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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Transportation Advisory Board 2015-6-17 A EP TOWN OF ESTES PART, Transportation Advisory Board Agenda June 17th,2015 Current Members: Bryon Holmes(03/31/16) 12:00 PM—2:00 PM Stan Black(03/31/17) Cory La Bianca(03/31/18) Rooms 202 &203 Kimberly Campbell(03/31/18) Belle Morris (03/31/17) Estes Park Town Hall Ann Finley(03/31/17) Gregg Rounds(03/31/18) 170 MacGregor Ave Amy Hamrick(03/31/16) Thom Widawski(03/31/16) Public Comment Approval of meeting minutes Chair Kimberly Campbell • March 18th regular meeting • March 31st special meeting • April 15th regular meeting • May 20th regular meeting Shuttle Committee Update Sandy Osterman Downtown Parking Survey Charley Dickey, Guest Speaker Town Projects update Director Greg Muhonen Town Engineer Kevin Ash Parking Strategy Chair Kimberly Campbell Other Business Adjourn The mission of the Town of Estes Park Transportation Advisory Board is to advise the Board of Trustees and the Public Works staff on Local and Regional Comprehensive Transportation Planning Policies; Maintenance, Operation and Expansion Programs; and Transportation Capital Projects. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, March 18th, 2015 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board 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 18th day of March, 2015. Present: Kimberly Campbell Ann Finley Stan Black Cory LaBianca Gregg Rounds Thom Widawski Belle Morris Amy Hamrick Bryon Holmes Also Present:Greg Muhonen, Director of Public Works Kevin Ash, Public Works Civil Engineer Jen Imber, Public Works Administrative Assistant Sandy Osterman, Shuttle Committee Representative John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION The public in attendance declined to comment. Minutes from the January and February meetings were reviewed by members. It was moved and seconded (Hamrick/Finley) to approve all aforementioned minutes, with the motion passing unanimously. Sandy Osterman gave a brief update on Shuttle Committee items. The 2015 shuttle scheduled has been published and copies were passed out to TAB members. The brochure is also available on estes.org/shuttles. Cory LaBianca and Amy Hamrick presented the new member orientation process at February's meeting. The draft proposal was distributed and reviewed by members. It was moved and seconded (Black/Holmes) to approve the new process, with the motion passing unanimously. Cory LaBianca shared an article from the Coloradoan entitled "Fort Collins eyes paid on-street parking in Old Town." The article talked about the consideration of paid on- street parking in Old Town Fort Collins. The article highlighted many of the same problems that Estes Park currently faces, including on-street parking demands and downtown employees taking up parking spaces intended for business customers. STAFF UPDATES ON TOWN PROJECTS Director Muhonen updated members on the Loop project. Numerous public meetings and small group meetings have been held as part of the NEPA study. The Loop Project TAC will be providing a summary of these meeting results at the March 18th Town Board Study Session. Another meeting will be held on March 25th to deliver the same information to the public and provide an opportunity for public input. Kevin Ash gave an update on the Dry Gulch project. Town staff continues to meet with the consultants and are pushing to move forward with design ideas to bring forward for public comment, with the goal to accomplish some construction work during the summer RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — March 18th, 2015 — Page 2 of 2015. Basic design ideas exist, but the Town is looking for a greater level of detail, construction expenses estimates, etc. The project will greatly improve the intersection of Dry Gulch and Hwy 34. RECOMMENDATION TO TRUSTEES REGARDING TRANSIT HUB PARKING STRUCTURE Director Muhonen said the FTA would conditionally support moving the parking structure to the South Side. The Town Board would have to allocate additional funds to move forward with exploration of the South Side. Trustee Ericson indicated since no specific proposal has been presented to the Trustees yet on this topic, the Trustees would like to see what the additional cost would be to pursue the South Side site. After the board formulated a recommendation to the Trustees during the February meeting, Chair Campbell prepared a draft memo to present to the Trustees. Since the Town Board agenda item had been postponed and new information regarding the project has surfaced, the board continued discussion and made minor revisions and fine tuning to the recommendation memo Ann Finley suggested revisiting the vote and modifying the wording of TAB's support of the South Side. A motion was made for recommendation of the South Side two-story option, contingent upon final federal approval (Black/Morris), and the motion passed with a vote of eight (8) to one (1). DOWNTOWN PARKING STRATEGY Chair Campbell reviewed the 2015 Town Board objectives with the board, focusing specifically on transportation goals and needs. It was expressed that a guiding strategy would be needed in advance of implementing paid parking. Chair Campbell provided a summary of TVC parking recommendations for cross reference, as well as a section of the 2013 parking study "Recommended Transit and Parking Enhancements." The board reviewed the TVC Parking Recommendations summary and identified which bullet points they were in agreement with in order to create goals for creation of the parking plan. The board was in favor of balanced shuttle and pedestrian use of the downtown area, elimination of much current on-street downtown parking and an enhanced pedestrian environment in the downtown district. The downtown parking strategies from the study were also reviewed and discussed. Chair Campbell will group and shape the topics to summarize the results of the discussion. With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1 :58 p.m. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, March 31st, 2015 Minutes of a Special meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board 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 31st day of March, 2015. Present: Kimberly Campbell Ann Finley Cory LaBianca Gregg Rounds Thom Widawski Belle Morris Amy Hamrick Bryon Holmes Absent: Stan Black Also Present:Greg Muhonen, Director of Public Works Kevin Ash, Public Works Civil Engineer Jen Imber, Public Works Administrative Assistant John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:04 p.m. RECOMMENDATION TO TRUSTEES ON DOWNTOWN ESTES LOOP PROJECT No public comment was heard during this special meeting. The Town Board has scheduled a special meeting on April 15th at 6:00 pm to hear public comment. The meeting will be held at the Event Center. Alternative 1 has been found by the NEPA study to be the most viable option for the project. An anonymous vote was taken among TAB members to determine where the board stands on the issue for discussion purposes. One vote was for "no action", the rest were in favor of the Alternative 1 of the Loop project. Director Muhonen addressed questions regarding whether or not sidewalks were included along the length of the couplet route. A sidewalk will run parallel to the road along the entire route. Loading zones were discussed for trucks in the downtown section. Bike lanes are included throughout the route, with shared lanes on westbound Elkhorn. Pedestrian crossings were discussed at length. Roundabouts versus signals were also discussed, especially at the Crags and Moraine intersection. It was moved and seconded (Widawski/Finley) to recommend to Trustees to move ahead with Alternative 1 of the Loop project as presented, and the motion passed seven (7) to one (1). The board emphasized their support of the Loop project as a foundation to be built upon, with the intention of continuing public process of solving the bigger traffic and parking issues Chair Campbell will draft a memo to the Town Board and get it out to TAB members for comment. With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1 :02 p.m. