Executive Overview

Meeting Minutes:

Minutes of May 12, 2016 were accepted.

Selected Priorities Discussion:

The workgroup discusses Complete Streets and scheduling a visit from Mark Fenton, a national speaker, to the region. Due to the planning involved with Complete Streets, the workgroup agreed to table the discussion of the second priority, School Environment Changes,until a future meeting. The workgroup reviews regional Means of Transportation Data: the zip code level data includes populations, households without a vehicle, modes of transportation, and average commute times in minutes.

Complete Streets Goal:

The workgroup proposed two methods forchoosing communities. The first method, the workgroup can select one community per county or the second method, communities can self-select after hearing Mark Fenton’s presentation.

Next Steps:

Workgroup members suggested the following:

  • Each workgroup member watch a Mark Fenton webinarto become familiar with the content
  • Identify individuals/organizations in each county who would be in support of Complete Streets
  • Havesample resolutionsavailable to give elected officials
  • Send letters to county elected officials
  • Write a Complete Streetspress release
  • MVPHIP branded education collateral
  • Attend county and village/town meetings to provide Complete Streets collateral
  • Promote the Mark Fenton presentation

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday,November 17th from 10 am – 12 pm at the Quality Inn and Suites – Iroquois Room,160 Holiday Way,Schoharie, 12157.

Mohawk Valley PHIP

July 21, 2016

ObesityWorkgroup

Workgroup Members:Amy Gildemeister (Schoharie Public Health); Bri Giulianelli (St. Mary’s Healthcare); Cheryl McGrattan (Nathan Littauer Hospital); Christine Burrington (5-2-1-0);David Jordan (Montgomery Office for the Aging);Jacqueline Boyer (NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets); Karen Bazan (ARC Otsego);Kenneth Riley (Bassett Healthcare Canajoharie Practice); Kristin Pullyblank (RHENSOM); Larissa Rosenberg (5-2-1-0); Laurel Headwell (Montgomery Public Health); Lorrie Arcuri (Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield); Lynae Wyckoff (RHENSOM); Maureen Blanchard (Research Foundation at SUNY Cobleskill); Michael McMahon (Montgomery County DSS); Nancy Ackerbauer (Fulton Public Health); Deb Dolan (Cobleskill Regional Hospital); Tammy Merendo (Nathan Littauer Hospital); Tom Curnow (Herkimer County HealthNet); Roy Korn (Bassett Healthcare Cobleskill Practice)

Staff:John May, David Strogatz, Aletha Sprague, Anna Gleboff, Bonita Gibb and Felicia Johnson

Welcome & Approval of Minutes:

Ms. Wyckoffseeks approval of the minutes and they are approved without changes.Ms. Sprague reviews the evaluation survey results from the prior meeting.

Complete Streets Discussion:

Ms. Blanchard starts off the discussion by describing Complete Streets. She says Complete Streets involves designing communitiesfor all modes of transportation and to ensure that people who run, walk and bike have safe access. The goal is to get individuals moving, to reduce obesity, and improve economic revitalization. It has been noted when people are walking indowntown areas, they are more likely to patronize businesses. Another benefit to the community is the ability to support aging in place for retired populations who may not wish to drive, as well as, younger populations who have high student loans and are interested in living in areas where they can have easy access to shopping without the added expense of a vehicle. Ms. Blanchard goes on to say that walkable communities provide children who ride or walk to school witha safe route. Ms. Wyckoff adds communities with Complete Streets policies encourage developers to consider designs that will include storefronts with easy access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Ms. Blanchard comments communities applying for grantstypically score higher if they have a Complete Streets policy, which increases their odds of being awarded. In addition, if a Complete Streets policy is in place when the Department of Transportation performs construction on state roads, then the policies must be considered. Dr. May asks about the role of the county board and whether this is an issue regarding individual municipalities. Ms. Blanchard replies the county board oversees the county roads; the towns oversee the town roads. Work is initiated with towns to implement a Complete Streets policy with the goal of reaching out to county boards to implement policies.

Ms. Sprague mentionsfundsare available to bring Mark Fenton,national public health, planning, and transportation consultant, and former host of the "America's Walking" series on PBS television, to present and conduct walking audits. Ms. Blanchard comments Mr. Fenton is booked six months in advance and it would bepreferable to have him conduct walking audits in the spring or fall. In Delaware County Mr. Fenton conducted a 20 minute presentation during the board of supervisors meeting. Ms. Dolan comments that she attended his presentation at SUNY Delhi and she thought it was wonderful. Ms. Blanchard announces Mr. Fenton will be presenting at “Walk-Bike New York!” in Syracuse on September 13th and 14th. The conference costs $25. Ms. Bazan wonders if Mr. Fenton offers free webinars. Ms. Blanchard replies that he doesand anyone can sign up. The Information can be found at several host organizations including Everybodywalks.org and Smart Growth America.

