GTC PLANNING COMMITTEE

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GENESEE TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING

Monroe County Fleet Center

Chili, New York

July 10, 2008

 

 

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT

James Brady, Wayne County

Angela Ellis, Livingston County

James Fletcher, Monroe County At Large

Daniel Hallowell, NYSDOT Region 4

Paul Holahan, City of Rochester

Kristen Mark Hughes, Ontario County (Chairperson)

Paul Johnson, Monroe County Planning Board

Scott Leathersich, Monroe County At Large (Vice Chairperson)

Terrence J. Rice, Monroe County

William Sullivan, Rochester City Council

Douglas Tokarczyk, New York State Thruway Authority

David Zorn, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council

 

ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

David Cook, RGRTA, representing Mark Aesch

PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED

Philip Brito, FAA

Robert Colby, Monroe County

Todd Gadd, Wyoming County

Robert Griffith, FHWA

Timothy Hens, Genesee County

Gary Kent, Orleans County

Edward Muszynski, Empire State Development Corporation

Chuck Thomas, Rochester City Planning Commission

(Vacant), Monroe County Supervisors Association

(Vacant), City of Rochester At Large

(Vacant), FTA

(Vacant), NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

(Vacant), Seneca County

(Vacant), Yates County

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE

Joe Bovenzi, G/FLRPC

Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff

Tom Kicior, G/FLRPC

Steve Mountain, Town of Batavia

Richard Perrin, GTC Staff

Al Scheg, Village of Spencerport

Brian Slack, G/FLRPC

James Stack, GTC Staff

Chris Tortora, G/FLRPC

Raymond Tourt, City of Batavia

Robert Torzynski, GTC Staff

John Thomas, City of Rochester

Edwin Welsh, NYSDOT Region 4

Kevin Yost, citizen

 

1. Call to Order & Introductions

The meeting was called to order at 10:05 a.m. Kristen Mark Hughes welcomed everyone and Members, Alternates, and others present introduced themselves.

2. Public Forum

Kevin Yost spoke about his many concerns for the area. He mentioned his concern on the length of time between demolition of Midtown Plaza and opening of Renaissance Square and the apparent lack of provisions for intercity buses. He also is concerned that the issue of blowing snow on I-390 near the airport has not been addressed. He would like to see I-390 extended from the I-390 / I-590 split to downtown. He would like to see a lift bridge over the canal in the Village of Pittsford.

Kris Hughes suggested Mr. Yost submit written comments of his concerns and noted that a map would be helpful.

3. Approval of Minutes

Terrence J. Rice moved for approval of the minutes from the May 8, 2008 Planning Committee meeting; James Brady 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:

         Bergmann Associates was selected as the preferred consultant for the Supplemental Professional Services Database Programming project. A contract has been developed and a notice to proceed is expected to be issued within two weeks.

         The next steps for Strategic Planning are to convene the Executive Committee and present results of the peer review and begin discussing the direction of GTC over the next three to five years.

         Staff is reviewing relevant FHWA and FTA materials and preparing the schedule for the next LRTP Update.

         With regard to the Air Quality Planning and Outreach task, staff is continuing work on completeness determinations for CMAQ-funded projects.

         For the GTC Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program and SRTS Site Assessments, an RFQ for consultant services was published in the June 9 edition of the New York State Contract Reporter with Statements of Qualifications due July 11. Letters of Interest from schools with sites to be assessed were received June 13.

         Interviews with two consultants for the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Strategic Plan Update are scheduled for August 6.

         A draft Request for Proposals for the Diversion Route Planning Initiative will be provided to the Transportation Management Committee for review at the July 15 meeting.

         The 2006-2007 Priority Trails Advancement Program consists of four projects. The second public meeting for the Rochester Erie-Attica Railroad Bridge project was held June 25 and a draft report is being prepared. The second public meeting for the Penfield Irondequoit Creek Stream Corridor project is scheduled for July 22. Draft final reports for the Caledonia Lehigh Valley Railroad project and the New York Central Westshore Branch project have been received and are being reviewed.

