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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - Transportation Advisory Board 2019-05-15RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, May 15, 2019 Minutes of a regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Room 202 of Town Hall on thel5th day of May, 2019. Present: Gordon Slack Tom Street Belle Morris Stan Black Ron Wilcocks Janice Crow Also Present: Trustee Carlie Bangs, Town Board Liaison Greg Muhonen, Public Works Director Vanessa Solesbee, Parking & Transit Manager Megan Van Hoozer, Public Works Administrative Assistant David Hook, Engineering Manager Absent: Linda Hanick Ann Finley Chair Morris called the meeting to order at 12:01 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comment. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made and seconded (Slack/Crow) to approve the April meeting minutes with suggested edits and all were in favor. CDOT UPDATE — CO HIGHWAY 7 CDOT's Keith Wakefield, Project Manager for the work occurring on CO Highway 7, attended today's meeting to provide an update on the work currently taking place. The crew was to start milling and paving last week, however due to the snow the work was called off. Milling is now scheduled to occur after Memorial Day due to the milling contractor's schedule. Sturgeon Electric is actively installing pedestrian beacons and are anticipated to be complete by the end of the week. Striping will not occur until after the paving is complete in mid -June. For the in -town milling and overlay work, Wakefield is anticipating the duration to be two weeks from beginning to end, however it would be best to anticipate three to four weeks in the event of unforeseen circumstances. All in -town done work is expected to be complete by the end of June. Director Muhonen asked if any work would take place past the US36 & Hwy 7 intersection. Wakefield stated nothing is currently in the project plans for that location. Muhonen stated the importance of having thermoplastic applied for the turn lanes off Hwy 36 into the parking garage. Wakefield will discuss this option with James Usher. CDOT's Andrew Dole stated their striping crew would be here within the next month and there's potential to capture this work. A bike symbol is being added in white on the edge of the road. Wakefield may change the physical sign which currently says "Share the Road". He is looking into a more standard version of this message. "State Law — Give Bicyclist 3 Feet" has not yet been Transportation Advisory Board — May 15, 2019 — Page 2 adopted in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) but guidance has been provided. This message has not been used anywhere else on the CDOT road network. The bicycle markings will be placed in the travel lane, every hundred feet, in both directions. Muhonen expressed concern that it will appear to be an 11' bike lane. Wakefield understood and would confirm drawing indications for accuracy and appropriateness. TAB PRIORITY GRID REVIEW Chair Morris distributed the February version of the TAB Priority Matrix reflecting each member's priority, for review and/or edit by TAB members. For history, Member Slack stated that this document is a guide for where the TAB would focus their energy. Morris requested feedback on whether or not these priorities are still appropriate. The document needs to align with the current thinking of TAB members. Slack requested additional time to review and think about any changes. Morris asked that the members individually send her an email outlining their priorities and ranking. Member Wilcocks stated it would be a good opportunity to use the strategic plan goals as a guide. Manager Solesbee will provide updated strategic plan objectives for Transit operations. The Town's Strategic Plan will be what Town Administrator Lancaster submits for review by the Town Board. Muhonen will confirm finalization of the Strategic Plan before releasing to TAB members. This discussion will occur at the next regularly scheduled TAB meeting in June. Morris spoke to the group about providing the Complete Streets (CS) Policy to Smart Growth America for website/database publication. On this website, the policy is ranked by organization. It needs determined who should submit this information, whether it be submitted by Public Works or the TAB. This website is used to develop CS policies around the country. Muhonen stated that if we find out that the submission can be done by a citizen, Chair Morris can proceed. Solesbee will send to the TAB, the priorities defined in the recent survey administered to the guests of Estes Park. This will offer an opportunity to incorporate the guest view of TAB -related items within the prioritization, as appropriate. PROJECT UPDATES (G. Muhonen — Public Works Administration) Muhonen first extended his appreciation to the TAB for providing a letter of support on the grant application discussions currently taking place. The Town Board supported all three grant applications totaling $50 million (BUILD, FLAP Moraine, FLAP Fall River). Muhonen shared that due to some cost saving measures, the Town is requesting formal CDOT approval, and reimbursement assurance, for US 36/US 34 intersection improvements to be performed as part of the current project. A suggestion was made at the May 14 Town Board meeting that the Parking & Transit Manager have the authority to modify the start and end date of "seasonality" as referenced in the Model Traffic Code. This was then determined to be too much authority for a Town manager. The Police Chief commented that the Town's parking enforcement should go year-round and the Mayor agreed. This will be further discussed at the June 11 Town Board where Public Works will seek to remove the seasonal provision from the code. This causes concern as the entire Downtown Parking Management Plan (DPMP) premise was based on seasonal enforcement. Muhonen is discussing with the TAB so he can provide citizen views at the June 11 Town Board meeting. Muhonen stated that members are also welcome to provide their thoughts in writing to the Town Board prior to June 11. Muhonen feels we should be making data - driven decisions and that if seasonality is modified in the code it should be based on data rather than feeling of a manager. Muhonen would like to go back to the Town Board with a letter of support, or receive verbal support, to provide code language, "Changes to seasonal parking will be based on XXX..... Transportation Advisory Board — May 15, 2019 — Page 3 The Mayor also stated in that meeting that time -restricted, on -street spots near his business are abused all year. The actual issue needs determined as a different solution should be required for isolated areas of infraction. Slack stated that the new "busiest" time of year occurs in September. He stated that more data may be needed but it appears the current ordinance