as presented, citing the need to make the park accessible to all as soon as possible, and the need to refresh the plantings and have a maintenance plan going forward. City Manager Dzugan stated the ADA accessibility portions of the project would likely be funded by the Capital Projects Fund, and the rest could be carried out over 10-15 years, with much of this phased work being done by Public Works. 5. City Council/City Staff Comments Councilwoman Fitch complimented Downtown Wheaton Association on a great Summer Wine Walk event and the Bicycle Advisory Commission for doing a great job with the annual Bike Wheaton Festival. 6. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Bishel