GTC Planning Committee - Minutes

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GTC PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING

NYSDOT - Region 4

November 29, 2001

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT

James Brady, Wayne County Highway Department

Donald Cooley, Orleans County Highway Department

Joan Dupont, NYSDOT Region 4

Angela Ellis, Ontario County Planning Department

Steve Hendershott, Monroe County Supervisors Association

Paul Howard, Chairman, GFLRPC

Terrence Rice, Monroe County DOT

David Woods, Livingston County Planning Department

ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

David Cook, representing Don Riley, RGRTA

Paul Johnson, representing Rocco DiGiovanni, Monroe County Planning

Scott Leathersich, Monroe County DOT

Andy Moore, representing William Smith, Monroe County Legislator

Rob Slaver, Jr., NYSDOT Region 4

David Thielman, representing William Leslie, NYS Thruway Authority

John Thomas, representing George Stam, City of Rochester

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE

Steve Beauvais, NYSDOT Region 4

Kristin Bennett, GTC Staff

Abraham Brouk

Chris Downing, GTC Staff

Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff

Steve Gleason, GTC Staff

Brian Lakeman, GTC Staff

Marvin Kleinberg, NYSDOT Region 4

William Larsen, RIT

David Martin, NYS Thruway Authority

Charles Moynihan, NYSDOT

David Rinaldo, Monroe County Parks Department

James Stack, GTC Staff

Robert Traver, NYSDOT Region 4

William Wright, Ontario County

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED

John Accorso, City of Rochester

S. William Baker, US EPA

Philip Brito, FAA

Glenn Cooke, Seneca County

Stephen Ferranti, Member-At-Large, Monroe County

Glenn Guarino, Member-At-Large, Monroe County

David Hartman, Yates County

Timothy Hens, Genesee County

Jonathan McDade, FHWA

Thomas Skoglund, Wyoming County Planning Department

Larry Stid, City of Rochester

William Sullivan, City of Rochester

Clara Wallace-Douglas, FTA

(Vacant), Member-At-Large, City of Rochester

1. Call to Order

Paul Howard called the meeting to order at 10:08 a.m.

2.                 Public Forum

No public comment was offered.

3.                 Approval of Minutes

Steve Hendershott made a motion for approval of the minutes from the October 25, 2001 Planning Committee meeting; David Thielman seconded the motion. The minutes were approved with two corrections: on page 6, item 5c should associate the Clay/Gravely Road Bridge project with the East Henrietta Road project as opposed to the Jefferson Road reconstruction project; and on page 7 in New Business, it should read that the County Highway Superintendents Association is spearheading the Local Design Services Agreement (LDSA) effort.

4.                 Reports and Action on Old Business

a.       GTC Staff and Committee Reports

Steve Gleason reported on GTC Staff and Committee activities:

        The UPWP Development Committee (UDC) has met twice to review project proposals. Twenty-nine project proposals were received (requesting a total of $940,000). Approximately $400,000 is available for these projects. The next UDC meeting is scheduled for December 20. A draft program of projects will be presented to the Planning Committee at its January 17 meeting

        The Congestion Management System Working Group met prior to todays Planning Committee meeting. The Working Group has finalized the goals and objectives for the CMS and is now working on performance measures

        Three public workshops for the Regional Trails Initiative were held in Greece, Downtown Rochester, and Perinton in mid-November all were well attended. The consultants are processing feedback from the meetings and written comments. Summaries of these public comments will be posted on the GTC web site shortly. The draft plan will be completed in February

        The first public workshop for the Rochester Amtrak Station Revitalization Study was held on October 30. It was well attended and good input was received. Public comments are still being received through GTCs website. A second steering committee meeting was held on November 19 (the next meeting will be held on December 17). Draft recommended alternatives are expected in January from the consultant, Bergmann Associates

        The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will present a summary of their findings from GTCs triennial Federal Certification Review at the December 13 Board meeting

        The NYSMPOs Statewide Long Range Transportation Funding Needs study is progressing. Consensus on a definition of transportation need was achieved at the New York State MPO directors November 26 meeting. The project is positioning New York State MPOs for the reauthorization of TEA-21

        The Sear-Brown Group will be giving a presentation on their Route 14 Truck Study proposal to the project Steering Committee on December 17 in Geneva

