MASSENA — Massena residents will have an opportunity this month to share their thoughts about an initiative that village trustees began discussing in December 2015.
Trustees will be presenting for public comment the village’s new Complete Streets policy at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’ve talked about this multiple times. This is the same Complete Streets policy that we brought up a while back,” Deputy Mayor Matthew J. LeBire told board members recently.
Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to provide safe and convenient access for all roadway users, regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation. This includes pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, motorists, emergency responders and freight users. It considers the needs of children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
Complete Street roadway design features include sidewalks, lane striping, bicycle lanes, paved shoulders suitable for use by bicyclists, signage, crosswalks, pedestrian control signals, bus pull-outs, curb cuts, raised crosswalks, ramps and traffic calming measures.
That will be beneficial for individuals with disabilities like those who worked with the Massena Independent Living Center, according to the organization’s executive director.
“There’s no doubt that the condition of the sidewalks and the installation of curbs and traffic lights all enable people with disabilities, which there are many,” Jeffrey A. Reifensnyder said.
He had attended a Complete Streets presentation last April that talked about not only the benefits to users, but also the way Complete Streets could help beautify the community.
“We need to use anything good that we can to make Massena more attractive to businesses,” he said.
Mr. LeBire said that, after their discussions about Complete Streets, it was time to put it out to hear what the public thought.
“We talked about the benefits of doing this and now we want to make it official. We’ll hear additional comments from the public before we actually vote,” Mr. LeBire said.
Discussions about Complete Streets began when village officials were looking at options to alleviate pedestrian concerns on School Street, leading from J.W. Leary Junior High School to Nightengale Elementary School, an area that at the time had no sidewalks. That discussion later turned to a broader scope that would encompass the entire village.
“One benefit we see already has been the installation of sidewalks at the junior high school. Students no longer need to walk in the roadway. This is definitely an improvement for the safety of our students,” Massena Central School Superintendent Patrick H. Brady said. “We appreciate that the village is working on providing that. It does support the school.”
He said the district has also been interested in the village’s plan to improve walkways and bike routes.
“In good weather we encourage our students to ride their bikes to school or to walk to school to get their exercise. In doing so, it makes them healthier and more ready to learn,” Mr. Brady said.
He said they’ve also talked about Complete Streets internally. The district’s Wellness Committee met this week and is working on updating the district’s wellness policy in areas such as nutrition and physical fitness, which go hand-in-hand with Complete Streets.
The policy would apply to all village-owned transportation facilities in the public right of way, including streets, bridges and paths, as well as privately constructed streets and parking lots.
“The Village shall approach every transportation improvement as an opportunity to create safer, more accessible streets for all users. This includes planning, programming, design, right-of-way acquisition, construction, reconstruction, operation and maintenance,” the policy reads.
Exceptions for public or private projects must be approved by the Village Board, along with documentation.
Village officials will appoint a Complete Streets Advisory Committee to the Village Planning Commission to identify strategic opportunities to make streets more complete and oversee the implementation of the policy. The committee can include members of the Department of Public Works and representatives of various street users and other advocacy organizations.
The committee must present an annual report to the Massena Village Board, showing progress made in implementing the policy.