GENESEE TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING
Ontario County Municipal Building
Canandaigua, New York
February 16, 2006
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Joan Dupont, NYSDOT Region 4
Kristen Mark Hughes, Ontario County
Paul Johnson, Monroe County Planning Board
Scott Leathersich, Monroe County At Large
Terrence J. Rice, Monroe County
Chris Wilson, Yates County
David Woods, Livingston County
David Zorn, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT
Thomas Beck, Monroe County At Large, representing James Fletcher
David Cook, RGRTA, representing Mark Aesch
David Thielman, NYS Thruway Authority, representing Richard Garrabrant
John Thomas, City of Rochester, representing George Stam
PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED
Jeffrey Adair, Monroe County
James Brady, Wayne County
Philip Brito, FAA
Glenn Cooke, Seneca County
Robert Griffith, FHWA
Timothy Hens, Genesee County
Fred Humphrey, Wyoming County
Tracy Logel, Monroe County Supervisors Association
Edward Muszynski, Empire State Development Corporation
Kenneth Rush, Orleans County
William Sullivan, Rochester City Council
(Vacant), FTA
(Vacant), NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
(Vacant), City of Rochester At Large
(Vacant), Rochester City Planning Commission
OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE
Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff
Erik Frisch, GTC Staff
Dan Hallowell, NYSDOT Region 4
Ron Hayes, NYSDOT Main Office
Richard Perrin, GTC Staff
Robert Slaver, NYSDOT Region 4
James Stack, GTC Staff
Robert Torzynski, GTC Staff
1. Call to Order & Introductions
David Woods, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Members, Alternates, and others present introduced themselves.
2. Public Forum
No one from the public spoke during the Public Forum.
3. Approval of Minutes
Richard Perrin noted a correction to the minutes on Page 10; the Safe Passing Zone Survey should be identified as Task 6220, not 6620.
Terrence Rice moved for approval of the minutes from the January 12, 2006 Planning Committee meeting with the correction; David Cook seconded the motion. The minutes were approved as submitted.
4. Reports and Action on Old Business
a. Reports on UPWP Projects and Other Activities
GTC
Richard Perrin reported:
GTC staff have advanced several elements of the GTC Strategic Plan, including completion of vision and customer identification; development of operating principles; and an initial strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) assessment by planning and administrative groups.
No progress to report on the Rural County Resource Development Initiative. This project is on hold until the vacant planner position is filled. The preferred candidate for the position is being considered for the Program Manager position as their skills and experience more closely match the requirements of that position.
The final report (technical memorandum) for the Transportation Safety Information Analysis project will be presented for close-out via recommendation to the GTC Board as part of agenda item 5.b.
The final version of the Long Range Transportation Plan for the Genesee Finger Lakes Region: 2005-2025 document is being printed and will be available for distribution to the Board at the March 9 meeting. It will be provided to Planning Committee members at the April 20 meeting.
With respect to the Air Quality Planning and Outreach project, GTC staff continued discussions with NYSDOT Environmental Analysis Bureau regarding conducting a conformity determination for TIP amendments and earmarks included in SAFETEA-LU and the FFY 2006 Appropriations Act, as well as likely questions from NYSDEC on speed estimation in the new GTC Travel Demand Model.
The consultant has provided draft CMAQ evaluation criteria and GTC staff have provided comments to finalize them for TIP Development Committee review.
NYSDEC is convening a State Implementation Plan (SIP) Coordination Council and some member agencies are considering designating GTC as their representative or alternate.
Responses on access issues and high-priority sites still have not been received from Orleans County or the City of Geneva for Transportation and Industrial Access Phase 1. GTC staff will develop and issue the RFP in the next three to four weeks for Phase 2. Consultant services will be retained to develop conceptual access improvements for high priority sites.
G/FLRPC issued a survey on means for incorporating bicycle and pedestrian considerations into land use regulations for the Bicycle & Pedestrian Supportive Code Language project. The deadline for responses by county planning directors was extended from January 17 to February 3. Five out of nine possible responses were received. G/FLRPC and GTC staff will be attending a symposium in Albany sponsored by the Initiative for Healthy Infrastructure on February 17. Land use codes that support bicycle and pedestrian travel will be discussed.
Comments on the final draft have been provided by the Steering Committee to the consultant for the Greater Rochester Transportation Operations and Management Organization Feasibility Study. Revisions are being made and will be brought to the Planning Committee at the April 20 meeting for recommendation to the GTC Board.