is outdated. Manager Solesbee is actively creating a cost -benefit model for year-round enforcement. Wilcocks stated that the group is trying to create a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. The existing signs already say May through September. The Town should not enforce outside the established season. Member Crow stated that switching the enforcement timing mid -year would cause those people planning their trips to have different results that anticipated. She stated this information should be provided and publicized well in advance of this type of change. Member Black has seen the same cars parked in 30-minute spots all day, every day which would indicate that they're downtown employees. There haven't been any loading zone or time -limit enforcement occurring. Enforcement would definitely help the situation in which the Mayor referenced. The Town Board will be discussing the DPMP again in October to review the data collected in 2019 in order to determine the appropriateness of a paid parking alternative. No changes will be implemented prior to 2020. Muhonen requested information from the TAB on the Model Traffic Code (MTC) language stating his goal would be for MTC adoption at the June 11 meeting. PROJECT UPDATES (D. Hook — Engineering Manager) 4th Street / Elkhorn / Town -wide Overlay: Elkhorn Avenue mill and overlay work, as well as the 4th Street Rehabilitation Project, are currently under way. The town -wide overlay and patching work will commence soon. The current focus is on the two time -sensitive projects. The Engineering Division is coordinating a new work schedule with the chip seal/slurry seal contractor due to the recent weather events. Design is currently under way for the Community Dr./US 36 roundabout plans. There was a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) meeting this morning to confirm grant requirements. Environmental issues are the biggest concern at this time for which a consultant is needed to follow-up. One of timelines could create a 6-month backup. The Town is currently under -funded; therefore, construction will not occur this winter. The delay will allow time to focus on those items and seek additional funding. Fall River Trail: A change order proposal for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding would push construction to this fall. Currently, the plans are being cleaned up to allow the work to be put out to bid. A section slated for construction next year has environmental and design work to occur. A request has been made to combine funding from the Great Outdoor Colorado (GOCO) grant and the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant (dollars to be available in 2023-2025) to allow completion of the trail. Public Works is waiting on official word of the GOCO grant funding process. The Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for the Safe Routes To School (SRTS) grant received for Graves Avenue has been received. It will be taken to the Town Board at next meeting schedule May 28. Construction for this project is expected to occur in 2020. PROJECT UPDATES (V. Solesbee — Parking & Transit Manager) Manager Solesbee reported that all the License Plate Recognition (LPR) parking technology was installed last week on both the parking garage and on the new Parking & Transit vehicle which utilizes camera -based video counting. Solesbee will send links to the TAB to the website, once ready. It is now responsive but without data. By the end of the week, users can access via their mobile app store which uses Google Analytics. Transportation Advisory Board — May 15, 2019 — Page 4 Parking: Kyle Patterson and John Hannon, of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), are both open to the idea of putting RMNP-related information on the Town's DMS signs to help with traffic behavior. Chargepoint — The fast -charging electronic vehicle stations will be installed at the Visitor Center in the fall at the earliest. Grant dollars were made available for four of these chargers which will charge the user. The Town is not yet certain of the pricing structure to be used. Transit: The Transit Division's season starts June 22 and marketing will occur prior to that time. Updated shuttle stop signs will be placed at that time. Solesbee reported that CDOT is initiating a busing pilot which will transport riders from Denver's Union Station to Estes Park. This was initiated by Colorado's Governor. The pilot will take place over a 5-day period. A meeting will occur in June to discuss further. The pilot is anticipated to go live in 2020, however all details have not yet been finalized. Each round-trip charge may only be around $10. OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Liaison Bangs informed the TAB that a new member has been appointed through the interview process, however acceptance has not yet been confirmed. Bangs stated that, during the recent Town Board Study Session, she asked for the thoughts of the Town Board about agency -liaison attendees. She requested, from the TAB, thoughts on whether this board has any desire for agency liaisons. This would need formalized through by-law updates establishing specific parameters. Member Street stated he'd like that opportunity to collaborate with key Estes Park stakeholder agencies. Member Black agreed. Chair Morris stated the Transportation Advisory Board is for citizen feedback. She asked for member feedback on whether or not this would be fruitful for the end -goal of the TAB. Slack stated that, although informal, liaisons already attend like RMNP, the Town's Shuttle Committee, etc. Wilcocks agreed it would change the citizen group aspect of the board and there is a potential of several groups attending. Member Black suggested members look at this as needing information from them but to also let them know what we're working on. All parties may have common interests. Member Crow asked if the other agencies, and their input, would fit with the TAB mission and its goals. Member Street feels strongly it would benefit from a more formalized process and reminded the group that perspectives expand with additional information and reference points. Collaboration may truly benefit TAB goals. Muhonen shared the TAB Mission with the group to reference during the discussion which includes all customers. Other agencies would certainly fit as related to the given categories. Wilcocks feels the business community should lead these community discussions. Bangs shared that the Town Board also wants diverse advisory groups. Muhonen stated that, as a public meeting, all are welcome to come and share their thoughts, regardless of TAB membership. He further stated that one option would be to extend individual invitations based on agenda scheduling, with ample notice. With no other business to discuss, Chair Morris adjourne t 2:00 p.m. ecordin.: ecretary Megan Van Hoozer, Public Wors Department