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suggested that it would be safer to keep the western legs of Trinity closed. Dr. Carr stated that <br />these actions have led her to question who is it that really wants Trinity to be closed. <br /> Dr. did not think the issues of egress from the northern leg or ingress from the southern <br />leg of Trinity have been adequately addressed, especially during special events or peak hours of <br />traffic. <br /> Dr. Carr stated these Commissioners spent a lot of time considering the options <br />presented, only to have their recommendation ignored by this administration. She stated that it <br />. <br />will make it difficult for her to appoint anyone to boards and commissions in the future <br /> <br />Mr. Crow asked if November 2013, was the first time the Traffic Commission had received the <br />plans to close Trinity. The Director of Public Works & Parks Richard Wilson stated that Trinity <br />was closed in September and was submitted to the Traffic Commission for their opinion on <br />November 3, 2013. Mr. Crow asked Mr. Wilson whether the Commission had made a <br />recommendation not to leave Trinity closed on two separate occasions. Mr. Wilson stated that no <br />vote had been taken during the second presentation, and their directive to staff was that their <br />original recommendation be submitted to Council. Mr. Crow questioned why staff had taken so <br />long to submit the Traffic Commission’s recommendation to the Historic Preservation <br />Commission. <br /> <br />Mr. Wilson stated that he received comments from Ames Place and the preschool to reopen <br />Trinity at the November Council meeting. There were comments about how the closure was <br />creating difficulties with parking, so the thought was that staff could come up with a better plan but <br />was delayed because of incumbent weather. Staff developed a revised parking plan to determine <br />whether it would alleviate some of the problems. Mr. Wilson stated that the other issue was that <br />the plan that the Traffic Commission had recommended created a non-symmetrical layout and <br />after discussing this with the Historic Preservation Commission they concluded that the plan <br />selected by the Traffic Commission would not work and so the roundabout was moved in order to <br />create a symmetrical pattern. <br /> <br />Mr. Crow stated that although he actually liked the idea of closing Trinity, it appeared odd that it <br />took six months to present the Traffic Commission’s recommendation to the Historic Preservation <br />Commission. It was obvious that this administration’s intent was to come up with a different plan. <br />Mr. Crow cautioned his colleagues that at some point in time the folks who serve on these <br />commissions will begin to have doubts as to why they should serve. His hope is that this <br />administration takes a better view towards the citizens who volunteer their time to make this <br />system work. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft verified from Mr. Walker that the City did not have a professional engineer on staff four <br />years ago. Mr. Kraft asked for the current number of licensed professional engineers presently on <br />City’s staff? Mr. Walker stated that presently there are two licensed engineers and two members <br />of staff who are nearing completion of their PE requirements. Mr. Kraft verified with Mr. Walker <br />that the City’s engineers were competent to interpret the engineering requirements for a traffic <br />circle. <br /> Mr. Kraft stated based on the calls and emails he has received there are other citizens who are <br />happy that this section is closed. He said members of Bais Abraham, who always had a problem <br />with crossing the street because of the heavy traffic, can cross easier with Trinity closed. <br /> <br />Mr. Kraft stated that staff’s report indicated that the State of Missouri had consulted with <br />MoDOT about the concerns related to the roundabout and associated street closure, and that <br />MoDOT had recommended that Trinity Avenue remain closed due to the proximity of the <br />roundabout and the problems that can be caused by sight distance, safety and operational issues. <br />He stated that the guidelines for roundabouts, which MoDOT referenced, called for a minimum <br />driveway corner distance per road classification in urban areas to be a minimum of 220 feet. The <br />Trinity distance is only 50 feet from the roundabout, which is significantly shorter than the <br />recommended clearance distance. He appreciated the efforts made by members of the Traffic <br />Commission, but staff’s recommendation was based on what the experts have said and would <br />behoove the City to go along with their advice. <br />4 <br /> <br /> <br />