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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 05/19/1999Draft minutes to be approved by the Transportation Board at their June 16, 1999 meeting. REGULAR MEETING MINUTES of the TRANSPORTATION BOARD City of Fort Collins — 281 N. College May 19, 1999 5:30 p.m. Chair: Staff Liaison: Administrative BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Sara Frazier Dan Gould Steve Hanna Bruce Henderson Tim Johnson Brent Thordarson Heather Trantham CITY STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Linda Dowlen Aaron Fodge Tom Frazier Randy Hensley Cam McNair Ron Phillips Cynthia Scott Marlys Sittner Lucinda Smith Tim Johnson ........ 416-0821 Randy Hensley.....416-2058 ,vnthia Scott ........ 224-6058 ABSENT: Alan Beatty Mark Egeland Ray Moe GUESTS IN ATTENDANCE: Kurt Kastein Mary Warring Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:50 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT Mary Warring reminded the Board that there is a SH 14/1-25 Interchange Project Open House on Monday, May 24 from 4 — 7 p.m. at the Plaza Inn. Transportation Board DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES There was a motion and a second to approve the April 21, 1999 meeting minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously. ACTION ITEMS: I. DRAFT PLAN FOR CITIES FOR CLIMATE PROTECTION - L. Smith Lucinda Smith of the City of Fort Collins' Natural Resources Department stated that she would be giving a presentation of the Local Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases. Before she began, she stated that the draft Local Action Plan contains a range of new measures that have been identified by the staff technical team and/or the Citizen Advisory Committee. It does not represent a recommendation to Council. After receiving the Transportation Board's input, staff will further evaluate the measures and develop a recommendation. She said that she would be asking the following questions of the Board tonight upon conclusion of the presentation: 1. Do you endorse some or all of the proposed measures? 2. Are there any you wish to highlight as very important? 3. Are there any you don't feel Council should consider? 4. What type of reduction target should Council adopt? Ms. Smith went through her presentation, which covered the following highlights: • What is Fort Collins' commitment to the CCP campaign? • Process • Our energy audit • How we compare to other CCP cities • 1990 City government emissions • 2010 forecast (in the absence of actions to reduce greenhouse gases) • CO2 emissions growth 1990-2010 • 2010 emission predicted to increase by 159% over 1990 levels • CO2 reduction benefit of COMPLETED measures Total CO2 reduction benefit of existing measures (228,000 tons reduced) • Potential new measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions Energy related Transportation related - Waste reduction - Purchasing - Tree planting - Education Transportation Board • • DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 3 • Total CO2 reduction benefit of potential new measures (894,000 tons reduced) • 2010 emissions versus reductions • Implementation • Project schedule (Please see the attached excerpt — 2 pages - from the listening log which captures all the comments from the Board.) Smith stated that her staff is keeping a listening log of all the comments they receive. She will send it to C. Scott for distribution to the Board Members. INTRODUCTION — KURT KASTEIN, NEW COUNCIL LIAISON Introductions were made. Mr. Kastein talked about his first impressions of being a member of City Council. He thanked the Board Members for being on the Board, which is a very important and time consuming job. Mr. Kastein said that he would be available to the Board, but doesn't plan to attend all meetings. It was agreed that he would have time on the agenda for the Board's annual retreat in the fall and that there would be a place at the beginning of each regular meeting agenda for Mr. Kastein to speak to the Board if he so desires. Responding to requests within 24 hours is one of Mr. Kastein's goals as a council member. Transportation is probably the #1 issue with the citizens of Fort Collins, along with growth, and Mr. Kastein said that he is committed to working with staff on the transportation funding issue. DISCUSSION ITEMS: II. TRANSIT ISSUES AND INFORMATION — T. Frazier Mr. Frazier stated that he would cover five areas on the topic of transit: a. Bus shelters and advertising b. Examining the current system c. Youths on buses/fares d. General operations data e. Summary of items in the 2000-2001 City budget Bus shelters and advertising — Dowlen Ms. Dowlen filled the Board in on background information relating to advertising in the bus shelters. Since 1995, Transfort has had a successful relationship with Outdoor Promotions/chancellor Media with interior and exterior bus advertising and bus bench advertising. Transportation Board DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 4 Ms. Dowlen reported that Transfort earned $43,439 in commission from bus panels and $22,178 from bus bench revenue in 1998. Just from January through April 1999, $39,931 has been earned which is over half the entire total of 1998. Currently, staff is working on a venture that would add bus shelters to the contract. Shelters have overhead protection, bench, lighting, concrete improvements to meet with ADA requirements and a vandal -proof