Indian Lake Update 6/15/2018 including Shore Drive/Drummond Alignment Public Meeting on 6/18

[Kim McCoy]

FYI

http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Portals/8/docs/hearings/worcester_061818.pdf

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Subject: Indian Lake Update 6/15/2018

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Indian Lake Watershed Association Update 6/15/2018 Shore Drive/Drummond Alignment Public Meeting on 6/18   Monday, June 18th, 2018 at 7 pm, MassDOT will hold a Public Hearing in the Levi Lincoln Chambers (3rd Floor at Worcester City Hall, 455 Main Street, Worcester), to discuss the Holden Street, Drummond, Shore Drive Project designed to address ongoing traffic issues at this busy intersection.  Please consider attending to listen to the plans and provide input.  Thank you State Representative John Mahoney!     Representative Mahoney has been a long time advocate for Indian Lake and the neighborhood surrounding it. For the past several years, Representative Mahoney has sought funds to assist with water quality at Indian Lake, only to have them not make the final budget.  We recently learned that this year, Representative Mahoney was able to secure $45,000 in the supplemental budget for Indian Lake!!!  The funds will cover the design and construction of a biofiltration unit/rain garden at Shore Park to treat some of the stormwater runoff from the parking lot. Depending on final costs, there may be some additional drainage improvements to Shore Park or along Holden Street in order to reduce stormwater contaminates, such as sediments and nutrients, from entering the lake. There will also be educational kiosks to explain the significance of these systems.  Thank you Representative Mahoney!   Shore Park Block Party  Wednesday, June 27th from 4:30 pm to 8 pm The building is complete at Shore Park and we're excited to announce the beach WILL BE OPEN this summer! And what better way to celebrate this important improvement to our neighborhood than a neighborhood Block Party!   There will be food, music, activities and much more as we kick off the re-opening of this beautiful park and SUMMER!!   Park Spirit will also be holding free concerts at Shore Park on 7/25 and 8/15 ! Integrated Waters Planning  - Your Help is Needed   The Department of Public Works & Parks (DPW&P) is formalizing their planning process to help chart a path for the future. It's called an Integrated Water Resources Management Plan (Integrated Plan). DPW&P manages our drinking water, wastewater, oversees the care of many lakes and ponds as well as stormwater management.  Below is a summary of the objective and why public input is a pivotal part of the process.  Integrated Waters Summary The first public meeting was held in May and there will be more to come.  Residents are encouraged to participate in a survey that can be found at the link below: Survey Protecting Indian Lake with Smart Fertilizing Tips in for Your Yard by Dave Harris, Worcester DPW&P,  Stormwater/Wastewater Coordinator Summer has arrived and so have cookouts in the back yard. Everyone enjoys a lush green lawn but did you know the fertilizer you use in your yard also causes lakes to be overrun with weeds and algae?   When you over fertilize your lawn it can end up washing into the street during rain storms or when you are watering your lawn. From here it can pick up other contaminants on its way to the nearest storm drain and is referred to as stormwater. Once the stormwater enters a storm drain it enters a network of pipes that will bring it directly to a local waterway without any treatment. So even if you don't live next to a lake your actions can still have an impact.   Here are a few tips you can do to help improve the water quality in Indian Lake:   Before you automatically reach for the four step fertilizer program, consider testing your lawn soil to see if you need to add any fertilizer. UMass Extension provides home owners with an easy way to test your soil for only $15. Details can be found on their web site http://ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory.   You might also want to consider not fertilizing the strip of lawn between the road and the sidewalk. Most fertilizer that is applied here goes directly onto the street and sidewalk. Think about using something other than turf, like water-wise low growing hardy plants.   Don't fertilize before a heavy rain storm and always dispose of unused fertilizers and pesticides properly. Every effort can make a difference.  Volunteer Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative in Full Swing   Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative is seeking people to collect and analyze water samples at Indian Lake and back up at other sites as needed.   The Worcester Cyanobacteria Monitoring Collaborative (WCMC) is a citizen science program in which volunteers gather water samples using a plankton net once a month at Worcester waterways including Indian Lake, Patch Reservoir, Coes Reservoir, and Lake Quinsigamond. Volunteers then meet to examine the water samples under a microscope for cyanobacteria and microscopic critters.   Important data is collected which will help representatives from the City of Worcester Lakes and Ponds Program establish processes for anticipating cyanobacteria blooms.   While prior experience is not necessary, interest in water quality is a benefit. The program takes place the last Saturday of each month with the next sample date being Saturday, June 30th. If interested, please contact Jacquelyn Burmeister at burme...@worcesterma.gov or Beth Proko at indianl...@gmail.com  so that a short training can be coordinated on using the plankton net Get Your Swimsuit Ready!    Both Shore Park and Clason Beaches will be open this summer for 6 weeks beginning in early July.  Thank you to the City of Worcester, YMCA Greendale Family Branch and Bancroft School for making a commitment to continue their partnership for police detail as needed during the busy summer weekends.  Just a reminder: There is no swimming at Morgan Park - it will be strictly enforced this season. Spring Cleanup a HUGE Success!   The Indian Lake Watershed Association led a wonderful group of volunteers including neighbors, friends, District 1 City Councilor Sean M. Rose, Worcester Union Basketball and Saint John's High School for our semi annual neighborhood cleanup!  Volunteers spent time at Morgan Park, Hapgood-Brooks Memorial, Frostholm Memorial, Shore Park, Norton Drive and worked on shoreline cleanup at big and little Indian Lake.  Thank you all very much! A Tribute to Herb Adams   The long planned bench in memory of Herb Adams has been installed at the Frostholm Memorial across from Strand's Ski Shop! The idea and design were provided by Herb's grandson, Matt. We are very grateful to many people who made this possible but especially John Sansoucy of Sansoucy Stone who donated the bench; our board member Ed Dubois who single-handedly installed it and our board member, Aaron Sakulich, who was kind enough to welcome the bench for the entire winter at his home!  Membership Renewals   It's membership renewal time and we hope we can count on your continued support! As you know, mailing costs are constantly going up which makes it increasingly challenging as a small non-profit. If you could kindly consider printing the membership form below and sending it in with your dues, it would be a great help.   Otherwise, regular renewal letters will come out very soon.   Not a member yet? We would be honored to have your support!     Membership Form   Monthly Neighborhood Watch   The Indian Lake Neighborhood Watch meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm at the training room at Harr Toyota, 100 Gold Star Boulevard. At every meeting we receive an update on the neighborhood crime statistics from the previous month from Worcester Police Officer Lisa Carlson. Officer Carlson also shares other updates with the group including trends in crime around the city as well as important tips regarding general safety, home security and how to identify illegal drugs and drug use behaviors.   This meeting is also about quality of life issues in the neighborhood such as missing street signs, graffiti, illegal dumpting, pot holes, abandoned vehicles, abandoned houses, etc. The meeting is typically attended by one of the City of Worcester Code Enforcement employees who is also available to answer questions about city ordinances.   If you are unable to attend these meetings but would like to share information with the group or ask a question you can email dmohi...@mhq.com or Officer Carlson directly at carl...@worcesterma.gov.   The next neighborhood meeting is Tuesday, June 19th at 6pm. City of Worcester Calendar Website: www.ilwa.org Indian Lake Watershed Association, Inc. PO Box 60244, Worcester, MA 01606 Email: indianl...@gmail.com    STAY CONNECTED:

