Transportation Master Plan making progress

OV Consulting presented the updated progress on the Saratoga Transportation Alternative Master Plan (STAMP) on May 6 at the Platte Valley Community Center.

The last meeting OV Consulting hosted was on January 17 when Vogelsang introduced the Transportation Alternative Master Plan. At the time, Saratoga residents had concerns about how the Town of Saratoga could follow through with the program without overspending. Some residents were either for or against the project while others questioned how much it would cost.

Vogelsang said his objective was to see if everyone was on the same page. He also wanted to ensure no one had any confusion or misunderstanding about what was being done with the proposed master plan. He also took the time to hear the opinions, concerns, and suggestions residents wanted to bring forward.

“In our last meeting we identified 42 different infrastructure projects as opportunities,” Vogelsang said. “There were a lot of ideas from our stakeholder’s process, strengthening process, straightforward interviews, and public meetings. We ended up doing a two-level screening process and said there were 42 projects and we could not do all of them so we had to decide on the most agreed on and which of the following makes the most sense to us.”

Vogelsang also discussed downtown mobility as part of the infrastructure projects on the agenda. He said there were some issues with the heated sidewalk not working due to leaks in the piping under the sidewalks. He explained what would be done to solve the problem of sidewalk inefficiency.

“Downtown mobility has much to do with a sidewalk heating system that has failed to remove snow and ice,” Vogelsang said. “We had some downtown mobility ideals in addition which are along (Wyoming) Highway 130 near the 130 bridge intersection and the 130 Elm intersection to make improvements on the sidewalks and crosswalks.”

Vogelsang said some people are willing to volunteer to shovel the snow off the walkways and help property owners. However, there is a town ordinance being enforced when removing snow. Vogelsang said residents liked the ideas presented but the concerns people have is the cost and time frame of Highway 130.

Vogelsang said he was glad residents helped him make the right decisions. He said the ideas people gave to him made the process of planning much easier.

“Since I met with people from the previous meeting, the biggest accomplishment is taking the ideas from up in the air and turning them into real plans,” Vogelsang said. “Everyone can look at all the concept plans and improvements on the Saratoga Moves website. This is a huge step for us.”

During the transportation meeting, Vogelsang said Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris was impressed with plans to keep the kids safe with wider sidewalks near the Saratoga Elementary School and putting up signs that help reduce the speed limits and prevent fewer accidents.

“It has been a great collaborative effort with great ideas that have been brought forward,” Morris said. “I am also pleased with some of the aspects of the plan that directly relate to public safety on our streets and roadways. The potential walking paths are a good move forward for Saratoga to make more room for safety.”

Morris said he is optimistic the new plans OV Consulting has brought forward will reduce accidents and improve safe paths for pedestrians to walk on. He is convinced it will make a huge difference.

“One of the ideas people had bought up is a walking path on Elm Street,” Morris said. “This will help the kids walk from the school to the library and the field next to Saratoga Elementary School. The other idea is the possible addition of driver feedback signs which will help remind people coming into town of the legal speed limits. These feedbacks have shown it will reduce speeding. This has been a great effort for those involved in this project.”

Saratoga Public Works Director, Emery Penner said he is satisfied with the progress made by OV Consulting. He said Vogelsang and his team sold a product everyone was looking for.

“This process has been thorough and we have come to the end of it,” Penner said. “There is a product that people in the community have weighed in on. So I think when we get to the part when the plan is adopted it will be represented by several groups within the community so it’s not a hidden process. We are trying to be transparent with everyone on what is going on and these guys have done a great job of listening to what people are interested in and not interested in.”

Penner said the last two meetings have been great. He thanked OV Consulting for cooperating on what needed to be done. Penner said despite attendance being much smaller than the meeting, he is glad people came to voice their concerns.

Saratoga Mayor Chuck Davis said both meetings went well. He is pleased with the process and said what Vogelsang spoke about had informable information to everyone at the last two meetings.

“I think it was another good meeting,” Davis said. “The last meeting was more informational because the public had great ideas.

Davis said Vogelsang and his team are not afraid to take criticism because they want to make things right and make improvements that people are looking for.

“OV Consulting was able to prioritize the things that people want,” Davis said. “They took criticism well. I took them to the Lions Club meeting and they listened well to what the people said. I also took them to other meetings and they have cooperated with everyone they spoke with.”

Davis said January’s meeting made a huge difference because people made their voices heard and OV Consulting listened to concerns residents have brought to their attention.

“The last meeting brought out what people wanted to see the most,” Davis said. “They were not all in favor of the working path that goes up to where the grocery store is. They were more interested in the safety of the school children and the hot pool area. It is all about building off what we have and making it safe.”

Davis also showed his support for Morris’s efforts in getting feedback signs installed. He agrees with Morris that traffic safety is a top priority to reduce speeding and traffic accidents.

“I am 100% behind what the Chief said and the effort he has put in to make our roads safe,” Davis said. “Those flash feedback signs will let you know how fast you are going and It all narrows down to safety. It will help pedestrians walk safely without the fear of being hit by a car.”

While this was the third and final public meeting regarding STAMP, Saratoga residents still have the opportunity for input. Surveys are available on saratogamoves.com for residents to determine which infrastructure projects are the most important to them.