Changes could be coming to the busy intersection of West Jefferson and Bondurant streets during student arrival and pickup times at Washington Community High School.
The Washington City Council on Monday heard a first reading of an ordinance that would make these changes:
• Bondurant would not be a one-way street during arrival and pickup times. It would be a two-way street at all times. The one-way designation, allowing only northbound traffic, has been in effect since 2004.
• Turns from West Jefferson south onto Bondurant would continue to be prohibited during busy school hours. New times (7:15-9:45 a.m. and 1:15-3:30 p.m.) went into effect this school year.
Police Chief Jeff Stevens made the recommendations.
One reason, he said, was to codify the changes. The times for prohibiting turns from West Jefferson onto one-way Bondurant have changed through the years.
"I thought it was time to correct some ordinances that hadn't been official ... over the last 20 years," he said.
Stevens said a street that changes from two-way to one-way during a day can be confusing for drivers and difficult to properly sign at access points.
"A driver might lawfully enter Bondurant while it was two-way, only for the one-way restriction to take effect before the driver has finished traveling on it," he said.
"The prohibition on turns from West Jefferson onto Bondurant [during school arrival and pickup times] more directly addresses traffic entering the street during those times while allowing Bondurant to remain two-way at all times."
The council will vote on the ordinance Oct. 19. If it is approved, new signage will be installed and drivers will be educated about the traffic changes.
New vender for live streaming
The city's contract with BNCO Consulting to assist with audio/visual and live streaming of council meetings expired in May, but the city has been operating under the terms of the agreement and will do so until the end of the year.
At that point, the contract will transition to CTRL, again keeping the same terms. CTRL will provide the services for one year.
The terms include $500 for each regular meeting that lasts up to two hours. Anything beyond two hours is billed at $150 per hour.
Additional meetings are $750 for up to a three-hour meeting. Anything beyond three hours is billed at $150 per hour.
The city owns the audio-visual equipment.
The council on Monday approved the extension of the current agreement and the transition to a new company.
Another Washington Plaza Christmas event
Here are highlights from department heads' reports to the council:
• Sanitary sewer installation has begun at Washington Plaza and should be done this week. Plans for a Christmas event at the shopping center are being discussed.
• A police department patrol vehicle parked just off Washington Road while a motorist was being assisted was struck by a vehicle and is a total loss. A replacement patrol vehicle is being sought.
• The first multi-family residential building at the Protea Place development could be ready for occupancy Dec. 1. The other three buildings under construction at the development off Washington Road could be completed in the next three months.
Let's Talk Washington at library
The next monthly "Let's Talk Washington" informal discussion session will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 21 in the meeting room at the Washington District Library branch inside Five Points Washington.
Mayor Lilija Stevens will be joined by Police Chief Stevens, City Administrator Jeff Fiegenschuh and alderperson Brandon Moss.
The last "Let's Talk Washington" session had 24 participants and included a discussion of Flock license plate reading cameras in the city.