The three studies that comprise the 2004-05 Priority Trails Advancement project are progressing. The final public meeting for the Oatka Creek Trail project will be held February 22. The final public meeting for the Lakeville-Livonia Trail project was held February 14 with approximately 70 people attending. The report will be finalized. Comments from the City of Rochester on the Genesee Riverway Trail (Downtown to Lower Falls Park) draft report have been provided to the consultant and a Steering Committee meeting will be scheduled.
Approximately 95% of the Rochester Bicycling Club Road ratings for the On-Street Bicycle Facilities Opportunities Review have been converted to GIS format. The shapefiles will be transmitted to the county planning departments in the TMA after going through QA/QC and having associated metadata developed. Criteria for prioritizing improvements based on ratings will be developed over the next month.
GTC staff expects to schedule a Working Group meeting in March for the Congestion Management Process (CMP) project. Draft technical memoranda are under review and an associated presentation will be developed for the meeting.
The NYSMPO Shared Cost Initiative (SCI) looking at congestion management should be completed within the next month.
The Scope of Work for the Travel Time Data Collection Assessment project was approved by the Planning Committee at its January 12 meeting. A draft RFP will be provided to the Monroe County Department of Transportation and NYSDOT by the end of the week for comment with submission for inclusion in the NYS Contract Reporter the week of February 27.
GTC staff provided a draft RFP to Yates County Planning for the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation in Yates County project. It has been distributed to other Yates County Departments for review and, upon any necessary revision, will be submitted for inclusion in the NYS Contract Reporter.
The Transportation Information Resources project is complete for 2005. Work on the 2006 component will begin in the summer as a task for the GTC intern.
GTC staff met with Bill Graff, Director of the Rochester Business Alliances Transportation Council, on February 8 to discuss the Regional Goods Movement Strategy. The Transportation Council is a consortium of freight shippers and carriers in Monroe County.
The TIP Management Enhancement Study project is complete.
G/FLRPC
David Zorn reported:
Data collection for the 2005 Regional Land Use Monitoring report is underway with 57% of responses received. Staff is working with the remaining municipalities to obtain information.
Survey results are being tabulated from the public meetings that were held in December 2005 for the Preparing Village Main Streets for Planning project.
Joan Dupont requested that NYSDOT be kept informed about this project. David Zorn responded that NYSDOT is a member of the study and will continue to be involved.
The Technical Advisory Committee for the Optimizing Transportation Infrastructure through Effective Land Use project met on January 26. Corridors were selected and municipalities have been contacted to gauge their level of interest in the study.
The Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional Atlas is complete.
Livingston County
David Woods reported:
The final report on the Horizontal Alignment Safety Study was presented to the Planning Committee at the January 12 meeting and recommended for adoption by the GTC Board.
Monroe County
Paul Johnson reported:
Data collection for the 2005 Monroe County Land Use Monitoring report is underway with approximately 50% of the responses received.
The schedule for the Monroe County Parking Study has been revised. The Steering Committee needs to review the findings and the report will be formatted and printed by June 30.
Terrence Rice reported:
A consultant was selected for the Accident Rate Database project.
A Scope of Work for the Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Study is in draft form but will not be submitted for approval until FHWA finalizes new standards which may not be available until the end of the year.
A consultant was selected for the Safe Passing Zone Survey and a scoping meeting has been held.
The consultant is developing a draft report for the Pedestrian Activity Safety Study.
The Ballantyne Road Corridor Study is complete.
Ontario County
Kris Hughes reported:
There is no progress to report on the State Route 96/State Route 318 Rural Corridor Study Phase 2; Ontario County staff are considering starting Phase 2 before Phase 1 is complete.
The consultant will be completing the final draft of the Canandaigua Regional Transportation Study this week.
City of Rochester
John Thomas reported:
There is no progress to report on the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Concept Design and Implementation Study.
The City received Technical Memo 1 and associated inventory data for the Port of Rochester Transportation Evaluation and Support Study. The study will be coordinated with the Port Master Plan being conducted by Sasaki Associates.
The DES AVL Implementation Plan is complete.
RGRTA
David Cook reported:
There is no progress to report on the Market Research for Regional Transit Service project.
A draft scope of work for the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan will be presented later in the agenda.
The Security and Safety Plan for Public Transportation should be complete by April 1.
The RTS Fare Modification Study is nearing completion and has already produced proposed alternatives for RTS. RGRTA announced a major fare simplification proposal on February 13, is seeking input, and holding a public meeting on February 16.
There is no progress to report on the Alternative Fuels Technology Study/RTS Hybrid Bus Study.
Seneca County
Richard Perrin reported:
There is no progress to report on the State Route 96/State Route 318 Rural Corridor Study Phase 1.
