GTC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
NYSDOT – Region 4
November 21, 2002
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Paul Johnson, Monroe County Planning
Charles Nesbitt, Jr., Empire State Development Corporation
Terrence J. Rice, Monroe County DOT
George Stam, City of Rochester
David Zorn, G/FLRPC
Wayne Zyra, Monroe County Legislator
ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT
David Cook, representing Don Riley, RGRTA
Alicia Nolan, representing Jonathan McDade, FHWA
OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE
Steve Beauvais, NYSDOT – Region 4
Kristin Bennett, GTC Staff
Doug Benson, City of Rochester
Donald Colquhoun, ARC of Orleans County
Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff
Steve Gleason, GTC Staff
Reinhard Gsellmeier, Monroe County Division of Engineering
Matt Ingalls, City of Rochester
Marvin Kleinberg, NYSDOT – Region 4
Scott Leathersich, Monroe County DOT
Richard Perrin, GTC Staff
Carolynn Purpura, Genesee County
Lisa Smith, GTC Staff
James Stack, GTC Staff
John Thomas, City of Rochester
Robert Traver, NYSDOT – Region 4
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED
S. William Baker, US EPA
Philip Brito, FAA
Donald Cooley, Orleans County
Stephen Ferranti, Member-At-Large, Monroe County
Glenn Guarino, Member-At-Large, Monroe County
Timothy Hens, Genesee County
John T. Hicks, NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation
Thomas Skoglund, Wyoming County Planning Department
Larry Stid, City of Rochester
William Sullivan, City of Rochester
1. Call to Order
David Woods called the meeting to order at 10:40 a.m.
2. Public Forum
No public comment was offered.
3. Approval of Minutes
Terrence Rice made a motion for approval of the minutes from the October 17, 2002 Planning Committee meeting as submitted. David Cook seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
4. Reports and Action on Old Business
Steve Gleason reported on GTC Staff and Committee activities:
· The Transportation Safety Information Analysis project has not started yet
· GTC and G/FLRPC staff have completed the survey for high-priority sites for the Transportation and Industrial Access project. G/FLRPC is finalizing the inventory contents by cross-checking with Empire State Development. A presentation was made on November 8 to the Regional Development Corporation
· The Regional Rights-Of-Way Preservation Study project is progressing; staff will be researching property data within various counties in the region
· Stuart Brown Associates has been selected as the consultant for the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Study; contract documents are being finalized
· Staff is targeting December 2 for the release of the Priority Trails Advancement RFP
· The Congestion Management System Implementation project is awaiting completion of the CMS Plan before starting
· GTC has tentatively scheduled its grant-funded Walkable Communities workshops for the week of May 5 – 9, 2003 and will be identifying workshop locations based on geographic balance and proximity to good field study locations
· The Final Reports and Executive Summaries for the Regional Trails Initiative – Phase I will be delivered to GTC on November 22. The Regional Trails Initiative – Phase 2 RFP will be issued on November 25. The next RTI Steering Committee meeting will be held on December 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the GTC office
· GTC received 124 TIP project applications requesting four times more than there are funds available. 13 of the 19 applicants took advantage of the applicant presentation opportunity on November 12 and 13. GTC and NYSDOT will be processing the applications throughout November and December
· GTC received 28 UPWP applications for FY 2003-2004 funding. The UDC met this morning before the Planning Committee meeting and will hold their next meeting on December 5
· GTC staff has outlined the chapters which will comprise the next Long Range Transportation Plan, as well as begun documentation of accomplishments since the last Plan update. An updated Long Range Transportation Plan for the region must be completed by December 2004
· NYSDOT’s Commissioner Boardman announced nine successful Transportation Enhancements Program projects for the GTC seven-county TIP planning region on November 13. These nine projects will be presented later in the meeting for amendment into the current TIP (Resolution 02-36). Two additional projects, one in Seneca County and one in Yates County, were announced earlier this fall by the Governor’s office.
