Upcoming Spencer Road Traffic/Sidewalk Meeting

Emily N.1 Comment

The City of Ithaca Engineering Office has scheduled a second public meeting to reengage with the public about the Spencer Road Sidewalk and Traffic Study project. The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 11, 2016 at 6pm at the Oasis Fellowship Church at 808 South Meadow Street Extension. City staff will be in attendance to present a series of sketches and ideas that were developed based on a kick off public meeting a little less than a year ago. The desired outcome of the meeting is to provide feedback to the City, which can be used as direction for the City’s consultant in preparing preliminary design alternatives that can be presented to the City’s Board of Public Works.

The study area covers the portion of Spencer Road from Stone Quarry Road to South Meadow Street Extension, and the extent of South Meadow Street Extension from Spencer Road to Old Elmira Road. The proposed scope of work is to design and construct sidewalks in the project area and to study and recommend possible intersection improvements at the three intersections included in the study area.

South Hill Civic Association September Meeting

Emily N.Leave a comment

Residents of the Spencer Road area have been invited to the September South Hill Civic Association Meeting, which will take place Saturday, September 5, 2015 from 9:30AM to 11AM in the South Hill Elementary School Cafeteria (520 Hudson St).

Agenda will depend on who shows…
Topics could include:
1- Voting at South Hill Elementary School
2- Policing on South Hill
3- Chain Works Project
4- Welcome Back Student BBQ
5- Spencer Road Neighborhood Association Report

Spencer Road Had High Vehicular Crash Rate in 2013

Emily N.Leave a comment

The Ithaca Voice just ran a piece about the recently released data from the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council‘s study on vehicular crash rates in Tompkins County.

The section of Spencer Road from the South Meadow St Extension intersection going south to Elmira Rd was ranked 11th for City of Ithaca streets in terms of crash rate (vehicular collisions measured per million vehicles).  This is interesting as the focus of our dialogue with the City about traffic safety improvements has thus far been focused on the north-end of Spencer Rd.

It should be noted that our neighboring street of Old Elmira Road was ranked as having the 8th highest crash rate in the City of Ithaca for 2013 and is ranked 6th in terms of crash severity.

Upcoming Events

Emily N.Leave a comment

Sunday, August 16th – Neighborhood Picnic
Please come meet your neighbors!  We are having a picnic get together from 4pm-7pm at 503 Spencer Road.  Please bring a dish-to-pass and your own plateware/silverware, if possible.

Saturday, August 15th – Neighborhood Clean Up
Meet at the Spencer Road traffic triangle (where the 400 and the 500 block meet) at 10:30am to coordinate clean-up efforts.  Bring a garbage bag.  We will be cleaning Spencer Road, South Meadow Extension, and the lower part of Stone Quarry Road.

Wednesday, August 5th – Spencer Road Neighborhood Association Meeting
From 6:30pm-7:30pm at 503 Spencer Road.
Meeting to discuss: Upcoming picnic, neighborhood clean up day, and the neighborhood watch.

Sidewalk District Public Meeting, May 27th

Emily N.Leave a comment

The Department of Public Works will hold separate meetings for each of the five sidewalk improvement districts (SIDs) to present and receive feedback on the draft 2016 sidewalk work plan.

Spencer Road falls into SID #4, which is shared with Elmira Road, southwest Ithaca, the south of the creek neighborhood, and South Hill (map).

Our meeting will be:
Wednesday, May 27th, 6:30-8:00pm
Tompkins Community Action, 701 Spencer Road (Conference Room) (map)

Based on public feedback, the Department will develop a final proposed work plan and budget to present to the Board of Public Works. Projects that are not included in the 2016 work plan may be considered for 2017.

Questions can be directed to Eric Hathaway, Sidewalk Program Manager, Engineering Division, at: (607) 274-6530 or: ehathaway@cityofithaca.org.

More information about the City of Ithaca Sidewalk Program can be found here:
http://www.cityofithaca.org/documentcenter/view/350

Assault and Robbery on 500 Block of Spencer Road

Emily N.Leave a comment

The assault and robbery occurred last night, April 30th, at around 6:30pm.  Details below.

From the Ithaca Voice:

Around 6:24 p.m., Ithaca police responded to Spencer Road for a report of an assault and robbery.

There, they found a male victim who said he had been attacked by three Asian men about 15 minutes prior.

“The victim stated that he has had an altercation with the same males in the past, but they are otherwise unknown to him,” an IPD news release says.

