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City Council at its most recent meeting authorized submission of a grant application to the Department of Community and Economic Development for traffic-calming measures on Baker Boulevard -- the street in Allegheny Furnace that connects Union Avenue and Logan Boulevard, crossing in front of Baker Mansion.
The request from the Multimodal Transportation Fund for $1.5 million would require a 10% local match -- or about $176,000, according to the resolution adopted by council.
Baker Boulevard has become a well-known cut-through, and there have been speeding complaints in recent years, said Public Works director Nate Kissell.
The calming measures are so far unspecified in the "framework" of the application and would be fleshed out if the grant goes further, according to Kissell.
A project resulting from funding would include the solicitation of public input, Kissell said.
Traffic has gotten much heavier on Baker -- and also Ward Avenue -- in the last several years after PennDOT projects on Logan Boulevard closed off previously available cut-throughs from Union Avenue across Logan into Llyswen and beyond, said Councilman Bruce Kelley.
The cut-throughs on Baker have become even more frequent with the recent closure of Union Avenue to all but local traffic on the center city side, just beyond Baker, to accommodate work on a bridge over Mill Run.
Multi-modal grants are available to municipalities, councils of governments, businesses, economic development organizations, public transportation agencies and ports for projects costing at least $100,000, according to the DCED website.
Awards are capped at $3 million.
Funds can be used for development, rehabilitation and enhancement of transportation assets.
Traffic-calming measures can include speed humps of various types, curb protrusions, islands and other elements, according to online sources.
Software system OK'd
At the same meeting, council approved a $272,000 expenditure for software services from OpenGov for Code Enforcement, Community Development and Public Works.
It is Phase 1 of a larger transition.
The arrangement will place Altoona among about 2,000 cities in the U.S., according to City Manager Christopher McGuire.
Among processes it will facilitate are cataloguing of assets and work assignments; tracking of work requests and tracking of labor, equipment and vendors; infrastructure planning; creation of a public facing codes portal; and streamlining of application processes, according to McGuire.
The system will "synchronize across all departments," reducing the issue of "siloes," and it will provide "real time data," McGuire said.
It will centralize accounts; make purchasing and receiving more efficient; ensure documents are all in one place; streamline tax collections and business licensing; automate and streamline budgeting, incorporating goals and providing metrics; make procurement and contract management more efficient; evaluate supplier pricing; assist with developing requests for proposals; and help with contract management, according to McGuire.
The program and service has helped make other municipalities vastly more productive, according to McGuire.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.