Ms. Sprague states one of the workgroup’s goals is to identify one community per county to educate about Complete Streets. She says the workgroup can either select communities withexisting Complete Streets policies to indentify funding for implementation or the workgroup can select new communities. In order to help with the selection process workgroup members review county level data. The data includes: the total population size, means of transportation and average commute time to work (in minutes), as well as alist of Complete Streets Policies and built environment changes that already exist within the region from the 2010-2015 Creating Healthy Places grant. Ms. Blanchard adds Cooperstown recently adopted a policy and Otego and Richfield Springs are in the process of developing joint comprehensive plans. Ms. Wyckoff is also working with the City of Oneonta. Ms. Wyckoffsuggests working withJohnstown, Gloversville orAmsterdamdue to theirpopulation densities. She says weight should be given tomixed-use (residential and commercial) communities.

Ms. Boyer mentions a historic walking trail was installed in Albany to tour local businesses. There was also the “Walk with the Doc” program to encourage community members to casually talk with a doctor while exercising. Ms. Blanchard adds O’Connor Hospital may have similar programs under way. Amy Beveridge would be the contact. Ms. Wyckoff wonders if there is the potential to work withHerkimer to help build off of their existing policy and to support a revitalization project by making streets easier to access with crosswalks or a median, bike lanes and planters. After reviewing the data, Mr. Curnow comments several communities have low populations and require significant commute times to work, outside of the range that the average person would be willing to ride a bicycle. Dr. Riley agrees and says given 80 percent of commuters are traveling by vehicle to work with the average commute time between 20 and 30 minutes, there is a low chance that such distances will be commuted by bicycle or walking.

Dr. May asks using the means of transportation data which communities would the workgroup logically identify. Dr. Riley replies population size would be a key indicator. Ms. Blanchard comments that deciding which communities to select will require an understanding of the needs and interests of each community. She says for example Summit is not interested in installing bicycle lanes while Schoharie and Middleburgh are interested in pursuing such work. Ms. Blanchard asks if the workgroup should select a community from each county or should Mr. Fenton be introduced to the region and allow the communities todecide to attend his presentation. Ms. Pullyblank comments that there must be buy in from the communities in order to be successful, especially if there is little funding to provide. Ms. Wyckoff wonders how many presentations could be held with Mr. Fenton in the region. Ms. Sprague replies there is the funding available to host one or two presentations in a central location and invite communities throughout the region.

Summary of suggested communities:

  • Herkimer County:
  • Herkimer (policy exists)
  • Little Falls (policy exists)
  • Montgomery County:
  • Amsterdam
  • Fulton County:
  • Gloversville
  • Johnstown
  • Otsego County
  • Cooperstown (policy exists)
  • Oneonta (beginning stages)
  • Otego (working on comprehensive plan)
  • Richfield Springs (working on comprehensive plan)
  • Schoharie County
  • Cobleskill (policy exists)
  • Middleburgh (policy exists)
  • Schoharie (policy exists)

Ms. Wyckoff states in addition to the economic benefits of implementing a Complete Streets policy, communities with a higher rating for walkability and bikeability are experiencing increased property values. Ms. Blanchard adds AARP has a zip code rating system available regarding livability scores. We can appeal to the elderly as well as the age group in their twenties who we hope to retain in our communities. Ms. Ackerbauer asks about sidewalk improvement. Ms. Blanchard states in many communities the sidewalks are under the responsibility of the land owner and the municipality may have laws in place to regulate them. Ms. Blanchard states there are organizations available to conduct construction work in communities; such as SUNY Delhi has construction students; the Job Corps in Oneonta; BOCES or Fulton Montgomery Community College may have similar services available.

Ms. Wyckoff comments that the City of Oneonta was recently awarded a 10 million dollar development grant. Conversations have begun with community partners, the common council and planning boards. There may be additional communities mentioned in the newspapers discussing development and improvement projects. Ms. Wyckoff announces the cycling community in Otsego County is planning an advocacy ride in the Richfield Springs area to raise awareness about Complete Streets. The date is set for October 14, 2017. Comm. McMahon states Montgomery County has received funding to pave the CanalBike trail that runs through the entire county east to west. Ms. Ackerbauer comments in Gloversville there has been a recent drive for downtown revitalization and community activity. She adds that Johnstown and Gloversville offer access to the Rail Trail. Comm. McMahon states since the recent release of Pokémon Go, there has been an increase in the number of people walking. He wonders if there is the potential to support scavenger hunts and walking, especially with employees. Ms. Pullyblank adds that geocachingcan also increase walking and be accessed through a smart phone app.

Ms. Arcuriwonders how Complete Streets applies to childhood obesity. Dr. Gildemeister replies if the infrastructure is in place to promote walking and biking, children will have access to safely commute to school, municipal pools and libraries. Ms. Blanchard addssuperintendents are seeing students who are within walking distance of schools being driven by parents. There is an initiative to help schools organize a walk to school day where buses coordinate a drop off location and the community gets involved to help guide the students. Ms. Blanchard says the AARP has suggested seniors help monitor daily walking routes to school since a significant portion are up early and out for a morning walk.