The 2007-2008 Priority Trails Advancement Program consists of three projects. The first Steering Committee meeting for the I-590 Bicycle Pedestrian Bypass project is scheduled for July 15 and a site visit is scheduled for August 13. The first Steering Committee meeting for the Lehigh Valley (Honeoye Falls) project was held June 9 and a site visit is scheduled for July 16. The first Steering Committee meeting for the Erie Canal Glenwood Lake Connector project was held June 17 and a site visit is scheduled for July 14.

         The Circulation, Accessibility, and Parking (CAP) Program consists of four projects. The Perry project is complete. The second public meeting for the Hilton project was held May 8. A draft report was provided for Steering Committee review on July 9. A Steering Committee meeting for the Macedon project was held June 24. Alternatives were developed for presentation at the second public meeting which is scheduled for July 14. A work plan (consultant scope of services and City of Rochester project task agreement) for the Browns Square Neighborhood project was provided for review on July 9.

Notice of 2008 CAP Program funding availability was distributed June 9. Thirteen application packages have been sent to-date with proposals due July 18.

         Staff is continuing work on development of performance measure documentation and collection for the Congestion Management Process and is expected to be completed this month.

         Data collection on Principal Arterials for the Travel Time Data Collection Assessment project is complete. The final report will be provided for Steering Committee review by the end of July.

         A draft scope of work for the Regional Goods Movement Strategy project was provided to economic developers and NYSDOT Main Office on May 9. Comments were received from economic developers and an RFP will be issued in August or September.

Richard Perrin explained that on June 6 GTC staff became aware of a rescission of FHWA PL funds. He provided background on the rescission requirement and the impact to GTCs current budget. He added that MPO Directors have scheduled a conference call to work toward a collective solution.

 

 

Richard indicated that GTC may be able to absorb the rescission while holding the GTC staff budget and other agencies projects harmless. GTC staff will work with the UPWP Development Committee to develop a recommendation.

Scott Leathersich asked if the Program Reserve would be able to cover the rescission. Richard responded that it would not and explained that the FY 2007-2008 budget savings and the Program Reserve combined would be approximately $90,000 and the rescission is $168,334.

Terry Rice asked how the level of funding shared with other agencies compares to other MPOs. Richard responded that GTC shares more resources than all other upstate MPOs combined. CDTC has a Linkages program that requires a 25 percent cash match.

Paul Holahan asked for clarification on the reason for the rescission. Richard Perrin responded that FHWA rescinds money annually based on actual revenues, which are primarily gas tax receipts.

Dan Hallowell noted that in the past the rescission was primarily taken from the CMAQ program but it has been distributed across multiple fund sources this year.

 

G/FLRPC

David Zorn reported:

        The Local Update of Census Addresses Phases 1 and 2 projects will be presented later in the meeting.

        Staff is conducting background research and mapping of employment generators for the 2010 Census TAZ Analysis and Revisions task.

        The final report for the 2007 Regional Land Use Monitoring report will be presented later in the meeting.

        Staff has conducted research, distributed information to municipal historians and identified sites for the Historic Transportation Gateway Inventory and Assessment task.

        The final reports for the Preparing Village Main Streets for Planning and related Guidebook will be presented later in the meeting.

         The final report for the Optimizing Transportation Infrastructure through Effective Land Use project will be presented later in the meeting.

Monroe County

Paul Johnson reported:

         The final report for the 2007 Monroe County Land Use Monitoring report will be presented later in the meeting.

         The production and distribution of the Monroe County Parking Study was accepted by the GTC Board at its June 19, 2008 meeting.

Terry Rice reported:

         A Scope of Work for the Monroe County Audible/Tactile Pedestrian Signal Device Study will be presented later in the meeting.

         No progress to report for the Monroe County Overhead Traffic Sign Visibility Upgrade study.

         A Scope of Work for the Monroe County Vertical Curve Safety Study will be presented later in the meeting.

         New federal requirements for signage have caused the Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity Study to no longer be necessary. The funds could be made available to help address the rescission.

         An additional fifty candidate locations for the Monroe County High Accident Location Program have been identified. Eighteen percent of locations have had initial investigations. The last cycle had thirty-two locations. The Monroe County Accident Rate Database (UPWP Task 4380) has been utilized to assist in identifying three additional locations.

