Kane County Reporter

City of Geneva Bike and Pedestrian Committee met Oct. 25.

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

1. Call to Order 

Chairman Schmitz called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.

2. Roll Call 

The following BPAC members were present: Caleb Anderson, Greg Bobeczko, Declan Cook, Alex Garbe, Carrie Homewood, Sam Kraft, Max Schmitz, Carl Schoedel, Jennifer Siegele, and Mary Carol MacDonald. A quorum was present.

The following BPAC members were absent: none.

Others present included City of Geneva staff liaisons Matthew Buesing and Brian Davids, as well as Melanie Mannon of SPAC.

3. Amendments to the Agenda 

No amendments to the Agenda were proposed.

4. Approval of Minutes: September 27, 2023 

On a motion by Schmitz, second by Schoedel, the minutes were approved as presented. Motion passed unanimously.

5. Bike and Pedestrian Committee 

a. Review directives/goals

Chairman Schmitz reviewed the discussion from the last meeting and confirmed that the committee consensus was to move forward with “bike parking” as the first area of focus.

Melanie Mannon asked what other area towns are doing with respect to this issue. Jen Siegele suggested looking at other towns with Metra commuter stations to research best practices.

Jen Siegele suggested that we take a specific focus on pursuing sheltered bike parking within the downtown parking deck. She reported on her reconnaissance of the parking deck. On a recent Saturday, only 127 spots were filled. However on a recent Thursday, 177 parking spots were open. Jen shared pictures with the group, including a shot of the completely vacant motorcycle parking area. Brian Davids mentioned that there may be certain parking requirements for economic development by City code; that may be a hurdle to overcome if we look to convert automobile parking spaces to bike parking spaces.

The committee reviewed Google street view photos to gauge the numbers of bike commuters who are in need of parking near the Metra Station. Declan Cook reported that he had seen the available bike racks nearly full on weekends and during the Farmer’s Market.

Alex Garbe reported that he had reviewed the Engineering plans from the UPRR for the third track expansion project and noted that the platform / station areas did not include any bike parking facilities.

The group also discussed making any specific budget proposals by December for inclusion in the City budget process.

b. Bike Parking

i. Communication/Awareness

The committee discussed the use of various existing City communications platforms, such as the e-mail blast, City Newsletter, City Website, and FaceBook page. Brian Davids will contact the City Communications Coordinator (Kevin Starr) to make sure a BPAC representative can work directly with him on “creative copy” for those various communication platforms.

ii. Community Engagement

The committee discussed the need for community feedback on where we want bike parking and the bike parking map. Members suggested the “scavenger hunt” idea and/or “selfie stations” at bike parking locations.

iii. Development Opportunities

The committee discussed the need to engage the business community through direct contacts and also through the Chamber. Brian Davids mentioned the downtown Special Service Area, a special property tax district that funds additional public services downtown.

Other City buildings and facilities might be relatively easy places to install or expand bicycle parking. These include City Hall and the Police Station downtown.

iv. Vote on Recommendations

Chairman Schmitz offered a re-cap of the discussion and several action items:

• Clean Up Bike Parking Dataset – update inventory, isolate bike parking data from “benches”, work on user-friendly map design. Brian will work with the City’s GIS staff to start this effort.

• Bike Parking @ Parking Deck - Jen will work with Brian toward putting a “placeholder” in the City’s 2024 capital budget. Placeholder amount needed by December.

• Communications – Sam Kraft volunteered to be the point person to work the City Communications staff. Caleb Anderson will assist. They will also work on coordination with downtown businesses.

c. Select next area of focus

Once the bike parking efforts are under way, the committee expressed an interest in working on:

• Bike Route Maps for various neighborhoods – showing typical routes to points of interest within the City

• Improving (safety at) Pedestrian Crossings at several key locations (e.g., school traffic routes) along major arterials like Route 38 / State Street, Kirk, Randall, etc.

6. Public Comment 

No public comment.

7. New Business 

Brian Davids displayed the online CMAP Bike/Ped Database which is an interactive map showing the various bike/ped projects and programs being undertaken by municipal governments within the region.

Brian and Matt displayed the Bike to Metra Brochure on city website which appeared to be a good resource, perhaps in need of an update.

8. Adjournment 

Motion by Schmitz, second by Schoedel to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 7:11 p.m.

https://www.geneva.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10252023-2243