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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Transportation Advisory Committee 2014-08-20 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, August 20th, 2014 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Town Hall Rooms 202 & 203, in said Town of Estes Park on the 20th day of August, 2014. Present: Kimberly Campbell Cory LaBianca Stan Black Ann Finley Bryon Holmes Also Present: Greg Muhonen, Public Works Director Kevin Ash, Public Works Civil Engineer Jen Imber, Public Works Administrative Assistant John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Bob Holcomb, Town Board Trustee Brian Wells, Town Shuttle Coordinator Fred Mares Absent: Belle Morris Gregg Rounds Thom Widawski Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION New Public Works Director Greg Muhonen was welcomed by Chair Campbell and the committee. Director Muhonen spoke briefly of his background as an engineer as well as transportation projects with which he has been involved. He is excited to engage the TAC on impending transportation topics such as multimodal issues, bike -friendly initiatives and the school zone masterplan. Chair Campbell recently reached out to Elizabeth Fogarty at Visit Estes Park and asked the committee if they would like to invite Visit Estes Park to speak at a future TAC meeting. Consensus from the committee was that it would be helpful for Visit Estes Park to provide input on bike tourists. Chair Campbell also suggested reaching out to RMNP officials to attend a future meeting. Director Muhonen agreed it would be productive to invite them to attend and engage in a discussion regarding the FLAP project. Ann Finley suggested a shuttle service especially for workers of downtown businesses. Brian Wells confirmed this is on the list of shuttle objectives and business owners should contact him directly for more information if they are interested in this service. Minutes from the July meeting were reviewed by members. It was moved and seconded (Holmes/Finley) to approve the July minutes, with the motion passing unanimously. BUS/RV PARKING IN MUNICIPAL LOT Ann Finley observed that tour buses parking in the Municipal/Library parking lot could be problematic. Ann stated that groups tended to disembark from buses and head to the library for bathrooms and information. Improved communication and signage could direct them to the Visitor Center or Fairgrounds, where the facilities are better suited for accommodating large groups. It was suggested the Municipal/Library lot be used for smaller vehicles only, with buses and RVs prevented from entering the lot. Director Muhonen proposed a constricted access to make it impossible for large vehicles to enter the lot. Civil Engineer Ash and Director Muhonen will evaluate the existing bus and RV parking in the lot and report the findings at the September meeting. Transportation Advisory Committee – August 20th, 2014 – Page 2 COMMITTEE VACANCY Trustee Ericson updated the committee on the impending interview process for the five candidates who applied for the vacant position. Official appointment of the new member will take place at the Town Board meeting on Tuesday, August 26 th. CDBG-DR GRANT OPPORTUNITIES Fred Mares spoke of upcoming grant opportunities with Colorado’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and presented two proposals that fit into the scope of the grant and could be beneficial to the community. One concept was for an Estes Park employment, transportation and rental office; the other was a workforce transit system linking Estes Park with Front Range public transportation. Mr. Mares discussed both proposals with the committee, answering questions and noting feedback from committee members. Mr. Mares will submit both proposals to DOLA for assessment to determine if a formal application should be submitted to pursue funding. The committee asked to be informed of the response to the proposals and would like to keep this as a topic of discussion at future meetings, beginning in September. More information about CDBG-DR may be found at http://dola.colorado.gov/cdbg-dr/ DOWNTOWN BIKE LANES Bryon Holmes reflected on his recent experience visiting the bike-friendly community of Long Beach, CA. The city has a stretch of highway through a section much like the Estes Park downtown district, with a high volume of traffic traveling along a shop-lined street. They created a shared lane for both bikes and cars and lowered the speed limit so bicycles and cars were traveling at approximately the same speed of 20 mph. Effective signage, lane colors and education all played a role in the success of this concept. Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1:58 p.m.