Paul Holahan asked where the High Accident Location Program candidate locations are and whether pedestrian safety will be addressed. Terry Rice noted that pedestrian safety was studied separately through the Monroe County Pedestrian Activity Safety Study. One location (Carter Street and Portland Avenue) may be addressed via Safe Routes to School. He added that many of the locations identified as part of the project are in the City of Rochester.

Ontario County

Kris Hughes reported:

         Work is still progressing for the State Routes 96/318 Rural Corridor Study. A revision to the contract scope was made to better focus on the resources.

         A Scope of Work for the CATS Route Analysis and Service Improvement Plan is in development.

City of Rochester

John Thomas reported:

       No progress to report for the Port of Rochester Transportation Evaluation and Support Study.

        The Center City Parking Development and Management Project is complete.

        No progress to report for the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Concept Design and Implementation Study.

        No progress to report for the Center City Tourist/Visitor Circulation and Pedestrian Wayfinding Study.

        No progress to report for the Susan B. Anthony Neighborhood Parking and Circulation Study.

RGRTA

David Cook reported:

         The Market Research for RGRTA Regional Services project budget amendment was approved by the GTC Board at its June 19 meeting.

        A public input meeting for the RGRTA Suburban Transportation Service Study was held May 12 at the Rochester Public Library. No one from the public attended. The consultant reviewed nineteen initial locations, narrowed it to four, and is working on concept plans for the four preferred locations (three of which are in Rochester).

        Presentation and consideration of the RTS/Lift Line Operational Analysis & Facility Utilization Study is anticipated at the August Planning Committee meeting.

        The Facility Asset Management Plan for RTS & Lift Line was adopted by the GTC Board at its June 19 meeting.

        A presentation will be made in the near future on the RTS Operational Process Study.

        The scope of work for the RTS Signal Prioritization Study was approved.

        The scope of work for the Information Technology Assessment Study was approved. A consultant was selected and the inventory phase of the project is underway.

        The RGRTA Route Analysis project is on-going.

Genesee County

Richard Perrin reported:

         No progress to report on the Genesee County Safe Passing Zone Survey.

Seneca County

Richard Perrin reported:

         The scope of work for the NYS Routes 5&20/414 Corridor Study was approved.

Wayne County

James Brady reported:

         No progress to report for the Cluster Development Enhancement Project Feasibility Study.

         The Palmyra Route 21 Truck Traffic Study was accepted by the GTC Board at its June 19 meeting.

 

Wyoming County

 

Richard Perrin reported:

        The Wyoming County Planning and Development Department informed GTC staff that the Board of Supervisors has decided to terminate the Transportation Elements of Scenic/Historic Resources in Wyoming County project. The $8,366 balance of FHWA planning funds will be returned to the UPWP.

Terry Rice asked about using federal funds without completing the project. Richard Perrin noted that GTC had a contract with a consultant that was terminated due to performance issues. An inventory was completed, a partial needs assessment was developed, and initial recommendations that considered input from a public forum were made. Deliverables were provided for all payments that were made.

Other Agencies

Richard Perrin reported:

         Contracts for Genesee, Livingston, and Wyoming as well as Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties have been executed for the Regional Traffic Count Collection Program. The remaining contract for Monroe and Orleans counties has been drafted and is awaiting authorization in August.

Paul Holahan asked how count locations are determined. Terry Rice responded that Monroe County has a continuous program in place. Richard Perrin responded that locations are based on the non-New York State federal-aid system and county needs.

         No progress to report for the Village of Arcade Main Street Study.

         A RFP was issued for the Village of Geneseo Circulation and Parking Study. Seven proposals were received and will be evaluated and discussed at the Steering Committee meeting July 16.

         A RFP was issued for the Dewey Avenue Corridor Traffic Calming Study. Six proposals were received and will be discussed at a meeting on July 11.

         A Scope of Work for the Spencerport Eastern Village Corridor Concept Study will be presented later in the meeting.

