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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9.30.15 UAPB MinutesMINUTES APPROVED MPOJC URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 – 4:30 PM IOWA CITY CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Tom Gill, Jill Dodds Iowa City: Susan Mims, Terry Dickens, Eleanor Dilkes, Kingsley Botchway II Johnson County: Rod Sullivan, Mike Carberry North Liberty: Terry Donahue, Amy Nielsen Tiffin: Steve Berner University Heights: Louise From University of Iowa: David Ricketts STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Brad Neumann, Emily Bothell, Sarah Walz, Matthew Van Hoeck, OTHERS PRESENT: Cathy Cutler (Iowa DOT), Doug Elliot (ECICOG), Mary Rump (ECICOG), Jason Havel (Iowa City) 1. CALL TO ORDER Gill called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM. a. Recognize alternates Eleanor Dilkes was recognized as an alternate for Jim Throgmorton (Iowa City), and Mike Carberry was recognized as an alternate for Janelle Rettig (Johnson County). b. Consider approval of meeting minutes The motion to approve the meeting minutes was made by Donahue; Dodds seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. c. Set next Board meeting date, time, and location Next meeting was set for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2015 in North Liberty City Hall. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA No discussion of non-agenda items occurred. 3. ADMINISTRATION a. Consideration of an updated staffing agreement between MPOJC and the City of Iowa Ralston explained the updated 28E agreement between the City of Iowa City and the MPOJC Policy Board for staffing. The new agreement, last approved in 1999, will reflect current staffing and does not change the structure or function of the MPO, nor have any budget implications. If approved by the MPO Policy Board (‘Board’) the agreement will be provided to the Iowa City City Council for consideration. The motion to approve the staffing agreement was moved by Botchway; From seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. b. Update on transportation legislation Bothell provided an update on the three month extension to MAP-21, which will keep the Highway Trust Fund Solvent through Oct. 29th, 2015. Efforts for a six-year reauthorization of transportation funding are underway by the Senate, which passed the DRIVE Act on July 30th, 2015, and the President, who advocates for the GROW AMERICA Act. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING a. Public hearing and consideration of an amendment to the FY16-19 MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program Neumann explained the request by the City of Tiffin to adjust the scope of the Tiffin Trail project to meet the requirement of the Iowa-Interstate Railroad that trail crossings be located adjacent to a city street. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) unanimously recommended approval at their September 22 meeting. i. Public Hearing No comments were offered by the public in attendance. ii. Consider an amendment to the FY16-19 MPOJC Transportation Improvement The motion to approve the amendment was moved by Sullivan; Mims seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. b. Public Hearing and consideration of amendments to the 2012-2040 MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan Ralston explained the request from the Iowa DOT for several amendments to the 2012-2040 MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan. Projects fit into the fiscally constrained model and are intended to accommodate the I-80 / I-380 interchange reconstruction and Forevergreen Road / I-380 interchange projects. No comments were received during the 30-day public comment period for the amendments. TTAC unanimously recommended approval of these recommendations at their September 22 meeting. Carberry expressed concerned with the I-380 4 Lane to 6 Lane Expansion project taking existing farmland. Cutler (DOT) explained that the design has not been determined and expanding into the median will be considered. i. Public Hearing No comments were offered by the public in attendance. Dickens moved to condense the three amendments to the Plan into a single consideration, Ricketts seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. ii. Move the existing Forevergreen Road / I-380 Interchange project from the 2021-2030 timeframe to the 2012-2020 timeframe iii. Add a project to the 2012-2020 timeframe to reconstruct Forevergreen Road between Park Road and Jones Boulevard iv. Add a project to expand I-380 from a 4 lane section to a 6 lane section from I-80 north through the future Forevergreen Road / I-380 interchange The motion to approve the condensed amendments was moved by Donahue; Dickens seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. c. Discussion of an update to the N. Dubuque Street / 1st Avenue / North Liberty Road transportation study Ralston explained the N. Dubuque Street / 1st Avenue / North Liberty Road transportation study completed in 2012. Several participants at the ‘Joint Entities’ meeting hosted by Johnson County expressed an interest in an update to the study. Due to the complexity of the study and the staff time necessary for an update, direction is desired from the Board on the course of action. Ralston noted that a more effective option might be to look at specific issues in the study area, as opposed to a new comprehensive study. Ralston confirmed that a full update to the study would not reflect an impact from the school because it is not open yet. Ralston explained that more up-to-date socioeconomic data may not impact conclusions significantly. Ralston offered an alternative recommendation to update the study once the school has opened. Carberry voiced concern about left turners not having safe gaps to turn onto N Dubuque Street, safety at the intersection of Dubuque Street and North Liberty Road, and the gravel