GTC Planning Committee - Minutes

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GTC PLANNING COMMITTEE

Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority

October 16, 2003

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT

James Brady, Wayne County Highway Department

Joan Dupont, NYSDOT Region 4

Paul Johnson, Monroe County Planning Department

Kristen Mark Hughes, Ontario County Planning Department

Terrence J. Rice, Monroe County DOT

George Stam, City of Rochester

David Woods, Livingston County Planning Department

David Zorn, G/FLRPC

Wayne Zyra, Monroe County Legislator

ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

David Cook, representing Donald Riley, RGRTA

Scott Leathersich, representing Stephen Ferranti, Monroe County At Large

David Thielman, representing Richard Garrabrant, NYS Thruway Authority

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE

Mike Croce, Bergmann Associates

Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff

Erik Frisch, GTC Staff

Ryan Gallivan, RTS

Steve Gleason, GTC Staff

Marvin Kleinberg, NYSDOT Region 4

Willy Larsen, City of Rochester

Richard Perrin, GTC Staff

Bob Scholl, NYSDOT Region 4

Rob Slaver, NYSDOT Region 4

Lisa Smith, GTC Staff

James Stack, GTC Staff

John Thomas, City of Rochester

Chip Walker, RTS

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED

Philip Brito, FAA

Donald Cooley, Orleans County Highway Department

Robert Griffith, FHWA

Steve Hendershott, Monroe County Supervisors Association

Timothy Hens, Genesee County Highway Department

Charles Nesbitt, Jr., Empire State Development Corporation

Mark A. Sawyer, Seneca County Planning Department

Thomas Skoglund, Wyoming County Planning Department

Larry Stid, City of Rochester

William Sullivan, Rochester City Council

Clara Wallace-Douglas, FTA

(Vacant), Yates County

(Vacant), NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation



1. Call to Order

David Woods called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m.

Don Riley welcomed the Committee on behalf of RGRTA.

2.                 Public Forum

No public comment was offered.

3. Approval of Minutes

Terry Rice noted a clarification of the minutes from the August 21st Planning Committee meeting: Terry Rice reported on the Ballantyne Road Corridor Study, not Tom Goodwin as reflected in the minutes.

Terry Rice moved for approval of the minutes from the August 21, 2003 Planning Committee meeting with the noted correction; Dave Thielman seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

4.                 Reports and Action on Old Business

a. Reports on UPWP Projects and Other Activities

GTC

Steve Gleason reported:

        A draft of the GTC Staff Strategic Plan will be presented to the Executive Committee at the next appropriate meeting

        The Rural County Resource Development Initiative survey results will be presented later in the meeting

        Staff is finalizing a draft work plan for the Transportation Safety Information Analysis

        An update of the LRTP 2005-2025 will be presented later in the meeting and will become a standing information item on the Planning Committee agenda until the new LRTP is adopted

        The Governor made a recommendation of unclassifiable to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding air quality for the GTC region. The EPA has not met the October 15 deadline to make its recommendation. Staff has been responding to congressional delegation requests for information. All five congressional representatives sent a letter to the EPA strongly supporting the Governors recommendation

        GTC met with Monroe County IDA and City of Rochester Economic Development staffs regarding Transportation and Industrial Access, Phase 2. Staff is developing an RFP for a consultant

        Priority areas are being identified for the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Study draft Report. The next Steering Committee meeting will be held on November 13. A public forum is scheduled for December 2

        The Priority Trails Advancement project has three sub-projects. A public meeting for the Canandaigua Rail-with-Trail project was held on September 15; the next Stakeholders meeting is yet to be scheduled. The Steering Committee for the Auburn Trail project is targeting November for their next meeting and the first public meeting; fieldwork is almost complete. The City of Rochesters consultant is finishing the report on the two neighborhood connectors; City staff will present recommendations at the January Planning Committee meeting

        A draft work plan for the On-Street Bicycle Facility Opportunities Review is being developed

        Staff will be posting information on Roundabouts on the GTC web page shortly for the Transportation Information Resources project

