SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Arizona Department of Transportation will decide by year’s end between one of two remaining options for addressing congestion at Bell Road and Grand Avenue, one of the Valley’s most heavily traveled intersections.

After consideration of nearly two dozen design variations, ADOT is down to studying two proposals that would take Bell Road over Grand Avenue and the adjacent Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad freight line.

One design would allow drivers to make turns on the platform, the other that would prohibit direct turns, instead guiding vehicles through a network of existing intersections to make the transition between the two major thoroughfares.

“Is it (the latter idea) better than Option A (the plan permitting direct turns)?” asked Community and Economic Development Director Jeff Mihelich as he detailed the proposals before the City Council at its Sept. 4 workshop. “Not in staff’s opinion, not even close.”

Business impact

One of the primary reasons Surprise officials prefer Option A, known as the “median urban design,” is that it minimizes loss of business property, compared with previous ideas and Option B, known as “grade separation only.”

“One of the best reasons for this alternative (the median-urban design) is they’re staying within the existing right-of-way. The business loss would be significant under those (earlier) designs,” Mr. Mihelich noted.

A third option still under consideration – Option C, or “no build” — still under consideration would leave the intersection as is, a choice Surprise officials clearly believe is impractical.

The project is being funded through dedicated county tax revenues previously allocated under a public question approved nearly a decade ago. The price tag ranges from $66.2 million for the median urban design to $48.4 million for the grade separation only design.

Mayor Sharon Wolcott and the other five council members present last week agreed their preference is for median urban design, the layout providing for direct turns. District 2 Councilman Richard Alton was absent.

“It’s kind of a no-brainer at this point,” offered District 3 Councilman John Williams following the meeting. “If nothing else, it has minimal impact on the imprint of all those businesses in that area.”

“It’s time to find a solution that’s in the best interest of our community as a whole,” said Ms. Wolcott, noting 26 different variations of a solution to the intersection’s heavy traffic have been offered at one time or another. “This is a major, major gateway for the city of Surprise, so it needs to be done right.”

The City Council was expected to approve a resolution at its Sept. 11 business meeting, formalizing its support for the median urban design option.

Surprise officials’ endorsement of a design is but the latest step in a process begun several years ago and does not commit ADOT to a particular plan.

“The city’s stance will be given the same consideration as any other comments from stakeholder agencies or constituents, including business owners,” stated ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel in an e-mail. “We’ve appreciated any input as the team works to finish the study. We don’t want to prejudge its outcome.”

Dist. 5 Councilman Leo Mankiewicz believes the city’s position will play a role in the final outcome.

“Surprise has had a lot of weight all along in terms of whittling down all the various alternatives they gave us to begin with. There was a whole bunch,” he said.

ADOT timetable

ADOT is in the midst of two evaluations that will determine its final choice for the Bell Road-Grand Avenue intersection. The agency is expected to release a final design concept report in December as well as findings of an assessment of the project’s impact on the environment.

“The alternatives study looks at the impacts that the intersection options would have on the surrounding community, including homes and businesses, as well as traffic, while also addressing requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act,” stated Mr. Nintzel.

The study also will evaluate economic impact on the surrounding area, something of which area business owners are wary.

Merchants have expressed concerns over both the long-term impact of a two-tiered interchange replacing the grade-level crossing as well as the short-term effects of construction closures on business. The issue concerns Surprise council members and officials as well.

Mr. Mankiewicz, whose district includes the stores and shops south of Bell Road and west of Grand Avenue, suggested city transportation officials could consider adjusting signalization to help ease flow around the construction zone.

“We have an intelligent light system. Let’s use it,” Mr. Mankiewicz said after the meeting.

While construction detours have been discussed, no final designs have been set, stated Mr. Nintzel.

“Since we have not yet selected a preferred option for the intersection improvements, we haven’t reached the stage of designing construction detours. Preliminary detours would be planned during the design phase and actually finalized when we get to the point of selecting a construction contractor,” he continued.

Both Surprise officials and ADOT representatives have strived to keep local merchants abreast of progress on the Bell Road-Grand Avenue intersection issue. That includes discussing ways to help businesses draw customers during the project. City officials will work on maximizing signage for businesses, Mr. Mihelich told the council.