“The victim stated that as he walked past the three males they attacked him by hitting and kicking him.”

The victim was hit in the back of the head and lost consciousness. He was also cut in the left arm.

The assailants were described as Asian males in their 20’s, wearing jeans and of thin build. One had a tattoo on the left side of his neck, the victim told police.

Anyone who has information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Ithaca Police. Police Dispatch: 607-272-3245

Source: Ithaca Voice – Assault by 3 on Ithaca’s Spencer Road knocks victim unconscious

Sidewalk Road Work 400 Block of Spencer Road

Emily N.Leave a comment

Update (May 6th): They have decided to allow left turns from Stone Quarry onto Spencer Road during this time.  The barriers around the sidewalk work will be moved daily. When the barriers are out, there will be flaggers. When the barriers are in, there will not be flaggers, as motorists ought to be able to use the intersection as usual.

Previously:

Here is the information received from INHS about the implementation of sidewalks along their property at 400-406 Spencer Road, and the subsequent changes to traffic patterns on the street during the sidewalk construction.  (Please note: this will affect the 400 Block of Spencer Road and the Spencer Road/Stone Quarry Road intersection).

Construction of the new sidewalk and curbing will begin May 4th. In order to complete this work a section of Spencer Road will need to be reduced to one lane during daytime working hours Monday May 4th through Friday May 15th from 7:30am to 4:00pm. When work is complete for the day two-way traffic will be restored. In addition, left turns from Stone Quarry Road onto Spencer Road will not be allowed at any time from May 4th through the 15th due to the construction barriers required to keep workers safe. Below is a diagram that shows where the work will occur. The yellow flags represent flagging stations where flaggers will be directing traffic. The thick red line represents a concrete barrier which will not be moved each day but will allow two lanes of traffic to pass. The red dotted line represents moveable barriers which will reduce traffic to one lane during work hours and then moved to allow two lanes of traffic when work is finished for the night. Temporary signage will be installed to inform drivers of these changes to traffic patterns. This work and disruption to traffic will be complete by May 15th. If there is a change to this timing INHS will notify. This plan has been reviewed with the City of Ithaca Traffic Engineer. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Joe Bowes at INHS at 607-277-4500×204.

Spencer Road Sidewalk Work Diagram Source: Memo from INHS: Temporary Changes to Traffic Patterns (pdf).  Contains larger-size diagram shown above.

Clarification: The 400 block of Spencer Road will NOT be a one way road during those hours.  It will be one lane with cars only able to go in one direction at a time.  Flaggers will be at each end of the block coordinating traffic.

Spencer Road Neighborhood Traffic Study and Meeting

Emily N.Leave a comment

The City – through a neighborhood meeting and mailed questionnaire – will be receiving comments to better understand the needs and priorities of the Spencer Road/Stone Quarry Road neighborhood.

The public outreach meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 5th, 2015 at 6:00pm, at the Oasis Fellowship Church at 808 South Meadow Street Extension. All are welcome to attend and meet the project team in person. After the results from the questionnaire and the public meeting are compiled, the consultants will prepare alternatives to consider and propose to the City of Ithaca Board of Public Works. The Board will select an alternative to progress to final design.

If you did not received a questionnaire from the City contractor, you can download/print a PDF of the questionnaire by clicking here.

Please send your completed questionnaire to Tim Logue (tlogue@cityofithaca.org) at 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY 14850, no later than March 6th, 2015.

Ithaca Zoning Reform Initiative Meeting with Spencer Road Area Residents

Emily N.Leave a comment

Ithaca’s Zoning Reform Initiative, a partnership among the City, Town of Ithaca, and a team of local planner and designers to update land use regulations to meet the goals and objectives of the City and Town’s comprehensive plans, will be giving a neighborhood presentation on Monday, February 16th at 7pm at the TC Action Building (701 Spencer Road).  They have already held a few preliminary meetings with the public and key stakeholders, and are hoping to have the opportunity to meet with even more community members over the coming months.

The meeting will focus on their Form Ithaca project, funded by NYSERDA, which aims to create an updated zoning code for the city and the town. The idea is to create land-use regulations that support the new comprehensive plans and a community vision. Both the city and the town are looking at encouraging more walkable, mixed-use development. NYSERDA wants long-term reductions in carbon emissions. The code will be designed to meet those goals, but also tailored to the needs and wishes of citizens.

More information on the Zoning Reform Initiative can be found on their website: formithaca.com.