Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - Citizens Transportation Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 8/4/2016MINUTES CITIZENS TRANSPORTATION OVERSIGHT COMMISSION 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, Arizona 85301 City Hall, Room B-3 August 4, 2016 6:00 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Tom Schmitt, Chair Roberta Podzius Jack Nylund Don Brazier James Grose Marie Nesfield CJ Williams MEMBERS ABSENT: John Geurs, Vice Chair Jeff McAffee OTHERS PRESENT: Patrick Sage, Transportation Planner Purab Adabala, Transportation Analyst Trevor Ebersole, Interim Public Works Deputy Director - Transportation Kurt Christenson, Assistant City Attorney Peter Knudson, Dibble Engineering Richard Merritt, Elliott D. Pollack & Company I. Call to Order Chair Schmitt called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 11. Approval of the Agenda Chair Schmitt called for approval of the agenda for the August 4, 2016 CTOC meeting. ACTION BY CTOC: Approval of the agenda for the August 4, 2016 Citizens Transportation Oversight Commission as presented. Motion: Commissioner Grose; Second: Commissioner Brazier; motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Williams was not yet present. III. Approval of Minutes from June 2, 2016 CTOC Meeting Chair Schmitt called for approval of the June 2, 2016 CTOC meeting minutes. ACTION BY CTOC: Approval of the minutes from the June 2, 2016 meeting of the Citizens Transportation Oversight Commission, as written. Motion: Commissioner Podzius; Second: Commissioner Nylund; motion carried unanimously. Commissioner Williams was not yet present. IV. Call to the Audience No comments. V. Commissioners and Staff Updates Mr. Adabala provided an update on two agenda items from the last Citizen's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting: A discussion was held on how to improve publicity/marketing for the Glendale Family Bike Ride. In 2013, the City applied for a Bike Friendly Community program rating. The City was awarded an "Honorable Mention" with guidance for achieving a rating in the future. Some of the recommendations were discussed by the Committee. Commissioner Brazier discussed his attendance at the City of Glendale open house public meeting held August 1, 2016 for the improvements to the intersection of 591h Avenue and Olive Avenue. Commissioner Brazier commented that meeting was very interesting, but had low public attendance. Mr. Adabala stated that there are actually two projects at that intersection: a safety project that will add medians, bulb -out of curbs to reduce pedestrian crossing distance, and streetlights; and a capacity project that will add bus pullouts, turn lanes, and other capacity related improvements. Chair Schmitt stated that he met with the City Engineer (David Beard) regarding the potential to offer incentives to construction contractors to encourage completion of construction of City infrastructure projects sooner, and felt that incentives would be beneficial with the 59th Avenue and Olive construction projects. Chair Schmitt stated that he would like to have a discussion regarding the potential use of incentives. Mr. Sage replied that the item can be considered as a future agenda item. Commissioner Nylund inquired about the benefits of a Bike Friendly Community rating for the City, and information on the organization that provides the rating. Mr. Adabala explained that the League of American Bicyclists is a national non-profit coalition that administers and manages the rating program. Mr. Adabala commented that the designation would be a point of pride for the City, would show that the City is committed to supporting bicycling, and act as an incentive for businesses and individuals to relocate to Glendale. [Commissioner Williams entered the meeting.] Chair Schmitt introduced new Commissioner Williams and welcomed him to the CTOC. Commissioner Williams apologized for being late. VI. Manager's Report Mr. Sage provided a status update/information on the following topics. June Meeting Follow-up Items Memo • Process of distribution of CTOC minutes: ■ Summary minutes are issued a couple days after the meeting. ■ Staff prepares draft of full minutes. ■ CTOC reviews, revises, and approves final minutes. ■ Boards and Commissions distributes the approved minutes to Council members. Bus stop vandal guards: ■ Estimated that more than half of the existing benches do not have vandal guards. ■ Retrofit program in place to address all benches without vandal guards within the next three years. ■ The design of new benches will include this feature. • Valley Metro upcoming presentation to CTOC: ■ Item on the agenda later this this fall. • Coordination protocol with Police Department in process. • GO Program Funds —Glendale Airport expenditures history will be on a CTOC agenda later in 2016. Chair Schmitt provided a brief background of the discussion held at the June 2 CTOC meeting regarding CTOC weighing in on transportation issues other than those related to GO Funds. Chair Schmitt asked if