“When it comes to signage for businesses during construction, it is absolutely critical. We have to do everything we can to provide enhanced signage opportunities during construction,” he said.

The layouts

Under the median urban design interchange concept backed by Surprise officials, Grand Avenue traffic would exit and enter Bell Road via ramps along the median of Grand Avenue, then proceed to turn either left or right at the top of the platform when permitted by traffic signals. Dual left turn lanes from Grand Avenue onto Bell Road would give the system the desired capacity for handling turning traffic, Mr. Mihelich said.

Drivers on Bell Road would enter Grand Avenue via turn lanes on the platform. For example, motorists heading east along Bell Road wishing to turn onto southbound or Phoenix-bound Grand Avenue would use a right-hand exit lane off Bell Road that would take them onto a ramp sloping downward and into an eventual merge with the left-hand lane of southbound Grand Avenue. A westbound Bell Road motorist wishing to make the same turn would do so from a left turn lane at the top of the platform regulated by a traffic signal, directing them onto the ramp leading down and eventually into the left lane of Grand Avenue.

Grand Avenue traffic would cross under Bell Road in both directions without ever stopping.

Use of the median for exiting and entering traffic is not a new concept. The layout is used along Interstate 10 in downtown Phoenix at Third Avenue and Fifth Avenue. However, council members suggested signage warning drivers well in advance of having to exit Grand Avenue from the left rather than right lanes will be important.

“As long as the signage is there and we do it the right way, I think we’ll be fine,” said Mr. Williams.

While the median urban design combines many turning options at one spot, that is a key reason it is supported by Surprise officials. The grade separation only design would spread access between Bell Road and Grand Avenue over a network of existing intersections, requiring widening at Bell and Litchfield roads, Bell and Dysart roads and Grand Avenue and Dysart Road. The Grand Avenue-Litchfield Road crossing would be reconfigured.

“Instead of impacting only one intersection, you’re talking about impacts at Dysart and Grand, and Dysart and Bell, and Litchfield and Grand, and Litchfield and Bell,” he said.

Other issues

A concern raised by council members with a two-tiered interchange — either the median urban design or grade separation only concepts — is aesthetics and preventing the walls supporting the overpass and ramps from becoming targets of graffiti artists.

“Obviously, that’s a showpiece in town, and you’ve got to keep it nice and clean,” Mr. Mankiewicz said.

Mr. Mihelich said a number of landscape and design strategies can be incorporated into the project to not only deter graffiti but enhance the interchange’s appearance. He cited enhancements along Loop 202 in the East Valley that go beyond murals and paintings to land forms, colors and animal depictions.

“It’s an opportunity for us to do some community design. You can do things with railings or light standards. Landscaping is a significant opportunity here,” he told the council.

Another potential element would be flags or banners announcing drivers are entering a key part of Surprise.

Money is already earmarked in the project, which is being funded through revenues from Proposition 400. Approved by voters throughout Maricopa County in November 2004, the measure extended a half-cent sales tax to fund major transportation projects throughout the county.

“This does not mean the city of Surprise has to use taxpayer money to pay for the improvements. This is state money that already has been collected and already has been budgeted,” Mr. Mihelich said.

Building a new interchange at Bell Road and Grand Avenue carries potential economic advantages, the Community and Economic Development director noted.

“If we’re doing a site visit, bringing people in to look at specific sites, and we have to wait for signals at Grand and Bell, it’s not going to leave a good impression on someone who’s interested in making a multi-million dollar investment in the city of Surprise,” he said.

News editor Jeff Grant can be reached at jgratn@newszap.com or 623-445-2805.

Where do you even begin …? Baird Helgeson of the Strib says: “A hard-charging former state Republican Party chairman whose constant refrain to DFLers and even GOP lawmakers was “live within your means” has declared personal bankruptcy, the latest twist in one of the most dramatic political downfalls in recent state history. At the height of his power, Tony Sutton demanded that Republican legislators oppose all tax increases and keep state spending strictly in line with revenue. Few realized it at the time, but the GOP’s finances under Sutton’s management were a shambles, and the same scenario was playing out in his personal life. Sutton and his wife, Bridget Sutton, … say they owe $2.1 million, including $70,000 of credit card debt, $20,000 in federal student loans, unpaid state and federal taxes, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in unsecured personal loans to cover business expenses. At the time they filed, the Suttons had no life or health insurance.”