exterior. Chancellor would like to provide 100 shelters. This would be at no cost to the City or Transfort and the City can expect $80,000 per year in advertising revenue. In order to receive these benefits, the following need to occur: • The sign code needs to be revised to include bus shelters in the already existing exemptions of bus panels and bus benches. • Will have to go through committee and ultimately to City Council. • Would eventually like the Transportation Board's support either by letter or testimony at any of the meetings, however, no action is required by the Board at this time. Board Comments/Questions: Johnson: Asked Dowlen to provide a summary of the cost and pictures of the shelters in Loveland to use as an example for the board members the next time the Board considers this issue. S. Frazier: Requested that staff include the City ordinance pertaining to signs in the packet when the Board considers this issue. Trantham: Asked about the lifetime of the shelters. Answer: 10 years Ricord: Noted that the shelters on Mason Street are nice. Asked if there are limits to the types of advertising that is allowed. Answer: Yes. No tobacco, alcohol, sexually explicit, or discrimination of any certain groups is allowed. Staff always reviews the ads first. Examining the current system — Sittner Ms. Sittner stated that staff has completed an evaluation of current routes. Information on Transfort's Annual Ridership, broken down into various categories, was distributed. The most critical indicator is the average passengers per hour on specific routes. Traditionally, wages are 80% of the budget. It is not only a performance measure, but an economic measure. In Transforfs system, there is an average 28 passengers per hour, including the FoxTrot route. Without it, the average is 30 passengers per hour. Transportation Board • • DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 5 It is possible that a planning study will be conducted to find out how to best strengthen the weaker routes in the next year or so. Another method of evaluating the routes, especially the weak performers, is to look at housing, employment, and shopping opportunities along that route. Particular routes may be the focus of more marketing, such as the South Side Shuttle. Looking at service delivery standards is another way to evaluate the routes. On -time performance is one of the standards reviewed as is passenger complaints. Ms. Sittner covered more measurements and then turned the floor over to the Board for questions/comments. Board comments/questions: Henderson: Asked if there is a level at which the route may be abandoned due to low ridership. Answer: No, there isn't a hard, fast rule of thumb. S. Frazier: Suggested putting signs on the rear of the bus that indicates how many Single -occupant vehicles the bus replaces. T. Frazier said that status reports will be provided to the Board as they become available. Chair Johnson requested that it include what routes have the most growth. c. Youths on Buses/fares — Frazier Data shows that youth ridership has increased by about four times since 1994. That was the first year that youths were allowed to ride Transfort buses at no charge. However, due to increased problems caused by young people while on the bus, it is time to re-evaluate the fare for youths. Mr. Frazier asked if it is time to re-establish fares for youths. Board comments/questions: Banns: Suggested that Poudre R-1 should help pay for routes where there is a high volume of kids. Johnson: Suggested that parents ride with their kids to familiarize their kids with the bus route — where to get on and off, etc. Gould: Stated that in regard to the school district, schools don't open until 10 minutes before the bell rings. It wouldn't be good for kids to get dropped off by Transfort buses too early, especially in the winter. Asked how this would be coordinated with the school district — the schools have many different schedules. Transportation Board DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 6 Answer: T. Frazier said that the schools have various schedules in order for the school buses to accommodate all the riders. He added that Transfort will work with Poudre R-1 before the fall bus schedules are set. S. Fra i r: Because field trips are expensive for the school district, can the City do anything to help? Answe : Dowlen said that unfortunately, teachers have taken advantage of Transfort's "free fare days" in the past and also that Transfort is not allowed to compete because it is a governmental agency. S. Frazier: Suggested getting the kids excited about the Mason Street corridor — give students tours/field trips to see it or something along those lines. Henderson: Asked about the South Side Shuttle's decrease in ridership. Answer: The route currently doesn't accommodate the working shifts at Celestica and Hewlett Packard. Johnson: Asked if there is a service that lets people know about Transfort when they are new to town. Answer: Dowlen said that there are many ways that Transfort is marketed. Mr. Frazier said that staff needs to talk with other groups about this issue and will be back to this Board in the future. d. Summary of items in the 2000-2001 City budget A hand-out will be distributed later in the meeting that covers some of Transfort's budget needs (during the Budget item on the agenda). Some of the requests are: - Evening service - Funds to increase hours of operation (1 hour earlier) to help accommodate people