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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES Transportation Advisory Board 2024-12-18Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, December 18, 2024 Minutes of a Regular meeting of the TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD of the Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado. Meeting held in the Municipal Building in said Town of Estes Park on the 18th day of December, 2024. Board: Chair Belle Morris; Vice-Chair Kristen Ekeren; Members Larry Gamble, Linda Hanick, Joan Hooper, Misti Marcantonio, Carissa Streib, and Wallace Wood; Trustee Mark Igel; Staff Liaison Dana Klein Attending: Chair Morris; Vice-Chair Ekeren; Members Gamble, Hooper, and Wood; Director Muhonen; Engineer Bailey; Manager Klein; Recording Secretary McDonald; Barb Boyer Buck, Estes Valley Voice; Nick Thomas and Dane Lyon, The Car Park Absent: Member Hanick, Member Streib, Member Marcantonio, Trustee Igel Chair Morris called the meeting to order at 12:17 p.m. TAB APPRECIATION LUNCHEON During the annual appreciation luncheon, Director Muhonen thanked the TAB for their time and dedication as a Town advisory board, particularly during the new and continued construction projects of 2024. PUBLIC COMMENT None. TRUSTEE LIAISON UPDATE Trustee Igel was not present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES DATED OCTOBER 16, 2024 It was moved and seconded (Ekeren/Hooper) to approve the October 16, 2024, minutes, and it passed unanimously. PARKING & TRANSIT UPDATES Manager Klein focused on select slides from the December 10 Town Board Study Session on “2024 Paid Parking Season Results.” Overall goals of the paid parking program and basic details of the 2024 program were reviewed. The 2024 Program Results section measured peak occupancy, turnover, and permit data. Continued partnership with the Estes Valley Library simplified Local Permit registrations and renewals; influenced library programming and locations; and supported the Park-n-Walk Challenge. Some “Key Takeaways” are that guests and residents are learning the system, resulting in more positive or neutral customer service interactions; that weekday occupancy was “adequate” at 82%, while weekend occupancy pushed at or near 100%; Transportation Advisory Board – December 18, 2024 – Page 2 that the program faced challenges later in the season, particularly during Bond Park event dates; and that The Peak enjoyed a dramatic increase in ridership, which bodes strongly for future grant opportunities. Discussion points included the trend of customers extending their paid time to maintain their parking spots; the growing familiarity with paid parking practices in Estes Park and elsewhere, with customers helping others use the kiosk and understand signage; and how Local Permit holders (approximately 4,700) could dominate occupancy if they chose to park during peak times. Regarding traffic light timing at East Elkhorn Avenue and Virginia Drive, Director Muhonen advised that the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) prefers that public agencies and the general public use the Contact CDOT webpage to report any issues or requests involving US 34 and US 36 in Estes Park. MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN: DRAFT DOCUMENT DISCUSSION Chair Morris opened discussion on the draft Multimodal Transportation Plan (MTP) and draft Transit Development Plan (TDP), whose public comment periods are open through January 3. Kimley-Horn intends to produce the updated plan documents by January 15. It was agreed that the TAB did not presently have sufficient information to provide a Letter of Support (LOS) for the Town Board’s potential adoption of these plans in January. Director Muhonen advised that Public Works could determine a later month to bring the final plans forward. Discussion points for both the MTP and TDP drafts included the use of cell phones to track the travel time data that was used to measure congestion, and overall concerns about how congestion was evaluated; that Estes Park traffic is a public safety issue, particularly for first responders; how projects are not typically designed and budgeted to address worst-case scenarios (a suggested example being that a major retailer wouldn’t design a parking lot based primarily on Black Friday occupancy); the benefits of considering how today’s transit and other projects could affect congestion management 20 years from now; how the TAB should take this opportunity to wrestle through the fundamental concept that the studies informing the current plans are car-centric; reference to the Complete Streets Policy as the model for a potential “Village Policy” that calls for any development plans to protect or support a multimodal culture for the community; the importance of posting comments about ongoing pedestrian safety issues on Colorado Highway 7 (CO 7) directly in the draft; and how the creation of perimeter parking and expanded transit options could