ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria will host the first of three “Reimagining Pine Avenue” town hall-style public information meetings on Thursday, July 1.
Taking place at city hall and open to the public, Thursday’s meeting will begin at 10 a.m. The meeting can also be attended by telephone; dial 1-301-715-8592 and enter meeting ID 89254786113. Public input will be sought during the meeting.
Gerry Traverso, of the George F. Young civil engineering and surveying firm, will be the featured speaker. Traverso, a Bradenton resident, has more than 25 years of traffic engineering experience. He’s also a certified project manager.
In May, the city commission authorized Traverso to conduct a comprehensive study of the Pine Avenue corridor that also includes Spring Avenue and Magnolia Avenue. The $50,274 project fee includes proposed solutions to resolve the identified issues.
Thursday’s meeting will begin with a five-minute introduction. Traverso will then explain the scope of work for the study that addresses congestion reduction and safety improvements along the Pine Avenue corridor. The meeting agenda notes drainage will not be part of Thursday’s discussion – although drainage and flooding were included in the scope of services approved by the city commission in May.
Traverso will then spend 15-20 minutes presenting the issues he’s observed and identified within the study limits. These issues include:
- Sight distance issues at various intersections and driveways,
- Loading and unloading at businesses,
- Parking,
- The lack of sidewalks and/or sidewalk connectivity,
- Multi-modal transportation, including bikes, scooters, golf carts and more,
- Congestion and pedestrian interaction at various commercial establishments.
Traverso will then lead a 30- to 60-minute open discussion that will allow meeting attendees, including those on the phone, to comment on the issues presented and voice their opinions and ideas about the study project thus far.
Preliminary discussion
City commissioners discussed the upcoming “Reimagining Pine Avenue” meeting during their regular commission meeting on Thursday, June 24.
Mayor Dan Murphy said Traverso has been “working feverishly” on the study and the recommended solutions that will each include multiple options of varied complexity and cost. Murphy said the traffic studies and traffic counts have been completed and drone footage of the corridor has also been collected.
According to the mayor, Traverso has already met with several key stakeholders, property owners and business owners along Pine Avenue. Crash study data has also been compiled.
As part of its efforts to reach out to community members, the city will email those registered to receive the email notices regularly distributed by the city.
Murphy said each commissioner will also have a one-on-one session with Traverso during the ongoing process that is to be completed with a final public presentation on July 22.
City Clerk LeAnne Addy said a study-specific website would be activated on or around Monday, June 28. A link to the study website will be posted at the city website.
Commission Chair Carol Carter said she’s heard positive feedback about Traverso’s interactions with stakeholders.
“I heard a positive review of Gerry. I heard he was very well received by one major local merchant,” Carter said.
“I’ve gotten three, all positive, from stakeholders,” Mayor Dan Murphy added.
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