        A public meeting for the Gateway Park Road project was held on November 14. A steering committee meeting was held on November 28 to review the draft plan

        Chris Downing attended a U.S./Canada cross-border conference in Niagara Falls that focused on barriers to commerce, including transportation issues. Several other area agencies were represented at the conference as well

b.      Participating Agency Reports

 

NYS Thruway Authority

Nothing to report

Livingston County

Nothing to report

RGRTA

David Cook reported:

        The Fare Structure Study has been completed and the Circulator Route Study will be presented at the January Planning Committee meeting

        Four consultant proposals were received in response to the Wayne and Wyoming County Public Transportation Strategic Plans RFP. Staff and other involved agency representatives are evaluating the proposals at this time

        The Genesee County Public Transportation Strategic Plan will be presented to the Genesee County Legislature on December 12

NYSDOT

Joan Dupont noted that NYSDOT is hosting a meeting of the Region 4 county highway superintendents following the Planning Committee meeting.

City of Rochester

John Thomas reported:

        A public meeting for the Center City Wayfinding Signage Study was held in early November. The consultant is now developing recommendations

        The I-490 Inner Loop Improvement Project study is complete. The Board Resolution acknowledging completion of the study will be considered by the Planning Committee at todays meeting

 

Monroe County Association of Town Supervisors

Steve Hendershott noted that the Monroe County Supervisors Association is concerned about the impact the September 11th attacks may have on transportation funding

GFLRPC

Paul Howard reported:

        The Rural Land Use Monitoring project is being finalized; the report will be available shortly. A presentation to the PCC will be given at its December 7 meeting

        The Satellite Imagery project is wrapping up

        The TIGER/Line File Enhancement project is complete. The files have been sent to the City, GTC, and Monroe County for their review

        The Development Analysis project is nearing completion

Monroe County

Paul Johnson and Scott Leathersich reported:

        County planning staff will request land use data from municipalities in January for the Land Use Monitoring project. The report will be completed in Spring 2002

        The ORorke Bridge construction project is progressing on schedule

        Reconstruction of Elmwood Avenue (Monroe to Clover) will begin in Spring 2002

Wayne County

Jim Brady reported:

        The Maple Avenue Bridge (Palmyra) is expected to reopen on December 17

        Design approval for the Bear Creek Bridge reconstruction project (Ontario) is expected soon

        The County received 17 responses to the Lyons Amtrak Station Design RFQ. Six consultants have been short listed for interviews beginning in January

Ontario County

Bill Wright reported:

        The County has been concerned about the Route 21 railroad crossing project. Joan Dupont explained NYSDOTs position on at-grade railroad crossings. The crossing will be the subject of a Public Service Commission hearing in the near future

        The County and NYSDOT are working to resolve some funding questions that FTA has about the construction of the Countys federally funded joint transit/highway garage. Regional and Main Office NYSDOT transit staff are working with FTA to progress this project. David Cook suggested they contact CENTRO in Syracuse, which operates a joint facility with a private agency

 

Orleans County

Don Cooley reported:

        The state route reconstruction project in the Village of Albion is progressing

        The County is experiencing some right-of-way problems on its Harrison Road Bridge project. The Sawyer Road Bridge project is progressing on schedule

c.       Transportation Enhancements Program (TEP) Update

Steve Beauvais, NYSDOT Region 4 TEP Coordinator, reviewed the Programs process and distributed a list of the project proposals submitted this round (the deadline was November 1) and a process schedule. Steve and Kristin Bennett of GTC will be reviewing the project proposals per the States evaluation criteria and making recommendations to the Planning Committee at its January 17 meeting. Steve noted that no estimate of the expected funding for this round of projects has been provided to the regions (though it should be similar to the last round, about $2.9 million in federal funds).

Joan Dupont added that it is important that the public understand that this regions review and ranking does not determine which projects will receive funding in this area. The Transportation Enhancement Advisory Committee (TEAC), a state-level committee, makes the final determinations about which projects receive TEP funding in New York State.

d.      Any Other Old Business or Announcements

Proposed Council Resolution 01-18: Accepting The City of Rochesters Inner Loop Improvement Study as completion of UPWP Tasks 7510 and 7520.

