July 2009 Minutes

[Brad Parsons]

Minutes of Watertown Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee
Monthly Meeting July 6th, 2009

Present: Peter Brooks, Steve Engler, Janet Jameson, Jeannette Belcher-
Schepis, Sheila Fay, Maria Saiz, Brad Parsons

* Item: Community Path

•Deb Peterson attended meeting and spoke about the over all history of
the project and a big picture view
•Harvard O’Neill grant of $5K awarded to the Watertown Citizens for
Environmental Safety (WCES) to help develop a plan for the Community
Path
•Purpose of Deb’s visit to the meeting was to solicit comments from
the WBPC regarding the next step of planning
•Sheila recommended the professor Peter Fuller from Northeastern
University. His civil engineering class takes on community projects
as class exercises in planning.
•Steve Magoon stated that part of the planning can be done by the town
•Sheila and Deb will connect later regarding Peter Fuller
•Steve Engler and Peter Brooks volunteered to be WBPC liaisons to the
WCES for the project

* Item: Safe Routes to School

Jeannette’s recent updates regarding CSRS
•Bike Safety Training was a huge success, 4th grade class of Cunniff
was accommodated as well
1) Each session was 1 hour and they went smoothly
2) Excellent feedback was received and students were observed
following guidelines from the sessions
3) Mass Rides contacted Mass Bike and will arrange a “train the
trainer” for next year
•$2,400 received from Harvard-O’Neill grant, will be used towards
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg event
•Still looking for $2K, may have to cut back from the current scope of
event
1) It was suggested to propose a possible cost sharing with another
local community or solicit local businesses
•Jeannette is putting together a carbon footprint team for family fun
night
•Needs help with the table and would like it sorted by the beginning
of the school year

* Item: Watertown Walking Map

•Jeannette is to meet with Steve Magoon to discuss the map, to be done
by August

* Item: Snow Shoveling

•Peter suggested the WBPC create the key routes based on the Walking
School Bus routes and key connections; Maria to spear head this

* Item: Bicycle Friendly Community

•Need to post the 5 E’s on the website

* Item: Faire on the Square

•Need to determine what we’re going to do for our booth
•Sheila to contact Cliff Bar
•Walking Map and poster would be a good idea
•Questioners from last year
•Need to request the table