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Home My WebLink AboutCC AG PKT 2001-10-08 Supplemental - Correspondence regarding Seal Beach Blvd. and Main StreetOctober 2, 2001 James Figueroa VIA FACSIMILE 8:30am The SUN 562-430-3469 214 Main Street Seal Beach, CA 90740 562-430-7555 READERS FORUM article Dear James: It is critical that I revise my article because I left out a very important phrase, "diagonal parking". The safety of diagonal. parking on Main Street is paramount to my message. I also missed the visual of driving down Main Street in the same direction as Seal Beach Boulevard. Please run the revised article as shown below. I am sorry for my confusion. NIGHTMARE ON SEAL BEACH BLVD Ever stop your car on the freeway to change a tire and experience the fright of cars and trucks whizzing by you just 2 to 3 feet away? If not, just park your car on our "new" boulevard and swing your door open as traffic comes up from behind. But don't forget to look in your rear view mirror first, and be quick about closing your door again. For God's sake, don't let any children out on the driver's side'. If,you are a physically disabled driver, please don't try this. Sound weird? Mai6 Street also has a single lane going from Coast Highway to Ocean. Try this (in your sleep). Drive 35mph down Main Street to Ocean. Ignore the diagonal parking, crosswalks and boulevard stops because they are not there in our nightmare. Sleep well Shawn Boyd. Walt Miller Walt Miller N October 2, 2001 William G. Zimmerman, P.E. ZIMMERMAN ENGINEERING, INC. Re: SUPPLEMENTAL SUGGESTED WORK ORDERS Seal Beach Boulevard Reconstruction MEDIATE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS Dear Bill: When Police Captain John Schaffer drove the boulevard with me a couple weeks back, he pointed out that you had red stripped 50' of the boulevard curb north of Landing to open up visibility of southbound traffic to a vehicle exiting Landing. You did this because someone at a businessman's meeting had mentioned that it was difficult turning out onto Seal Beach Boulevard. I told John that I had that very incident on my punch list and was pleased to take it off. Last week Soretta Fielding almost lost the front end of her car when she drove out the driveway at the abandoned veterinarian building at 235 Seal Beach Boulevard. A large van was parked just north of the driveway exit on the west side of the boulevard and blocked her view of the oncoming 35mph southbound traffic. My son had the same incident ' exiting the alley at Electric a week before. SUGGESTED WORK .ORDERS to supplement those already noticed: 28. Paint red curb 50' north of veterinarian driveway. 29. Paint red curb 50' north of alley exit just south of Electric between Seal Beach Blvd and 17th Street. 30. Paint red curb 50' north of second apartment garage driveway south of alley exit. 31. Break double yellow line at alley exit to permit left turn from alley or post "Right turn only" sign at alley exit. 32. Close gap in double yellow line in front of liberty gate entrance to prevent traffic crossing into opposing lane during inclement weather conditions or at night. No one wants to see the limited parallel parking spaces remaining on Seal Beach Boulevard consumed by the need to obtain visibility of southbound 35mph traffic. If you were to implement Suggested Work Order Number 1 found on Open Letter to Shawn Boyd dated September 27, 2001, the business center at 237 Seal Beach Boulevard WOULD NOT lose its curbside parking spaces. Furthermore, those spaces, will become more at a premium to them, as well as Soretta Fielding, if the owner of the parking lot next door decides to close it for his own use. The above Suggested Work Order Item Numbers 28-30 would be moot. I assume these Suggested Work Orders could be all field directives as was Landing, and could go through without notice to the City Council or the City Manager. Therefore I am limiting distribution only to those with a need to know. Since I am presently out of town, you may want to speak to Captain Schaffer or Patti Shackeroff and/or Greg Miller who represent the membership of the Seal Beach Boulevard Business Association, if you have further concerns. I trust you will take this communication seriously before an incident does befall us. Sincerely, Walt Miller Greg Miller Distribution: Patti Shackeroff Seal Beach Boulevard Business Association Captain John Schaffer Seal Beach Police Department Soretta Fielding Public representative Karl Schwing California Coastal Commission October 1, 2001 OPEN LETTER TO SHAWN BOYD - FOLLOW-UP CITY COUNCILMAN CITY OF SEAL BEACH I just had a long discussion with a member of the Seal Beach Boulevard Business Association (S3BA) about my Open Letter to You, which I had faxed Saturday. As you can guess, the following adds to the Suggested Work Orders: SUGGESTED WORE ORDERS - PART 2 15. Delete Work Order No. 6 and replace with the following: Move northbound bus stop back to northeast corner of Seal Beach Boulevard and Electric Avenue intersection. 16. Construct "pop out" for bus stop. 17. Convert abandoned water filtration building into public restroom facility identical to those found in Sunset Beach. (Use money saved by 218 reduction in width of boulevard and money saved by change from concrete surface to asphalt surface). 18. Hardscape to include benches, lighting and trash cans. 19. If water filtration building is not abandoned, move operations next door to pumping plant building. 20. Install bike racks for local bus commuters or fo£ visitors who come by bus and go to beach. 21. Connect "paved path" with "Boardwalk" on Seal Way. 22. Post lOmph speed limit signs on divided "paved path" and "Qoardwalk". 23. Post 5mphspeed limit signs on undivided "paved path" and "Boardwalk". 29. Install 5' wide driveway access for bicycles and handicap at each fire hydrant on boulevard. Access to be built within 10' red zone on either side of hydrant. 25. Paint access "WALK BIKES". Also paint "WALK BIKES" on sidewalk either side of hydrants. 26. Provide bike racks and trash containers at tree wells, but not more than 300' apart. 27. Stripe parking spaces for parallel parking as is done on Main Street feeders. I believe all 27 of the public and have been created Beach Boulevard. residential under value of these wo Bork orders will contribute to the safety mitigate the dangerous conditions that by the present reconstruction of Seal If this boulevard ultimately becomes your vision, and we hope it does not, the rk orders will not be lost. The northbound bus stop must be moved back to the intersection where there are pedestrian crosswalks. Any other location demands that bus passengers "jay walk" the boulevard to wait for the bus. The other consideration of course is the blind curve created when the boulevard was narrowed. The corner where the restroom is proposed is presently being under utilized and has been for years. A restroom with bicycle racks is needed near a public beach and a bus stop don't you think? This is an opportunity to show other communities we care. The speed limit signs on mixed use paths have been used successfully in Huntington Beach for years. The fire hydrant access does not take away from parallel parking space and sets a safe access for non -motorized vehicles to visit business on the street. Marked parking spaces will economize the limited space available and also signal drivers that a space is open for use. Again Huntington Beach has used this system along-, Coast Highway for years. I believe.you now have an opportunity to fulfill your last campaign pledge that the revitalization of Seal Beach Boulevard was your top priority. By doing so, it certainly cannot hurt your chances for reelection. Both Greg and I voted for you for your initial term. Seal Beach Boulevard is the one remaining opportunity here in Old Town to make a statement you care. Don't blow it now. Walt Miller Greg Miller Distribution: Captain John Schaffer, Police Captain Al Bellinger, Fire Karl Schwing, California Coastal Commission John Bahorski, City Manager Lee Whittenberg, Director of Community Development Mayor William Doane Council member John Larson Council member Paul Yost Council member Patty Campbell William Zimmerman, P.E. Doug Dancs, P.E., City Engineer Patti Shackeroff Seal Beach Boulevard Business Association Marilyn Hastings, ex -Mayor Gwyn Forsythe, ex -Mayor Soretta Fielding, Public representative James Figueroa, Editor The SUN newspaper