What are the two main questions still lingering in the murder of Cold Spring police officer, Tom Decker? David Unze of the St. Cloud Times writes: “Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner last week discussed the investigation into the shooting death of Cold Spring-Richmond Police Officer Tom Decker. … He stressed that investigators still want help answering two key questions: Did the person who killed Decker act alone, and what was the motive behind the killing? …
Q: Do you have any witnesses that put [Eric Thomes, who hung himself] at the bar that night?
A: I can’t talk about that. The specifics of the case I have to avoid because it’s still an open and active case and we’re still trying to preserve the potential prosecution down the road. That remains a constant theme in these types of cases.”

There’s good news in rural manufacturing. At the Strib, Neal St. Anthony writes: “Minnesota manufacturing jobs declined by 22 percent — from 395,519 jobs in 2000 to 305,585 jobs at the end of last year, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. And while Minnesota has recovered the jobs lost since the Great Recession in 2008-09, manufacturing jobs remain significantly below their pre-recession levels. That said, rural Minnesota — and particularly nine west-central counties — boast a fast-growing cluster of about 30 manufacturers of at least 100 employees that are benefiting from a well-trained workforce, competitive wages and an efficient transportation network. ‘In west-central Minnesota, we are back to pre-recession manufacturing employment,’ said Brad Finstad, executive director of the Center for Rural Policy and Development.”

In the opinion of the Strib … “Today’s special session of the ­Minnesota Legislature isn’t expected to live up to its name. There won’t be much that’s special about it. Convening the recessed Legislature for one day to send taxpayers’ dollars to stricken communities has become Minnesota’s standard response to natural disasters. This session would benefit from a longer agenda. Lawmakers would do well to take up the repeal of at least two problematic new applications of the sales tax, to farm machinery repairs and third-party warehouse services. Both of those sales taxes carry a high risk of pushing business activity out of Minnesota to other states.”

For the AP, Patrick Condon says: “Special sessions aren’t that expensive. Monday’s cost for taxpayers is pegged at about $33,000 in mileage reimbursements and per diem payments to lawmakers. But [DFL: Rep. Gene] Pelowski pointed out that they frequently provoke political games by lawmakers looking to spotlight pet issues. ‘We’ve got people talking about the minimum wage, we’ve got people talking about repealing taxes,’ Pelowski said. ‘Special sessions should be narrowly focused and they should be infrequent, but we know that a lot of lawmakers can’t help themselves.’ ”

While any number above zero is bad, Minnesota’s rate of seniors suffering from hunger is among the lowest in the country. For MPR, Julie Siple says: “A new report says Minnesota has the second-lowest rate of senior hunger in the nation. The report found that 8.6 percent of Minnesota seniors faced the threat of hunger in 2011, compared to the national average of 15 percent. Minnesota seniors have several characteristics that reduce the chances they’ll be unable to afford enough food, said James Ziliak, economics professor at the University of Kentucky and co-author of the study. ‘On average, seniors in Minnesota tend to have higher incomes. They’re more likely to be married. They’re more likely to be white. They’re more likely to have higher education,’ Ziliak said. ‘These factors all add up to reducing the risk of food insecurity among older Americans in the state of Minnesota.’ “

Today is the day the winner of the $1 million idea for St. Paul will be announced. Also at MPR, Rupa Chenoy reports: “Of nearly a thousand ideas submitted, Minnesotans voted on three finalist proposals selected by a group of judges. One proposal is to build studios for young artists on the Mississippi River as part of a Center for Creative Arts. Another proposes a food hub and event center in a vacant building in the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary. The third finalist suggests recycling abandoned railroad cars and placing them on public right-of-ways as spaces for artists. Two of the ideas come from employees of the city of St. Paul. The third finalist is a small business owner.” I thought the idea of turning the whole place into a domed e-pulltab casino had some merit.