Monroe County
Terry Rice reported:
· The GIS Database Integration for Monroe County DOT project is progressing since the reassignment of the work on the designated database software
· The County has reached an agreement on the consultant’s fee for the Multi-Lane Conversion Study and the consultant is analyzing the 50-60 identified multi-lane road segments. Expected completion date for the Study is Summer 2003
Paul Johnson reported:
· The Monroe County Land Use Monitoring project is on schedule with a January 2003 survey expected
Ontario County
Kris Hughes reported:
· Work continues on the Route 332 Corridor Management Study; Ontario County is targeting late December for completion
· The Routes 5 & 20 Corridor Study kickoff for local officials in early November had a good turn out and participants displayed high interest. The RFP will be developed in early December
· Many problems have been solved in the Ontario CATS Bus System Plan. The Steering Committee will be bringing the results to the Board of Supervisors. A report to the Planning Committee is expected at the February meeting
Wyoming County
Steve Gleason reported:
· A contract with Allee, King, Rosen and Fleming has been executed for the Transportation & Scenic/Historic Resources project in Wyoming County. A kick-off meeting will be scheduled shortly
Yates County
Steve Gleason reported:
· A Steering Committee meeting for the Route 14A Corridor Study was held on November 19. Dates for the first public meeting are being considered for the week of December 12 – 17
City of Rochester
John Thomas reported:
·
Bergmann Associates has been
selected to serve as the consultant on the Street Condition Rating Update Study
· White topping pavement treatments have been installed at various bus stop locations on Main Street in Downtown Rochester as part of Phase 1 of the High Volume Bus Stop Pavement Management Study
G/FLRPC
David Zorn reported:
· The 2001 Rural County Land Use Monitoring Report has been sent out; surveys for 2002 data will be sent out in January 2003
· The Main Street Transportation Tools project inventory and fieldwork have been completed. G/FLRPC will be working with GTC staff on a draft report next month
· G/FLRPC staff has assembled the data and developed draft maps for the new Regional Atlas. G/FLRPC staff will be meeting with GTC staff to formulate a draft layout
RGRTA
David Cook reported:
· The consultant is finalizing the draft reports for the Public Transportation Strategic Plans in Wayne and Wyoming counties
· Staff is finalizing the RFP for the Security and Safety Plan for Public Transportation
· Major advancements have been made in the Route Analysis Information System project. Five thousand surveys have been distributed to bus riders over the past two weeks
· The Alternative Fuels Technology Study scope of work will be presented to the Planning Committee at its January 2003 meeting
· Twenty new replacement buses with brighter destination signs have been received and are now on the road
· RGRTA has installed a new bus driver simulator to improve driver training
Other Agencies
· A public meeting is scheduled on December 3 in Geneva to present the Route 14 Truck Study findings and draft recommendations
· Sear Brown Associates has been selected for the Monroe Avenue / I-590 Interchange Study. GTC and the Town of Brighton are in the process of executing a Letter of Agreement
· The kick-off meeting for the Lexington Avenue Extension Study was held on November 20. The first public meeting will be held in late January 2003
b. Any Other Old Business or Announcements
· Planning Committee Action on G/FLRPC request to become member of GTC TIP Development Committee
David Zorn summarized the G/FLRPC request to become a member of GTC TIP Development Committee (TDC). David Woods read a letter of support for the request from Wyoming County into the meeting record. Copies of the letter were distributed to Committee members.
David Woods invited members of the committee to voice their opinion on the request.
Some members voiced the opinion that G/FLRPC’s participation would be beneficial and bring a broader perspective to the committee, especially through its potential to represent rural county interests. Some members questioned the need to add G/FLRPC to the TDC because the proposed TIP is ultimately reviewed and acted on by the GTC Planning Committee, which includes representatives from the rural counties and G/FLRPC.
It was suggested that G/FLRPC join the TDC as a non-voting member.
