September 11, 2023 |
Photo – Community Meeting poster – Courtesy Town of Saratoga
Work begins this week on a plan to study and design a new system of walkways in Saratoga. A public meeting will be held Wednesday.
In October of last year, Saratoga Planning and Zoning Commission Chairwoman McCall Burau was awarded a $200,000 Wyoming Department of Transportation grant. The sitting Saratoga town council voted to approve a nearly $20,000 grant match. The money was earmarked for the creation of a comprehensive study of the town’s existing walkways. The Transportation Alternatives Master Plan, as it is called, will identify where more walking paths are needed and serve as a roadmap for how to create and maintain additional walkways.
At last week’s town council meeting, members of the engineering firm chosen to perform the study, OV Consulting from Denver, updated the council on the project’s progress. Public Works Director Emery Penner introduced two members the team, OV Consulting Owner Chris Vogelsang and Engineer Kevin Rangel, while providing context for the plan.
Penner said the data provided by OV Consulting will not have a major impact on the nature of the town.
Vogelsang said his firm has teamed up with two organizations who provide unique advantages to the project. Vogelsang said Studio CPG, of Denver, will handle landscaping design. The OV Consulting owner also said he has brought a former WYDOT engineer onto the project.
The transportation master plan grant was provided by WYDOT. Vogelsang said having a team member with experience in the department benefits the project.
Vogelsang explained the reason behind the creation of the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan. Vogelsang said a major component of the project is obtaining feedback from residents on what walkway improvements they want to see.
Vogelsang said with a completed transportation master plan, the town will know where walkway improvements are needed. Vogelsang also said the plan will detail how the town will pay for the additional walking paths.
Vogelsang thanked WYDOT for the $200,000 grant and the town for the $20,000 match. The consulting firm owner said WYDOT wants the Transportation Alternatives Master Plan to be completed before any construction occurs. Vogelsang said WYDOT needs to know that residents approve of the walkway improvements.
Vogelsang said he and Engineer Rangel recently toured the town. Vogelsang said he will create a database of existing transportation infrastructure.
Vogelsang said the completed inventory map will be digitized and provided to the town.
The OV Consulting owner said he expects the Saratoga Transportation Alternatives Master Plan to be completed by next May. Vogelsang said the plan is broken into three phases. The first phase, consisting of collecting information about the town, has begun. In the second phase, Vogelsang said his firm will present their suggestions to the public. The last phase of the project will see Vogelsang bring his firm’s recommendations to the council for final approval.
Vogelsang said he will meet with the Saratoga town council three more times during the course of the project.
The first Saratoga Transportation Alternatives Master Plan community meeting is Wednesday, September 13th, at the Platte Valley Community Center from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Vogelsang encouraged residents to attend Wednesday’s meeting and discuss what they want to see in the transportation master plan.
Vogelsang also said he created a website for the Saratoga Transportation Alternatives Master Plan. Information about the project and a survey can be found at www.saratogamoves.com. Vogelsang said the website is a good way for out-of-town residents to stay up to date on the plan’s progress.