staff has determined the process of how CTOC will be notified and engaged on transportation -related items going to a Council workshop or meeting. Commissioner Podzius commented that as long as Council knows that CTOC is available for assistance, Council can trigger the request for a CTOC action. Chair Schmitt stated that a recommendation action from CTOC could originate from either Council or the Commission. Commissioner Podzius inquired how often Transportation staff is invited to Council workshops. Mr. Ebersole replied that if there is a transportation -related item on the agenda for Council workshop or meeting, staff typically knows well in advance and often has a role. Typically (Public Works Director) Mr. Friedline will attend meetings with Public Works items. Mr. Ebersole stated that if it is appropriate for staff to consult with CTOC prior to sending Council a transportation related item, or if a project needs CTOC support prior to bringing it to Council, it will be placed on a CTOC agenda. Mr. Sage added that staff is cognizant of identifying Council items of potential interest to CTOC, and those requiring review or recommendation by CTOC, and making sure those items are brought to CTOC at the appropriate time. Commissioner Nesfield inquired if the City will start retrofitting of the bus stop vandal guards in areas of high loitering incidents or section by section. Mr. Sage will follow up on this question. Commissioner Nylund stressed that the design of the vandal guard is very important, and that in at least one case the vandal guard is ineffective because a motivated urban camper has found a work around by stacking material on either side of the bar to create a platform. Commissioner Nylund noted that enforcement appears to be lacking at this location (59th Avenue and Bell Road), as the same urban camper continues to use this bus shelter for camping. Commissioner Nylund expressed concern that this continued infraction restricts use by actual bus riders, many of whom may live in the adjacent apartment development that is serviced by this bus stop/shelter. Mr. Sage commented that staff is attempting to establish a regular line of communication with the police department regarding public safety and enforcement issues that arise in the CTOC meeting, including this item. Commissioner Grose commented that when he was on the Citizen's Bicycle Advisory Committee (CBAC), a police department liaison also sat on the Committee, providing a law enforcement perspective and direct access to police regarding public safety and enforcement. Mr. Adabala stated that one of the recommendations of the BFC Rating years ago was to have a police liaison, which the police chief accepted at that time and assigned an officer to attend the CBAC meetings. Commissioner Podzius encouraged all residents to contact their Community Action Team (CAT) police officer regarding issues in their community. Commissioner Nylund stated that he has contacted police department representatives, including the Commander of the Foothills police station. Commissioner Nylund stated that residents, especially women, could feel uncomfortable at the bus stop and the urban camper could also be in danger if there is lightning. 3 Commissioner Podzius inquired about a meeting at the Airport for a tour/discussion on the use of GO Funds at the Airport. Mr. Sage stated that this will be an upcoming field trip and agenda item. Ongoing Projects • Myrtle Avenue Improvements • Grand Canal Multi -use Trail • 59th Avenue and Olive Public Meeting • Transportation Master Plan Commissioner Podzius inquired about the City's General Plan Update that is coming up for vote this fall, and wondered how much of the General Plan included transportation issues. Mr. Sage commented transportation issues are included in the General Plan Update at a "high level." Mr. Sage stated that Commissioner Grose and Chair Schmitt sat on the Steering Committee for the General Plan Update. Commissioner Grose stated that the transportation group was separate group from the section on which he participated, and Chair Schmitt added that a presentation was made on transportation issues for the General Plan, but they did not have much other involvement. Commissioner Podzius wondered if there would be any fallout for transportation if the General Plan does not pass. Mr. Sage replied that the General Plan addresses transportation items at a high level that generally align with the goals and objectives of the Transportation Master Plan, but that the General Plan election is not anticipated to affect the progress of the Transportation Master Plan. Commissioner Williams inquired of the timeline for the Transportation Master Plan. Mr. Sage stated that the horizon year for the update currently underway is year 2040. Other Items • GO Program Audit FY2012-2014 Commissioner Nylund requested that staff send the GO Program final audit in advance of the next meeting for Commissioner review. Chair Schmitt thanked Mr. Sage for the report. VII. CTOC Performance Measures Annual Assessment FY2017 Mr. Sage