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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 02/16/2005MEETING MINUTES of the TRANSPORTATION BOARD February 16 2005 5:45 p.m. City of Fort Collins -Municipal Building Community Room 215 N. Mason Street 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: Sara Frazier Neil Grigg Jeannette Hallock-Solomon Bruce Henderson Tim Johnson Ed Robert Gary Thomas Brent Thordarson Heather Trantham Lee Watkins Kevin Westhuis CITY STAFF: Don Bachman Cynthia Cass Tom Frazier Mark Jackson Cam McNair ABSENT: OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE: APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board February 16, 2005 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chair Henderson at 6:03 p.m. Page 2 of 6 12. AGENDA REVIEW I For the benefit of the new board members, Chair Henderson went over tonights slightly different from the usual agenda and explained what to expect for future agendas. There were no changes to the February 16 agenda. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT None 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (NOVEMBER 2004) There was a motion and a second to approve the minutes of November 17, 2004 as presented. The question was called and the motion carried by a unanimous vote, 11-0. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT None 6. DISCUSSIONANFORMATIONAL ITEMS a. ROUNDTABLE INTRODUCTIONS —All Each member introduced themselves. New members were asked to share their vision for transportation in Fort Collins. Old members were asked to share a thought with the new members. b. OVERVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATION — Bachman Bachman referred to the Transportation Services organization chart. He explained the organization in relation to the Public, City Council and the City Manager. He covered the various departments within Transportation Services; Administration, Engineering, Streets, Traffic Operations, Parking Services, Transportation Demand Management, Transfort/Dial-A-Ride and Transportation Planning. Bachman explained that because Cam McNair, City Engineer, will be leaving to work for the City of Colorado Springs, he will be filling in as interim City Engineer. During the time that Bachman is filling in as City Engineer, he will NOT be the Transportation Board staff liaison. That role has been taken over by Mark Jackson beginning with the March board meeting. Also, Randy Hensley will be covering Don's Policy & Budget Manager duties. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board February 16,2005 Page 3 of 6 Board Member Comments/Questions: Robert: The City uses several consulting teams. Is there some long-term contract with a specific consulting team in transportation areas? Bachman: Generally we hire consultants, project specific. If we have to design or study something, the project will have a budget, define the scope and then we solicit proposals from consultants. We then have an interview process and choose the right team for the specific project. Because we do use a lot of consultants, you will see the same ones pass through from time to time. c. OVERVIEW OF TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN — Jackson Jackson distributed the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) on CD's to all new board members. Using a PowerPoint presentation, he gave an overview of the plan. Highlights from his presentation included: • Process • Document Purpose • Document Highlights/Successes • Document Results/Recommendations • How documents can be accessed or downloaded online Board Member Comments/Ouestions: Robert: When you're developing your transportation street plan, how does it impact you when you then find that the projects that you're recommending are thrown into the bucket with other BOB or Choices projects and given the same or less priority? Jackson: This community has a tradition of doing capital project finances different than a lot of other communities. The voters in this community demand accountability of what projects they want to have done and have been reluctant to basically say, "Okay let's do a recurring funding source" whether it's an ongoing tax or whatever like other communities have done. From an internal standpoint, it can be frustrating because we have outstanding plans and mechanisms to put them in place but we don't have the funds to do it. Robert: Is it one our goals to look at separating us from other programs in the City for specific fending? Jackson: That's not a decision that's up to me. Johnson: I think the last two times around we asked for transportation -only money for specific purposes. Robert: What about saying we need separate funding for Master Transportation Plan projects? Johnson: I think that's what we predicated the last time, but it may not have been understood that way. Maybe we have to do a better job of getting that message out. Maybe it will take a number of us finding a way through letters to the editors, going to service clubs, and so on to explain what the TMP is all about. APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board February 16, 2005 Page 4 of 6 d. OVERVIEW OF STREET MAINTENANCE — Bachman Bachman warned that because he and other staff are here in official capacity and because Council has placed this issue on the ballot, he is limited to what he can discuss or present on the topic. It must only be the factual matters. Bachman then gave a Power Point presentation on the Pavement Management Program. Some points included in the presentation were: • Computerized Pavement Management Program/Street Selection Process • Used Deighton Software since 1997 • Houses a data base of all street sections and information such as inventory data, past and present condition, and construction history about each section of street • Performs a cost benefit analysis on each section • Helps select what treatment and when it should be applied for each street section • Treatment costs per square yard • Good roads cost less to maintain • Street cut program • Annual growth in pavement management needs • Growth in street miles • Projected pavement condition trends over time • Benefits from changes we have made Board Member Comments/Questions: Robert: Is there an information center so that developers, builders, or anyone can look up and see when and where projects will be done so they can coordinate with City work? Bachman: Within the City we have a coordination system (including Utilities) so we know. As far as developers and so on, the best thing we have is a map on the city web site; project coordination map. We put upcoming projects on there about a year out. e. BUILDING ON BASICS (BOB) — Bachman Bachman gave on overview of the BOB program. The City has historically funded capital improvement projects through a series of quarter -cent sales tax packages. They list specific projects of all types. There are three quarter -cent taxes that have been active that all expire at the end of 2005. We have talked about one of them, which is for Pavement Management. Another one was passed in November 2002 or 2003 for natural areas. The third one is not on the ballot at this time. The City Manager's office and City Council had staff go through a process to rank projects of all types. The Transportation Board was involved in that ranking proposing transportation projects which might be included in the quarter -cent sales tax to put on the ballot. Originally, the thinking was that it would go on the ballot in April, which provides two opportunities to go to the voters before the tax expires so there wouldn't be a gap in the funding. The Council elected to not place a measure on the ballot in April because of the other items that are on the ballot, particularly the proposal to remove sales tax from groceries. What they did do was defer the question until sometime following this election. There are a series of APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board February 16, 2005 Page 5 of 6 tentatively scheduled Study Sessions with City Council this spring and summer to reintroduce this issue to them, at which time staff will get more direction. Robert: Regardless of who is in the new Mayor's position, will this board be able to recommend alternative funding for transportation projects separate from BOB and Choices every few years? Will that be an option for us to go to them rather than come down? If we can get it separated from BOB, then the people will know what they're voting for. Is that a possibility? Bachman: It is within the Transportation Board's purview to recommend policy to the Council. Chair Henderson: If we decided that was something that we wanted to work on, we could take that as an action. We could start working on a proposal to Council and deliver it to them. f. TRANSPORTATION BOARD 2005 WORK PLAN —Henderson Chair Henderson stated that he would like to go over the Plan briefly to familiarize everyone with it and then he would focus on what immediate actions need to be taken. After an overview, Chair Henderson stated that one of the areas in the Work Plan that should be implemented right away is the area of education, specifically in the area of writing Soap Box articles in the Coloradoan in support of the Pavement Management item. He said that he's gotten approval from the editor at the Coloradoan who said she would publish 4 or 5 depending on timing and so on. Chair Henderson said that he has the first one pretty much finished, but could use some volunteers for a couple more. Thordarson volunteered. Chair Henderson said that if any others would like to do this, to please send outlines to him so he can ensure that there are no duplications. He noted that the timing is important, perhaps early March. Chair Henderson stated since there is much more to the Work Plan, it can be placed on future agendas as an item. Each month the Board can look at a particular section and figure out what action needs to be taken, if any. 7. ACTION ITEMS None 8. REPORTS a. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Grigg: Miami Trip. I was in Miami recently and as always I'm always struck about how poor some of these other cities transportation systems are compared to ours. We have a lot to be thankful for. Johnson: Trains. A number of weeks go I was riding up Mason Street on my bicycle as a train came by. I noticed there were a number of tanker cars. It made me think of our vulnerability in this town as well as the others that the trains pass through along the North Front Range. That's where something like the Super Slab would be great or just getting the rail company to move this kind of APPROVED Regular Meeting Minutes Transportation Board February 16, 2005 Page 6 of 6 traffic east makes a lot of sense. Somebody holds a lot of liability. I'm not sure who exactly, but in light of 9/11, we need to stay tuned to that issue. Thordarson: Concrete Pitting. I observed a fair amount of pitting on some of the new concrete around town. Taft Hill is an example. Bachman: We're aware of it and it's being investigated. Robert: San Antonio. I was in San Antonio last week and met with some city friends and for transportation, theirs is 410 primarily with a 1035 cut through. They said that one of their biggest solutions in reducing congestion is a much longer ramp on and off and they are up to a quarter mile in length if you can afford that much. It has really helped them. b. STAFF REPORTS Jackson: - Kathleen Reavis married Traffic Engineer Eric Bracke. - We have a new Planner, Kurt Ravenschlag. - Carpenter Road to CDOT. The environmental overview analysis will be done from College to US 85. Bachman: Next Agenda - Election of Officers - Boards & Commissions have been asked for input on the City Budget Process. Therefore, perhaps it's time to get the finance sub -committee up and running again and this can be an item on the March agenda. * It was agreed that there will be a Finance Sub -Committee meeting on March 2 at 6 p.m. Location to be determined. Bachman stated that Randy Hensley will be taking the lead on budget related items as a result of the shifting of duties within Transportation. 9. OTHER BUSINESS None. 10. ADJOURN Chair Henderson adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Cass Executive Administrative Assistant City of Fort Collins — Transportation Services