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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Transportation Advisory Board 2015-04-15Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, April 15th, 2015 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Rooms 202 & 203 of Town Hall, in said Town of Estes Park on the 15th day of April, 2015. Present: Kimberly Campbell Ann Finley Bryon Holmes Amy Hamrick Belle Morris Also Present: Greg Muhonen, Director of Public Works Kevin Ash, Public Works Civil Engineer Jen Imber, Public Works Administrative Assistant Brian Wells, Shuttle Coordinator Teri Salerno, Visitor Services Manager Sandy Osterman, Shuttle Committee Representative John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Abscent: Stan Black Cory LaBianca Gregg Rounds Thom Widawski Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION Public comment was heard from Pat Newsom regarding paid parking meters downtown. Since a quorum was not present, the approval of meeting minutes was postponed until the May meeting. Sandy Osterman gave a brief update on Shuttle Committee items. The Estes Park Visitor Center will be hosting an open house on April 30th and everyone is invited to attend. As part of the event, the Gold Shuttle route will be running. Additional weekend dates have been added to the shuttle schedule for 2015, with full-time shuttles starting June 27th. Sandy also presented the new shuttle-stop signs. Director Muhonen reported that the local BOR office has been given the go-ahead to begin our NEPA study on the Transit Facility Parking Structure on the South Site of the Visitor Center. A local firm will likely engineer the civil site work for the project. A public hearing on the Loop project will take place at 6 pm on April 15th at a Special Town Board meeting. TAB members were encouraged to attend. DRY GULCH IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT Kevin Ash presented an updated plan set for the Dry Gulch project. Plans were displayed for the board to examine and various design elements were discussed, including parking, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, turn lanes and intersections. The Town would like to hold a public meeting in May to talk with parties impacted by the project. The current design requires a significant amount of retaining wall to widen the road for sidewalk and bike lanes, driving the cost of the project up considerably. Alternative design options, such as sharrow bike lanes, were discussed for reducing construction costs. Placement of the sidewalk on the west side versus the east side of the road was also examined. Eliminating the pedestrian component of an attached sidewalk to the project would bring it much closer to budget, with the option of easement Transportation Advisory Committee – April 15th, 2015 – Page 2 acquisition to be completed at a later date to add a multi-use trail. Two on-road bike lanes could be added to the road for cyclists. Staff will move forward based on the comments received by the board. DOWNTOWN PARKING STRATEGY Chair Campbell discussed several options for developing a parking plan, including hiring a consultant versus TAB members actively developing the plan. It was discussed whether the board should be involved in plan implementation or just the creation of a tactical and strategic plan. With not enough board members present to make a decision on how to move forward, the topic will be revisited at the next meeting. The board brainstormed on downtown parking demands and potential solutions. The highest demand happens seven days per week during summer months. Piccadilly Square was identified as an ideal location to place a parking structure to capture eastbound traffic re-entering the downtown district. RV spaces, handicap parking and intercept parking structures were all topics of discussion. Director Muhonen suggested the board make a recommendation regarding tour buses and RVs in the downtown district. The board debated if such large passenger vehicles should they be allowed to drive through the downtown district and if parking for such vehicles should be made available downtown. The general consensus of the board was no RV or tour bus parking downtown, but drop-off location would be suitable. Information and a brochure could be made available online to direct guests to various parking locations and recommended transportation and routes around town. Chair Campbell requested staff provide an accurate count of current RV and bus parking spots available. With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1:54 p.m.