Wayne County
Richard Perrin reported:
The schedule for the Cluster Development Enhancement Project Feasibility Study has been revised and the project has restarted.
GTC staff provided comments on the draft RFP for the Palmyra Route 21 Truck Traffic Study to Wayne County.
Kris Hughes of Ontario County and Joan Dupont of NYSDOT expressed interest in reviewing the draft RFP. Richard responded that he would communicate Kris and Joans request to Sharon Lilla, the project manager.
Wyoming County
Richard Perrin reported:
There is no progress to report on Transportation & Scenic/Historic Resources in Wyoming County.
Yates County
Chris Wilson reported:
The final report for the Route 14A Corridor Study is being refined; a full steering committee meeting will be held in March.
The Yates County Planning Board is very interested in the Strategic Plan for Public Transportation in Yates County because non-emergency medical transportation is a major issue in the county.
Other Agencies
The Regional Traffic Count Collection project, a four-county effort, is on hold until spring.
Terry Rice asked if Wayne and Livingston Counties can use the consultant that Monroe County selected for their traffic counts. Richard Perrin responded that GTC would look into that. Joan Dupont added that a separate solicitation would likely be necessary.
Terry Rice also asked if it might be possible for a new RFP to be open to all the counties involved, noting that Genesee County will also be part of this program in the next fiscal year. Richard Perrin responded that a possibility could be to issue an RFQ for the program and have each county select their own consultant.
On January 19, GTC staff provided a draft RFP for the Erie-Attica Railroad Bridge and Trail to the Village of Avon for their review.
The Route 250 Corridor Study Steering Committee met in January and an RFP will be released soon.
b. Any Other Old Business or Announcements
Ron Hayes of the NYSDOT Planning & Strategy Group will give a presentation on the Statewide Transportation Plan later in the meeting. Richard Perrin noted that digital copies of the Plan were provided to county planning directors, paper copies were provided to the TDC, and a link was posted on the GTC website after the January 12 Planning Committee meeting.
GTC staff have been working with the Monroe County Public Health Department on their Strategic Stockpile Planning efforts. GTC hosted a Distribution Concept Development Team meeting on February 13. The primary discussion item was how the GTC Travel Demand Model can be used for evaluating potential locations for points of dispensing and determining at what point the transportation network will not be able to handle the volume of persons seeking vaccinations or medication at a given time. This is an innovative use of the GTC Travel Demand Model and involvement of an MPO in emergency planning.
GTC has been invited to serve on the AMPO Operations Work Group. John Thomas asked if this had any relation to the previously-mentioned FHWA Peer-to-Peer assistance. Rich Perrin responded that this is AMPO, not FHWA, but that GTC will follow-up on the prospect of FHWA providing Peer-to-Peer assistance.
5. Planning Committee Action Items
a. Recommendation to the GTC Board concerning adopting the FY 2006-2007 Unified Planning Work Program / Proposed Council Resolution 06-2
Richard Perrin stated that the Draft FY 2006-2007 UPWP is provided for the Planning Committees review. It represents the same program of projects that was approved for 30-day public review by the Planning Committee at the January 12 meeting. No comments were received by the February 14 deadline. Since the Planning Committee mailing, two changes to the document are required. The 2006-07 FHWA PL allocation was finalized and reduced by $150. Richard proposed that the reduction come out of the GTC core budget. Also, brief descriptions of each task will be added to the portion of the NYSMPO shared cost initiatives on pages 83 and 84. An additional $11,473 will be added to Task 9310 NYSMPO Staff Training from existing Shared Cost Initiative funds. As stated in the task description, this has no impact on the UPWP budget. GTC administers this task on behalf of the NYSMPOs.
Richard Perrin noted that Richard Beers of FHWA suggested that milestone dates be added to UPWP tasks in future documents. These dates need not be specific, but can be shown as Month 1, Month 2, etc. Richard Perrin noted that future UPWP project application forms will be adjusted to obtain this information.
One item of note is the estimated local match for Task 6510 Priority Trails Advancement (page 60) and Task 6800 Circulation, Accessibility, and Parking (CAP) Program (page 66). The actual local match will be determined through a separate call for projects. Local match for Priority Trails Advancement is estimated at 20% which is reasonable given that the last two calls for projects received 61% (FY 2003-04) and 38% (FY 2004-05) local match, respectively. CAP is estimated at slightly less than 20%.
David Woods asked about the status of the Route 63 Corridor Study listed on page 83. Joan Dupont responded that NYSDOT is close to completion of a draft report.
