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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 11/19/2003REGULAR MEETING MINUTES of the TRANSPORTATION BOARD November 19, 2003 5:45 p.m. City of Fort Collins 215 N. Mason Street Community Room FOR REFERENCE: CHAIR: Bruce Henderson 898-4625 VICE CHAIR: Heather Trantham 206-4255 STAFF LIAISON: Don Bachman 224-6049 ADMIN SUPPORT: Cynthia Cass 224-6058 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Joe Dumais Dan Gould Neil Grigg Bruce Henderson Edward Jakubauskas Tim Johnson Brad Miller Ray Moe Christophe Ricord Brent Thordarson Heather Trantham CITY STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Don Bachman Cynthia Cass Mike Herzig Mark Jackson Cam McNair Ron Phillips Kathleen Reavis Mark Sears ABSENT: GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: R.A. Plummer Gary Thomas APPROVED Regular Meating Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 2 of 9 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Henderson called the meeting to order at 5:57 p.m. 12. AGENDA REVIEW There was a motion and a second to remove item #6 as it is a duplicate of #7b and a Special Improvement District (SID) Proposal is an added Discussion item. The motion passed unanimously, 11-0. 13. PUBLIC COMMENT Ciary Thomas: I operate a small non-profit agency that gives rides to seniors and people with disabilities. I suggest an action on behalf of the Transportation Board. Last night the City Council voted to raise fares for transit. They not only took the recommendation from City staff; but added a youth fare that hadn't even been proposed. Depending on who you listen to, that may produce as much as a $100,000 per year. There seems to be some thinking that that won't occur right away because there may be some people who quit riding, but there is also another school of thought that with time, ridership will build back up. The suggestion I have to the board is to strike early and hot before anyone else gloms onto that money and that you recommend back to Council that that money, since it's coming from transit, be held for transit. In particular I suggest this use: One of the proposals before the city is to outsource part of the Dial -A -Ride business. I'm in that business and am intimately familiar with what that's going to entail and the current thinking that a contractor can do it for $5 per ride less expensive from the city is somewhat bothersome. I think there are probably some efficiencies, but if the contractor sacrifices quality of training for their drivers, this is not a population that gets handled roughly very well. So it's very possible that as the bid process rolls out, the contractor may say, "Gee I can't do it for $5 a ride less and give you the quality of service that this population needs," hence, the idea of what to do with the extra money. I recommend that it be held in reserve and if it turns out that you can't operate DAR on $85,000 less, that that's where the money goes. It would be a transit item and serving the most needy of the population. Thank you very much. 14. APPROVAL OF MINUTES There was a motion and a second to approve the minutes of September 17, 2003 with the proposed amendments submitted by Johnson at the October meeting. The question was called and the motion carried by a unanimous vote, 11-0. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT None. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 3 of 9 6. DISCUSSION ITEMS a. NATURAL AREAS "FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE LAND CONSERVATION' — Sears Mark Sears stated that his staff has been working for the last six months on updating the Natural Areas Policy Plan, which was approved by Council the in the fall of 1992. In light of the fact that the Plan is over 11 years old and due to the recent Open Space YES sales tax that was passed in the fall of last year, this has greatly expanded the opportunities for land conservation. The Plan is now being called the Land Conservation and Stewardship Master Plan. Mr. Sears said that he is seeking input on one chapter of the Plan — the FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE LAND CONSERVATION. Staff feels that this is the essence and the meat of the whole master plan. The last two months have been spent gathering input from various boards. The item goes to City Council on December 9. Sears then gave a Power Point presentation which included the following highlights: CONSERVATION EASEMENTS - Purchase of specific property rights - Land is privately owned and managed - 30-50% less expensive to conserve - No public access or limited access CONSERVATION FOCUS AREAS - Local Regional Community Separators BALANCING KEY ISSUES FRAMEWORK FOR 2004-2008 All land conservation projects involve willing sellers - 1/3 Local Areas: $9 M - 1/3 Regional Areas: $9 M - 1/3 Community Separators: $9 M Not possible to purchase entire areas Equal funding does not mean equal acreage of conservation FRAMEWORK FOR 2009-2013 All land conservation projects involve willing sellers - Y, Local Areas: $6.75 M - %2 Regional Areas: $13.5 M - '/a Community Separators: $6.75 M APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 4 of 9 Board