        Eight public meetings for the Regional Trails Initiative Phase 2 project were held in September and October; over 100 people attended. Meeting summaries will be posted to the GTC web page. The next Steering Committee meeting is November 20 [Note: subsequently rescheduled to November 6]

        Two responses to the TIP Management Enhancement Study RFP were received and consultant interviews are scheduled for October 21. The Notice to Proceed is anticipated in November

        Staff is working with NYSDOT to update the Functional Classification system in the region. The first phase was transmitted to NYSDOT Main Office. Future phases will be coordinated with County Highway Superintendents and the City of Rochester. All proposed changes will come to this committee in November. GTC Board action is anticipated in December [Note: subsequent NYSDOT direction moves this to the March 2004 GTC Board meeting]

        Proposals for the FY 2004-05 & 2005-06 UPWP are due November 7th

G/FLRPC

David Zorn reported:

        Staff is making progress on the build out analysis for the Regional Development Projections project and is on schedule to be completed by March 31, 2004

        Qualitative and quantitative analysis is complete for the Regional Population Forecasts project. The report is being finalized and will be presented at the November Planning Committee meeting

        The Rural County Land Use Monitoring Report project for 2002 is complete and is available on the G/FLRPC website

        The Main Street Transportation Tools Project is complete and the full report is available on the G/FLRPC website

        GTC Staff is finalizing the Regional Atlas narrative. The layout has been finalized with placeholders for the outstanding CTPP data

Monroe County

 

Terry Rice reported:

        The consultant for the Monroe County Traffic Count Collection project was acquired by another company, therefore new legislative approval of the recommended consultant contract will be sought in January. Work will begin in Spring 2004

        QA/QC review for the GIS Database Integration for the Monroe County DOT project is continuing. The final report will be presented at the November Planning Committee meeting

        The consultant scope and fee proposal for the Pedestrian Activity Safety Study is under review; expect to seek legislative approval in January

        Negotiations of the consultant scope and fee for the Ballantyne Road Corridor Study are underway; expect to seek legislative approval in January

Paul Johnson reported:

        Data collection for the Monroe County Land Use Monitoring project 2003 report is underway

        Staff is still conducting field surveys for the Monroe County Parking Study

Ontario County

 

Kris Hughes reported:

        Phase 1of the Route 332 Corridor Management Study is nearing completion; Phase 2 will begin soon

        The Steering Committee for the Routes 5 & 20 Corridor Study met in early October. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for October 20

        The Ontario County Board of Supervisors approved an increased local cash match for additional data collection for the Canandaigua Regional Transportation Study. The next Steering Committee meeting will be scheduled for November

 

City of Rochester

 

George Stam reported:

        The field manual for the Street Condition Rating Update Study has been revised and tested. The database translation factors are complete. The City is funding additional work to create more reporting capabilities

John Thomas reported:

 

        The inventory phase for the Highland Park/Canalway Neighborhood Connector Trail Study has begun

        The Final Report for the High Volume Bus Stop Pavement Management Study will be presented later in the meeting

 

RGRTA

David Cook reported:

        The RGRTA Board awarded the contract for the RGRTA Transit Focus Group Study to Bergmann Associates. Participants are currently being solicited for the focus groups

        The RFP for the Security and Safety Plan for Public Transportation is being revised to reflect the scope of work changes that were approved at the August Planning Committee meeting

        RTS staff will present an update of the Route Analysis Information System later in the meeting

Wyoming County

 

Steve Gleason reported:

        A revised draft of the Inventory and Needs Assessment for the Transportation & Scenic/Historic Resources in the Wyoming County project is being finalized. The first public meeting will be held in December

Yates County

 

Steve Gleason reported:

        A Steering Committee meeting to review alternatives for the Route 14A Corridor Study is anticipated in November. A public meeting is planned for January

Other Agencies

David Woods reported:

        The Steering Committee for The Conesus Transportation and Safety Management Plan has been active and engaged. The next meeting is scheduled for October 22

Steve Gleason reported:

        The final report for the Monroe Avenue/I-590 Interchange Study is nearly complete. Presentation is expected at the January Planning Committee meeting

        The final report for the Lexington Avenue Extension Study will be presented later in the meeting

b.      Any Other Old Business or Announcements

No old business or announcements were reported.

