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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 10/20/1999r Draft minutes to be approved by the Transportation Board at their November 17, 1999 meeting. REGULAR MEETING MINUTES of the TRANSPORTATION BOARD October 20,1999 5:45 p.m. City of Fort Collins - City Hall West 300 LaPorte Avenue FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Tim Johnson..............416-0821 Staff Liaison: Randy Hensley ........... 416-2058 Admin. Support Cynthia Scott.............224-6058 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Gould Bruce Henderson Tim Johnson Brad Miller Ray Moe Brent Thordarson Mary Warring Steve Yeldell CITY STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Gary Diede Aaron Fodge Randy Hensley Cam McNair Ron Phillips Rick Richter Cynthia Scott ABSENT: Mark Egeland Chris Ricord Heather Trantham GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: Sara Frazier Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:50 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT: None Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: There was a motion to approve the September 15, 1999 Transportation Board meeting minutes as presenter. There was a second Chair Johnson noted on page S - 2nd paragraph - should be reworded to better reflect what Warring was saying. He suggested that her statement be amended to include the words, "environmental impacts by completing Vine east of the interchange." The motion carried unanimously. COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT: None ACTION ITEMS: I. CITIES FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN - Fodge Aaron Fodge, City of Fort Collins Natural Resources, went over the changes to the Plan that have occurred since the June 8, 1999 City Council Study Session. A. Reorganization of the measures into the following categories: ►Existin2 - measures that already exist in the community or city organization although they are not necessarily completed. ► New - Measures that emerged initially though greenhouse gas reduction discussions and are primarily intended to reduce greenhouse gases. ► Pending - Measures not yet approved by the City, but that would be brought forward for consideration under the normal course of business, regardless of their capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions B. Elimination of the "Cleaner Buses" measure C. Addition of: ► Satellite Parks Maintenance Shops ► City Fleet Propane Vehicles measures ► Natural Areas Shrub Planting measure D. Improved quantification of costs and benefits of New and Pending measures E. Prioritization by the Staff Technical Team and the Citizen Advisory Committee of the New and Pending measures Fodge stated that staff is to prepare a biennial report in advance of the City Budget preparation, evaluating the progress of City staff on greenhouse gas reduction efforts and include recommendations for future activities regarding the same. Fodge distributed a draft resolution for the Board's review/action, explaining that this is the last opportunity to provide feedback before it goes to City Council on November 16, 1999. Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Fodge briefly went over the changes which are shown with highlighted text on the document, then asked for comments from the board. Board Comments: Henderson: 1) Referred to table that compares cost savings - for the ones that are unknown - the new measures - is the intent to fill those in before going to City Council or will they not take those into consideration beforehand? Fodge: Not for the unknown. 2) Staff went through and ranked these, what was the criteria for ranking them? Fodge: The first time they were ranked, there were ten criterion. 3) Suggestion - Under "Existing Measures" - Promote Telecommuting is listed. I feel it would be beneficial to see promotion of telecommuting in the private sector. 4) In regard to increased tree planting - you could use volunteers to do that such as scouting organizations. rrin : 1) I think it's a great idea to get volunteer help as Henderson suggested. 2) Under New Measures - Forestry - why do you want to maintain current storage levels rather than increase? Fodge: There are viewpoints on both sides of this. There are those who say that Fort Collins has enough and some that don't think so. Plus there is a maintenance issue. I really don't have an answer. Warring: Perhaps there should be something that says there will be a tree in every yard. That way, the maintenance issue is gone as the resident will maintain it - or something to that effect. 3) Under Pending Measures - Trash Districting - Perhaps there should be some kind of incentive so that it could be neighborhood or home owner based as opposed to the City trying to take the initiative as it has been a fiasco in the past. 4) VMT reduction strategies - do you have any in place? Fodge: There are a variety of City departments that are involved in reducing VMT. We call out the existing plans that are in place. Move: 1) Fleet vehicles - as I understand it, in the year 2004, the new clean air standards will require diesels to be clean - no emissions whatsoever. I see a target here in the Plan to convert to fuels like propane and things of that nature in 2010. There is clean diesel that is an option that may be worthwhile to look at. Yeldell: 1) Community outreach - do we have an existing program that is an educational process for the overall measure and then specific to individual components? As part of each measure - is there a way to educate the community? Fodge: I imagine a good portion of the Plan will be educational. In my estimation, that is the next step that we'll try to take. Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 4 2) In regard to the 30% - was there a specific target and where did it come from? Fodge: The campaign itself set the target of 20% below that was the pseudo goal for this group. That's what we shot for. What we found was an enormous population growth for the period of time we had to look at. 30% below the 2010 was the number that we identified. Miller: 1) In terms of goals, I assume there is some provision to revisit those periodically? Fodge: We do have a two-year reporting mechanism in the Plan. 2) In regard to guidelines - Section 3- it says the City Manager is directed to form an "Energy Management Team." My concern is will it be a 10 person or a one hundred person team? It is important to keep a balance on that team. Don't leave it too wide open - keep it in perspective. I'm not against the formation of the team, just trying to keep the size of it in proportion to other programs and needs. Thordarson: 1) In regard to the Team formation on the resolution, should there be something more specific as to what the make up of the Team might be because it does seem rather open as mentioned by Miller. Perhaps we should make it more specific on the ordinance. 2) This Plan looks like it is revenue neutral in terms of what's been identified. It could be fairly expensive, but it also looks like it might even make money for the City once capital costs are paid off. 3) Is there a goal for what might be expended on this over time, depending on how progress is being made? Fodge: This will be considered in the budget cycle. 4) Have you identified the probability (time line) of some of these things (measures) being achieved? Fodge: No Gould: 1) I was curious about the background on the elimination of cleaner buses. What were some of the issues involved in that? Fodge: It was a direction - I don't recall the issues. 1 will get back to you on that. Johnson: 1) In terms of money, were you restricted to looking at short term or long term payback? Fodge: 10 years - within the 2010 timeframe. Johnson: So, things you can pay back quickly - you do those first? In reference to XHL - Getting credit for existing measures - are we half way there? Fodge: Yes 2) I suggest that you look at things that link Transfort to the potential users of Transfort - kids. Include CSU and public schools. Have "Teaching days" for kids to use system for free. Invite parents and children to go together to learn how to use the system Thordarson: That reminds me, major athletic facilities are coming on line in our community, we need to prepare. Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 5 Sara Frazier took the floor and stated that she is representing the Transportation Board on the Cities for Climate Protection Plan Committee. She said that strong statements from this board are important for the CCPP. She expressed her agreement with comments on the formation of the team brought up earlier. It is a good idea to be more specific on that issue. She noted that tree/trash issues were discussed at great length. Hensley suggested that Fodge, Johnson and Hensley work together to wordsmith the resolution based on tonight's comments. The Board agreed. There was a motion to recommend approval of the resolution to City Council with the changes that were discussed at this meeting. There was a second and the motion carried unanimously. DISCUSSION ITEMS: II. PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM UPDATE - Richter Rick Richter, City of Fort Collins' Engineering Department, gave an overhead slide presentation on the Pavement Management Program. He also distributed hard copies of the slides for the Board's reference. Topics covered in his presentation were: ► Computerized Pavement Management Program/Street Selection Process ► Annual Sealcoat and Overlay Project ► Pedestrian Access Program ► Street Excavation - Permitting & Tracking Hensley commented on the importance of the program being fully funded. The Board thanked Richter for his informative update. III. CHOICE STREETS PROGRAM -McNair Cam McNair, City of Fort Collins' Engineering Department, gave an overhead slide presentation on the Choice Streets Program. Hard copies of the slides were distributed. Topics covered in his presentation were: ► Overview of what "Choice Streets" is ► Objective of the program - "Upgrade the technical standards and legal foundations for building and sustaining the streets system. Continue implementing Council philosophy of requiring Growth and Development to `pay its own way'." ► The Approach ► Info on the Transportation Funding Advisory Committee The Seven Ordinances Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 6 The Choice Streets original summary: - New streets, and repairs constructed correctly, should last at least 5 years with little or no maintenance required - Implementation of this program will insure that tax -paying citizens of Fort Collins are protected from excessive maintenance costs on new or recently repaired infrastructure - Objective is a "Choice Streets System" The 1999 Assessment says this: - Most provisions of Choice Streets are working as intended. - Higher fees discourage street cuts. - Inspection fees indicate need for more inspectors or lower fee rates. - Development bonds and security requirements should be reviewed. - Continued monitoring is important because benefits will primarily accrue over the long haul. Chair Johnson referred to page 13 #3 and said that since the City is going into its budget review, members should get any feedback to Cam and Randy soon. IV. TAFS