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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPACKET Transportation Advisory Board 2016-4-20 4 9 TOWN OF ESTES PARK Transportation Advisory Board Agenda April 20',2016 Current Members: Belle Morris(03/31/17) 12:00 PM—2:00 PM Stan Black(03/31/17) Gregg Rounds(03/31/18) Rooms 202 &203 Kimberly Campbell(03/31/18) Gordon Slack(03/31/19) Estes Park Town Hall Ann Finley (03/31/19) Tom Street(03/31/19) 170 MacGregor Ave Amy Hamrick(03/31/16) Ken Zornes(03/31/19) Public Comment Introduction of New Members Chair Kimberly Campbell Approval of March meeting minutes Chair Kimberly Campbell Guest Speaker Rich Christy, CDOT Resident Engineer Shuttle Committee Update Sandy Osterman Project Updates Director Greg Muhonen TAB Initiatives Chair Kimberly Campbell • Propose 2017 Trustee Objectives Other Business Chair Kimberly Campbell 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 16th, 2016 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 16th day of March, 2016. Present: Kimberly Campbell Stan Black Amy Hamrick Belle Morris Gregg Rounds Gordon Slack Thom Widawski Ann Finley Also Present: Greg Muhonen, Director of Public Works John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Samantha Phillips, Recording Secretary Kevin Ash, Engineering Manager Absent: Bryon Holmes Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 12:06 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION It was moved and seconded (Black/Finley) to approve the February meeting minutes as amended and the motion passed unanimously. Erica Goad, Estes Park Cycling Coalition, was present in the public and spoke to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) about bike infrastructure in the Town. She emphasized the economic benefits associated with creating Estes Park more bicycle friendly. Currently, she argued that there is no safe route for kids to ride to school and that more people would ride their bikes if the facility was there. She argued that while there are options for big changes that the Town can make, there are also easy and cheap alternatives such as signage. Similar to the TAB's initiatives, the Estes Park Cycling Coalition would like to see more connectivity within the Town. Todd Plummer, Estes Park Cycling Coalition, brought up the concern about the crosswalks that vehicles do not stop for which leads to safety issues regarding bicyclists. He mentioned an idea for a possible flashing light at the crosswalk to alert drivers to stop therefore increasing safety conditions. Sandy Osterman presented the monthly Shuttle Committee update. The Committee had sent out a survey to which over 300 citizens had responded with a goal of reaching 600 responses. A public meeting will be held at a later date in which the survey results would be released. A grant dependent possibility was discussed of picking citizens up upon request. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — March 16th, 2016 — Page 2 Chair Campbell confirmed that Board members, Thomas Widawski and Brian Wells, terms would be expiring in March. Trustee John Ericson's term would be expiring in March, as well. It was announced that Ken Zornes and Tom Street had been approved as the new TAB members with their terms commencing in April. Trustee Ericson announced that the Board would continue their discussion on vacation rentals which indirectly effect transportation because of the parking issues associated with them. The Board hopes that an ordinance will take effect in 2017. The consultant Logan Simpson would be doing work for the Downtown Neighborhood Plan which is underway. There is a survey which would have a big impact on buildings, roadways, vehicles, pedestrians, and bike lanes. The Rocky Mountain National Park released their numbers and attendance for 2016 was up 23.5% which would have significant traffic impacts for the Town. PROJECT UPDATES CDOT will begin work on Highway 7 beginning fall 2016 which would start with storm drainage and pipes. The impact to Estes and the 34/36 intersection will start in spring 2017. Director Muhonen's understanding was that the project is limited to ramp improvements, drainage improvements, and resurfacing the road. Manager Ash expressed the cost concern with a flashing light at the intersection citing that the cost would range from $20-30K and is not solar powered. A construction contract for the Dry Gulch Road Rehabilitation project had been awarded to SEMA Construction. Notice to Proceed was anticipated to be scheduled at the end of March with road closures to begin the first week of April. Phase 1 will include a portion of Dry Gulch being closed from Highway 34 up to Wildlife Road. The overall schedule for this project is anticipated to last until the end of August 2016. Design work continues with the Fall River Trail Extension with the latest plan having been approved. Options of shuttle pull-offs would be discussed in further detail. The David Dr. option would not be pursued after further researched revealed that the retaining wall impacts and the costs were too high. The Town is in the process of meeting with property owners for easement negotiations regarding the Fish Creek corridor project. If all 107 easements are obtained, the project would be put out to bid summer 2016 with construction to start in fall that same year. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — March 16th, 2016 — Page 3 The structural work would take place in the winter with paving and reconstruction of the trail to being in spring 2017. Parking garage: Public Works is currently in discussion with the Bureau of Reclamation and the FTA over the special use permit. The FTA will not allow the Town to move forward unless they have a 50 year special use permit. Options would be discussed with both entities. TAB INITIATIVES Co-chair Morris spoke about connectivity regarding bicyclists. She mentioned possibly sending a formal request to the Town in hopes of having streets that have heavy bicyclist usage being swept more often than streets with less usage. Morris suggested there be a bike lane at the intersection of Hwy 34 & 36 that would head north to Wonderview Avenue and connect to the trail extension at the bypass. The Board also discussed the possibility of installing a blinking light at the MacGregor Avenue intersection. Morris spoke on re-striping heavily focusing on Highway 7. She would like to see more sharrow roads where bicyclists have full right to be in the lane with the possibility of widening certain roads. Chair Campbell would like to see a more concise summary with photos for support that the Board could present to the Town Board moving forward. Director Muhonen would like to provide comments to consultants who are working on the Trails Master Plan. Trail Committee, TAB, Cyclists Coalition, PW can then make a list of projects which will reduce in segments that are fundable, once that is done, the funded groups can go through the list and build it piece by piece. Finley and Hamrick laid out their priorities for the walking trails which included safety, aesthetics, and connectivity. Their goal was to identify the most important priorities for pedestrian walkways and fill in any gaps. A specific concern was the area near the Stanley. A sidewalk is present up until Safeway but then disappears by the Stanley. Their second priority included connectivity. Particularly involving the 34/36 intersection. Eventually, the Board would like to see more connectivity from the Donut Haus to the YMCA and more multi-use trails. Chair Campbell expressed interest in a seasonal lease program for parking meters. The Town would only pay when the meters are collecting revenue. It was suggested to invite the representative to speak to Trustees about the options surrounding installation and payment. The Board would like to present the strategy to the Trustees in June as a top RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — March 16th, 2016 — Page 4 action item. Many options were discussed including a meter in front of each designated parking spot and a meter at the end of the row for multiple spots. The seasonal leasing program would be consistent with the 2017 goals for paid parking. The Board discussed the FLAP grant opportunity for the Town. There were multiple paths to take including a parking garage, bridges, a post office transit center, and improvements on Moraine Avenue. Ultimately, the Board decided to hold a special meeting on April 4th to discuss the options and come to a consensus on which one they would choose to move forward with. OTHER BUSINESS With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 1:48 pm. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, April 4th, 2016 Minutes of a Special meeting of the Transportation Advisory Board of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Administrative Conference Room of Town Hall, in said Town of Estes Park on the 4th day of April, 2016. Present: Kimberly Campbell Stan Black Amy Hamrick Belle Morris Gregg Rounds Gordon Slack Ann Finley Ken Zornes Tom Street Also Present: Greg Muhonen, Director of Public Works John Ericson, Town Board Liaison Samantha Phillips, Recording Secretary Kevin Ash, Engineering Manager Chair Campbell called the meeting to order at 11:02 p.m. GENERAL DISCUSSION The Board began discussion on which project to select for the upcoming FLAP grant opportunity. First, they discussed the Fall River trail construction. This option would promote bicycle usage and reduce vehicle trips into the park. However, the grant would require a 17.21% local match. The Board decided against this option. The second option would include expenses for downtown bridge improvements. The grant would replace or expand three bridges and include widening the river channel. This option would improve access to RMNP and improve infrastructure. This project was favorable from a flood mitigation perspective. Stan Black questioned if there was a way to find the local match. Director Muhonen was not confident that we could find the match in the tight deadline before the FLAP application was due. This option was crossed off due to the difficulty of finding the local match. The Board discussed the option of the pose office lot transit center and parking garage as a new location for a transit stop. This project would have the most support from the community but would only provide peripheral parking and not core parking. The Board decided that this project was not the best fit for the application and decided against this project for the time being. RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS Transportation Advisory Board — April 4th, 2016 — Page 2 The Board held a short dialogue on the option for constructing levels 3 and 4 of the Visitor's Center Parking Garage. However, it was decided to focus more on roads than parking. The Board felt that the most favorable option would be the Moraine Avenue improvements with intersection improvements at Mary's Lake. The possibility of having 3 lanes, one each way and one turn lane, was discussed with the possibility of having a turn lane in certain areas. Co-Chair Morris would like to see bike lanes incorporated into the plan. This project would be more beneficial for roads and access as opposed to parking garages. The Board discussed the best location to place the trail and if it should be attached or detached. Plans were made to inquire if CDOT would contribute a match due to the fact that Moraine Avenue is their road. Chair Campbell suggested a recommendation to send to the Trustee's for "a FLAP application for roadway and intersection improvements to Moraine Avenue including bike lanes and sidewalk as well as a detached multi-use trail along the Big Thompson from the intersection of Moraine and Crags continuing through the intersection of Moraine and Mary's Lake road". Finley motioned for the recommendation. Slack seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS With no other business to discuss, Chair Campbell adjourned the meeting at 12:22 pm.