Morrison council debates intersection options

MORRISON – The Morrison City Council on Monday began discussions about how the city should upgrade the Genesee Street/Route 30 intersection and whether that should include stoplight removal, turning two blocks of North Genesee Street into one-ways or possibly closing the 200 block of North Genesee altogether.

The possible closure of the 200 block surfaced during the public comment period at the past couple of City Council meetings, leading to Monday night’s council discussion that included individual comments from each council member at the request of Morrison Mayor Scott Vandermyde about what should happen at the intersection.

Vandermyde is an elder, treasurer and organist at First Presbyterian Church, which sits on the northeast corner of the intersection.

“I spend a lot of time in that building. I’m sick and tired of hearing large and small trucks idling and motorcycles revving at a stoplight that does nothing but impede traffic flow,” he said. “The church is the only active business or organization on that corner.”

The intersection’s sidewalks are crumbling, curbs are limited or nonexistent, and catch basins in need of repair are causing stormwater to collect on the street, according to city documents.

The stoplights were put in place by the Illinois Department of Transportation sometime in the 1970s. The last work on the intersection’s stoplights was done in 1985, and it is the city’s responsibility to maintain them. Because of the age of the signals, the cost of maintenance and poor signal timing, the council has talked about what could be done at the intersection.

IDOT currently has no plan of action to upgrade the intersection, according to city documents. The stoplight and infrastructure work are linked to each other because although they are separate projects, it makes sense to address the stoplight if other work will be done there, council members said.

Options the city is considering include doing nothing and imploring IDOT to improve the intersection and Route 30 throughout the city; having the city complete work at the intersection to include limited sidewalk repairs, catch basin work and painting signal poles; or having the city do extensive sidewalk, curb and stormwater drainage work and paint poles. In this scenario, the city could decide whether to replace the intersection’s traffic signals or possibly remove them altogether.

If the stoplights are removed, IDOT will not allow motorists to turn from Genesee onto the highway or cross Route 30 because of a poor line of sight. That will leave a few choices for the council to make. One option would be to make the 200 block of Genesee a southbound one-way street from Route 30 to Main Street and make the 300 block of Genesee a northbound one-way street from Route 30 to Knox Street. That would prevent motorists from turning east or west onto Route 30 or crossing the intersection.

Another option is to close the 200 block of North Genesee to traffic and make Genesee north of Route 30 a one-way street to Knox Street or as far north as High Street near Northside Elementary School. The 200 block of Genesee Street then possibly could be developed into a park or a place for downtown events. The city early last month already had received five pages with the names of petitioners against the street’s closure, city officials said.

Agreeing with Vandermyde, City Administrator Brian Melton and Police Chief Pedro Valladares both said they support removal of the stoplight, with Melton calling the intersection “junk.” Valladares said removing the light would move traffic along Route 30 more efficiently and would eliminate vehicles from stopping, and thus causing traffic backups and potential rear-end collisions.

However, not all council members agreed with their line of thought.

“I understand the pros and cons of this proposal,” City Council member Sidonna Mahaffey said. “I do think that we need to be very careful about making it about the city of Morrison and not simply the Presbyterian Church because that’s the feedback from the community. Although, my personal opinion is that it is a landmark, and as a city we have some responsibility to preserve that landmark. That being said, people on both sides of the fence point out very good issues. I do have concerns about thoroughfares and access of walkways as well as drivablity.”

She expressed concerns about closing a block of street that leads into the downtown area and carries drivers from Route 30 to one of the city’s four railroad crossings.

Council member Gregory Kruse advocated for work to drain water that collects in the intersection in front of the church.

Council members Harvey Zuidema and Matthew Tichler joined with city officials in agreeing the stoplight should be removed, while council member Todd Schlegel said he feared removing the light or touching the intersection before the state gives approval could cause IDOT to become heavier handed in the work going on there.

Council member Vernon Tervelt advocated for removing the lights, putting in a pedestrian crosswalk and stop signs, repairing the intersection, and allowing vehicles to make right turns onto Route 30 from Genesee – something Melton said the state would not agree to do.

“We need to take the lights out,” Zuidema said, adding that they are obsolete and pathetic. “Whatever we have to do after that, I’m not sure, but if we have to close block 200, I am for it.”

Council member Kevin Bruckner Jr. said the sidewalks, curbs and catch basins all need to be improved. He said putting in a pedestrian light would be beneficial.

“The intersection needs attention, that’s for sure,” he said.

Council member Josh West said the intersection needs to be repaired, but he would rather the light be replaced. He said the extra cost would be worth it because residents have been signing petitions about the issue. That led council members to wonder aloud whether the petitioners were against removing the light or closing the 200 block of North Genesee Street.

A 2015 estimate to replace the traffic signals came in at $167,000; removal would cost $10,000, according to an updated estimate from June. Sidewalk, curb and catch basin improvements would cost an estimated $45,000, according to the June estimate.

The council took no action. Mahaffey said she would like the city to host a public forum to get residents’ input.

In other action, the council approved:

• a street closure request for Fall Fest on Oct. 28.
• a parade permit for the Oct. 28 Halloween Parade.
• a parade permit for Morrison High School’s Homecoming Parade on Sept. 29.
• a memorandum of understanding with the Blackhawk Hills Regional Council for participation in the Northwest Illinois Capital Improvement Program.
• a quote for an audio video connection (audio/video system) at a cost of $17,351.69.
• a proposal for professional services from Willett Hofmann for the Maple Avenue and Elm Street water main loop at a cost not to exceed $6,000.
• a proposal for professional services from Fehr Graham for the sanitary sewer rehabilitation project at a cost of $219,000.
• awarding a bid for hydrant/catch basin project to Porter Bros. in Rock Falls for $222,678.
• revised pay request No. 1 for the Illinois 78 Watermain Project to Fischer Excavating for $52,443.09.
• pay request No. 2 for the Illinois 78 Watermain Project to Fischer Excavating for $345,504.