Review the 2002 Feasibility Study and 2005 Island Line Sign & Amenities Plan and make recommendations and revisions

Review current maintenance budget and capital budget allocations

Identify any financial gaps in the operation budget and future capital budgets

Understand how the Bike path is a part of the Island Line Trail and explore opportunities for regional signs, funding and or maintenance

Recommend a preferred funding mechanism to address maintenance and or capital funding gaps

Create a concise written action plan to address funding gaps and Feasibility Study

Present findings to the City Council, Parks and Recreation Commission, the Burlington Business Association (BBA), Local Motion, Burlington Rotary and other interested organizations

MEMBERS
As directed by the City Council, the Parks & Recreation Commission appointed Task Force members: Bob McKearin, Jane Knodell, Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur, John Bossange, Katherine Monstream, Kurt Wright, Lisa Aultman-Hall, Patrick Standen, Peter Clavelle, Steve Allen, Zandy Wheeler, and Will Flender.  Other agencies have supported the Task Force: Mari Steinbach, Deryk Roach & Jen Francis (Department of Parks & Recreation), Chapin Spencer (Local Motion), Larry Kupferman (CEDO), and Peter Keating (Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission – CCRPC).

PROCESS
The full Task Force has met every other month along with sub-committee work between Task Force meetings.  Initiatives and action steps were created to meet the criteria of the Resolution.  Consulting engineers, Resource Systems Group was hired to write a feasibility study assessing and recommending necessary projects with accompanying estimates.  Public input was received, reports were generated and decisions were made regarding the design, prioritization & restoration processes.

PRIORITIZATION
The Task Force developed an improvement matrix to prioritize the 74 specific recommendations listed in feasibility study.  The Path was divided into sixteen sections and the projects in each section were carefully assessed using the following criteria:

Does the project improve SAFETY?
(personal security, traffic security, signs & markings)

Does the project upgrade the path to current DESIGN STANDARDS to ensure consistency & safety?
(width & shoulders, surface type, storm water management)

Does the project enhance CONNECTIVITY?
(local connections and enhanced access points, community destinations)

Does the project positively impact the ECONOMIC VITALITY?
(visitor information, restrooms, drinking fountains, mile markers)

Does the project improve MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY?
(utilities, trees & shrubs, cleanliness)

RESTORATION FUNDING PACKAGES
The Task Force used the above criteria to rank each improvement project in each of the sixteen sections and created an improvement spreadsheet prioritizing each project while summarizing costs.  Improvements to the path were clustered into three improvement funding packages based on a graded rating system (A-D priorities):

1 - Rehabilitation (A’s) = $11,645,000
Defined as costs that would need to be expended to save the path (regardless of the feasibility study’s approval and implementation)

2 - Functional (A’s and B’s) = $13,875,000

Defined as recommendations that improve safety, add capacity, or improve conditions beyond the existing system

3 - Enhancement (A’s B’s, C’s, D’s) = $16,873,000

Defined as enhancements to the path’s character and aesthetics

The Task Force presented this information to the City Council December 19th, 2011, recommending the Rehabilitation Plan.

BIKE PATH AT A CROSSROADS
The bike path was built 25 years ago and was one of the first in New England.  However, it was not built to today’s standards and now requires restoration.  Yearly repair is no longer a sustainable option for the major rehabilitation issues.  Because the Bike Path is so important to alternative transportation goals, to the health and wellness of our residents, and to the tourism industry, in 2010 the City Council created the Bike Path Task Force with the charge of recommending future improvements to the bike path. 

To learn more about the recently completed 2012 Burlington Bike Path Improvement Feasibility Study, please visit http://www.enjoyburlington.com/Parks/BikePath1.cfm

PUBLIC FORUM: BIKE PATH RESTORATION
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Contois Auditorium in City Hall
Burlington, Vermont

The Burlington Bike Path Task Force, appointed by the City Council, invites you to a public forum to provide feedback on the recently completed Burlington Bike Path Improvement Feasibility Study.

Community input from the public forum will be incorporated into the Task Force’s final recommendation, to be presented to the City Council later this spring. 

For more information, contact Task Force Chair John Bossange (802-578-7468) or Parks Director Mari Steinbach (802-864-0123).

Thank you for your support in the restoration of our bike path!