Agenda – Meeting Notes and Action Items
AS&R General Membership Meeting
March 9, 2023, 7-9 pm via Zoom
Meeting attendees: Ken McCroskey, Harry Chomsky, Abbot Foote, Carrie Hobbs-Schulman,
Tareq Ahmed, Preston Jordan, Nick Pilch, Lucinda Young, Sherie Reineman, Ian MacLeod
1. Announcements and Event Opportunities (20 minutes)
a. Hopkins Kidical Mass: Saturday, March 11 (+ Walk Bike Berkeley News)
https://mailchi.mp/bb518f63abdd/hopkins-kidical?e=57daf40b17
NOTES:
Start Location: James Kenney Park, 1720 Eighth St, Berkeley, CA 94710.
Yard signs available (see above link);
Carrie reports: “Text ‘bike’ to 844-996-4353 to sign up and get more details”
ACTION ITEM: Carrie to post re: “text ‘bike’ to 844-996-4353” on AS&R Discussion List for updates/rain cancellations, etc, as follow-on to Nick’s post of 03/08/2023
b. Albany Community Expo at Community Center, April 29: Consider having a free booth to engage with the public
https://www.albanyca.org/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/1092/1254
c. Bike Anywhere Day Energizer Station, May 18
NOTES:
Ken: Jamie Tibbetts of XtraCycle has reached out to AS&R offering assistance but cannot lead Energizer Station efforts. Ken suggests due to new features at Marin/Masonic, move BtWD Energizer Station back to that spot for 2023.
Nick: WOBO has hired assistance for this year.
Preston: supervising/managing/arranging hired-out help not insignificant; likely
time consuming and highly costly
ACTION ITEMS: Ken will follow up with Jamie/XtraCycle; Nick will follow up w/ WOBO, email to ask who they’ve hired, etc.
d. Street lighting evaluation tours ~ June
NOTES: City interested in partnering with AS&R to lead lighting tour(s) at night on foot or by bike. Ken to coordinate.
e. Solano Avenue Stroll, September 10
NOTES: Ken clarified, Stroll is always 2nd Sunday in September; Lucinda asked about BVP, to confirm her understanding that last year’s organizers did not provide. Discussion: Preston clarified that he has gathered approval that bike parking and/or BVP needs to be condition for Stroll and other events as part of event encroachment permit, so the process is “in the works”.
Sherie notes that Sylvia had left detailed notes on BVP process, timelines, and then-existing requirements, etc when she discontinued her volunteer role as BVP coordinator( in 2021?) after 9 years; will look for that info in AS&R core email threads and documents.
f. Grizzly Peak Cyclists Century, May 7
https://www.grizz.org/century/volunteer/
NOTES: Sherie reports volunteer opportunities exist before and during event both to GPC members and non-members (follow instructions on the link above)
ACTION ITEM: Sherie to send out another blurb to Discussion List/AS&R FB page about volunteer opportunities
g. Green Fondo Team Ride, May 12-14
NOTES: Ian – Captain of Albany Strollers & Rollers Green Fondo team, reports 6 team members now registered; this event is set up as an “introductory” Fondo, and has ride options on both days (Sat, May 13 and Sun, May 14) to accommodate less experienced, novice cyclists, routes as short as 30 and 20
miles. Fun event, great opportunity to meet other cycling advocates and climate change activists; also, opportunity to raise funds for AS&R (via donations to Albany Strollers & Rollers as beneficiary). Every $$ goes directly to beneficiary; Matching grant (by event Sponsor?) for every $$ above fundraising minimum. Donations may be made either on member/Team fundraising page or directly to beneficiary. To Donate, click the “heart” icon top right of Green Fondo web page: https://www.climateride.org/events/green-fondo/ enter “Albany Strollers & Rollers” in Search field for Team name, then follow
online links/instructions to donate to team member(s) fundraising efforts you wish to support.
2. Road Construction Updates and Issues (20 minutes)
a. Kains & Adams Bike Boulevard 1-yr Pilot project
NOTES: Ken – the Pilot project is “on the ground and functioning”. Several meeting attendees offered their experiences riding/walking on both streets.