Similarly … Janet Moore of the Strib writes: “To remedy the [Nicollet] mall’s physical ills and craft a broad strategy for the boulevard — from Grant Street to Washington Av. — the city sponsored an architectural design competition, and preliminary results are in. Twenty-one design teams submitted proposals, and three emerged as finalists whose proposals will be presented to the public at 5 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Guthrie Theater. The Minneapolis City Council ultimately will make the choice, triggering a dialogue between the winning team and the public. … the ideas and images generated in the contest will help champion [Mayor Rybak’s] cause at the Capitol. The renderings do provide an interesting, if preliminary, peek at ideas for the 12-block strip. All appear to embrace more trees and landscaping, as well as additional pockets of pedestrian seating.”

Remember the billboards with Don Shelby and Pat Miles that said something coy, like “Don and Pat … together tonight”? The latest variation is “Don and Tom … together whenever you want them.” At the Strib, Neal Justin  reports: “[S]tarting Monday, he’ll expand his on-air workload to more than seven hours a day, including an unusual arrangement with 105 FM/The Ticket, an all-sports station that’s calling on some heavy hitters to get attention in a crowded field. ‘I’ve got a lot to say’, said Barnard, who in addition to his primary job hosting KQRS’ ‘Morning Show’, will stretch his weekday podcast from one hour to three with former WCCO anchor Don Shelby as his sidekick. The final hour of that program will be simulcast from 6 to 7 p.m. on the Ticket, which launched its sports format in April. Barnard said he won’t get additional money for his contribution to 105 FM, but the gig will give him a chance to promote his podcast, as well as the KQ show, to a younger audience. ‘It’s good exposure for the station and it’s good exposure for me.’ ” Both those cheeky kids need some exposure …

Posted: Monday, September 9, 2013 4:30 am

Teens plan landscaping project for Lampasas library

Brenda Young/Herald staff writer

The Killeen Daily Herald

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September 9, 2013

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LAMPASAS — A group of local teens has organized a team to contribute to the Lampasas Public Library renovation project and will soon begin fundraising efforts to complete landscaping on the building’s east side.

The Teen Advisory Group consists of six core members from seventh to 12th grades. The teens participated in brainstorming sessions on the project. Library director Shanda Subia said their original ideas centered around a Disney theme based on movies and books.

“Individually, they came up with the ideas they wanted to use and presented them to the City Council last week,” Subia said. “They used trifold presentation boards showing an aerial view of their inspirations for different aspects of the project. They also had pictures of the plants, flowers, trees and their designs for each section, or wing, drawn to scale.”

The teens worked with landscape architect Marianna Felsman of Austin. Subia said they learned a lot during the design phase.

“They have definitely had professional instruction and learned a lot about landscape design,” she said. “The kids are learning a lot about xeriscaping, landscaping and using math equations for the designs.”

The council unanimously approved the plans last month. The plans consist of six themed areas named after famous characters or books, including The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland, Bambi, Narnia, Kung Fu Panda and Winnie the Pooh.

“This was done in a whimsical way, not a cartoonish way,” Subia said. “I think it will appeal to library patrons of all ages.”

The Teen Advisory Group also has a commitment from local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops to provide extra muscle during the physical labor part of the project.

The group also would like to tap into the skills and talents of local artists to make it a collaborative community effort.

Although the teens won’t begin turning dirt until February, the council’s approval paved the way for them to focus on seeking donations and organizing fundraising events.

“I think it’s going to be an ongoing project, even after these young people finish school,” said Lampasas Library Foundation president, Ruth Martin. “It’s really been refreshing to have the Teen Advisory Group involved in the library renovations. It’s giving them lots of experience — not just in gardening, but it’s a real educational project and is giving them an idea of all the steps necessary in planning a project of this size.”

More about City Council

• ARTICLE: Lampasas officials debate fire department funding
• ARTICLE: Developments a boon to Heights; traffic a concern
• ARTICLE: San Antonio adopts gay rights measure
• ARTICLE: Hancock Park Golf Course improvements in full swing

More about Teen Advisory Group

• ARTICLE: Lampasas considers construction of civic center

More about Lampasas Library

• ARTICLE: Authors featured at Lampasas library
• ARTICLE: Lampasas fire station project to finish soon

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