Terrence Rice moved to approve the FY 2006-07 Unified Planning Work Program; John Thomas seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
b. Recommendation to the GTC Board concerning accepting the technical memorandum, Transportation Safety Information Analysis, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 4600 / Proposed Council Resolution 06-3
Richard Perrin noted that Task 4600 was originally included in the FY 2002-2003 UPWP with a budget of $5,000. It is not a data collection project but rather an assessment of the quality of and access to data. The full document is included for Planning Committee review.
Richard introduced Robert Torzynski, GTC Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, who discussed the task findings and recommendations. Terrence Rice asked if GTC considered checking with local agencies rather than private consultants. Richard responded that it was not in the original scope of work to ask local agencies, and this was likely due to easier access to the data by local agencies compared to private sector users.
David Woods asked if GTC included traffic safety boards in their analysis. Robert responded that GTC did not.
Kristen Mark Hughes moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 06-3; Joan Dupont seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
c. Recommendations to the GTC Board and Planning Committee actions concerning Various Amendments to the 2005-2010 TIP
David Woods, Chairman, suggested that the TIP amendments be grouped and considered by the project sponsors. The Committee concurred.
Richard Perrin discussed the provisions of Resolution 78-4 which will apply to both proposed Planning Committee resolutions (agenda items 5.c.2. and 5.c.15.) and also discussed the provisions regarding programming of funds from SAFETEA-LU earmarks. He noted that costs and revenues do not have to be consistent in the TIP.
Kris Hughes stated that he requested additional information on Renaissance Square at the February 2 TIP Development Committee meeting and has not received it yet. He feels that Planning Committee members need to be fully informed about the projects it is making decisions on in order to be able to answer questions from their respective GTC Board members. Kris added that he is uncomfortable with the Planning Committee making decisions for the GTC Board (per Resolution 78-4) without additional information.
1. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Renaissance Square project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-4
David Cook discussed the request to add earmarked federal funds for Renaissance Square which amount to approximately $22 million dollars over four fiscal years.
2. Action concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by changing the description of the Renaissance Square project / Proposed Planning Committee Resolution 06-1
David Cook discussed the need to change the project description to incorporate the phrase joint development based on a request from FTA.
David Cook moved to approve Planning Committee Resolution 06-1; Kristen Mark Hughes seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
David Woods then suggested considering all of the remaining proposed Council Resolutions regarding TIP Amendments together. The Committee concurred.
3. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Daytona Ave. Highway Improvement project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-5
Terrence Rice discussed the earmark for the Daytona Avenue project.
4. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the John Street Extension, Bailey Road to Lehigh Station Road project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-6
Terrence Rice discussed the John Street Extension project, noting that there are two fund sources (a SAFETEA-LU earmark and a FFY 2006 Appropriations earmark). Terrence noted the need to adjust some of the phase costs from the detail sheet provided in the meeting package but that there would be no impact to the total cost of the project. He provided a revised Project Detail Sheet.
5. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Lake Road (Seaway Trail), NY Rte. 250 to Monroe-Wayne County Line Road project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-7
Terrence Rice discussed the earmark for the Lake Road project.
6. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Route 590 Reconstruction; Titus to SeaBreeze project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-8
Rob Slaver discussed the earmark for the Route 590 Reconstruction project.
7. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Route 531 Extension Project (Rt. 36 to Brockport) project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-9
Rob Slaver discussed the earmark for the Route 531 Extension project.
8. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Research at RIT Alternative fuels and Life-Cycle Engineering project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-10
Rob Slaver discussed the earmark for the RIT Research project and distributed a project description as requested by the TDC.
Paul Johnson asked if the earmark represented all the funding needed for the Route 531 Extension project. Joan Dupont responded that these funds will take the project through final design, perhaps right-of-way acquisition, and possibly some construction. Preliminary design of the project is progressing and the recommended improvements have not yet been determined, therefore construction costs cannot be estimated.
Scott Leathersich asked if an agency that has several earmarks has the flexibility to shift funds between projects and advance them on different schedules. Richard Perrin responded that no local agency has this flexibility based on FHWA guidance. Joan Dupont noted that the RIT project was the only project that would be eligible for shifting funds, but since RIT only has one project it is not possible because there are no other projects to shift funds from.
The Planning Committee discussed the Route 531 Extension project and future cost considerations. The Committee agreed that the TIP table should include recognition that future costs will be determined and include an associated footnote.
9. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the University Avenue / ArtWalk II project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-11
John Thomas discussed the earmark for the University Avenue project.
10. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Brooks Landing Transportation Improvement project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-12
John Thomas discussed the earmark for the Brooks Landing project.
