Organizer's Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, October 27, 2011, 7-9pm

[Martin Daley]

Livingston Avenue Railroad Bridge Coalition (LARBC)
Organizer’s Meeting
Wednesday, October 27, 2011, 7-9pm
Albany Public Library, Pine Hills Branch

I. Introductions

This is the first formal meeting of the LARBC. Representatives from
Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) , The New York Bicycling Coalition
(NYBC), Albany Bicycling Coalition, and the University at Albany’s
Masters in Regional Planning (MRP) Clinton Square Studio.

II. History of the bridge
Ivan Vamos, of NYBC and formerly with the Office of Parks, Recreation,
and Historic Preservation OPRHP and New York State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT), gave a brief history of the Livingston Avenue
Bridge and the Dunn Memorial Bridge. He discussed how NYSDOT Region 1
was tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Livingston Ave.
Bridge following a series of inspections by engineers at Modjesky and
Masters (http://www.modjeski.com/). The engineering study, performed
in the early 2000’s in anticipation of High Speed Rail upgrades, found
the bridge to be in dire straits – since then there have been ever
decreasing weight restrictions, slower speed limits, and one of the
bridge’s two tracks has closed – thus amplifying an already
problematic bottleneck. A current study by this same firm, for NYSDOT
is working on options for bridge replacement done in a short
construction time.

At a 9/30/10 meeting with DOT, the consultants, municipal
representatives and CDTC, Ivan strongly suggested that since the
original LARB was constructed with a walkway, the bridge should be
replaced with a walkway, thus continuing to serve all of the
transportation modes as are to be replaced. That walkway is currently
officially closed, however it is still used by people who find it a
convenient crossing. Follow up correspondence referenced a report by
FRA Rails With Trails, 2002, FTA-MA-26-0052-04-1, indicating that
Federal Transportation agencies support the concept of well designed
trails next to active rail facilities. Local officials also supported
the replacement of the walkway on the bridge.

Ivan discussed the potential for this project to be fast tracked due
to its status as a critical link for west-bound passenger service and
the condition of the bridge. He also pointed out that at the end of
this year, Amtrak will assume all responsibility for the maintenance,
operations, and capital improvements for track and structures between
Poughkeepsie and Schenectady. This is good news for the LARBC, as
Amtrak is federally run, and pressure on Congress should yield
cooperation.

Ivan and Martin discussed several studies, both national and local,
that identify the benefits of trails and how they can be build safely
alongside rail tracks. Although there is not a single case, that we
could find, of a trail along a railroad swing bridge, many
stakeholders are confident that a design could be developed to safely
include bike and ped access to the bridge. These studies are linked to
via PTNY’s LARBC webpage (www.ptny.org/advocacy/LivingstonAve/
index.shtml).

III. Communications
The LARBC will continue to use email and Facebook as the primary means
for communication with our stakeholders. Martin Daley, PTNY, reminded
that there is already an LARBC Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/
LARBC), Twitter feed (@LARBC), and a Google group
(www.groups.google.com/group/livingstonavebridge). It was suggested
that we move the group to Rise Up! (https://help.riseup.net/en/
lists).
If someone would like to volunteer to set-up the Rise Up! list-serve
and migrate the contact list from Google and Google docs – that would
be great. Contact Martin (mda...@ptny.org)

IV. Outreach
NYBC set up a meeting with the Rensselaer chamber of commerce for
11/2. This will give the LARBC a chance to get our foot in the door in
Rensselaer. It is imperative – absolutely critical for the success of
our efforts- that we find on-the-ground sparkplugs and community
leaders in Rensselaer that will be project champions. We need to do a
much better job at reaching out to friends, neighbors, community
organizations, elected officials, and respected members of the
Rensselaer community.

The LARBC needs to ramp up on outreach and advocacy – especially
outside of the traditional “comfort zone.” This means pitching our
project to stakeholders that are often left in the dark on bike/ped
projects until later in the process. A sampling of groups to reach
out to is below.
•The New York State Department of State
•Hudson River Greenway
• AARP
•BIDs and business owners
•Neighborhood, tenant, and homeowner associations
•Public safety
•Planning, economic development
•Chamber of commerce
•Parks and conservation
•Land trusts, farmer’s markets, trail groups
•Cycling, running, and walking groups, nearby bike shops
•HMO’s, health professionals
•Teachers, students

Two SUNYA Albany students discussed their Master’s of Regional
Planning Studio project, Albany’s Clinton Square. The project website,
www.tinyurl.com/ClintonSquareStudio, has more in-depth information
about how the studio class is analyzing characteristics of the
neighborhood and developing suggestions for interventions. The student
representatives volunteered to reach out to the downtown business
community because of the relationship that had already been formed.

