Burlington Spotlight
April 2004

Due to the election on Tuesday, April 6, 2004, the City Council meeting will be moved to Wednesday, April 7, 2004 at 6:30 p.m. The Council’s annual Organizational meeting will be on Tuesday, April 20, 2004 at 6:30 p.m.

The City of Burlington has held five Focus group meetings with residents, business owners and truckers to discuss ending the one-way streets in Burlington. A plan was presented to the focus groups that are the culmination of a long process.

City officials along with several local trucking companies spent several nights driving semi’s through downtown in order to see what intersections the trucks could turn at and which ones that they could not. The goal of these early morning sessions was to see what would happen if the streets in downtown Burlington were changed back to two-way traffic. The results were mixed.

In addition, improving the one-way vs. two-way streets is the opportunity to improve the Burlington Mill’s property. The traffic plan that the City has come up with is to add a new roadway through the former Mill’s property. This new road would connect West Chestnut St. to Commerce St. and would take most of the STH 11 truck traffic off of Chestnut St. and move it over to Commerce St. Trucks wishing to go south on STH 36 would still use Chestnut St. to STH 36 and then turn south just like they are doing now. The effect of this new road would mean that trucks would not be driving through the loop to reach S. Pine St. (STH 83) or E. State St. (STH 11). Under this proposal one block of Pine St. between Milwaukee Ave. and Chestnut St. would be changed to two-way traffic. East bound STH 11 traffic would cross STH 36 and take Pine St. to Adams St. and then turn left on Adams St. Pine St. south of Chestnut would remain one-way going south.

Dodge St. would also remain one-way going north between Adams St. and Chestnut St. Trucks would then turn left on Chestnut St. and right onto Pine St., cross STH 36 onto Commerce St. and head out of town.

STH 83 has already been moved onto Bridge St., which has moved a lot of truck traffic off of the downtown streets. A problem does still exist with the trucks turning onto Pine St. from Chestnut St. and City Officials are still exploring other options in attempts to make downtown Burlington more accessible and traffic friendly.

Please feel free to stop in at City Hall and look at the proposed maps of the new streets and traffic routing.

Included on the website are meeting agendas for upcoming City meetings, archives of past meetings, agendas and minutes, and City maps. A recent addition to the site is the availability of the City’s Municipal Code. This link, which can be accessed under the Government section of the site, will allow users to search items in the code and print or view needed sections. Again if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns please use the feedback form on the website to express them.

As spring approaches, the Police Department would like to remind you about the basics of bicycle safety.

First and foremost, mark your calendars now: June 5^th is the Bike Rodeo! The plan is to hold the rodeo at Wal-Mart this year. There will be free children’s bicycle helmets, bicycle safety information, a bicycle obstacle course and a raffle to win a bike. We’ll put out a reminder when the date gets closer.

PLEASE wear a helmet when you ride your bike. All it takes is one crash to let you know how important a helmet is. Helmets are not just for children either. Adults can benefit from head protection as well. Parents wearing helmets are good role models for their children. Remember, once your helmet saves your head in a crash it needs to be replaced. Helmets must fit correctly to be effective. For more helmet information on helmets, please look at the website of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute: www.bhsi.org.

Remember that bicycle riding is not allowed on downtown sidewalks. Bike riding is also prohibited on the Riverwalk. We love our historic downtown and want shoppers to feel safe walking around, arms loaded with packages! If you have to take your bike in the downtown area, please ride it in the street or walk it along the sidewalks. Bikes should follow the same rules of the road as cars.

Lastly, be sure to register your bicycle with the Police Department. This FREE service takes just a few minutes. We ask for some basic information (including the make, model and serial #) from the bicycle and enter it into our computer. If your bike is ever lost or stolen and we recover it, registration allows us to return it to you quickly. You can register your bike at the Police Department (224 E. Jefferson Street) whenever is convenient for you. We never close!

Bike riding is great exercise and can be a lot of fun. There are many trails here in Burlington. Get out there, have fun and be extra safe.

The City’s Vactor truck (or Jet-Vac) is used to keep the City’s main sewer lines clean and clear of debris which may cause a back-up in your lateral (the line from your house to the main collection system). Of the 28 back-up calls we responded to in 2003, not one of them was due to blockage in the City’s main line.

More often than not, foreign articles that may have been flushed down a toilet, such as toys, keys, diapers, underwear, towels, and even false teeth, may be the cause of a sewer backup. These articles can then become trapped in your sewer lateral causing a backup into your home. Other obstructions can include roots from trees that grow into your lateral. The lateral is the homeowner’s responsibility from the house to the main sewer line in the street.

If you have a problem with a sewer backup, or would like advice on how to avoid blockages, please call the Wastewater Treatment Plant at 262-539-3646 BEFORE calling a plumber. We will check the sewer line in the street and inform you of our findings. If the problem is not in the City’s main collection system, you may then wish to contact a plumber.

Come to the Library on Saturday, April 10, 2004 at 11 a.m. to hear some traditional American music. Mr. Bob Bovee and Ms. Gail Heil treat their listeners to the vocal and instrumental styles typical of the 1920s and 1930s. Bob plays the guitar, harmonica, banjo, autoharp, sings and yodels. Gail sings, plays the fiddle, banjo, guitar and autoharp. Both are wonderful storytellers and sure to entertain people of all ages.

On Thursday, April 15, 2004 at 11 a.m. stop by the library to see Bob Seegel carve a wooden shoe in the library! "Sieg" will hand carve a log into a shoe in 28 minutes using only three traditional tools: a side ax, block knife and a spoon auger. As he carves, the audience will learn about the history of wooden shoes. A question and answer period follows the program.

Both programs are open to adults and children and are free of charge. If you need more information please call the library at 342-1130.

Spring is almost here and soon it will be time for the City’s 2004 Street and Sidewalk Improvement Program to begin. A late March bid opening is planned and the award of the contract will most likely occur at the Common Council meeting shortly thereafter. This project is expected to be completed by September 2004. The street resurfacing work on Garfield St., Hillside Dr., Northrop St., Sunset Dr. and Donald Dr., consists of pulverizing existing pavement, regrading and placing new asphalt pavement. There will also be curb and gutter replaced, where necessary, and sidewalk handicap ramps will be added at intersections where needed. Any spot repairs of utilities will be performed, prior to resurfacing.

The plan for the concrete pavement on W. State St. is called rubblization. This process involves milling some pavement, breaking the concrete slabs into smaller pieces, regrading, compacting, adjusting utilities and then repaving in asphalt. The curb and gutter will also be replaced, where necessary, and handicap ramps will be added again, where needed.

Any lead water services will be replaced as part of this project, from the main in the street to the shut-off valve. Any existing sidewalks, where necessary, will be removed and replaced. The sidewalk work will be assessed to the property owners, as previously notified with the City paying 1/2 of the total cost. There is no assessment for the street resurfacing, or rubblizing.

Once contracts are awarded, property owners affected by special assessments will be notified of the contract prices. Assessments will be based upon these contract unit prices, extended with actual quantities measured, after the work is completed.

During this repair work, you should be able to access your property at most times, however, there may be periods of time when work is being done in front of your property such as when concrete is poured, or when asphalt is being placed that you may need to remove your vehicle. The contractor will notify you of these times, so that your vehicle will not be blocked in, prior to the work. Our City Police Dept. will cooperate with owners in the area that must park on-street overnight on adjacent streets. Please call 262-342-1111 to leave a recorded message and inform them when you will be doing so.