John Thomas distributed a new TIP Amendment request for the Aqueduct Enhancement project. He noted that this project received an earmark in SAFETEA-LU.
Richard Perrin noted that this proposed amendment was not previously reviewed by the TIP Development Committee as were all the other TIP amendments being presented to the Committee. John expressed concern that the design process would come to a halt without this amendment since it is for an Interpretive Center that is integral to the whole project.
Joan Dupont noted that the project has a set PIN in the NYSDOT project management system and therefore the project can continue even if this request is tabled. Paul Johnson asked what the benefit would be to tabling the request. Richard Perrin noted that there is a process that all TIP amendment requests go through to ensure adequate review and consideration prior to presentation to the Committee. Terrence Rice stated that he would like to make an exception this time given the new administration at City Hall. He added that he feels this should not become a regular occurrence.
David Woods asked if there was a reason why this request was not made through the TDC. John Thomas responded that the City prioritized their requests with the expectation that they would have the flexibility to shift funds among projects. As previously noted, FHWA guidance eliminated this option.
John Thomas asked that an additional Resolution be considered. Richard Perrin noted that the next Resolution number would be 06-17.
David Woods recommended that this request be voted on separately.
John Thomas moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolution 06-17; Terrence Rice seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
Richard Perrin noted that GTC staff would draft Proposed Council Resolution 06-17 similar to the other TIP Amendment Resolutions, reflecting Planning Committee intent, and include it in the March 9 GTC Board meeting package.
11. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Preventive Maintenance project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-13
David Cook discussed the RGRTA TIP amendment requests. He noted that all the changes are accomplished using existing TIP funds, an increased allocation of FTA formula funds, or earmarks.
David Cook discussed the Preventive Maintenance project.
12. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by combining two Lift Line Bus Replacement projects and decreasing the total cost of the two projects / Proposed Council Resolution 06-14
David Cook discussed the Lift Line Bus Replacement project.
13. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Livingston County Transportation Center project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-15
David Cook discussed the Livingston County Transportation Center project.
14. Recommendation to GTC Board concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the RGRTA IT Software Systems project / Proposed Council Resolution 06-16
David Cook discussed the IT Software Systems project. RGRTA is seeking federal funding to offset the reduction of actual State Transit Operating Assistance from previous estimates.
15. Action concerning amending the 2005-2010 TIP by changing the name and description of the RTS Fare Collection System Replacement project / Proposed Planning Committee Resolution 06-2
David discussed the need to change the name and description of the RTS Fare Collection System project.
Scott Leathersich moved to approve Planning Committee Resolution 06-2; Terrence Rice seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
David Cook moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolutions 06-4 through 06-16; Terrence Rice seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
d. Approval of UPWP Project Scopes of Work
1. Task 8150 Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan
David Cook discussed the proposed Scope of Work for Task 8150. David Woods noted that the existing County Public Transportation Strategic Plans would be a resource for this project.
David Zorn asked why the Scope of Work for this project was being presented for Committee approval at this time. Richard Perrin responded that the project was included in the FY 2005-06 UPWP Update.
2. Proposed Task 8420 RTS / Lift Line Operational Analysis & Facility Utilization Study
David Cook discussed the proposed Scope of Work for Task 8420. He asked that the Planning Committee approve this Scope of Work with the understanding that the FY 2006-2007 UPWP needs to be approved by the GTC Board and that RGRTA will progress the project at their own risk.
David Woods, Chairman, suggested that the two tasks be considered under one motion. The Committee concurred.
David Cook moved to approve the Scopes of Work for Tasks 8150 and 8420; Scott Leathersich seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.
6. Information Items
a. NYSDOT Master Plan
Ron Hayes gave a presentation on the draft NYSDOT Statewide Transportation Master Plan.
Richard Perrin stated that this Plan is not restrictive of GTC activities and is consistent with the Long Range Transportation Plan.
David Woods suggested that Route 63 be included as a trade corridor and stated that some counties in Upstate New York are growing. Joan Dupont responded that it was considered but would be viewed as promoting the route as a trade corridor, which is not something NYSDOT necessarily wants to do at this time.
Terrence Rice asked where the money will come from to pay for all of the needed improvements discussed in the plan. He also stated that there needs to be greater acknowledgment of the needs of local roads.
7. New Business
Richard Perrin noted that Parks & Trails New York has asked for information on all bicycle trail and road intersections. He discussed an approach that would be taken by GTC to lessen the burden on the counties and other local agencies.
8. Next Meeting
The next Planning Committee meeting will be held April 20, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. at the NYSDOT Region 4 offices in Henrietta.
9. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m.