         The second public meeting for the Route 250 Corridor Study was held June 25. The Steering Committee will meet to discuss final edits to the report.

         A RFP for the Town of Macedon NYS Route 31 Corridor Study was issued May 12. Ten proposals were received by the June 6 deadline. The consultant selection committee will meet and discuss the proposals in July.

         A scope of work for the Genesee County Central Corridor Plan will be presented later in the meeting.

         A preferred concept for the Williamson Route 104 & Route 21 Gateway Concepts project was developed at the May 5 work session with the property owners. A second public meeting will be scheduled.

         A Scope of Work for the Victor Transportation Systems Plan will be presented later in the meeting.

         The Town of Penfield Bicycle Facilities Plan is progressing. The first public meeting is scheduled for July 17.

Terry Rice asked if NYSDOT will be giving a presentation on funding programs at the next TDC meeting in advance of developing project applications. Ed Welsh indicated that they could do that.

Jim Fletcher asked if there is any new information on the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act. Dan Hallowell indicated he has no new information. Kris Hughes stated that the liability issues resulting from decreased snow and ice removal would be significant.

Richard Perrin noted that at the June GTC Board meeting, Mary Pat Hancock raised a legislative issue to allow tandem trailers to use NYS Thruway Exit 48A in Pembroke. The legislation had passed the NYS Senate but not the Assembly. Rochester Mayor Duffy and Rochester City Council President Santiago sent a letter to Assemblyman Gantt requesting assistance. The bill has passed the Assembly and is awaiting the Governors signature.

Richard Perrin expressed appreciation to William Sullivan and Rick Hannon for their efforts. He noted that this is a vital role GTC can and should fill in the context of the region working together.

b. Any Other Old Business or Announcements

1. TIP Project Delivery Review

Richard Perrin gave a presentation on the TIP Project Delivery Review.

Jim Fletcher asked if the next TIP update will be primarily updating existing projects. Richard Perrin responded in the affirmative and added that the update will be driven by the revised cost and revenue estimates for existing projects. If new projects can be funded, a call for projects will be issued.

David Cook asked how the presentation was received by the Council and if there were questions. Richard Perrin felt that the members gained a better understanding of the issues and asked good questions.

5. Action Items

a.      Recommendation to the GTC Board concerning certifying that all Federal planning requirements are met / Proposed Council Resolution 08-42.

Richard Perrin noted that subsequent to the mailing of the meeting package NYSDOT informed GTC that it does not need to do a self certification.

Kris Hughes noted that he suggested that the Planning Committee report to the GTC Board could indicate that the draft document was reviewed and GTC does meet the requirements.

Kristen Mark Hughes moved to report to the GTC Board that the GTC meets federal planning requirements; Scott Leathersich seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

b.      Action concerning recommendations for GTC Safe Routes to School Site Assessments

Richard Perrin gave an overview of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Site Assessments.

Richard Perrin noted that a SRTS Workshop was held April 19. Letters of Interest were solicited from more than 70 school district superintendents and transportation directors, as well as lead elected officials in cities, towns and villages within the region on April 29. Letters of Interest were due June 13. Four proposals were received from a rural, suburban, neighborhood-based, and a campus-based school, respectively.

Richard stated that since a proposal was not received from an urban school, GTC staff, with UPWP Development Committee (UDC) concurrence, contacted the City of Rochester to request that they consider submitting a proposal. The City of Rochester then submitted a proposal and five representative school sites are recommended with UDC concurrence for Planning Committee approval.

Richard noted that the separately issued Request for Qualifications for the consultant to conduct the five site assessments was issued June 9 and Statements of Qualifications are due July 11, 2008.

James Fletcher moved to approve the UPWP Development Committee recommendations for GTC SRTS Site Assessments; Dan Hallowell seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

c.      Recommendations to the GTC Board concerning accepting submission of Master Address Files and reports as evidence of completion of various UPWP Tasks.

Kris Hughes suggested considering items 1 through 5 under one motion and starting with the Monroe County task. There were no objections.

1.     Accepting the report, Land Use Report for Monroe County, New York (2007), as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 4210 / Proposed Council Resolution 08-44.