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[Kim McCoy]

Do you have any recommendations how we should coordinate with the City and state toward a design/permit for a narrowed curb cut and expanded parking lot in our to-be-expanded lot north of the to-be-relocated Shore Drive (while loosing most of the dirt parking lot on the other side)? See the MassDOT link below.

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[Kim McCoy]

At casual discussions at our circle dinner I suggested that the project would be a net benefit to UUCW and the neighborhood even if we loose more parking spaces than we gain, and that our 140'-wide curbcut (intersection of our parking lot with the street) was unusual even in 1955 and would never be approved in modern parking lot design/permitting, instead now limiting our new curbcut to two car-widths, with appropriate turning radii and buffers. Since then I've been thinking about other cost/benefit issues and trying to calculate parking spaces. Does anyone know how many spaces we normally have/use across the street? I'm estimating 25 based on maps. And I think we might be able to fit five rows of five 9'-wide spaces in the area we gain even with a 20' buffer and the proposed street widening, but we would need to prevent any increase in stormwater runoff (pervious pavement? raingardens?), and we might know dimensions better when we see the plans tomorrow. Aaron have you discussed this with any engineers? Anyway, partly because I'm a state employee restricted from representing anyone (such as UUCW) other than myself or MassDEP in any negotiations with a state agency, partly because I'm not a parking lot engineer, and partly because of my values around cars, growth, and congregations sharing church buildings (could such sharing years ago have prevented the pending loss of both Notre Dame and Mt Carmel?), I'm inclined to stay on the sidelines about UUCW/state communications, and probably not take the lead even with the City.