gave a presentation on the mechanism for tracking and calculating the CTOC members' Annual Performance Measures for FY2017. Two tracking spreadsheets were provided, one for each individual Commissioner and one for the Commission as a group. Mr. Sage stated that staff will track and report progress to the Commission on a quarterly basis. VIII. Draft GO FY2017-2041 Program of Projects Mr. Richard Merritt gave a presentation the 2017 Financial Update of Financial Factors and Projections for the GO Program. Highlights included the following information: • Inflation - Considered several sources • GO Sales Tax Revenue Forecast • Short Term Interest Rates • Long Term Bond Rates 4 Mr. Merritt opened the floor for questions. Commissioner Brazier stated that he had read at some point that the City's borrowing rate had been increased, whereas Mr. Merritt's report shows that the City's has a lower credit risk. Mr. Adabala explained that after the recession, the City's credit rating was lowered; however, recently the ratings have been restored to what they were prior to the recession. Mr. Adabala gave a presentation on the FY2017-2041 Program of Projects: • Background of GO Program • Proposition No. 402 - Comprehensive Transportation Plan • Proposition No. 402 - Projects • Summary of FY2017-2041 GO Program • GO Program Capital Summary • Operations Summary • Schedule Mr. Adabala mentioned that the cost of light rail capital and operations identified in the draft Program are a reflection of the approved 2017 Transit Life Cycle Program (TLCP). He acknowledged that this is a placeholder while the latest cost of capital and operations are developed. He also mentioned that if the changes were substantial, a new/updated Program of Projects will be brought forward to CTOC at a future date. Mr. Adabala opened the floor for questions. Chair Schmitt inquired if an increase in staffing was expected. Mr. Adabala replied that Council was asked to restore funding for a transportation planner that would manage the bicycle program among other tasks, and Council did approve the position. Commissioner Podzius inquired if the pavement maintenance program recently presented by Mr. Friedline to CTOC is included in the budget just presented. Mr. Adabala replied in the positive. Commissioner Nesfield inquired if the regional Dial -A -Ride is included as well. Mr. Adabala again replied in the positive. Commissioner Nylund wondered if a fee structure change has been considered for Dial -A -Ride. Mr. Adabala stated that it has been discussed. Mr. Ebersole added that Council recently asked staff to assess the fares and that transit staff was tasked with performing a regional assessment. Mr. Ebersole stated that the City is the second lowest fare in the valley with $2.00 for Dial -A -Ride compared with an average fare of $4.00/ride for similar service in the region. Mr. Ebersole noted that Dial -A -Ride has a $2.4 million operations cost for the City. Chair Schmitt stated that he heard this was a subsidy of $18.00/ride. Mr. Ebersole added that it can vary, and can reach a subsidy as high as $40.00/ride. Chair Schmitt asked how the Dial -A -Ride subsidy compares to a bus subsidy. Mr. Adabala stated that the bus costs $2.00 per ride and can cost $7.00-$8.00 per mile of service. Mr. Adabala added that some routes recover 35-40% of cost while others only recover 5% of cost. Commissioner Brazier stated that Glendale accommodates all riders while the cities of Phoenix and Peoria do not. Mr. Ebersole noted that there are five types of riders: certified ADA, handicapped, general public, seniors, and juniors. Commissioner Nylund wondered if the City would consider different types of rider membership passes. Mr. Ebersole replied that all options are being explored. Chair Schmitt inquired as to which city department handles Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) programming. Mr. Adabala explained that HURF was handled by the Budget Division in Finance, however, discussions have recently been held regarding moving the program to the Transportation Division. Chair Schmitt asked if a HURF update could be included in a future presentation. Mr. Adabala acknowledged that a HURF program in a similar format is being developed. IX. Future Agenda Items Chair Schmitt requested a presentation on the $1.0 million transit study being administered by Valley Metro. Chair Schmitt would like CTOC to have a voice in how the project is scoped. Chair Schmitt also requested a future agenda item to discuss an incentive program for transportation construction projects. Mr. Adabala stated staff will invite Mr. David Beard, the City Engineer for the discussion. X. Next Meeting Time The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. in Room B-3 in City Hall. L9 Chair urned by consensus at 7:45 p.m. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS Please contact transportation staff at (623) 930-2940 at least three (3) days prior to the meeting for special accommodations. Hearing impaired persons please use the Arizona Relay Service at 1-800-367-8939.