This Resolution was tabled at the October Planning Committee meeting pending further review of the final report by NYSDOT staff. John Thomas reviewed the Resolution and provided general information about the project.

NYSDOT and Monroe County expressed concerns during their review of the Inner Loop Study. The City agreed to address those concerns in the scope of work for the Preliminary Engineering phase of the project.

John Thomas motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-18. Joan Dupont seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

Steve Gleason noted that the Resolution accepting the Stone Street Station Design Objectives & Community Needs report (i.e., the Downtown Transit Center) was tabled at the September 13 Board meeting. The City of Rochester and RGRTA have been meeting to review the report. All parties are hopeful that the resolution can be reintroduced at the December 13 Board meeting.

Rob Slaver distributed a handout about the functional classification system in response to questions that arose at the October Planning Committee meeting. Steve Gleason suggested that a more detailed discussion of the information could be put on the February or March Planning Committee agenda, due to several key items on the January Planning Committee agenda (UPWP and TEP).

5. Planning Committee Action Items

a.       Proposed Council Resolution 01-21 (Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding the Lehigh Valley Linear Trail and the Seabreeze/Charlotte/Seneca Park Multi-Use Trail projects)

Scott Leathersich and David Rinaldo provided a review of the Resolution. A revised TIP project detail sheet reflecting the appropriate distribution of the funds for this project was handed out.

David Woods noted some concerns raised by the LAL Railroad about how the Lehigh Valley Trail intersects with their railroad tracks.

Steve Gleason noted that the projects are carryover projects being moved into the current UPWP (they were not obligated prior to October 1).

Paul Howard questioned whether right-of-way acquisition will be needed for the Seabreeze trail project. Scott Leathersich responded that yes, some will be needed.

Joan Dupont motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-21. David Cook seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

b.      Proposed Council Resolution 01-22 (Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding the Canalway Trail Extension Adams Basin to Albion project)

 

GTC and NYSDOT staff explained that this Canal Corporation project is being funded with the Corporations Round 1 TEP set-aside and that the addition of this project to the TIP will have no fiscal impact on other projects.

 

Dave Thielman motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-22. Terrence Rice seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

c.       Proposed Council Resolution 01-23 (Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding a Design phase to the Mount Read Boulevard and English Road Intersection project and by adding Design and Right-of-Way Acquisition phases to the Mount Read Boulevard Bridge project)

 

Terry Rice reviewed the two projects and the need to add a design phase for the Mount Read Boulevard and English Road Intersection project and design and right-of-way phases for the Mount Read Boulevard Bridges project.

These are carryover projects being moved into the current TIP (they were not obligated prior to October 1).

Terry Rice noted that a public meeting has been scheduled for the Mount Read Boulevard and English Road Intersection project which may result in scope changes based on public comments.

Joan Dupont motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-23. David Woods seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

d.      Proposed Council Resolution 01-24 (Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by adding the RTS Site Improvements project

 

This Resolution was removed from consideration as it was determined that FTA did obligate the project funding in RGRTAs FFY 2000-2001 funding allocation.

 

e.      Proposed Council Resolution 01-25 (Amending the 2001-2006 TIP by increasing the cost of the RTS Site Improvements project)

Steve Gleason distributed a revised Resolution due to removal of Resolution 01-24 (see above). David Cook explained that unanticipated costs have increased the projects costs. The additional project funding required will come from unused FTA funding. Steve Hendershott commented that this unused funding might be better spent on new suburban transit services in Chili. Terry Rice asked if there was any redundancy between what is being done on this project versus the Downtown Transit Center.

David Woods motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-25. John Thomas seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

f.        Proposed Council Resolution 01-26 (Accepting the Intermodal Freight Terminal Study as Completion of UPWP Task 8623)

David Cook reviewed the Resolution. He handed out a summary of the results of the study then highlighted some of the major findings.

Steve Hendershott motioned to accept proposed Council Resolution 01-26. John Thomas seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

6. New Business

Steve Gleason distributed a draft Planning Committee and GTC Board calendar for 2002. No one expressed any concerns with the proposed meeting dates.

7.                 Next Meeting

The next Planning Committee meeting will be held January 17, 2002 at the Chili Town Hall.

8.                 Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.