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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 05/20/20151 MINUTES of the CITY OF FORT COLLINS TRANSPORTATION BOARD May 20, 2015 6:00 p.m. Community Room 215 North Mason Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Olga Duvall Vice Chair: Eric Shenk Staff Liaison: Paul Sizemore 970.224.6140 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: CITY STAFF PRESENT: Olga Duvall, Chair Gary Thomas Pat Jordan Annabelle Berklund York Sid Simonson ABSENT: Boardmember Kevin O’Toole Boardmember Eric Shenk Boardmember Greg Oakes Councilmember Ross Cunniff Paul Sizemore, FC Moves Emma Belmont, Transfort Amy Lewin, FC Moves Kyle Lambrecht, Engineering Joe Olson, City Traffic Engineer Dan Weinheimer, Policy and Project Manager Dean Klingner, Engineering PUBLIC PRESENT: Marilee Boylan, The ARC of Larimer County 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Duvall called the meeting to order at 6:04 pm with a quorum. She thanked FoCo Café for providing dinner to the Board. 2. AGENDA REVIEW Sizemore stated the agenda stands as written. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT Marilee Boylen identified herself and expressed interest in the Board’s discussions. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Jordan made a motion, seconded by Thomas, to accept the April 2015 Board minutes. The minutes were approved unanimously. 5. COUNCIL LIAISON Councilmember Cunniff was unable to attend. 6. BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT – Greg Oakes 2 Boardmember Oakes was unable to attend the meeting. 7. DISCUSSION/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS • Transfort Design Standards and Guidelines – Emma Belmont Belmont stated the current design standards, adopted in 2001, no longer met ADA accessibility guidelines and needed to be revised to provide for distribution of amenities more evenly throughout the community. She detailed the five sections of the design standards and discussed the procedure for bus stop upgrades and location. Belmont went on to discuss updates to the ADA accessibility guidelines and various types of bus stops located throughout the city. Belmont stated there are just over 500 stops located throughout the city, only 150 of which currently meet ADA requirements. Thomas made a motion, seconded by Jordan, that the Board write a letter in support of the new Transfort Design Standards and Guidelines. The motion was adopted unanimously. • West Elizabeth Enhanced Travel Corridor Plan – Emma Belmont, Amy Lewin Belmont stated the Mason corridor was the city’s first enhanced travel corridor, followed by Harmony Road, which has yet to be implemented. She stated this third Plan, for West Elizabeth, would apply to the section of road between Overland Trail and Shields Street and she went on to discuss the upcoming aspects of the Plan, with adoption slated for the summer of 2016. Lewin discussed the high Transfort ridership numbers for the corridor and desire for additional service. Additionally, she discussed issues regarding the current situation along Elizabeth and announced future public engagement opportunities. Jordan asked if there are plans to change the retail area in Campus West. Lewin replied she has not yet heard of any planned changes for that area specifically. Thomas asked if there is a possibility for other types of transit to exist on the corridor. Belmont replied all options are available; however, there is an existing comfort with bus infrastructure and there is a large front-end cost to trolley or light-rail type service. Chair Duvall asked how the Transportation Board can assist with this effort. Lewin replied the Board could aid with visioning and spreading information. • Willow Street – Kyle Lambrecht Lambrecht discussed the Downtown River District boundaries and development in the area. He discussed the importance of safety, urban design and activating the land use and went on to detail deficiencies on the Willow Street corridor. Additionally, Lambrecht discussed the goals of maximizing on-street parking, enhancing multi-modal facilities, enhancing linkages to Old Town, North College Avenue, and the Poudre River, creating a welcoming environment for existing and future land uses, incorporating urban design and cultural/historical features, and collaborating between various entities. He also discussed the difficulties regarding the width of the roadway and the potential for an open water feature. 3 8. ACTION ITEMS • Train Horn Waiver – Dan Weinheimer, Joe Olson Olson discussed the waiver request which would allow for certain intersection improvements to be waived at seven crossings in order to pursue a quiet zone through the downtown area. He stated the allotment of a quiet zone is based solely on crash risk, and noted the city’s crash risk remains below the railroad’s threshold even with the quiet zone in place. He discussed concepts for the possible intersection closures at Myrtle, Magnolia and Old Main. Thomas stated he opposed the plan due to the proposed intersection closures stating it will incentivize pedestrians to cross without going to an appropriate intersection. York stated that pedestrians are at a higher risk of being hit by a car than by a train. Thomas also expressed concern regarding train speed. Jordan opposed the waiver request citing safety concerns. Simonson asked if costs have been associated with this proposal. Olson replied the cost to close the three intersections would be several hundred thousand dollars. York made a motion, seconded by Berklund, that the Board write a letter of support of the train horn waiver request. The vote on the motion was as follows: Yeas: York, Berklund and Duvall. Nays: Jordan, Simonson and Thomas. THE MOTION FAILED. • TIGER Grant – Vine & Lemay – Dean Klingner Klingner stated the City is planning to submit an application for a federal TIGER grant for the Vine and Lemay intersection and requested a letter of support from the Transportation Board. He stated the grant would be for a total of $27 million, which includes a $10 million City match. He discussed the constraints of the intersection and possible realignment plans. Simonson asked for the definition of TIGER. It was stated that the acronym stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery. Klingner went on to detail the matching funds required by the City and stated staff is requesting a letter of support from the Board for its grant application. Thomas made a motion, seconded by Jordan, that the Board write a letter in support of the TIGER grant application. The motion was adopted unanimously. 9. REPORTS • Boardmember Reports Jordan expressed concern regarding changes to Dial-a-Ride service, including vouchers and cancellation policies. Simonson stated he will attend the Colorado Capital Conference in June. Thomas reported on a Regional Air Quality Council report to be scheduled before the 4 Board. Additionally, he announced a Transportation Summit to be hosted by Weld County Commissioners on June 15th. Berklund stated she would like bike overpasses to be considered as opposed to underpasses due to flooding and safety concerns. • Staff Report Sizemore reported Laurie Kadrich has been hired as the new Planning, Development and Transportation Service Area Director. Additionally, he stated the Parking Services Manager search is ongoing. He announced a new system involving a quarterly visit between each of the service areas and City Manager Atteberry and Chief Financial Officer Mike Beckstead. Sizemore stated Bustang service is scheduled to begin July 13th and the Harmony park and ride lot will be used for single-day parking only. 10. OTHER BUSINESS None. 11. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. by unanimous consent.