help discourage driving to downtown, though not necessarily for those with mobility issues. Since not all public comments on the drafts are supporting the car-centric concept, Director Muhonen advised that the TAB could produce a position paper capturing both the majority and minority views. It was then agreed that most of the plans’ recommended improvements do support the overall priorities of the MTP-TDP project, but that developing attractive transit alternatives should be a priority. Director Muhonen further advised that a master plan is intended to be high level, not a deep dive; therefore, it can and should address issues that require further assessment. Transportation Advisory Board – December 18, 2024 – Page 3 Discussion then ensued about the necessary timeline for the TAB to fully examine the updated plan documents in January and develop an LOS for Town Board consideration. It was agreed that the TAB would postpone meeting again until January 29, when it would convene to discuss the final plans and work toward developing the LOS for approval/voting on February 19. Staff would then prepare an agenda packet seeking adoption of the MTP-TDP at the March 11 Town Board meeting. Recording Secretary McDonald will send a new calendar invitation for the TAB’s January 29 meeting, which will take place at an alternate location due to unavailability of the Town Board Room on that date. TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN: DRAFT DOCUMENT DISCUSSION Addressed in previous agenda item. TAB RECOMMENDATION LETTER FOR MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN & TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN Addressed in previous agenda item. ENGINEERING UPDATES Engineer Bailey reported issues with buried and/or unknown utilities on the Cleave Street Improvements project. The contractor has updated the construction schedule to reflect a more realistic timeline. Engineer Rucker and Consultant Erickson have been on-site daily to monitor activity. Memorial Day weekend continues to be the anticipated completion date. For the Reclamation Neighborhood Improvements, hard surface has been placed; final asphalt will be completed in spring 2025. Concrete work to tie in driveways will take place over the next three weeks before the winter pause. The CDOT US 34/36 Overlay Project is on winter shutdown. Director Muhonen reiterated that questions or concerns about crosswalk striping and other construction matters on US 34 or US 36 should be submitted through the Contact CDOT webpage. Engineer Bailey participated in a kick-off planning meeting today for trail improvements along US 34 and CO 7. A design meeting is anticipated in early 2025, with TAB having the opportunity to review the 30% Design before the public comment period. The next phase of the Fall River Trail Extension project is anticipated to begin in fall 2025. GRANT APPLICATIONS UPDATES FOR MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION AND MITIGATION OPTIONS FUND Manager Klein reported that the Town anticipates being awarded the Multimodal Transportation and Mitigation Options Fund (MMOF) grant in March 2025—through the Upper Front Range Transportation Planning Region (UFR TPR)—for Moraine Avenue Trail Design and 2026-2028 transit operations. This requires a zero-match for the Town. Transportation Advisory Board – December 18, 2024 – Page 4 Director Muhonen reported that Estes Park is also eligible for potential future Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grant funding—through the Federal Highway Administration (FHA)—for Marys Lake Road guardrail improvements, Lily Lake trailhead congestion mitigation, and intersection improvements at Marys Lake Road and High Drive. Since MMOF grant funds would cover design costs only, construction funding may be sought through CDOT’s Nonattainment Area Air Pollution Mitigation Enterprise (NAAPME). The FLAP grant call for projects is expected in August 2025. There was some discussion about where and how to focus the improvements along Moraine Avenue. UPDATE ON PAST PUBLIC COMMENT Regarding the September 18 public comment by Max Burkhalter about parking conditions on High Drive, Member Gamble provided three photos showing recently placed boulders on High Drive. OTHER BUSINESS There was brief discussion about the recently conducted poll on TAB meeting time preference. Chair Morris reported that only six members had responded to the poll; she will provide the results to staff. Director Muhonen reminded members that the TAB selects officers annually at its January meeting. He also advised that he recently applied for and has accepted the Town’s new position of Stormwater Engineer; he will postpone assuming those duties until a new Public Works Director has been hired. Meanwhile, he will continue directing the Public Works Department and working with the TAB through the MTP-TDP adoption. There being no further business, Chair Morris adjourned the meeting at 2:07 p.m. /s/Lani McDonald, Recording Secretary