If I do formally comment on the project, I would focus on issues that concern me independently of UUCW, though you may share them. Even with best efforts of MassDOT, contractors, and others, there will be disruptions/impacts during construction, to all Shore Drive abutters, to neighborhood/through drivers, etc. Personally, living on Estabrook Road, I'm concerned that temporary Shore Drive closures/constrictions would substantially divert traffic that normally uses Exit 2/ South Frontage Road/ Shore Drive/ Drummond Street to instead use Ararat Street and aggravate the existing major congestion around Brattle Stop. I hope MassDOT considers/considered this impact in its cost-effectiveness analysis/ project justification/alternatives and in possibly providing police details and other mitigation there during construction (as well as at Shore Drive). But I wonder if the project eventually would reduce congestion at Brattle Stop by the opposite diversion, for drivers who can handle the top end of Drummond (not me in a standard).

Some of you noted, and I agree, that the existing Shore/Drummond intersections work fairly well; I see only minor congestion, and am not aware of accidents. If the project justification/design presumes an increase in traffic in the future, I oppose it. Whether we use hybrids, EV's, or gasoline, our car-dependency must/will decrease. Other cities and generations have been doing that well.

Some minor(?) related matters, mostly just for UUCW:

Do we really need the proposed 5' shoulders on a street that has no other sidewalks?

Traffic/noise would be somewhat farther from the church and yard.

We wouldn't need to cross the street to parking.

Rented/donated/illegal use of the south lot would be a new ballgame.

There have been questions about modifications to stormwater conveyances/controls including the Ararat Brook culvert.

Please try to read the link below before the hearing, where we'll see/hear lots more....

[Aaron Payson]

Kim,

The Board has received an briefing on this Project from those of us who met with the head engineer from the City a few weeks ago and plans are in place to develop a B&G Development Task Force to make recommendations to the Board as the project progresses. Sean Divoll, who is expert at this kind of planning will be at the upcoming public hearing.  The City has developed a vision of parking based on the land gained and I have a copy of the plans in my office that I'm more than willing to share.  This project will not break ground before Spring 2020 (at the earliest).  As for the comments related to congestion at the current intersection, and as one who had his car totaled near that intersection, I can attest personally tot he conjestion issues and the danger that currently exists there.  Conversation to be continued.

Aaron

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 4:32 AM, 'Kim McCoy' via uucwgreenteam <uucwgr...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

At casual discussions at our circle dinner I suggested that the project would be a net benefit to UUCW and the neighborhood even if we loose more parking spaces than we gain, and that our 140'-wide curbcut (intersection of our parking lot with the street) was unusual even in 1955 and would never be approved in modern parking lot design/permitting, instead now limiting our new curbcut to two car-widths, with appropriate turning radii and buffers. Since then I've been thinking about other cost/benefit issues and trying to calculate parking spaces. Does anyone know how many spaces we normally have/use across the street? I'm estimating 25 based on maps. And I think we might be able to fit five rows of five 9'-wide spaces in the area we gain even with a 20' buffer and the proposed street widening, but we would need to prevent any increase in stormwater runoff (pervious pavement? raingardens?), and we might know dimensions better when we see the plans tomorrow. Aaron have you discussed this with any engineers? Anyway, partly because I'm a state employee restricted from representing anyone (such as UUCW) other than myself or MassDEP in any negotiations with a state agency, partly because I'm not a parking lot engineer, and partly because of my values around cars, growth, and congregations sharing church buildings (could such sharing years ago have prevented the pending loss of both Notre Dame and Mt Carmel?), I'm inclined to stay on the sidelines about UUCW/state communications, and probably not take the lead even with the City.

If I do formally comment on the project, I would focus on issues that concern me independently of UUCW, though you may share them. Even with best efforts of MassDOT, contractors, and others, there will be disruptions/impacts during construction, to all Shore Drive abutters, to neighborhood/through drivers, etc. Personally, living on Estabrook Road, I'm concerned that temporary Shore Drive closures/constrictions would substantially divert traffic that normally uses Exit 2/ South Frontage Road/ Shore Drive/ Drummond Street to instead use Ararat Street and aggravate the existing major congestion around Brattle Stop. I hope MassDOT considers/considered this impact in its cost-effectiveness analysis/ project justification/alternatives and in possibly providing police details and other mitigation there during construction (as well as at Shore Drive). But I wonder if the project eventually would reduce congestion at Brattle Stop by the opposite diversion, for drivers who can handle the top end of Drummond (not me in a standard).

Some of you noted, and I agree, that the existing Shore/Drummond intersections work fairly well; I see only minor congestion, and am not aware of accidents. If the project justification/design presumes an increase in traffic in the future, I oppose it. Whether we use hybrids, EV's, or gasoline, our car-dependency must/will decrease. Other cities and generations have been doing that well.

Some minor(?) related matters, mostly just for UUCW:

Do we really need the proposed 5' shoulders on a street that has no other sidewalks?