UPDATE - Phillips Phillips gave a brief overhead slide presentation on the latest Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study information. Highlights were: • On September 8, 1999, the Policy and Oversight Committee for the North Front Range Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study took the historic step of approving a preliminary North Front Range Vision Plan. In addition to a regional bus network and miscellaneous mobility improvements, the plan consists of two major elements: a passenger rail system from Fort Collins to Denver Union Terminal (with a branch to Greeley) focused on the I-25 corridor, and combination General Purpose -High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/Bus lanes on I-25 from SH-7 to SH-66 in coordination with HOV lanes unties`cIonsideration by RTD. If no major improvements are made to the I-Z5 corridor, traffic congestion is forecast to continue to get worse, resulting in a 2020 travel time of almost three hours for single -occupant autos between downtown Fort Collins and downtown Denver during rush hours. Inter -regional bus service: this component of the Vision Plan would provide a network of over -the -road coaches, standard buses, and small buses to provide local and express service to most communities in the North Front Range. It is designed as a stand-alone component, but will also provide connections to the HOV/Bus Lane System and the passenger rail component. Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 7 Combination General Purpose High Occupancy Vehicle Bus Lanes: this component would add one lane in each direction on I-25 between SH-7 and SH- 66 that would be available only for buses and high occupancy vehicles (such as carpools and vanpools with two or more persons) during peak periods, reverting to general purpose lanes during off-peak periods. Passenger Rail Service: this component would provide passenger rail service from downtown Fort Collins to Denver Union Terminal (with a branch to Greeley) primarily in the I-25 right-of-way. Service would be provided by self-propelled Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) commuter rail vehicles. The web site address is www.nfttafs.org for anyone interested in more information. V. BUDGET UPDATE - Hensley Hensley distributed three doclunents to the Board: Status of Transportation budget request items for budget years 2000 & 2001; excerpt from an Agenda Item Summary that went to City Council; and a page from the 2000 & 2001 Recommended Biennial Budget. Status of Transportation budget request items for budget years 2000 & 2001 is a listing of all the items that Transportation Services requested as additions to their budget and what the status is. Hensley discussed this document at length with the Board. VI. MAINTENANCE FUNDING IDEAS - Johnson Chair Johnson distributed a memo to the Board (dated June 19, 1998) regarding Recommendation for Funding Transportation Maintenance and Operations Shortfalls and a document entitled: A Plan to Erase the Transportation Maintenance Operating Deficit. He said that The Transportation Funding Advisory Committee recognized that there were significant needs in transportation maintenance and operations that were not being met. He said that it is important for the Board to establish a policy where the first 3-4% overage frarh the incoming general sales tax receipts is dedicated to covering the maintenance deficit. Then, roll the new maintenance money into next years base. Repeat the_process until the deficit is covered. He suggested that the Board put together a recommendation to City Council and to talk to the members as well. There was a motion and a second to advise City Council to adopt this policy as described in the hand-out and to implement a 6.5% increase thereafter. Gould suggested not specifying a certain percentage. Hensley said that as long as the concept is outlined in the recommendation, that specific numbers shouldn't matter at this point. The motion carried unanimously. Transportation Board DRAFT Regular Meeting Minutes October 20, 1999 Page 8 VII. DISCUSSION OF RETREAT AGENDA - All It was agreed that the retreat will be held on Saturday, November 6. Hensley asked for any suggestions on topics for the retreat. Ideas brought up were: • Work Plan for 2000 • Traffic Safety Laws • Data - AccidentBikes/Peds - How does it compare to other municipalities • Information - How info is tracked, collected, managed, stored, etc. Include accident, VMT, budget, etc. • In-depth transportation funding overview • Mason Street Transportation Corridor - view of mass transit strategy Staff will work with Chair Johnson to create an agenda from the suggestions above. REPORTS: VIII. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Henderson: None Warring: None Yeldell: There were two locations where I saw construction going on in the right- of-way. One of those was at Drake and Lemay. TCI was taking up the right lane as well as '/2 of the other lane. This caused an accident. Perhaps something should be done to make this type of traffic control safer. Thordarson: Mason Street Corridor - there is a discussion going between Union Pacific and Burlington Northern about paying for an overpass in Denver. This would affect train traffic in Fort Collins. Gould: None Johnson: At City Council, the west side of the Vine Drive Master Street Plan amendments were approved. Encouraged members to talk to voters before they vote on the bypass ballot item. IX. STAFF REPORTS OTHER BUSINESS There being no other business, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Cynthia L. Scott Executive Administrative Assistant