Comments/Ouesdons: Trantham: What are some of the historical, geological or archeological sorts of things that are out there? Sears: Up in the Laramie Foothills area, along north US 287 to the Livermore area, there is the Lindemeier site, we found it dates back to 12,500 years. There are more recent Plains Indians teepee rings, medicine circles and such on many of the ranches up in those areas, even a buffalo jump on one of them that we toured. The Overland Stage Route goes through several of those ranches and there are still remnants of some of those stage stops. Geologically, there's a transition from the plains to the foothills and the hogbacks and redstone cliffs. There are come incredible fossils. There are dinosaur footprints on one ranch and an skeleton of a fish inside of one of the cliffs that is as wide as this room and about 8-10' high. The list goes on and on. Ecologically this is an incredibly sensitive area. It is really one of the last remaining spots in the entire Front Range from Trinidad to Laramie, where you still have intact, the transition between plains, foothills and the mountains. Dumais: It seems like a possible unintended consequence of living on the edge of one of these things would be really nice. Is there a way that that can be controlled if you buy a large or say for instance if you buy a large portion of one of these tracks? I mean, suddenly the land adjacent to that within the track becomes more attractive and gets sold for development anyway. Is there a way to control some of that? Sears: It depends on the developer. Certainly that's the benefit of open space... because it does definitely increase the value. I don't know if there is a way to protect it completely. We could put conservation easements on the surrounding lands, that would help. Thordarson: Have you looked in much detail how the framework facilitates moving forward with the Northern Front Range Recreational Trail. Sears: Not specifically, no. I'm aware of the plans for the Front Range Trail and certainly these plans could be used for it. Moe: One issue you may run into to has to do with the budget. As near as I can tell, this is $55M that you're talking about spending on something outside our Growth Management Area by our taxpayers. I'm just sensing that that could be an issue. Sears: Spending money regionally is one of the primary reasons we're out getting public input. We took this to Council back in April and that's what they said — see what the public has to say about that. So far, we're finding that the one-third, one-third, one-third is a good balance. We've had people tell us that it's fine, but make sure you're flexible with it. Don't be rigid. In other words, if an opportunity comes up locally that would exceed the one-third, but if it's a great opportunity, don't hesitate to reduce one of the other areas. Johnson: I think the ballot language was pretty clear last year about where the money would be spent. I think it's interesting the range of activities that the City takes outside of the GMA. If we only confined all of our activities to a GMA, of course none of us would be here because we wouldn't have water from any of the sources that we divert so I think that there is a range of kinds of things that we do outside of the city that allow us to function in the city. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 5 of 9 That's something I think we need to keep in mind. I know we struggle with transportation infrastructure and it's so expensive. We don't have enough money. I wish we were to the stage as the Natural Areas Program where we could look at some things even in the city, some option like grade separations between modes and things like that. I support this kind of a thing where you're looking at a lot of the money being spent in these different patterns, but I would urge you very much to look at the riparian areas along the rivers for instance. I know there has been a program to buy the flood plain areas, but I wonder how much we're short of that and that does protect the community by buying the floodplain and keeping the development out of those areas where we have those flash floods. Chair Henderson: In your presentation you had the one-third times 3 split, but then you said later it can be changed later if you get more local land. That you can go up to half or something, so what has Council approved in the framework for the distribution? Sears: What Council approved was this map, which just has the focus areas. They've approved that basically, this is our framework for land conservation. This is what defines the region in which we can do land conservation. We are going to be going back to City Council in December with the framework that says in the next five years, we're going to spend approximately one-third, one-third, one-third and in the next five years; one-fourth, one -halt one-fourth. And hopefully Council will accept that as okay and we'll proceed It's more of a guideline than something that's rigid. Henderson: Is there a certain size a parcel has to be before it's purchased? Sears: No, we acquire all sizes as it becomes available and hope for the best sometimes. Durnais: For the record, I really hope we get the community