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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNatural Resources Advisory Board - Minutes - 03/15/2006MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD Regular Meeting 200 W. Mountain, Suite A March 15, 2006 For Reference: Linda Knowlton, NRAB Chair - 223-9328 Ben Manvel, Council Liaison - 217-1932 John Stokes, Staff Liaison - 221-6263 Board Members Present Linda Knowlton, Clint Skutchan, Ryan Staychock, Nate Donovan, Joann Thomas, Jerry Hart Board Members Absent Glen Colton, Alan Apt, Rob Petterson Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Susie Gordon, Terry Klahn, John Armstrong Transportation Planning: Kathleen Bracke, Kurt Ravenschlag Tranfort/Dial-A-Ride: Marlys Sittner Guests Dale Adamy, Citizen Ann Hutchinson, Chamber of Commerce Agenda Review Nate Donovan would like the board to finalize the Carpenter Road memo. Public Comments None Review and Approval of Minutes: February 15, 2006: The minutes of the February 15, 2006 meeting of the NRAB were unanimously approved with the following change(s): Susie Gordon: On page 5 of the minutes from NRAB's February 15 meeting, I am quoted as making the statement that the average amount of trash generated in Fort Collins is 2.5 tons per person per year. I would like to note that I meant to say "1.5 tons of trash per person per year (according to data provided to the City by local trash haulers)." Transit Plan Review, Kurt Ravenschlag and Kathleen Bracke Ravenschlag provided the background and history of transit in Fort Collins. He also provided details and data about the current transit program and potential upcoming changes. Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 2 of 8 • Donovan: How does our ridership compare with other communities? • Ravenschlag: Compared to other communities about the same size? • Donovan: Are we low in comparison? Are the investments we're making similar in terms of payoff? • Ravenschlag: Ridership is not high. Part of the strategy of this operating plan is to increase ridership. • Sittner: Boulder has a much greater investment, and therefore a higher percentage of ridership. • Donovan: What is the time frame for Phase 2 and Phase 3? • Ravenschlag: Phase 2 was scheduled for 2006, Phase 3 for 2008 and Phase 4 for 2010. We're falling behind schedule, now we're looking at Phase 2 by 2010, 3 by 2012 and Phase 4 by 2014. • Donovan: What portion of your annual budget is from local sources? • Ravenschlag: 50% from the general fund. • Sittner: It's about 59% from the general fund. The overall operating budget for Transfort is $6.6 million, and that includes Dial -A -Ride. • Skutchan: Don't you get between $500,000 and $800,000 from the Associated Students? • Sittner: About $500,000. • Donoan: In Phase 2, is there new money that would be required? Under current funding levels if you're getting $4 million a year and looking to operate the current system. Is that fairly optimistic? • Bracke: It's pretty optimistic. And we're seeking federal funding. • Skutchan: The dollars that we would be contributing are coming from the $4 million. Where's the matching dollars? • Bracke: That's the big question, not from one source by itself Some communities do it through sales tax, similar to BOB and BCC. There are other options as well, tax increment financing. • Bracke: Right now nothing is contributing to that? • Bracke: Yes, we're in a holding pattern in Phase 1 until additional resources come online. • Donovan: Can you talk about projections for the next few years under the current service? Would you hope the local portion of the budget to grow? • Bracke: That will be part of the question in the next budget cycle. Will there be additional general fund money, or other funding dedicated to transit? Or other sources available through the community. I cant predict. I can request and recommend. Until we get there we don't know what will be determined. • Skuthcan: Do you anticipate these cost projections will go up greatly. • Bracke: Capital costs will go up. Our cost estimates on the Mason Corridor are based on 2010 projections. • Knowlton: When you add you new buses will they all be big Transfort buses, or are you considering smaller vehicles? • Sinner: We're replacing some 35 foot buses with 30 foot buses. We have to try to balance capacity needs with the size of our vehicles. We want smaller buses, but Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 3 of 8 ones that are large enough to meet our capacity. Our average ridership is 32 passengers an hour for every bus. A lot of our routes have heavy ridership. On some routes we send two buses. Sixty percent of our operating expenses are wages/benefits, it's all a balancing act. We've seen a 17% increase in passengers so far this year. Last year it was 26 passengers an hour. • Ravenschlag: These projects provide private and mixed -use redevelopment opportunities and encourage in -fill development. Studies show for every $10 million invested $30 million of business sales are associated. • Skutchan: Right along that corridor? • Ravenschlag: I'm not sure about the boundaries. • Hart: Are those national averages? Does that lump New York City and Boston in with Fort Collins? It seems the larger cities would be more cost effective. I wonder what the comparison of Fort Collins' would be. • Ravenschlag: Those projects in the larger cities also cost a lot more. • Bracke: Think about the I Street Mall and those changes. It's been completely transformed in the last 10 years. The transit line has made a huge difference. That's the type of changes we're looking at. • Skutchan: So the primary increase is activity centers? • Bracke: And housing markets. • Knowlton: I lived in Washington, D.C. when the Metro opened. Instantly every stop became a hub. People wanted to live there, shops were located there. Places that were inaccessible became accessible. It was amazing. • Donovan: Is any additional right-of-way needed? • Bracke: It all fits in the 100'. If there are areas where there is something currently in the railroad right-of-way we'd have to work with that land owner. The rail road has maintained 100' of clearance. • Donovan: