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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES Transportation Advisory Board 10-16-19 Town of Estes Park, Larimer County, Colorado, October 16th, 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 the 16th day of October, 2019. Present: Gordon Slack Belle Morris Stan Black Tom Street Ron Wilcocks Scott Moulton Janice Crow Ann Finley Linda Hanick Also Present: Trustee Carlie Bangs, Town Board Liaison Vanessa Solesbee, Parking & Transit Manager David Hook, Engineering Manager Elias Wilson, Public Works Admin. Assistant Absent: Greg Muhonen, Public Work Director Chair Morris called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT: APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Member Black shared that he felt unclear about the language of “recommendation of D or E” in the September minutes. Black stated that he believed the TAB recommendation was referencing style rather than the amount of money being charged. Co-chair Street stated that the progressive and dynamic pricing model should be clarified in the event the board moves forward with the recommendation. It was moved and seconded (Black/Hanick) to approve the September meeting minutes as amended to include language stating that it is the responsibility of the Town Trustees to set and establish paid parking rates . All were in favor. Members Moulton and Finley recused themselves. Member Wilcocks abstained. Manager Solesbee will confirm before resubmitting the letter to the Town Board to include the language of the amended TAB recommendation. PROJECT UPDATES (V. Solesbee – Parking & Transit Manager) Prior to project updates from Manager Solesbee, Chair Morris requested that the TAB have a thoughtful and respectful conversation related to paid parking. Estes Transit: Manager Solesbee shared that there were over 80,000 riders this summer resulting in a 3 percent decrease in ridership from 2018. The Downtown Trolley Route displayed the highest ridership number however this route did experience a decrease in ridership from 2018. The Blue Route boasted the second highest ridership numbers but experienced a drop of 4,000 riders from 2018. The Silver Route recorded the l owest ridership numbers. There is discussion about extending the Brown Route to again serve the YMCA of the Rockies. Manager Solesbee shared that the complementary para transit will be available starting in 2020. Anyone within ¾ of a mile will have the ability to call in and the shuttle will make a detour to pick up the rider. This will include seniors and persons with disabilities. Member Slack questioned if this means the bus will detour from its intended route to pick up any individual. Manager Solesbee confirmed. This complementary ridership will be added and advertised beginning in 2020. Transportation Advisory Board – October 16th, 2019 – Page 2 Manager Solesbee is waiting to hear the final Bustang numbers from CDOT and if the Bustang Route will be declared a success. The Shuttle Committee and TAB will meet jointly in December to finalize 2020 routes. Member Finley asked if the Bustang service will be increased or sustained. Solesbee stated Estes Park will likely have one bus per day unlike the two that ran this summer. It will likely be a competitive price next year rather than the $10 charged per person this summer. Parking: Manager Solesbee that September ended the parking enforcement season. There was an increase in citations from 2018. This data will be provided to TAB. Chair Morris questioned where the biggest citation issues occurred. Solesbee replied that the Dairy Queen and Wheel Bar parking lots were the most common and that the most common offenders were employees and repeat offenders. As of September 24, 2019, there were 1,177 citations written. Last year there were around 1,053 citations written. Manager Solesbee attended the Town Board Study Sessions on September 24 and again on October 8. Solesbee shared parking data collected for the 2019 season. She stated the goal is to be able to properly manage parking at peak times. An extensive public outreach process which reached 450 people was performed. The local and visitor feedback was very different. Visitors thought the parking experience is f air and local businesses shared their concerns about the impacts of paid parking. Solesbee stated that all feedback received will be reported to the Town Board for consideration in their final determination. Member Finley questioned why the turnover in parking is good for business. Member Slack commented that during the 2005 parking study the point was that customers didn’t have to worry about staying too long. Slack stated that TAB should want to have people able to stay longer to eat, shop, etc. Member Solesbee replied that the intent is manage the peak occupancies during the day to help shift the demand. Member Slack commented that encouraging people to park outside the core, if they’re going to stay for an extended period, would be ideal. Solesbee replied that paid parking will help effectively shift behavior. This will also make getting to the downtown area a more welcoming experience for visitors and residents. Member Wilcocks stated that, as a business owner, he speaks to 5,000 to 10,000 people each year and the biggest issue people have with parking in the downtown area are the time limits. Wilcocks shared that some people will bypass downtown because of paid parking and the business community