curve on the northern portion of North Liberty Road. Gill recommended the study be updated after the school opens. Ralston stated that speed limits have been discussed and may be lowered near the school, asked by Dickens. Donahue confirmed a roundabout is being considered for Dubuque Street and North Liberty Road, asked by Ralston. Ralston offered to conduct a new gap study for portions of Dubuque Street if desired by the Board. Ralston confirmed that the portion of Dubuque Street in front of the school is being redesigned for the school to include a center turning lane, asked by Ricketts. Daryl Graner (Citizens for Sensible Development) offered comment on the gap study being done in June and recommended that the study be fully updated. Ralston stated that the study would take a significant amount of time to fully update, asked by Nielsen. Ralston confirmed that conclusions from a new gap study would likely not differ from the original study at this time, asked by Nielsen. Nielsen stated that the school boundaries have not been determined and recommended that the study be updated after the school opens. Gill expressed that due to the cost of the study it would be better to wait for actual changes with the school to take place before an update to the study. Ralston confirmed that the gap study was conducted in June, asked by Carberry. Carberry expressed concern with waiting until the school opens to update the study because of ongoing problems. Carberry recommended that the study be updated as soon as school boundaries and design decisions are made. Botchway expressed the need to also consider changes to Highway 965 in a future update to the study. Botchway recommended waiting to update the study until decisions surrounding the school are made. Ricketts asked about traffic signals at Dubuque Street and Lincolnshire Place as a measure to address safety concerns. Ralston explained that the collision rates are relatively low and may not warrant traffic signals. Ralston explained that funding sources for improvements on Dubuque Street have not been determined, asked by Mims. Ralston stated that analyses for spot improvements could be completed now and that there are traffic calming measures that could be used if traffic signal warrants are not met, asked by Mims. Ralston offered to bring up concerns with engineers from the respective entities. Ralston confirmed that wait times are a part of roundabout and traffic signal warrant analysis, asked by Botchway. Barb Beaumont voiced concerns with safety on the curve of the northern portion of North Liberty Road. Nielsen explained that improvements to the curve on North Liberty Road are being constrained. Perry Ross (River Heights HOA) voiced concern with traffic on Dubuque Street, access to Iowa River Corridor Trail, and safety on the northern portion of North Liberty Road. Gill recommended that MPOJC staff bring issues brought up during discussion to area engineers. Ralston confirmed the Board’s recommendation and stated that MPOJC staff will bring more information back to the Board prior to soliciting comments for the next Work Program. d. Update on the I-380 Corridor Transportation Study & consideration of support for ECICOG grant applications for vanpool service Neumann updated the Board on the status of the Express Bus Service Subcommittee. Stops being considered include locations in Cedar Rapids, Coralville, and Iowa City. Peak hour service between 5am – 9am and 3pm – 7pm, 30 minute frequency, with a trip time of 47 to 52 minutes, and a $7 round- trip fee are proposed. Other services being explored are public vanpool and carpool service programs. The DOT is hoping to select a software vender for the carpool service this October. ECICOG is the vanpool service sponsor and is developing funding applications for the service. Elliott (ECICOG) asked the Board to consider support for funding applications for Iowa Clean Air Attainment (ICAAP) and State Transit Assistance (STA) Special Project funds for the vanpool program. These funds will be used to start the vanpool service with a fleet of 26 vans and provide a $400 subsidy to each van. ECICOG will provide additional money to meet the local match for ICAAP funding. Elliott confirmed that the University of Iowa is a member of the Subcommittee for the vanpool service, asked by Sullivan. Elliott confirmed that the earliest start date for the service would be October of 2016, asked by Dickens. Botchway voiced the need for transportation from Iowa City to North Liberty to meet employment opportunities. Elliott explained the subscriptive bus service option that could provide transportation for specific employers which could address this need. The motion to approve the letter of support was moved by Sullivan; Dodds seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. e. Update on the CRANDIC passenger rail study Neumann updated the Board on the current study on the CRANDIC Railroad. Phase 1 is investigating service between Iowa City and the Eastern Iowa Airport, generally looking at frequency, capacity, regulatory issues, and cost estimates. There will be a Stakeholder Workshop on October 8 in Cedar Rapids to report on Phase 1 findings. A decision to move onto Phase 2 will be made once the Phase 1 report is complete. The Stakeholder Workshop will be from 10 AM to 2 PM on October 8th in the DOT District 6 headquarters. 5. OTHER BUSINESS a. Presentation from Iowa City staff on significant projects in the urbanized area Havel (City of Iowa City Engineering) updated the Board on the progress made on significant projects in Iowa City. b. Update on recent activities Ralston updated the Board on activities of the MPOJC. Any entities are welcome to request a presentation from MPOJC staff on the Long Range Transportation Plan revision process. 6. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn made by Nielsen; seconded by Dickens. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 5:50 PM.