GTC Board - Minutes

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GENESEE TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL

QUARTERLY BOARD MEETING

Radisson Hotel

Henrietta, NY

September 14, 2006

GTC BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Maggie Brooks, Monroe County (GTC Chairperson)

Lois Giess, Rochester City Council

Mary Pat Hancock, Genesee County

Paul E. Haney, Rochester At-Large

James Hoffman, Wayne County

Daniel Hogan, Monroe County At-Large

Esther Leadley, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council

David L. Watson, Rochester City Planning Commission

Wayne Zyra, Monroe County

ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT

Leslie Bamann, Ontario County, representing Theodore Fafinski

David Cook, RGRTA, representing John G. Doyle, Jr.

E. Joseph Gozelski, Wyoming County, representing A. Douglas Berwanger

Scott Leathersich, Monroe County At-Large, representing Edward Marianetti

Edward G. Muszynski, Empire State Development Corporation, representing Charles Gargano

Kevin OBuckley, NYSDOT Region 4, representing Thomas Madison

Thomas Pericak, NYS Thruway Authority, representing Michael Fleischer

Chris Wilson, Yates County, representing Robert Multer

David Woods, Livingston County, representing James Merrick

GTC BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT AND UNREPRESENTED

Robert Arnold, Federal Highway Administration

George Bower, Orleans County

Philip Brito, Federal Aviation Administration

Robert Duffy, City of Rochester

Tracy Logel, Monroe County Supervisors Association

Bonnie Pedrick-Coles, Monroe County Planning Board

Denise M. Sheehan, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Robert Shipley, Seneca County (GTC Vice Chairperson)

Letitia Thompson, Federal Transit Administration

OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE

Deborah Elliott, GTC Staff

Daniel Hallowell, NYSDOT Region 4

Paul Holahan, City of Rochester

David Lyon, Wayne County

Gay Mills, Genesee Land Trust

Richard Perrin, GTC Staff

Terrence J. Rice, Monroe County

Robert Scholl, NYSDOT Region 4

Robert Slaver, Jr., NYSDOT Region 4

Petra Staats, GTC Staff

James Stack, GTC Staff

John Thomas, City of Rochester

Robert Torzynski, GTC Staff

David Zorn, G/FLRPC



1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Chairperson Brooks called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m.

James Stack, GTC staff, called the roll; a quorum was present.

2. Public Forum

No one from the public spoke during the Public Forum.

3. Approval of Minutes

Wayne Zyra moved for approval of the minutes from the June 15, 2006 GTC Quarterly Board meeting; Daniel Hogan seconded the motion. The minutes were approved as submitted.

4. Communications and Announcements

No communications or announcements were received.

5. Reports and Action on Old Business

a.      Planning Committee Report David Woods, Chairman

David Woods provided the following report:

The Planning Committee met July 20 and August 17, 2006 and recommends that the GTC Board:

         Adopt the Transportation Conformity Determination for the 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Program

         Certify that all Federal planning requirements are met

         Amend the FY 2006-07 UPWP Budget to reflect a decreased allocation of FHWA Planning and FTA Metropolitan Planning Program funds

         Endorse the Regional Project Priorities List for the 2006 Transportation Enhancements Program

         Accept the following final project reports as evidence of completion of their respective UPWP Tasks

      2005 Land Use Report for Monroe County (Task 4210)

      2005 Regional Land Use Monitoring Report (Task 4220)

      Route 14A Corridor Study (Task 7530)

      RGRTA Emergency Management Plan Project Summary (Task 8270)

         Adopt 12 amendments to the 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Program as requested by:

      Genesee County;

      The New York State Department of Transportation;

      The City of Rochester; and

      The Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority

Additionally, the Planning Committee took the following actions:

         Amended the 2006-2007 UPWP by consolidating Phases 1 and 2 of the State Route 96/State Route 318 Rural Corridor Study into a single Task

         Approved scopes of work for the following UPWP Tasks:

      Market Research for Regional Transit Service (Task 4730)

      LRTP Non-Air Environmental Scan (Task 5291)

      Monroe County Overhead Traffic Sign Visibility Upgrade (Task 6201)