separators. Ricord: Can you help me understand where the publicly held lands are now on the map? (Sears explained.) Ricord: I am supportive of the one-third times 3 distribution to have that balance that you're seeking, but I do think it's important, as you mentioned, to have a bit of flexibility. Sears: One thing I want to underscore and I'm not sure I did well enough, is that especially regionally, we plan to work extensively with partners. By continuing to work extensively with Larimer County, I don't know the number of parcels that we've gotten with Larimer County, but it's in the thousands of acres and we hope to partner in the northern area with an agency like the Nature Conservancy and the Division of Wildlife. b. MASON TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR TRAIL UPDATE — Reavis Reavis referred to a large map of the corridor, mounted on the wall. She began at the south end of the corridor and showed the board where the design efforts have been focused for the trail alignment. She explained that the MTC Trail is being designed as a shared bicycle and pedestrian facility with at -grade crossings of Harmony, Horsetooth, Swallow, and Drake and lighting along the trail corridor. The project also includes a trailhead parking area at the south end of the corridor. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 20D3 Page fi of 9 She explained that one of the biggest design challenges has been the area right behind the College of America. It's where Mail Creek and the New Mercer Ditch cross under Harmony diagonally under the BN RR. It comes out to what looks like a big ravine behind the shopping center. She said now staff knows why Wal-mart didn't cover that. It's a pretty difficult engineering solution to accommodate both the ditch and the creek. The creek is part of the American waterway system, so it can't be touched. There is a fairly long bridge in this area to go over the creek and the ditch area. As luck would have it, this is also the area where the ditch company has their gates to regulate water to different customers in the area, so we're trying to balance the liability issues associated with Mail Creek as well as the operational issues associated with the New Mercer Ditch. The good news is that a design solution has been developed that seems to be working for the ditch company and staff is now waiting for some final sign offs from them. In terms of schedule, the constriction should begin in early 2004 of the portion between Fossil Creek Trail and Harmony Road The trail design between Harmony and Spring Creek Trail will continue through early 2004, with construction anticipated in the spring of 2004. 7. ACTION ITEMS a. TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN —Jackson Jackson said that after the work session the board had on Saturday, November 1, there isn't a need for a presentation tonight. He explained Council's timeframe for action and due to that, won't be accepting any more comments after the second week of December. Jackson requested a statement to Council from the Board on the Transportation Master Plan and said that if there are issues that the Board feels strongly about, something can be sent along with the recommendation to Council that outlines them. Johnson stated that he would like to go through Chapter 7 one more time and clear up some issues he has. The board discussed Johnson's issues. There was a motion to recommend to City Council the adoption of the Transportation Master Plan. There was a second Discussion: 1) A letter that contains the board's reservations and the things they especially liked will be sent to Council 2) Ricord expressed thanks to the staff and consultants. He said that this was an exemplary process and he thanked them for keeping this to time. He said it's much appreciated Johnson agreed and thanked the team for all the hard work too. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously, 11-0. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 7 of 9 The board discussed the points to include in the letter to the Council and agreed on the following points that Chair Henderson will use as a guideline for drafting the letter: 1. State the urgency of getting funding into the transportation system 2. The second item on table 7.6, Parking projects total $51M and this wasn't clear. We want to make two recommendations — one is to place this at the bottom of the priority list and the second is that there needs to be more explanation on what this constitutes. 3. More emphasis on pedestrian funding over fimding for parking — table 7.19. 4. We want to emphasize that the fiscally constrained Enhanced CIP was not a choice, just a concept. 5. We've expressed concern about the fist that Carpenter Road, US 287 to I- 25, shows as 6-lanes while the Travel Demand Model shows 6-lanes, at press environmental impact issues and constraints may limit it to 4 lanes. 6. Enforcement — how to integrate adequate enforcement into 7. The Mason Transportation Corridor projects have been consolidated into a single group. This group should be the # 1 funding priority of any Mason Transportation projects that are included in an Enhanced Fiscally constrained funding scenario. 