is looking for people to camp out all day and enjoy the amenities Estes Park has to offer. He shared that he has customers sometimes racing to leave because of the 3-hour time limits. Most malls have free parking to have people linger and this leads to sales taxes. Wilcocks shared that he surveyed 300 visitors and 99 percent said they do not want paid parking. He spoke with several business owners downtown in about 6 hours. Wilcocks stated that businesses feel that they are left out of the discussion and some even say that it is futile to share the business opinion with representatives of the Town because they feel they will not be heard. He said there wasn’t a single business owner who wanted paid parking. Of the business owners he spoke with there were only about five who knew that paid parking was moving forward. Wilcocks shared an analogy that instead of asking if the businesses like ice cream they are being asked if they want chocolate or vanilla. He then stated that this is his firsthand account. Chair Morris replied that the statement made by Wilcocks is broad and that the discussions about permit options have not yet occurred. Manager Solesbee commented that downtown parking permits are currently $30 per year, and if Phase II is implemented a robust permit program would likely be implemented. Member Wilcocks shared that after what happened with the Downtown Estes Loop there is little trust from the business community that the Town will pay attention. Finley stated that Solesbee spoke with the majority of the downtown businesses. Member Slack stated that TAB is moving in the direction of the adopted Downtown Parking Management Plan (DPMP). Transportation Advisory Board – October 16th, 2019 – Page 3 Wilcocks said that the parking management component was done separately with little discussion from the master planning team and that it was solely done by a consultant. Manager Solesbee stated that she doesn’t believe Wilcock’s representation of the process is fair. Member Slack went to the Town Board Study Session and witnessed the push-back Solesbee received, although the Town Board approved the DPMP in 2018. Slack shared that Mayor Jirsa specifically stated that the Town Board needs more feedback. Slack shared that he doesn’t see paid parking happening next year. Slack further stated it is up to the Town Board Trustees to decide about paid parking implementation. Trustee Bangs stated that feedback is very important to the Town Board and that it is difficult to have a conversation with individuals when they are improperly informed or believe misinformation that has been disseminated. Chair Morris commented that there has been a lot of outreach and business owners must take responsibility to participate in the process. Wilcocks recommended the 15 unanswered questions be answered prior to Town Board voting and asked about the price for permits. Finley stated that TAB is only discussing the implementation of Phase II of the DPMP. Solesbee stated that parking permits will not be market price, and that the Town Board will be responsible for determining the cost of permits. Member Black redirected the conversation by mentioning the recent statement made by Mayor Jirsa that the parking structure was a waste of $4 million dollars. Black stated that Solesbee should have responded by stating that the Phase II implementation would fill the garage. Black stated that if the Mayor isn’t on board Phase II isn’t going to happen. Member Slack stated that this is not a unitary decision. The TAB has to make it easy for employees who work across town to park in the parking garage and conveniently get to work. Member Crow shared that her friends from the Front Range have stopped coming up to Estes Park because of the traffic congestion and parking accessibility. Increasing ridership will be dependent on factors such as routes, service and gas prices. Manager Solesbee is going back to the Town Board next week to further discuss the options and data, answer questions about transit and questions related to paid parking. The three options are to do nothing, implement Phase II or another option that has not yet been discussed or proposed. Member Slack suggested Solesbee remind the Trustees that she is working to implement the Downtown Parking Management Plan which was approved in 2018. Member Hanick shared that she was a business owner for 25 years and that finding employee parking outside the downtown core is difficult. She suggested that perhaps a shuttle system for employees could be implemented where some type of transportation be made available to get employees to work. This would open up 300 additional spots for paying customers. Creating this solution would increase customers for businesses. Wilcocks stated that if an employee shuttle was implemented it should run until 2:30 a.m. Hanick stated that not every lot will be paid parking and that almost all other resort towns charge for parking. She believes people won’t be spooked because of paid parking and that TAB needs to look for solutions to opening up spaces such as the ones employees use during the day. Chair Morris stated that a bike share program may be a good option. Member Wilcock stated that these are the exact questions that must be answered before there is a vote and that this will go a long way in getting buy-in from the business community. Member Hanick stated that FAQs will help answer the questions people feel are unanswered. Member Slack suggested that a potential Phase I-A option to gather more data is needed because Phase II jumps into paid parking. Approving the groundwork and implementing a checkpoint before going into Phase II could help the transition. Transportation Advisory Board – October 16th, 2019 – Page 4 Chair Morris stated that people are unaware of why paid parking discuss ion is occurring. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet would help answer their questions. PROJECT UPDATES (D. Hook – Engineering Manager) US 36 & Community Drive Roundabout: Ongoing environment clearance is currently being performed by CDOT. There are a couple legal and technical issues being addressed with coordination from the Town Attorney. US 34 and Macgregor: Ongoing discussions about executing a full closure of 34 Hwy for construction are occurring. This option would allow the project to be completed much faster, to the community’s benefit. There will be several detour routes included in the traffic control plan and is planned to be bid and constructed prior to Memorial Day of 2020. This timeframe contributes to the push for the full closure. Member Moulton asked if Manager Hook of the time impacts from this project. Hook will get additional information and provide an update at the next scheduled meeting. Hook stated that while this will impact many people, a full closure will get the project completed in a reasonable timeframe. The plans for this project are finalized. Downtown Estes Loop (DEL): Hook shared that there is design activity, pavement markings and other specifications being actively being completed. A discussion about an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) regarding maintenance is taking place. CDOT is not interested in marking cyclist lanes with green backgrounds so there are discussions about the Town taking this on taking place. There is also discussion about the color concrete cross walks. Utility coordination is ongoing and the Town’s Water Division recently started a project in the post office lot in preparation of the DEL. The entrances will be rotated to prevent the entire parking lot from being closed. Brodie Avenue Improvements: Brodie Avenue has been paved. There are a few minor repairs happening in t he area, the landscaping is being completed, and the trail is complete. The project isn’t officially complete but is approaching close out. Chair Morris asked if there were markings on the trail. Hook stated that no markings will be on the trail. Morris mentioned that this could be a project for the future and that trail markings would help educate the youth. Hook replied that as the Town continues adopting the Complete Streets Policy this is an area to consider. Fourth Street and Elkhorn Avenue: These projects are nearly complete with the final closeout work being performed. The pavement markings have been completed on both projects. Fall River Trail: Right of Way clearance, utility clearance and design provisions are taking place for the trail section along Fish Hatchery Road, extending to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). A new grant application is in process which could be used for another section of the trail. Member Slack asked Hook to further explain why Estes Park did not receive the previously submitted grants. Hook replied that the Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) application did not identify a clear benefit to RMNP. The Moraine Avenue application had no clear plan for pedestrians and cyclists for when they arrived past the RMNP boundary. Chair Morris asked Hook to provide an update on the upcoming Graves Avenue Project. Co-chair Street asked if a multimodal path would be included. Hook replied that the Graves design will have multimodal facilities and align with the Complete Streets policy. Transportation Advisory Board – October 16th, 2019 – Page 5 Member Moulton asked Hook to provide an update on Downtown Wayfinding. Hook replied that the plan must be developed and sent to Town Board in order to draw up plans. There is funding in 2019 available which will roll over and a 2020 proposal will be presented. OTHER BUSINESS Trustee Bangs shared information from the recent Trustee Talk that was held on September 26th, 2019. She also stated that on or around November 1 there would be communication about 3rd Street traffic calming devices. Town Administrator Machalek would follow up with Director Muhonen. Bangs also shared that parking conversations have brought up discussions about cultural shifts among younger generations. The parking turnover rates are an example of this changing culture. The participants in the conversations expressed that generationally the cultural experience is changing and people of the younger generations are looking for experiences. This results in visitors not spending 6 hours downtown. Bangs shared that there were participants in the conversation who had not participated in prior conversations. Chair Morris shared a list of questions to be provided to CDOT Region 4 Traffic Engineer, Larry Haas. Haas will be attending the November TAB meeting and Director Muhonen suggested the TAB provide Haas with a list of questions in advance of the meeting. The TAB members engaged in discussion and Morris requested members submit their ideas for questions to her no later than October 21, 2019. With no other business to discuss, Chair Morri s adjourned the meeting at 2:02 p.m. Recording Secretary Elias Wilson, Public Works Department