Traffic/noise would be somewhat farther from the church and yard.

We wouldn't need to cross the street to parking.

Rented/donated/illegal use of the south lot would be a new ballgame.

There have been questions about modifications to stormwater conveyances/controls including the Ararat Brook culvert.

Please try to read the link below before the hearing, where we'll see/hear lots more....

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to uucwgreenteam+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

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Rev. Aaron R. Payson, Minister
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester

Webpage: www.uucworcester.org

Facebook: uucworcester 

"A congregation of love, hope and justice inspiring people to take on the challenges of a changing world"

[Kim McCoy]

Thank you. Assuming I'm still up for the hearing, I'll listen to Sean and probably just defer to his recommendations.

On Monday, June 18, 2018, 8:09:58 AM EDT, Aaron Payson <arpa...@gmail.com> wrote:

Kim,

The Board has received an briefing on this Project from those of us who met with the head engineer from the City a few weeks ago and plans are in place to develop a B&G Development Task Force to make recommendations to the Board as the project progresses. Sean Divoll, who is expert at this kind of planning will be at the upcoming public hearing.  The City has developed a vision of parking based on the land gained and I have a copy of the plans in my office that I'm more than willing to share.  This project will not break ground before Spring 2020 (at the earliest).  As for the comments related to congestion at the current intersection, and as one who had his car totaled near that intersection, I can attest personally to the congestion issues and the danger that currently exists there.  Conversation to be continued.

Aaron

On Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 4:32 AM, 'Kim McCoy' via uucwgreenteam <uucwgr...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

At casual discussions at our circle dinner I suggested that the project would be a net benefit to UUCW and the neighborhood even if we loose more parking spaces than we gain, and that our 140'-wide curbcut (intersection of our parking lot with the street) was unusual even in 1955 and would never be approved in modern parking lot design/permitting, instead now limiting our new curbcut to two car-widths, with appropriate turning radii and buffers. Since then I've been thinking about other cost/benefit issues and trying to calculate parking spaces. Does anyone know how many spaces we normally have/use across the street? I'm estimating 25 based on maps. And I think we might be able to fit five rows of five 9'-wide spaces in the area we gain even with a 20' buffer and the proposed street widening, but we would need to prevent any increase in stormwater runoff (pervious pavement? raingardens?), and we might know dimensions better when we see the plans tomorrow. Aaron have you discussed this with any engineers? Anyway, partly because I'm a state employee restricted from representing anyone (such as UUCW) other than myself or MassDEP in any negotiations with a state agency, partly because I'm not a parking lot engineer, and partly because of my values around cars, growth, and congregations sharing church buildings (could such sharing years ago have prevented the pending loss of both Notre Dame and Mt Carmel?), I'm inclined to stay on the sidelines about UUCW/state communications, and probably not take the lead even with the City.

If I do formally comment on the project, I would focus on issues that concern me independently of UUCW, though you may share them. Even with best efforts of MassDOT, contractors, and others, there will be disruptions/impacts during construction, to all Shore Drive abutters, to neighborhood/through drivers, etc. Personally, living on Estabrook Road, I'm concerned that temporary Shore Drive closures/constrictions would substantially divert traffic that normally uses Exit 2/ South Frontage Road/ Shore Drive/ Drummond Street to instead use Ararat Street and aggravate the existing major congestion around Brattle Stop. I hope MassDOT considers/considered this impact in its cost-effectiveness analysis/ project justification/alternatives and in possibly providing police details and other mitigation there during construction (as well as at Shore Drive). But I wonder if the project eventually would reduce congestion at Brattle Stop by the opposite diversion, for drivers who can handle the top end of Drummond (not me in a standard).

Some of you noted, and I agree, that the existing Shore/Drummond intersections work fairly well; I see only minor congestion, and am not aware of accidents. If the project justification/design presumes an increase in traffic in the future, I oppose it. Whether we use hybrids, EV's, or gasoline, our car-dependency must/will decrease. Other cities and generations have been doing that well.

Some minor(?) related matters, mostly just for UUCW:

Do we really need the proposed 5' shoulders on a street that has no other sidewalks?

Traffic/noise would be somewhat farther from the church and yard.

We wouldn't need to cross the street to parking.

Rented/donated/illegal use of the south lot would be a new ballgame.

There have been questions about modifications to stormwater conveyances/controls including the Ararat Brook culvert.

Please try to read the link below before the hearing, where we'll see/hear lots more....

--

Rev. Aaron R. Payson, Minister
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester

Webpage: www.uucworcester.org

Facebook: uucworcester 

"A congregation of love, hope and justice inspiring people to take on the challenges of a changing world"

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