Hwy 2 Corridor Study

Provide community supported corridor improvement recommendations to the City of Crookston and Minnesota Department of Transportation. Over the course of the study, the committee will:

• Cultivate and represent community members input
• Establish priorities and develop a community vision for the corridor
• Identify and examine issues along the corridor
• Learn traffic safety and engineering concepts
• Develop and evaluate possible alternatives
• Forward a recommended alternative to the City Council

The City of Crookston will develop a committee whose members represent diverse perspectives, including business owners, motorists; residents, bicycle and pedestrians, disabled users, transit, economic development, emergency response, planning, safety, engineering and local governments.

The committee will provide a final recommendation to the City of Crookston, which will then work with MnDOT to adopt a feasible vision. The study is focused on in-depth collaboration between:

1. The Community Review Panel
   • Represent the community's interests
   • Listen to all points of view and try to understand interests of others
   • Openly discuss issues with people who hold diverse views and participate in cooperative discussion to understand differences and find compromise where possible
   • Clearly articulate and represent interests of their organization and/or stakeholder group
   • Learn about, and contribute to understanding, the social and economic aspects of traffic safety, access management and engineering improvements
   • Generate and evaluate options to address issues expressed by group members
   • Facilitate dialogue between diverse interests
   • Keep represented constituent groups informed and solicit input
   • Advise on effective, feasible and publicly acceptable recommendations for corridor improvements
2. SRF (Engineering Consultant)
   • Research current conditions through data-driven analysis
   • Evaluate and develop alternative options that incorporate feedback from the community
   • Ensure that design alternatives serve users safely and efficiently
   • Help community members understand aspects of traffic safety, access management and engineering concepts
3. The City of Crookston
   • Facilitate committee meetings
   • Be a liaison between the community and MnDOT
   • Adopt a future vision for the Highway 2 Corridor
4. MnDOT:
   • Provide relevant information (e.g. available data, studies, background and potential corridor alternatives)
   • Evaluate alternatives for feasibility based on safety, mobility, future use and fundability
   • Provide guidance on policy, funding, engineering and traffic safety concepts
   • Address issues deemed significant by the group
5. The City of Crookston and MnDOT will be the final approval authority for adoption of the community panel's recommended improvements

• Effective, feasible and supported recommendations for corridor improvements
• Increased trust in public agency collaboration and community partnership

• The committee will meet about monthly during the course of the study
• The City of Crookston will convene each meeting
• SRF will develop agendas, provide technical graphics and information, and provide meeting summaries
• MnDOT staff will provide technical review of design alternatives, ensure community concerns are heard, provide guidance on state and federal policy, provide insight on engineering concepts and funding opportunities

The City of Crookston sought out volunteers to serve on the Community Review Panel. The goal was to gather members who represent diverse perspectives including business owners, motorists, residents, bicycle, pedestrians, transit, economic development, emergency response, planning, safety, engineering and local government representatives.

• Dale Stainbrook, Mayor, City of Crookston
• Don Cavalier, Council Member, City of Crookston
• Brandon Carlson, Public Works Director, City of Crookston
• Tim Froeber, Fire Chief, City of Crookston
• Paul Biermaier, Police Chief, City of Crookston
• Darin Selzler, Police Lieutenant, City of Crookston
• Greg Hefta, Building Official, City of Crookston
• Robert Barnes, Community Development Director, City of Crookston
• Brigette Burzette-DeLeon, Board Member, Crookston Park Board
• Shirley Iverson, Chair, Downtown Crookston Development Partnership
• Mark Landa, Executive Director, Chamber of Commerce
• Andy Hall, Owner, Sweet Light Gallery
• Jason Carlson, Director, Tri-Valley
• Chris Trostad, Principal, Highland School
• Mitch Berg, University of Minnesota-Crookston
• Chris Boike, Director, Crookston Public Library
• Jeremy Olson, Superintendent, Crookston Public Schools
• Rick Niemela, Transportation Director, Crookston Public Schools
• Sandra Tritten, Principle, Our Saviors Lutheran Church
• Victor Obisakin, Resident
• Corene Everett, Resident
• Kirsten Fagerlund, Polk County Public Health
• Amanda Lien, Polk County Public Health
• Nate Overgaard, MnDOT Sub-Area Supervisor