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town 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 RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS 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. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, May 20th, 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 20th day of May, 2015. Present: Kimberly Campbell Ann Finley Belle Morris Stan Black Gregg Rounds 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 Absent: Cory LaBianca Thom Widawski Amy Hamrick Bryon Holmes Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION Public in attendance declined to comment. Since a quorum was not present, the approval of meeting minutes was postponed until the June meeting. Sandy Osterman reported about 600 shuttle riders during Stanley Film Festival. Shuttle number goals have been raised for 2015, so ridership is being highly encouraged. The Town shuttle system is celebrating its ten year anniversary; to mark the occasion the core mission was distributed and reviewed. Sandy encouraged the support of TAB through the July budget process when the Shuttle Committee will request expanded funding. TAB members had suggestions on the marketing of special events and weekends. TAB members requested the Shuttle Committee present on their expanded budget proposal at the August TAB meeting. STAFF UPDATES ON TOWN PROJECTS Director Muhonen reported that a conference call with CDOT regarding signage changes did not go as well as had been hoped. Another meeting has been scheduled in June as a follow-up. CDOT did not respond to the 34/36 intersection mast arm comments. They also felt that guide signageis beyond the scope of their current project and would prefer to discuss requests for signage coloring changes outside of this project. CDOT will study the effect of the Barnes Dance on traffic and pedestrians this summer by trialing it on one major downtown intersection. Director Muhonen feels both major downtown intersections need to be trailed and synced for this study to show conclusive results. The Trustees feel a four-weekend trial would be best, with different scenarios RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Committee — May 20th, 2015 — Page 2 each weekend to monitor. The impact of pedestrians at crossings on Moraine Avenue was discussed, as well as timing the pedestrian crossings with the Barnes Dance. Increasing effectiveness of directing guests to the Fairgrounds Park n Ride were discussed. It was suggested to place signs on Hwy 34 in advance of Mall Road and other key areas directing vehicles to the Park n Ride, and placing appropriate signage directing guests to the shuttles. Chair Campbell stated people do not respond well to the name Park n Ride because it is suggestive of daily commuters instead of vacationing guests. Gregg Rounds proposed the term "free shuttle" would be more effective than just "shuttle". TAB members supported placing signs along 4th Street instead of Community Drive to direct traffic to the parking lot and shuttles. This more direct route was felt to be more effective than sending traffic down Community Drive. RMNP met with Town representatives and expressed an interest to supplement both East side park entrance stations with variable message boards to notify traffic of wait time at each station. The Town contacted CDOT to request message boards, and it was agreed to install them July 1st through October for this purpose. RMNP will contact CDOT to change the messages as needed. Ideas TAB members may have for variable messages to display on these boards can be sent to Chair Campbell and will be passed along to RMNP officials. Drawings of the Estes Park Transit Facility and Parking Structure at the South Site location were reviewed. The wildlife viewing tower and staircase invoked a strong association with a forest lookout. The possibility of postponing that architectural feature to a future phase was discussed. A Tiger Grant is being pursued for additional funds to build additional levels 3 and 4 of the structure. The Tiger Grant would also allow for the purchase of parking technology. Director Muhonen was approached by a citizen who asked if the Town would consider seasonally closing Big Horn Drive at Elkhorn Avenue. A study could be performed to monitor the impact of the intersection closure and could be tacked onto the Barnes Dance study. Chair Campbell suggested taking the idea a step further and closing off the block of Elkhorn Avenue west of the Moraine intersection. Director Muhonen proposed doing this during an event or weekend to trial this idea, perhaps in conjunction with a Performance Park event when a stage could be placed in the street. DRY GULCH IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT Kevin Ash gave an update on the Dry Gulch Road Rehabilitation project. A presentation was made to Town Board at the May 12th Study Session. Four options were presented and discussion ensued regarding design and costs. Staff was directed to move forward with the selected option and to put an eight foot walk on the west side, which eliminated the $500K hand rail necessary for an east-side walk. DOWNTOWN PARKING STRATEGY Chair Campbell reviewed the 2011 study "Evaluation of an Intelligent Transportation System for Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park" and its impact on parking and transportation. Chair Campbell created an outline of a draft parking master plan containing key points of the plan. Volunteers from the board were requested to help flesh out the plan. Belle Morris and Ann Finley will tackle the section on cycling and walking access to the Downtown district. Employee parking incentives and strategies will be handled by Stan Black and Gregg Rounds will work on paid parking and alternative downtown parking. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Committee — May 20th, 2015 — Page 3 Chair Campbell will flesh out the section on special needs parking, including RVs and buses. With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1:55 p.m.