who work shifts - Mulberry Street Route - Improved service on Lemay, College and Shields Mr. Frazier stated that the Board needs to be aware that staff is proposing to increase the base fare from .90 cents to $1. That won't make a big difference in revenue. The sensitive part of this proposal is that the current policy for Dial -A - Ride is that the fees are double the amount of the fixed route fees. DAR fees would increase from $1.80 to $2 for a single trip. The low income fee would increase from .45 cents to .50 cents. It is anticipated that there will be opposition from certain groups. Transportation Board • • DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 7 Job Access Grant Announcement: T. Frazier announced that the Mulberry Street Feasibility Study received Job Access grant funds for $186,000 and $90,000 for capital. This will put a route going from Vine/Shields to the Transfer Center out to 1-25 and back beginning at 6:00 a.m. until midnight for six days of the week. This will get people who are in low-income areas to places where there is a high level of jobs. The route goes down Lincoln through the industrial park and by the new housing area on the corner of Lincoln/Lemay. It then goes to the hotel/motel area to the east. Partnerships will be developed in future years with Larimer County, and businesses to help come up with local dollars to help support years 2-5. III: COUNCIL POLICY AGENDA — Hensley Hensley explained that the City Manager's Office has asked that all the Boards and Commissions review and provide feedback on the Council Policy Agenda (included in the Transportation Board packets). Trantham asked why the Overland Trail Re -alignment project is an issue again. Phillips said that a council member suggested that if the City is willing to look at the SH 14 relocation, then in fairness, the Overland Trail re -alignment should be re-examined as well. Mr. Kastein further explained that this document is just a template at this time. Council will be meeting this Friday and Saturday to go over exactly what should be on the policy agenda. Henderson said that he would like to see Council take a leadership role in solving transportation problems, i.e. the transportation tax issue. Chair Johnson referred to page 3 — Long-term Financing for Transportation. He stated that funding methods need to be determined. This problem is not going to go away. He asked that council examine the roles that the Board, staff and council can play in finding a solution. Ricord commented that a key question to ask is whether or not growth is paying its own way. S. Frazier stated that the issue of trash districting needs to be brought before council again. There has to be a way to get districting accomplished in this city. There were no other comments on the Council Policy Agenda. Transportation Board DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 8 IV. TRANSPORTATION BUDGET REQUESTS — Hensley Hensley stated that the budget process is in full swing and that a major deadline was met on May 17 when staff turned in a prioritized list of unmet needs. Copies of the 2000-2001 Transportation Service Area Decision Packages were distributed to the members. Hensley went over the unmet needs list and referred to the descriptions of each project on page 13. Hensley stated that he will provide information on the service area's base budget at the next Transportation Board meeting. V. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS — All • Gould: Reported that the Mason Street Corridor Lead Team held a meeting recently at the Lincoln Center where a reasonable number of people attended. This Saturday there will be a design workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the City of Fort Collins' Streets Facility. This would be a great opportunity to see all the latest information, needs and design. • Henderson: Distributed an article from USA Today entitled, `The Boston Highway Project Once Considered a Boondoggle Now is Seen as the City's Savior." • Trantham: Reported on the latest Streets Standards meeting and referred to a hand-out included in the Board's packets as an informational item. The next meeting of the committee will be on June 4 from 9 — noon. Ricord: Reminded the Board that at one time there was a confidential memo from Bob Blanchard regarding whether or not the Planning & Zoning Board is advised by the Transportation Board. He asked what became of that issue. Hensley said that a liaison from this board was designated to attend P & Z meetings as necessary and that Jerry Gavaldon and Sally Craig from P & Z were attending the Transportation Board meetings on a regular basis. Ricord said that he thought the crux of the concern was if there should be advice or information passed between the two boards legally. Chair Johnson asked that Hensley call Bob Blanchard to find out more on the subject, put it in writing, and share the information with the Transportation Board. Johnson: Asked that updates on the Mason Street Corridor be put on every agenda from now on. He added that Edminster put on a good road show and encouraged people to see it when they have an opportunity. Transportation Board • • DRAFT Meeting Minutes May 19, 1999 Page 9 VI. STAFF REPORTS SH 14 Relocation Project Report — Phillips distributed this report and displayed maps showing the modified Vine route which has been moved 100' further than the original proposed route. The Board examined several maps including the Downtown Couplet