8. Due to the sheer amount of information in the MTP, it is important that a hyperlinked HTML version of the document be made available on the web for reference. There was a motion to put Chair Henderson in charge of writing a letter on behalf of the board using the above points as a guideline. 7W ere was a second The notion carried unanimously, 11-0. Chair Henderson stated he would get the draft letter out to everyone by the end of the week. b. APPROVAL OF 2004 BOARD WORK PLAN —All Chair Henderson said that since most of the work was done during the board's work session on November 1, the only item that needs clarification is the question on the number for the shift in VMT in the Board's Mission Statement. Bachman stated Ricord concurred that at the time the Mission Statement was conceived, the MPO was using the figure of 10%. The Transportation Board felt that in order for that to happen, Fort Collins would have to achieve a 14% split, so that was extrapolated from the 10% regional split. After much discussion, there was a motion to replace the current #1 and 2 in the Board's Mission Statement as follows: 1) A reduction in the rate of VMT growth to equal the rate of population growth; and 2) Enhance mobility through emphasis of modal shifts. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board November 19, 2003 Page 8 of 9 Gary Thomas requested and the board agreed to add a Dial -A -Ride liaison to section V. COORDINATE WITH COUNCIL AND OTHER BOARDS AND AGENCIES. Then was a motion and a second to approve the 2004 Transportation Board Work Plan including the modifications above. The motion carried unanimously, H-0. G SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (SID) PROJECT— McNair McNair explained what the Sidehill project is all about to give the board some background on the issue. The area involved is around the Timberline/Prospect intersection. Property owners developing in the proposed district came to City staff with a petition for an SID. This SID will be financed privately by them with normal Street Oversizing Program participation. There will not be any City of Fort Collins SID Bonds issued. He explained that a resolution has gone to City Council that accepts the petition and directs City staff to prepare the plans and cost estimates. The Resolution is the first step in creating the District. In subsequent actions, City Council will be asked to accept the completed plans, approve the assessment method, hold a public hearing and then create the SID by Ordinance. McNair commented that this is the fourth attempt to get funding for this project and it's basically getting free road improvements at the worst intersection in the city and there just isn't a down side to it in his opinion. S. REPORTS a BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Johnson: Power Trail/Horsetooth Intersection. There's been a lot of gravel and glass there that needs to be cleaned up. Employee Permit Program. Sometime, I'd like a report on how the City employee permit program works. Gould: Meeting Report. I'd like to comment on a meeting that happened at CSU. It's really the first thing that I've seen in a long time where there was an open discussion about transportation issues on campus. They've just put together a transportation committee, and maybe they have some new personnel in terms of parking management because it was open as opposed to closed as it has been over the last number of years. At any rate, Tom was there with people from SmartTrips and TDM and it was a really good session. It was very educational and I think the best part was the pricing of parking and the relationship to the way people use their cars. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transpoitabon Board November 19, 2003 Page 9 of 9 Dumais: LemavNine Speeding. What is the best way to request enforcement? As the traffic crosses Lemay at Vine, I've been noticing the speed seems to be fairly high. Johnson added that speed enforcement is needed at Drake east of Lemay as well. He hears that people are going 50-60 mph on that stretch a lot. b. STAFF REPORTS Phillips: Reorganization Report. Since Gary Diede has taken a one-year leave of absence, some changes have been made among existing staff. Phillips distributed an org chart showing the changes. Bachman: Next Agenda: Dial -A -Ride Privatization update and Downtown Strategic Plan adoption. Frazier: CompoBus Event. This alternative fueled vehicle (liquid natural gas) will be here on Monday, November 24 from 9:30 — 11:30 a.m. at the Downtown Transit Center. It is a lighter weight bus that has significantly lower fuel consumption and reduces emissions. Everyone is welcome to come take a look at this bus and provide input. Transfort Fees/Fares Report. City Council passed all the fare increases plus added a 25 cent fare for youth. Frazier talked about the projected impacts to ridership due to the changes and what it means financially. 19. OTHER BUSINESS I Gary Thomas reported Mark Jackson came to the gave an overview of the Transportation Master Plan. 10. ADJOURN the meeting at 9:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Cass Executive Administrative Assistant City of Fort Collins — Transportation Services