HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-16-21 Public Comment - R. Kerin - SID 762 S. 6th AveFrom: Richard Kerin
To: Kellen Gamradt; Katherine Maines
Cc: prugh.lisa@gmail.com
Subject: 6th Avenue SID - City of Bozeman
Date: Saturday, January 16, 2021 1:45:15 PM
Katherine, Kellen – I want to address a couple of additional thoughts I had in connection with the
design of improvements for 6th
. Of course, like Lisa and some others I’ve lived in this neighborhood
since 1982, so just over 40-years now. One of the driving routes and maneuvers I regularly make is
traveling north and south on 6th
and accessing either onto or off of College Street. So, I’m either
traveling south on 6th
to the College Street intersection and turning left or right (mostly making a
right-hand turning movement) then proceeding west-bound on College. In the evenings I reverse
course and travel east-bound on College and turn north onto 6th
at this same intersection. During
the winter months, before morning light and evening darkness, pedestrians are inevitably crossing
often when I’m moving through this intersection. Of course I’m fully aware of pedestrians traveling
east and west on the sidewalks involved, so, I’m always on the lookout for walkers, bikers,
skateboarders, runners, etc. Those not so familiar with pedestrian-vehicle encounters, here, are
more prone to mishaps and conflicts. That said, I support curb bulbs on 6th
Avenue on either side of
College Street (not on College). In my professional opinion I think this is the best facilitate
pedestrian crossing on 6th
Ave. at this key entrance point to the 6th
Avenue street corridor.
The other issue I’d like to raise involves the use of large self-propelled vibratory compaction
equipment that be extensively used to vibrate and compact pipe trench backfill material and of
course the street’s native subgrade material and various layers of gravel sub and base-course
material (pit run and crushed gravel) and lastly, the two layers of hot-mix asphalt. So, a lot of heavy
vibrating equipment with be involved during the entire street corridor reconstruction process. Along
with that will be principally shaking of foundations and old building materials, like plaster-lathe walls
in homes. Lots of vibration will inevitably lead to damage to vulnerable homes up and down the
street. I know this side effect to re-building streets in particularly, an old neighborhood like ours
isn’t new news for you. I know I’m going to watching and photographing my homes and their
foundations @ 609 and 716 in advance of the work and then reviewing them after construction. To
minimize the effect of property damage perhaps you can put a condition in your bid docs that
address this issue by minimizing the depth of the lifts of backfill material and gravel base course
material to achieve optimum densities with less vibration. Just a thought.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and courtesy to include the neighbors thoughts and input into
the design. We get one shot at doing this project the right way and to calm street traffic that travels
6th
. That goes for those of us that live along it. Kellen, I thought you did a terrific job of presenting
the other night. Congrats!!
Rick Kerin, PE
609 & 716 South 6th
Avenue