The Public Facilities Committee met on February 4, 2026, and held the following. See report and meeting video.
Held
- Request for periodic updates on data collected on the Washington Street Pilot, including baseline data, periodic updates, reports on changes made during the pilot period, and snow clearing reports (7-0). Feedback from residents and businesses has been mixed. The City is still making changes based on that feedback. Most feedback was received between May and September of 2025. The City is monitoring social media sites. “The cost breakdown of the pilot, including $2.2 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for construction and data collection, and $500,000 dollars in Host Community Agreement (HCA) funds for design. The full funding breakdown can be found on the project website here.
The project success measures can be found here. Average speed was lowered from 30 -35 to 25-30 mph, making it safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles. There was no travel time increase in the westbound direction, slight increase eastbound. Backup data was mixed. The City found no evidence of traffic being diverted onto neighboring roads. Councilors were concerned about the visibility of the project’s planters at night.
- Request for discussion and ordinance change to only require new sidewalk installation if the existing sidewalk is damaged during construction (7-0). Currently, sidewalks are required when a home is demolished or substantially remodeled. Commissioner Sullivan is requesting that the automatic sidewalk replacement requirement be removed for substantial remodels. She noted property owners would still be responsible for repairing or replacing sidewalks damaged in a remodeling project.
Present: Councilors Kalis (Chair), Albright, Getz, Gordon, Grossman, Kelley, and Leary. Absent: Councilor Dahmubed. City staff: Jenn Martin, Director of Transportation Planning; Hannah Sternburg, Planning Outreach Coordinator; Shawna Sullivan, Commissioner of Public Works.