Paul Johnson discussed the report and highlighted changes between 2007 and past years.

2.      Accepting the submission of Master Address Files as evidence of completion of UPWP Tasks 4100 and 4101 / Proposed Council Resolution 08-43

Tom Kicior discussed the task, giving background on the objective and the process. He noted that over 100,000 new addresses were identified in the region. If the Census Bureau does not accept some of the addresses, there is an opportunity to appeal.

Paul Holahan asked if there was a primary reason for the gap. Tom noted there are many reasons and each Census Bureau address list was less than 100 percent complete. David Zorn noted that if the local government does not update addresses, the Census Bureau does not update the list.

Paul Holahan asked for the breakdown between city and suburban in Monroe County. Tom offered to provide this information.

Paul Johnson suggested G/FLRPC follow up with local municipalities to convey the results.

Richard Perrin asked if the Census will contact G/FLRPC as liaison of the local government. David Zorn responded they have indicated they will contact G/FLRPC, but he is not completely confident of this given the Census Bureaus inability to follow its own process on this matter so far.

Richard Perrin commented on the amount of effort on the part of G/FLRPC.

3. Accepting the report, Regional Land Use Monitoring Report (2007), as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 4220 / Proposed Council Resolution 08-45.

Chris Tortora discussed the report and highlighted changes between 2007 and past years.

4. Accepting the report, Preparing Village Main Streets for Planning, and case study reports for the Villages of Newark and Scottsville as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 5360 / Proposed Council Resolution 08-46.

Brian Slack discussed the report and provided background on the objective and the development of the guidebook. The goal was to provide villages with information they need to plan for major capital improvements to their Main Streets. The target audience is the citizen planner (boards, etc.). Brian discussed efforts in the two case study villages.

Kris Hughes asked if there was any analysis of the resurgence of residential uses in village centers to reduce carbon footprints. Brian noted that there is information on green infrastructure, mixed use development, and reuse of second and third levels of buildings. The report provides explanations and resources for further information.

 

5. Accepting the report, Optimizing Transportation Infrastructure Through Effective Land Use, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 5370 / Proposed Council Resolution 08-47.

Joe Bovenzi gave a brief overview of the report.

James Fletcher moved to recommend approval of Proposed Council Resolutions 08-43 through 08-47; William Sullivan seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

d. Action concerning UPWP Project Scopes of Work

1. Task 5530 Monroe County Audible / Tactile Pedestrian Signal Device Study.

Scott Leathersich discussed Task 5530.

Jim Fletcher asked if this study would be conducted for all county roads. Scott indicated that there will be outreach to the community to help identify locations to be analyzed. David Cook indicated that the county may wish to reach out to the RGRTA Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee since many of the individuals on that committee may be interested in the study.

 

2. Task 6202 Monroe County Vertical Curve Safety Study.

Scott Leathersich discussed Task 6202.

Dan Hallowell requested that the products specify concept level cost estimates. Monroe County concurred.

3. Task 6805 Spencerport Eastern Village Corridor Concept Study.

Al Scheg, representing the Village of Spencerport, discussed Task 6805.

4. Task 7572 Genesee County Central Corridor Plan

Steve Mountain from the Town of Batavia discussed Task 7572.

5. Task 7700 Victor Transportation Systems Plan.

Kris Hughes discussed Task 7700.

Scott Leathersich moved to approve the Scopes of Work for Task 5530, 6202, 6805, 7572, and 7700; James Brady seconded the motion. The motion passed unopposed.

 

6. New Business

Richard Perrin noted that the draft New York State Rail Plan is out for review. GTC staff intends to make comments by the July 18 deadline. He highlighted the initial comments to be made.

Kris Hughes suggested that economic development agencies in the region be informed about the opportunity. Richard responded that the GTC staff comments could be shared with the G/FLRPC Economic Development Advisory Committee.

7. Public Forum

Kevin Yost noted that he feels that with gas prices and increased NYS Thruway tolls, the time is right to look at high speed rail and urban light rail.

8. Next Meeting

August 14, 2008 at the Wayne County Courthouse in Lyons.

9. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 12:10 p.m.