Preston clarified that the undersized, dark bollards are temporary for purposes of Pilot; ditto road markings – currently paint, not thermoplastic. Regarding contraflow parking, he is pursuing street-legal legislation for Albany, using city of Long Beach as model. Ken noted that Kains/Adams Bike Boulevards are part of the San Pablo Ave Corridor plan, which does not currently include bikeways on San Pablo in the Albany section. Stop signs each block east-west direction along Kains & Adams. Suggest 4-way stops along K/A, and replacement of current stop signs on next block (Stannage) with traffic circles.
b. General re-paving and bike detour issues
NOTES: Carrie reports difficulties navigating Masonic & Marin repaving/construction, requiring inconvenient detour enroute to Ocean View School. She has reached out to public works and will loop back. Construction signage suggest cyclists “rethink route” during construction period, but alternatives not viable, esp traveling with heavy cargo bike and small son on his own bike.
Sherie reported steep 1+” drop in asphalt, cut laterally along bike lane/travel area on Marin which extends several blocks (observed while walking southbound across Marin at SW corner of Cornell); dangerous hazard for cyclists traveling westbound on Marin!.
Preston notes City now has hired a Construction supervisor to oversee ongoing projects: Brian MacRae (tel: 510-813-0039)
ACTION ITEM: Sherie will report pavement cut issue via See-Click-Fix.
3. Planning Processes Underway in Albany and Nearby (30 minutes)
a. ACTC San Pablo & Parallel Routes
(NOTES: See Discussion of Kains/Adams bike boulevards in item 2.a. above)
Preston: To be on agenda at April 27 ACTC Commission Mtg.
b. Street Lighting Evaluation
https://www.albanyca.org/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/1092/1254
(NOTES: Ken reports there will maybe be field trips)
c. Street Tree Inventory
d. P&Z Bike Parking Ordinance Review
NOTES: Ian reports there is an opportunity for improvement, need technical help with it: sizes, Bike Rooms, etc.
e. AUSD Environmental Action Plan
Updated 03082023 AUSD Environmental Action Plan DRAFT .pdf
f. Active Transportation Plan Update (2024)
Ken – while his focus is on broader Climate Action Goals, that does not seem to be first priority for staff, who are mostly interested in concrete projects
4. Financial Update/St. Alban’s Relationship (10 minutes)
Harry reports >$14K currently, since receiving check for 2022 Green Fondo donation funds
Encourage members to bring ideas for utilization of $$ to Happy Hour, and to talk with
others about ideas on projects.
General consensus is to NOT renew contract with St. Alban’s. Zoom meetings working
well for current time frame; we can consider alternatives in future.
ACTION ITEM: Harry will follow up with St. Alban’s (phone / email) to advise, and then he will collect and return the two keys to St. Alban’s (Harry & Ken, 1 key ea.)
5. Coordination with Aligned Groups (updates, 10 minutes) (Item 5 cut for time)
a. Bike East Bay monthly Local Leaders call
b. EC S&R
c. Albany Leaders
6. Organizational Issues (15 minutes)
a. Volunteers needed for events
b. Marin repaving
(NOTE: Ian expressed frustration/disappointment in process of TC decision making for Marin repaving project, not being brought into loop when there was a last minute change in plans regarding bike lanes and bulb outs, which eventually will cost more $$ to redo/correct.
NOTES: We do not currently have an automatic method for informing when such changes. Preston reports his personal method is to be subscribed to notifications for various Commissions and City Council; Ian maintains that AS&R also have better internal notifications. Going forward, as a possible solution for both of these scenarios (event volunteer recruitment; city projects) Tareq suggested SLACK (or other forum) as possible tool for communicating with other members and organizing volunteers, etc. Others in group also supported trying this, with eventual goal of distribution to Discussion List.
ACTION ITEMS: Sherie will follow up w/ Tareq, Carrie and Harry to initiate a SLACK forum. [NOTE: Tareq familiar with SLACK, and has since set up a SLACK group for AS&R, which Nick extended to AS&R Core members to try out].
Ken and Harry to subscribe AS&R Discussion List to TC Agenda notification.
