Town Board meeting rescheduled

Last week's Town Board meeting has been scheduled to resume on Tuesday, May 11 at 7pm. I will post a link to the agenda when it is up on GrandChute.net web site

Town Board meeting interrupted

Last night's Town Board meeting was interrupted due to Tornado warnings. The Board took a recess and will reconvene, hopefully within the next week.

Underage Compliance Checks continue improving

The Grand Chute Police department conducted underage compliance checks at 70 establishments in Grand Chute during the month of April. The rate of failure continues to drop significantly. Four percent of the establishments served an underage person compared to nine percent during September's compliance check. This was down from a 2008 failure rate of 40%. The results will be further discussed at tonight's town board meeting.

Speed Study findings for CTH JJ between Meade and French Road

Both Grand Chute and the city of Appleton requested Outagamie County conduct a speed study on CTH JJ between Meade St. and French Road. Speed limits range from 45 to 55 mph. on this stretch and the highway is adjacent to both Fox Valley Lutheran and North High Schools. A specific change was not requested. However, there has been concern that the existing speed limits are too high. The Outagamie County Highway and Solid Waste Committee approved the requested study.

Two separate speed collection locations were selected to collect data regarding how motorist currently are using the roadway. Evaluating the data collected between Ballard Road and 1,300' east (the existing 45 mph zone) 85% of the vehicles traveled at 53 MPH, and fall within statewide guidelines indicating that 45 MPH is appropriate.

Data was also collected between 1,300'east of Ballard Road and French Road (the existing 55MPH zone. 85% of the vehicles traveled at 59 MPH, and statewide guidelines indicate that the 55 MPH speed zone is appropriate and should remain unchanged. Comparing nearby roadways having similar cross section and development density, it was found that roadways having similar characteristics were posted at 45 MPH and 55 MPH which support the existing speed limits.

A three year crash history found 15 reported accidents occurred. Five crashes resulted in injuries with the remaining crashes resulting in property damage only. All reported accidents in the study segment involved persons over the age of 35. No pedestrian or speed related accidents were identified over the three year crash history.

After reviewing the statutory limitations and the information gathered in the speed study, the statewide guidelines do not support changing the existing speed zones.

However, the Deputy Highway Commissioner recommends that the school district and the City of Appleton investigate the addition of pedestrian accommodations that would allow for a safe crssing on CTH JJ between North High School and the gas station.

Park shelters set to open

All Grand Chute Parks shelters open May 1st. Fees for reserving shelters are $50, except for Arrowhead Park, which is $60. Non residents are required to pay an additional $50. Download the Park Rental Agreement if you are interested in renting a shelter.

Traffic Signal Analysis for CTHY A and Grand Chute Blvd.

The Town of Grand Chute has formally requested that the Outagamie County Highway department perform a traffic signal analysis for this intersection. With the addition of the roundabout at Hwy A and JJ, the traffic is more metered and the gaps for crossing Hwy A much shorter. The town also has a bicycle path along the south side of Grand Chute Blvd. in the southeast quadrant of the intersection. The Town has plans to continue the bike trail to the west along the south side of Grand Chute Blvd. later this year.

Public works employees guess this intersection currently meets peak hour warrants for the installation of a traffic signal. Appleton Alliance has indicated in the past they are interested in constructing their own trail way along Grand Chute Blvd. A crosswalk on Cty Hwy A would be ideal at this intersection.

Bennigans coming to Grand Chute

Construction is under way for a Bennigan's Restaurant near the Fox River Mall. It bills itself as an American Pub and Grill. The old Kolosso Toyota building has been torn down and the developers have proposed a new building that will be home to a service center for Time Warner Cable and the new Bennigan's restaurant. This Bennigan's will have a revamped theme. The restaurant will have a brighter, more contemporary look.