The LARBC had a lengthy discussion about advocacy. The group seemed
receptive to the idea of “moving up the chain” – by which
presentations, and requests for formal support, is made at the
neighborhood > community > city > county > state levels before
formally requesting intervention at the Federal level – thus
grassroots support can be leveraged at multiple levels to present an
impossible to ignore case to the federal representatives – this effort
has been vetted, and supported, at each and every level of government
and now requires involvement on the congressional level. Granted – we
must “get our ducks” in line quickly in order to push at the right
moment – when design alternatives are presented to the community. The
LARBC must be prepared for an inevitable push for the design
alternative that includes bike ped access, or against any
alternatives / the final selection that does not include bike ped
access.

A timeline is difficult to establish. Recent storms seem to have
delayed public meetings and design work, however, the ever
deteriorating bridge is at risk of getting much worse quickly. As we
have seen with the Champlain Bridge, and the Tappan Zee, fast tracking
the Livingston Bridge is entirely possible. The original timeline that
NYSDOT established would have had public meetings for High Speed Rail
and the specific component in September. The Livingston Ave Bridge
Project is already behind schedule, but without much difficulty it can
be put back on track for construction in 2017.

Meeting attendees had several suggestions for outreach

•Blog entries for the ABC bike blog
•Blog entries for the Friends of Thatcher Park
•Reaching out to friends in Rensselaer county
•Contacting each person’s respective common council person
•Meeting with NYS Department of State Division of Coastal Resources

All of these suggestions were excellent ones and should be put into
action.

V. Short term goals

□Continue to bring organizations into the collation as formal
supporters
□Continue to make presentations, attend public events, and press
elected officials and their staff to support the idea
□Develop talking points, sample letters of support, and promotional
materials
□Continue to communicate with the coalition, media, and the general
public
□Develop the campaign message: The region supports the re-
establishment of the bike and pedestrian walkway across the Livingston
Avenue Bridge
□Wiki page (we had a volunteer offer to update the Wikipedia page for
the bridge)
□MPR Clinton Sq. studio to bring in downtown Albany businesses and
organizations
□Meeting with the department of state
□Meeting with, and cultivating volunteers on the Rensselaer side

VI. Medium term goals

□Online Survey for community
□Graphic design (logo, letterhead, printed/media materials)
□Brochures / rack cards
□Letters to the editor
•Times Union
•Troy Record
•Metroland
•Others?
□Letter writing: local, county, state and federal representatives,
asking them to pledge support
•City Council Members (asking for resolution) Albany & Rensselaer
•Mayor, Albany & Rensselaer
•County representatives (asking for resolution) Albany & Rensselaer

VII. Long term goals

□ Meet with State Representatives
•Assemblymen Jack McEneny
•Assemblymen Ron Canestrari
□Senator Breslin
□Federal Representatives
•Congressman Paul Tonko
•Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
•Senator Charles Schumer
□Meetings with FRA, DOT, and FHWA senior staff (fold in federal reps –
ask them to do this)

VIII. Ongoing

•Social media campaign – awareness and advocacy
•Twitter (@LARBC)
•Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LARBC_
•Linked-in (professional networking)
•YouTube
•Webinars
•Rise Up!
•Events (tabling, Fam. tours)
•Asking people to sing-up to receive updates, join Facebook, and
follow us on twitter.
•Media coverage (TV, radio, newspaper, independent media)
•Reaching out to the community
•Raising awareness
□Getting formal support
•AARP
•BIDs and business owners
•Neighborhood, tenant, and homeowner associations
•Public safety
•Planning, economic development
•Chamber of commerce
•Parks and conservation
•Land trusts, farmer’s markets, trail groups
•Cycling, running, and walking groups
•HMO’s, health professionals
•Teachers, students
•Persons with disabilities
The biggest message coming out of the first LARBC organizer’s meeting:
Learn about the project. Step up. Be a project champion. Volunteer to
take on a task or two outlined above. The walkway will be rebuilt –
but we have to earn it.