Kristen Hughes made a motion to add G/FLRPC as a non-voting advisory member of the GTC TIP Development Committee. James Brady seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
5. Planning Committee Action Items
a. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning Accepting the report, Strategic Plan for Public Transportation in Orleans County, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 8240 / Proposed Council Resolution 02-31
Steve Gleason introduced Don Colquhoun, Executive Director of the ARC of Orleans County. Don gave a brief overview of ARC of Orleans County involvement in the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation in Orleans County. He also reviewed the project findings and recommendations.
As a result of the study, Orleans County is considering joining the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority.
David Woods commented that he was pleased to see GTC supporting the various strategic plans for public transportation in the rural areas.
David Cook motioned to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 02-31. Charles Nesbitt, Jr. seconded. The motion passed unopposed.
b. Planning Committee Action on City of Rochester request to supplement budget of UPWP Task 4340 – Street Condition Rating Update Study
Steve Gleason gave a brief overview of the City’s request for additional funding, and the availability of Program Reserve funds. The City is requesting an additional $20,000 of UPWP funds for the project.
George Stam explained that, as the study developed, the City realized that they needed to expand the scope to allow for integration with the City’s Geographic Information System. The question was asked if the consultant was rating the roads. John Thomas explained that City staff had already completed the road ratings.
After some discussion on the availability and flexibility of FHWA and FTA funds within the Program Reserve, GTC staff was asked to investigate the eligibility of this project and the High Volume Bus Stop Pavement Study for FTA funding. If either of these projects were eligible for FTA funds then the City’s request could be funded in full with a reallocation of funds between projects. If not, the City’s request could only be funded to the limit of the FHWA funds in the Program Reserve (i.e., $17,898).
Kristen Hughes motioned to recommend approval of the City of Rochester request to supplement the budget of UPWP Task 4340 – Street Condition Rating Update Study within the limits of funding availability. George Stam seconded. The motion passed unopposed.
c. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning:
· Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by increasing the Other costs of the Rochester/Monroe County Traffic Control Center / Proposed Council Resolution 02-32
Terry Rice explained the need for additional funding for the Traffic Control Center.
· Amending The 2001-2006 TIP by increasing the Construction & Inspection costs for the Lehigh Valley Linear Trail project / Proposed Council Resolution 02-33
Terry Rice outlined the need for additional funding through the TIP for this project, which was funded in the 1999-2000 Round of the Transportation Enhancements Program. He noted that County and NYSDOT staff and the County’s consultant have identified several cost-cutting measures, which has minimized the amount needed from the TIP to supplement the project’s budget.
· Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by increasing the Construction & Inspection costs for the Chili Avenue – Rochester project / Proposed Council Resolution 02-34
George Stam explained that Design activities have resulted in a more refined estimate of Construction cost for this project.
· Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding a Detailed Design phase and delaying the Construction & Inspection phase for the Genesee River Trail project / Proposed Council Resolution 02-35
George Stam explained that initial Design work was completed under the Lake Avenue project. Due to the complexity of this project, the remaining Design work was separated so the Lake Avenue project could proceed.
Rob Slaver noted that cost savings and changes in schedules on various TIP projects yield the necessary funding to cover all of the aforementioned TIP amendments.
· Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding the nine successful 2001-2002 Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) projects / Proposed Council Resolution 02-36
Steve Gleason explained that the amendment of the nine TEP-funded projects into the TIP is purely an administrative action and will have no fiscal impact on the TIP as the funding is altogether new funding for the region.
Terry Rice motioned to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolutions 02-32, 02-33, 02-34, 02-35, and 02-36. Kristen Hughes seconded. The motion passed unopposed.
6. Planning Committee Information Items
G/FLRPC is hosting a Regional Energy Roundtable on December 12. Contact G/FLRPC for more information.
7. New Business
There was no new business
8. Next Meeting
The next Planning Committee meeting will be held on January 9, 2003, at 9:00 a.m. at RGRTA
9. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m.