Ms. McGrattancomments she has attended a Mark Fenton presentation and was very impressed by his work. To address childhood obesityin financially stressed communities, Mr. Fenton suggested children be dismissed from school 10 minutes early to walk on the grounds, whether itis the track, a sports field or hallways. The schools saw an 80 percent compliance rate. In rural communities it is harder for children to walk to school due to distance. We can support children being able to walk while at school. Ms. Blanchard mentions the Feelin’ Good® Mileage club®. Students are given the opportunity to participate in supervised walks to earn toe-tokens as reward for walking or running a certain number of miles. Ms. Pullyblank adds that RHENSOM has sponsored schools in Schoharie, Otsego and Montgomery counties. This year alone 16,000 miles were walked by 7,000 students in a six week period. Spring is typically the time of year the program occurs in schools. Ms. Blanchard adds there is the New York Road Runners Mighty Milers Program available to youth in grades Pre-Kindergarten to eighth grades.

Ms. Sprague takes a moment to ask the workgroup whether they would like to continue the conversation on Complete Streets or to move on to discuss School Environment changes. It is agreed to expand on the topic of Complete Streets for the remainder of the meeting. Comm. McMahonsuggests the workgroup approach the: county board of supervisors; town supervisors and highway superintendents. He states that spring may be a better time of year in coordination with county budget and planning initiatives. Ms. Boyer suggests asking each community to present the current Complete Streets policies; in addition, providing assistance on where to find each town’s policy. Ms. Boyer wonders when key town or county planning meetings are held. Comm. McMahon comments each countyconducts a monthlycommittee meeting. A county board meeting is typically held at the end of each month to discuss information occurring during committee meetings. He suggests attending a monthly county board meeting when all county planners and elected officials are present and inviting the press. Lead time to get on the board meeting agenda would be three to four weeks. For each village or town, it would depend on the municipality’s policy. He says certain municipalities offer time at the start of the meetings for open comments when community members can raise issues and concerns. In order to increase community attendance and support, it would be beneficial to advertise the topic and speakers. Ms. Boyer asks about the timeframe needed for municipalities to conduct research and become knowledgeable on current policies. Comm. McMahon replies at least one month. Ms. Wyckoff wonders if it will take local taxpayers and community members’ demand. Dr. Gildemeister comments it is necessary to gain support from the community, but you must have buy in from policy makers as well. She suggests the best time to capture their attention is during the monthly board meetings.

Ms. Boyer asks about the scheduling involved for hosting Mr. Fenton and how to arrange for him to attend meetings. Ms. Blanchard repliesDelaware County hosted Mr. Fenton in October 2015. First he presented to the county board of supervisors, and then a walking audit was held in Delhi, followed by a public dinner and presentation. On his second day he was driven to Downsville to conduct a walking auditand met with the highway supervisor, school superintendent and other community leaders. A community presentation was held at SUNY Delhi with a focus on the campus and ideas for improving walkability. In total he was in the community for roughly 30 hours. As a result there was an increase in support amongst the board of supervisors toward Complete Streets policies, and ordinances are now in progress. As for the state, New York had the nation’s number one ordinance voted on by Smart Growth America inOgdensburg, NY for 2014. Ms. McGrattan statesa prime example of a success story occurred inElizabethtown, a community two hours north of Montgomery County. Ms. Blanchard adds Elizabethtown was included in the Creating Healthy Places grant for a five year term.

Ms. Boyer asks the workgroup about the expected outcome. Ms. Boyer suggests conducting local webinars to provide information to elected officials or grassroots organizations. Comm. McMahon suggests identifying a county advocate who may have influence. For Montgomery County, it may include reaching out to economic development. Ms. Merendo wonders if city and county councils are aware of Complete Streets and her role on the workgroup to movethe initiative forward. Ms. Sprague states if you are willing to approach your local elected officials about Complete Streets and provide information that would be one role for workgroup members. Ms. Wyckoff adds there are plenty of resources available online that can be presented to elected officials.

Dr. Korn asks from a politician’s perspective, how much will a standard Complete Streets initiative cost. Ms. Wyckoff replies it costs nothing to pass the initial policy. She goes on to say, it is proposed repairs or improvements thatgenerate cost. In certain cases, businesses are willing to get involved and offer support by sponsoring initiatives. Dr. Korn asks if there are designations available for achieving specific benchmarks. Ms. Blanchard replies there is a rating system through the American Planning Association. A star rating is applied if specific criteria are met and funding may be available. In addition, every year the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) offers a Community of Change Award available in the amount of $10,000 to $15,000.

Ms. Blanchard suggests involving elected officials who have had experience adopting Complete Streets policies to serve as a resource to better engage additional communities.Ms. Bazan suggests reaching out to industrial development agencies in each county. For example, in Otsego County it would be the County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency or Otsego County Capital Resource Corporation.