Will you need fill? • Bracke: In some cases we'll need to level it out. We may have to pipe some smaller drainages. • Hart: But we won't need additional right-of-way for BRT? • Bracke: We shouldn't. • Hart: Will you have to change the frequency of the lights? • Bracke: At major cross streets there will be some of that. • Donovan: Do you have all of the property you need north of Prospect? • Bracke: We're working with CSU and looking at different design alternatives. Working through campus is pretty straightforward, north of Prospect is a challenge. • Donovan: An important thing for Council to note is that BCC is exhausted after Prospect south is done. That $66 million would be new money. • Bracke: We're trying to show that we would need additional funding sources, and we're looking for state/federal grants. We need to generate local matching funds. • Staychock: What's the outlook for funding in general? Do we have the political will? Are the right people in place? • Bracke: That's the great news on the national level with federal funding. FTA loves our project, they think its amazing. For a community our size we have a high level of Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 4 of 8 ridership. They're used to working with large metropolitan agencies. They've been positive and supportive, as have been our congressional leaders. We can't take anything forward until we have the local match. • Skutchan: When is the next big window? • Bracke: I don't know. If we go ask for a smaller amount of the money the time frame may be different than if we go in and ask for the $33 million. • Bracke: We need to figure out the local funding. • Skutchan: If the time frame changes how do you do it so that you have a "wait and see", but at the same time are prepared? • Bracke: We're continuing to work as resources are available. We're poised and ready for whatever becomes available. We'll be ready when it gets here. • Donovan: When are you going to Council to get an issue on the ballot? • Bracke: There's lots of homework to be done in the community. Maybe it should come from the private sector. There's a lot of groundswell building in the private side. It may be the right time to do this. The same forces weren't ready a couple years ago. • Staychock: The rumor was there were private interests against this concept. Are they on board? • Bracke: I don't know if the car dealers will ever embrace this. They have a different perspective, it may not be consistent with the corridor. I respect that. We're hearing a new aspect of the private sector interested and willing to consider and support it. • Staychock: Developers or retail shops? • Bracke: The developers are looking at developments in the downtown area, and several other areas. • Staychock: What about Whole Foods? • Bracke: They've signed petitions and sent emails to get grant funding for our new underpass. They're probably willing to help with BRT. Their support of the underpass grant made the difference. • Skutchan: What's the time track on the two-way streets? • Bracke: As soon as possible if we had the funding. • Skutchan: What kind of funding goes with that? • Bracke: The initial estimate is $750,000 for the signal changes. Visitors/PubBe Comments The following three citizens arrived and asked to make public comments regarding the prairie dogs at Pineridge Natural Area: Deanna Dacus Linn Barrett Laura Sebastian • Barrett: I work in Fort Collins for CSU and I'm here in support of Laura Sebastian. • Dacus: I'm also here in support of Laura. • Sebastian: I want to talk about a prairie dog colony that's going to be fumigated. I guess we want to let you know what we're trying to do is work with NRD to stop Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 5 of 8 fumigating and try a humane alternative which is spaying or some other form of birth control. I'd like to get your support and let you know we're working on the issue. It's cheaper for the City and would garner some great publicity. It's a positive way of dealing with wildlife issues. There are a whole bunch of ideas, walking tours, ecological tours. We want to pick a solution that is long term. This group we're talking about, 350 were live trapped in September. Now you're going in and fumigating hundreds more. I don't want to see this happen. NRD is working with us and we've established a good relationship. I want to let you know we're working on it. • Knowlton: This situation involves a natural area. I think there's a City policy on how they treat prairie dogs. Sometimes it applies to private lands. In that case we would get involved. That would be something we would look at, rather than specific natural areas. • Sebastian: We have three wildlife vets and a bunch of volunteers. There's a lot of support for this, and a lot of people who want to participate in a humane solution. • Barrett: We have small parcels of land, smaller than what is natural for a prairie dog coterie. There's not enough room for natural movement. They're essentially eating themselves out of house and home. Up and coming projects are looking into ways to sustain populations without having to fumigate. One of those is the trap/spay/release projects. No one else in a 50-mile radius is doing this. There is sound science. We'd be interested in a small pilot project. Perhaps we could have interesting research results and various other endeavors for the City come out of this. It appears to us the folks at the NRD are entertaining this idea and they have advised us it would be a good idea to get familiar with advisory boards and city officials. • Sebastian: They have attempted to seed and re -vegetate. And, the weather and other conditions have brought us to serious wind erosion. The recent wind storms have caused blowing dirt and gravel to bother the neighbors. There is also construction going on. • Donovan: If you spay and release at what point do you reach a carrying capacity where populations don't increase? What about other animals coming on to the area? What about costs? • Sebastian: It's pretty isolated. We do the spaying on site. We have vets with portable anesthesia units. When 350 were live trapped it cost the City $20,000. We could have spayed 400 animals for $10,000. It's a long term goal. If you go in and poison every few months you're spending the money over and over. I have experience with cats. You may not have to look at it again for years. • Dacus: Prairie dogs are slow to reproduce. This project makes more sense dollar wise. • Hart: Are you certain there is no interchange between Pineridge and Maxwell? • Barrett: The interchange is minimal. That would be a question to ask Donna Dees. • Knowlton: This is great information for us to understand when we talk about the City policy in general. • Hart: Who will be responsible for looking at the prairie dog policy, us or the new board? Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 6 of 8 • Skutchan: I would think there would be overlap. Solid Waste Strategic Plan — Staff Recommendation & FYnal Review, Susie Gordon & John Armstrong Gordon said there's a study session on March 28. There will be more presentations to several groups. We've been invited to the Chamber of Commerce. • Hart: This said that the largest single reason people don't recycle is that curb side is not available. Who is that? • Gordon: The respondents to the survey also live in multi -family units. • Donovan: I'm confused by the preliminary staff recommendation. Is there no prioritization? You're just throwing it out there? • Gordon: I think its important they are considered as a packet. There's more integrity as a package. It's tempting to do that, but its something we'd like to hold off on. • Skuthcan: What's the reason for the curbside organic collection being the same as pay as you throw? • Gordon: When prices are high its not very motivating. To have the impact we've modeled for it has to be financially attractive to people. • Skutchan: What's the reaction of the haulers to this? • Gordon: We worked with two of the haulers on the steering committee and told them it would be a recommendation. We haven't heard back. • Skutchan: Will you have that before you go to Council? • Gordon: When we put together that steering committee we made it clear that in the end it would be a staff recommendation. They're advisory to staff. I'm not sure they'll feel dramatically unsupportive. I don't think it will make a big difference. • Skutchan: I would be concerned about speculating. I wouldn't suppose too much. In looking at Council there will be several put off by that. • Gordon: We hoped we were very clear with everyone who participated that in the end its our recommendation, and that clearly there would be difference of opinions. • Donovan: So we're not at the point of thinking about the effective date of whatever Council might direct you to do? • Gordon: What we'll do is ask them for them to give us an indication if conceptually they like those ideas. We don't want to devote more energy and resources detailing workplans if it turns out they don't like these ideas. If they do like the ideas we'll come back with more detailed information. March 28 is the beginning of a much longer process. • Knowlton: In your goal of 2010, or as soon thereafter as possible, I'd leave the as soon thereafter as possible off. It's wishy-washy. Say 2010, and if we miss it we miss it. And under strategy 2.2 give a date of 2010, don't say approximately. • Gordon: I don't want to be wishy-washy, but I don't want inflated expectations. • Skutchan: I'd rather see you long term wise looking at the overall impacts in 20-30 years and not be so gung-ho about established goals that you hurt yourself in the long run. • Skutchan: I'd like to stress again the term environmental fee. Be more specific. Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 7 of 8 • Gordon: We talked about a solid waste diversion fee. • Skutchan: Semantics is important. The label is loaded, especially with other program funds the community has come forward with. Specificity is important. • Donovan: Are there any predictions about the economic impact? What is the value of the tons? Is that something that can be explored? • Skutchan: Maybe a list to show the economic impact from these stated benefits? It may not just transition into money. • Staychock: I think it will be difficult to target the developers with the C&D stuff. Nate Donovan made the following motion: Move that the NRAB recommends that Council adopt the staff recommendations for the Strategic Plan for 50% Solid Waste Diversion in Fort Collins. The motion was seconded by Jerry Hart. • Hart: You're talking about a conceptual proposal. We're supporting that conceptual proposal. The details will have to be worked out. The motion passed unanimously. Susie Gordon made the following announcements: - A glass only bin was installed at Rivendell. It's already half full. Somehow word of mouth is getting around and its filling up. We're very pleased. - The Forest Dept was looking for a home for free mulch for the public. We put it at Rivendell. Resource Fort Collins is doing well. They're moving forward quickly. It's a building salvage operation. PackRat Freight and Shipping accepts block Styrofoam. Carpenter Road Memo All present board members agreed to the changes to the memo. Nate Donovan will email the final version to Terry asap. New Business • Skutchan: What's happening on Carpenter Road? (Terry will ask Mark) • Staychock: Congratulations to Fort Collins on the article in the High Country News. • Pizza or sandwiches will be provided at the special meeting on April 5. • Rob Petterson suggested (prior to this meeting) that everyone come up with five things they think the NRAB should be addressing. (Send to Terry by March 30) Announcements • Nate Donovan attend the open house, Zero Waste, presentation at the Senior Center. John and Susie took over in the absence of Eric from EcoCycle. It was very well done. I'd like to thank John and Susie for putting that together. • There will be a Solid Waste Committee meeting on April 19, at 4:30 p.m. Natural Resources Advisory Board March 15, 2006 Page 8 of 8 • Nate Donovan will do the memo to Council on the Solid Waste Strategic Plan recommendation. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Submitted by Terry Klahn Admin Support Supervisor