Alternative and the County Road 58 alternative. VII. NEXT AGENDA 1. Budget Update — 45-60 min. 2. Mason Street Corridor Project Update 3. Modeling — John Daggett 4. FOR JULY: An update on the Transportation Alternatives Feasibility Study (There is an Open House on May 22 at the Foothills Fashion Mall from 10 a.m. — 2 p.m.) OTHER BUSINESS There being no other business, the board meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. Cynthia L. Scott Executive Administrative Assistant GI PS Aor Gl iA a-4-0 60a6m Begs the question: What Does The Goal Mean... What Effect 7, Ci Em 1 ee n p Does It Have? We need more choices for the plan. What can the 19 9 House Janet sustain, not what effort can we sustain. Have a "Phase 2"pan which might go into a ect w en a pre- determined percentage of goals in the 1' phase have been May 7, City Employee Open accomplished The City should definitely lead by example but 1999 House there needs to be an active publicity campaign informing the citizen of what the City is doing, the advantages and how much effort is required. May 7, City Emp oyee Open We should do whatever is the iggest bang or the buck and 1999 May 7, House City Employee Open resources. Would it be less "painful" tract thisEtypeowork out?E] 1999 House itakes! May 71 City Employee Open The City should do what it 1999 House The most potential for CO2 savings rests with transportation. May 7, M ay City Employee Open Make the number one priority in Transportation planning safe, 1999 House accessible and convenient human -powered trans ortation. May 7' Start requiring that public service and City vehicles do not idle 1999 Phone unnecessarily. Some idle for up to 30 minutes, unnecessar . May 19, Transportation Board At the tailpipe, you don't have emission in electric vehicles, but 1999 281 North College you do globally from the eneqX production. Have you considered fuel cells along with hybrid vehicles? Transportation Board Detroit is movin in that direction. Transportation Board Has anyone done an audit of 1991 Levels? Easily achieved initiatives are important. Many of these ideas are Transportation Board out of our control. Yet, I don't think we should say these initiatives are impossible just because they are out of our control. Any new changes over the next ten years could be educated, like Transportation Board fuel -efficient vehicles, as they become available. How large is the capacity of our wind power site? If the wind Transportation Board doesn't blow, then we have to provide a back-up, alternative ene source. What is the tore _A photovoltaics., We should evaluate them in Transportation Board the context of solar and wind subscription together. It may corn liment wind capacity better. Little will happen with fuel cells in the next couple of years. 'this plan should implement a step function. Many of these initiatives Transportation Board will not be realized until the plan is well online. The plan is not a failure, if all these initiatives aren't realized in the first couple Transportation Board s. Has a carbon tax been considere : At the state level maybe? Transportation Board There seems to be a huge savings from compact fluorescents. The Cityshould be the first to convert. Transportation Board Are you looking at additional incentives to reduce VMT beyond the currentplans? We need to look at more. Transportation Board Are there any other types of disincentives beyond parking? P44 availability' VMT reduction is not achievable if we need people to not drive 3 Transportation Board days/week. Have someone take on the job to work with the private sector to see what inhibitor is hurting teleworking. Get businesses interested in a more efficient fleet/autos. Transportation Board I would like to see the trash districting on the list of priority initiatives. Did anyone notice the City of Longmont compacts trash in the Transportation Board truck and waits to dump it when the truck is full. This reduced the VMT needed to -and -from the landfill. Global warming seems ominous. I think we should consider the Transportation Board established 2010 goal. If 20% is the goal scientists promote, we shouldn't consider any other goal Transportation Board We need to keep alternative modes —SAFE. Then people will use it. SAFE and REALISTIC. May 19, Electric Board Suppose we use all hydropower, would we drop to zero 1999 Wood Street emissions? Electric Board Are all transportation forms lumped together in the emissions audit and forecast? Electric Board Is it possible to receive money for a fuel cell pilot? Electric Board How much under "Reduced City Building" initiative is already being done? Electric Board Are we looking into LED's at the Utilities? On solar hot water heaters, do we know the average repair costs? Electric Board 3% of the systems failing seems for the age of many systems today. Electric Board Are the transportation numbers in these initiatives supported by the transportation measure defeated in April.) Electric Board Aren't recycling ratesdeclining? Isn't the market poor. Electric Board ere isn't a way that the streetlights could be lowered at a certain time in the evenm ? Electric Board Is this plan written in anticipation of emissions trading and a carbon tax? Electric Board Is this program all based on the Kyoto conference? The idea is, if Council approves this plan, they would delegate Electric Board City Departments to adopt, implement, and budget for some or all of these initiatives over the next ten years.