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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Transportation Advisory Board 2017-09-20RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, September 20, 2017 Minutes of a regular meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Room 203 of Town Hall on the 20th day of September, 2017. Present: Kimberly Campbell Gordon Slack Ken Zornes Stan Black Tom Street Claudine Perrault Ann Finley Amy Hamrick Also Present:Bob Holcomb, Town Board Liaison Kelly Stallworth, Public Works Pavement Manager Megan Van Hoozer, Public Works Administrative Assistant Sandy Osterman, Shuttle Committee Larry Gamble, RMNP John Hannon, RMNP Lochen Wood, RMNP Absent: Belle Morris Greg Muhonen, Public Works Director Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. Chair Campbell introduced the newly appointed TAB member, Claudine Perrault and reciprocal introductions were made by TAB members in attendance. A motion was made and was seconded to approve the June, July and August minutes (Slack/Zornes) and all were in favor. Public Comment: Citizen Comment Sandy Osterman expressed concem about levels 2, 3 and 4 at the Estes Park Transit Facility Parking Structure. She's witnessed issues with people navigating strollers and walking with small children in and around traffic areas. She inquired as to the potential need for signage stating 'BEWARE OF PEDESTRIANS' or something similar. Additionally, once visitors get outside the parking structure, they often have difficulty knowing where to go from there. The need for directional signage once out of parking structure was suggested. Rockv Mountain National Park Larry Gamble and John Hannon of Rocky Mountain National Park introduced their newest member, Lochen Wood. Wood will be in charge of developing the 'Day Use Visitor Management Strategy'. She will incorporate creative ideas and will incorporate added public engagement. Wood was previously a Planning/Compliance Specialist in Washington DC and has assisted various national parks. She also has experience with traffic congestion management plans, floodplain management and was a planner for small towns. She can be reached via email at lochen woodCc�nps.gov or by phone at 970-586-1484. Wood has an open door policy and encourages communication and collaboration. Wood was invited by the TAB to participate in all future TAB meetings for the continued open line of communication. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — September 20, 2017 — Page 2 Ericka Cole, during her tenure, got the ball rolling on appropriate strategies and is still periodically available through 10/1/17 (to this RMNP region). Cole did a wide -range study surrounding the different parks and what other gateway communities do to solve some of their traffic issue. Chair Campbell requested this study material be made available to the TAB to share what was learned. Chair Campbell asked RMNP representatives the overall vision for strategy. Gamble stated there was significant research work conducted this summer to collect data. One measurement was collected by analyzing driver behavior. Once preliminary work is captured, there will be robust public engagement and outreach allowing business owners, residents, and visitors to participate by sharing their vision / tolerance for what is to take place. SHUTTLE UPDATE, Sandy Osterman Osterman reported on last week's committee meeting. With summer shuttle service stopped this year on September 10, analysis showed overall ridership down 14% from last year. Osterman stated that the decline may be due to some shuttle stops being scheduled to end an hour earlier than in years past; or foreign employees in the valley walking rather than riding. There was a specific decrease for July 4 ridership potentially due to it falling on a Tuesday this year as opposed to a Monday last year. A calculation was figured for the 'price per person' to ride daily coming to $4.37 per ride per individual. The Shuttle Committee is planning the 2018 schedule to be similar to what was done in 2017. For the remainder of 2017, shuttles will continue to run for special events (Autumn Gold, Elkfest, etc.) Osterman also extended appreciation to the TAB for the letter sent to the Town Board suggesting added shuttle service. Member Perrault thanked the Shuttle Committee for thinking of downtown employees when planning shuttle services. There was additional discussion about a potential survey being extended to downtown employees related to employee shuttle services. It may be beneficial to look at ways to provide incentive to employees to utilize shuttles. PROJECT UPDATES, Kelly Stallworth, Pavement Manager Downtown Parking Management Plan: There is an upcoming public meeting for parking management to be held on September 28 (in conjunction with the Downtown Plan public meeting). Chair Campbell discussed with the TAB some of the technology features that will be presented. The TAB will be taking an evaluative role with the public expressing no specific stance until the needed research is complete. Once all community meetings are complete, a compilation of all findings and supporting documentation will be provided to the Town Board. TAB will analyze the findings at that time to see if support is still the majority. There will be a collaborative discussion among TAB members about parking management and the results received in the community meetings. Chair Campbell raised the question, "Who should be building parking lots for downtown?" According to the Estes Valley Development Code, there is a defined number of parking spaces required for all new development based on the square footage being developed. At this point, the Town is adopting the burden of all parking in Estes Park. With limited RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — September 20, 2017 — Page 3 funding, should there be a mill levy or what is the best method of funding? Potential Sales Tax District for businesses that don't already provide appropriate parking? Is this something the TAB should be looking at? Where should funds be coming from? The Downtown Plan outlines some of these features. Member Perrault suggested providing consultant information and details to citizens regarding the existing civic infrastructure. Member Hamrick suggested the TAB not confine themselves to discussions only about parking and would like our committee to expand the discussion topics to include trails, Moraine Avenue improvements, etc. Campbell suggested that the streets dictate behavior in their design. The TAB needs to look at this and determine appropriate design while defining the order to effectively communicate with CDOT. This analysis is pending adoption of the Downtown Plan and associated parking plan. Drafting a letter of recommendation for "Complete Streets" will help guide CDOT planning for future planning/design. Moraine Avenue Bridge Replacement: The Town Board approved a construction contract pending the finalized Special Use Permit from CDOT. The project manager feels confident that we'll be able to begin the first phase of the closure on October 2 with full closure beginning October 10. A preconstruction meeting is to take place September 26, 2017 at 3:00 pm. Project management is currently working with a sign contractor for area business wayfinding signage. A pedestrian bridge is to be installed in lieu of a full bridge pedestrian closure. Digital Message Signs: This project is still in the works. The Town re -advertised the invitation to bid for installation of the digital message signs. Again, the bids received were well over the allotted budget. The Town may have to find another alternative and go back into design drawings, potentially do a portion of the work ourselves and rebid remaining work. MacGregor Avenue Improvement: The project is near completion. At this point, the contractor is addressing punch -list items and tying up loose ends. The Town has received quality feedback from the public and there has been significant trail usage. OTHER BUSINESS No other business was initiated. With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1:40 p.m.