5.                 Planning Committee Action Items

a.       Recommendation to GTC Board concerning Accepting the report, Port of Rochester Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Project Architecture Case Study Final Report and Concept Plan, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 5600 / Proposed Council Resolution 03-24

Erik Frisch gave an overview of ITS and the way in which it relates to the Port of Rochester ITS Project Architecture Case Study Final Report and Concept Plan.

John Thomas gave an overview of the different aspects of the Port of Rochester design, including accommodations for future ITS elements

Kris Hughes moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 03-24; Terry Rice seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

b. Recommendation concerning Accepting the report, Lexington Avenue Extension Study, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 6630 / Proposed Council Resolution 03-25

Mike Croce, Bergmann Associates, presented the study. He discussed the study purpose and findings, and provided highlights of the economic and traffic analyses.

Kris Hughes asked about the impact on the community and environment. Mike responded that the environmental issues, such as wetlands, were addressed and a public meeting was held.

Terry Rice inquired about the Route 390 interchange connection. Joan Dupont responded that it would be developed separately and the design would not preclude the extension of Lexington Avenue.

Wayne Zyra moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 03-25; James Brady seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

c. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning Accepting the report, High Volume Bus Stop Pavement Improvement Study, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 6640 / Proposed Council Resolution 03-26

Willy Larsen, City of Rochester, presented the study. He described the need for the study and the findings.

Paul Johnson inquired if the Rochester Central Station would have an impact on the project. Willy stated that it would not affect the test areas and the City will be pro-active in identifying new locations for additional treatments.

A question was raised about the use of white topping on new projects. Willy responded that the City would design this feature into new projects when appropriate.

Terry Rice moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 03-26; George Stam seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

6. Planning Committee Information Items

a.       Route Analysis Information System Update

Ryan Gallivan, RTS, gave a presentation on the development of the analysis system. He then demonstrated how the database will be used to assist in identifying improvements in transit service.

John Thomas inquired if the new system was tied into GIS. Ryan explained that it was. Ryan also noted the source of the data was the individual ride checks that were conducted by RTS staff.

Steve Gleason asked what the next steps were. Ryan responded that UPWP funds were used to create the database and now it is up to RTS to maintain it and use the information to improve the transit system.

b.      GTC Public Participation Policy Update

Jim Stack gave an update on the Public Participation Policy. He explained that the preliminary draft in the meeting package was based on input from the July and August Planning Committee meetings. Jim noted that comments from today would be incorporated into a final draft. Pending Planning Committee approval at the November meeting, the final draft will be released for a 45-day public review.

c.       NYSDOT Transformation Update (NYSDOT)

Joan Dupont reported on the re-engineering that is taking place at NYSDOT. The past year has been spent reviewing the organization to determine ways to operate the systems more efficiently. The regional boundaries will remain the same, but changes will be made internally. There will be a shift in focus from construction of new facilities to improving the operation of existing facilities.

d.      ARTIC Survey Results and Update (GTC Staff)

Lisa Smith gave an overview of the survey results for A Rural Transportation Information Clearinghouse (ARTIC) and distributed a summary of the findings.

e.      Long Range Transportation Plan Update (GTC Staff)

Rich Perrin updated the Planning Committee on the progress of developing the LRTP 2005 2025. Rich distributed a schedule of the six public meetings that will be held in November.

f.        Project Ready Recommendation Status Tracking System (GTC Staff)

Steve Gleason introduced the project and explained the benefits of the system.

Rich Perrin presented a detailed account of the process from study recommendation to project implementation. He then demonstrated the way in which information could be retrieved from the database.

Terry Rice asked how the various recommendations from a single study are handled. Rich replied that they are all entered as individual projects.

7. New Business

No new business was reported.

8. Next Meeting

The next Planning Committee meeting will be held on November 20, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. at City Council Chambers, Rochester City Hall.

9. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.