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Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about the City's approach to sidewalk infill, Mr. Inerfeld said <br />staff had not yet developed a strategy. There were some federal grant moneys available for sidewalk infill <br />and in some cases sidewalks were constructed as part of a street improvement project. He acknowledged <br />that many residential areas did not qualify for any grant program and the City would need a funding <br />mechanism to construct sidewalks in them. Ms. Taylor emphasized the importance of sidewalks for safe <br />pedestrian travel. <br />Mr. Clark was concerned about the inadequacy of funding for sidewalks and advocated for more work in <br />that area. He believed the effort to infill the sidewalk system would be doomed to failure if the council <br />depended on the creation of a series of LIDs, which he anticipated would result in a "series of small <br />fights." He asked the timeframe for the proposed sidewalk infill project along County Farm Road. Mr. <br />Inerfeld anticipated the project would be included in the next six -year Capital Improvement Program. <br />Mr. Zelenka perceived the BPMP as increasing livability, choice, and mobility. He said transportation <br />systems must be convenient in order to work, which required the appropriate infrastructure; otherwise, no <br />one would use an alternate mode. <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, Mr. Inerfeld confirmed the City had no dedicated funding <br />sources for pedestrian and bicycle projects. The City used systems development charges (SDCs) to <br />enhance the system, often using SDC revenues as the local match for grants. He said one of the <br />challenges of using grants for project funding was that grants did not always support the highest priority <br />project but rather the project that best qualified for the funding in question. He estimated that the City <br />averaged about $1.5 million annually in grant funding. <br />Mr. Zelenka requested the total cost of all the projects in the plan. Mr. Reed offered a preliminary <br />estimate of $93 million, with more than half of that cost being sidewalk projects. <br />Mayor Piercy hoped staff was taking the input from GEARS and resident Sue Wolling into consideration. <br />She reported that she served on ODOT's flexible funding committee and its major focus was on multi - <br />modal, non -auto modes and the creation of a system to serve them. She said the Metropolitan Policy <br />Committee's Citizen Advisory Committee also advocated for more separated lanes and increased safety <br />for alternate modes. She believed that was necessary to encourage more use of alternate modes. <br />Mr. Farr was happy to hear sidewalks were planned for County Farm Road and suggested that a <br />temporary path be considered to help facilitate pedestrian travel. <br />Mr. Zelenka believed Eugene had a great bicycle /pedestrian system but it could be better. He encouraged <br />the council to consider a dedicated source of funding to build the projects list. He also encouraged <br />councilors to tour their wards by bike. <br />Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 7:10 p.m. <br />Respectfully submitted, <br />16 W 1A11,,t <br />Beth Forrest <br />City Recorder <br />(Recorded by Kimberly Young) <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 14, 2011 Page 4 <br />Work Session <br />