      Genesee County Safe Passing Zone Survey (Task 6221)

      Center City Parking Development & Management (Task 6351)

      Circulation, Accessibility, and Parking Program (Task 6800)

      State Route 96/State Route 318 Rural Corridor Study (Task 7550)

      Coordinated Public Transit/Human Services Plan (Task 8150)

b.      GTC Staff Report Richard Perrin, Executive Director

Richard Perrin provided the following report:

         GTC staff and NYSDOT Region 4 staff have begun the development of the 2007-2012 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP Development process is being modified to better incorporate highway and bridge preventive maintenance projects, Intelligent Transportation System projects, and projects that improve air quality. We expect to have a total of approximately $200 million of new federal transportation funds available for programming.

An advance Notice of Funding availability was sent to the lead elected official of every county, city, town, and village in the seven-county TIP region, as well as the highway superintendent and other interested parties on Friday, August 11. The Call for Projects package was sent to these same individuals two weeks later on August 25. A workshop for prospective applicants was held September 13 at the Henrietta Town Hall. Applications are due Friday, October 6.

In October and November GTC staff and NYSDOT Region 4 staff will evaluate and develop a preliminary ranking of proposals. The TIP Development Committee will meet in December of this year and January and February 2007 to develop a draft TIP for Planning Committee consideration. A draft TIP will be provided for public review in February and March 2007. The Planning Committee will recommend a draft TIP for Board consideration at the June 21, 2007 meeting.

Beginning with this TIP, GTC will be programming Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for projects that have positive benefits on air quality. A legal notice was published in the September 8 edition of the Rochester Business Journal to inform non-public entities of the availability of these funds.

         In addition to developing the TIP, which is the regions capital improvement program, GTC staff have begun working on the FY 2007-2008 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the annual planning program for the nine-county region. We anticipate having approximately $700,000 available for projects administered and managed by counties, towns, villages and cities in the nine-county region.

Similar to the TIP, an advance notice of funding availability was sent to the lead elected officials, planning board chairpersons, and other interested parties. This notice was mailed Friday, September 8 with the full Call for Projects to be mailed Friday, September 22. Applications will be due on October 27 and GTC staff will work with the UPWP Development Committee to develop a draft program for Planning Committee consideration.

GTC staff expect to have a draft UPWP for public review in January and February with the Planning Committee making a recommendation to the Board for its consideration of the final draft UPWP at the March 8, 2007 meeting.

         GTC staff are also beginning project solicitation for the Circulation, Accessibility, and Parking (CAP) program which is a component of the current UPWP and will make up to $50,000 in federal planning funds available to up to four communities ($200,000 total) to develop action plans that identify capital projects and regulatory initiatives to improve recognized activity centers (e.g., downtowns).

         Another major activity for GTC staff since the June 15 Board meeting has been working with NYSDOT and other partners to develop the Conformity Determination that is provided for your consideration as agenda item 5.a.

         GTC staff are also advancing or working with member agencies to advance planning activities and provide technical assistance as requested.

c. Old Business

As reported at the June 15 meeting, GTC staff were working on and have completed a working critical path schedule for ensuring that our planning activities will be in compliance with the requirements of the current surface transportation legislation, SAFETEA-LU, by July 1, 2007. Also, the New York State MPOs Association submitted joint comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding planning requirements under SAFETEA-LU.

6. New Business

a.      Adopting the Transportation Conformity Determination for the 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Program Action on Proposed Resolution 06-57.

Richard Perrin explained that, as a result of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designating the six-county Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area as being in nonattainment of the 8-hour ground level ozone standard, GTC must demonstrate that its transportation investment decisions do not negatively impact air quality.

This is accomplished via a conformity determination that includes a regional emissions analysis based on the estimated impacts of projects programmed in the Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program.

Amendments to the TIP resulting from reassessment of priorities and congressional earmarks require that a conformity determination be made. GTC staff and NYSDOT staff worked with the Interagency Consultation Group to develop the draft conformity statement. The draft conformity statement was made available for public review from August 14 to September 12 with a legal notice of its availability published in the Democrat and Chronicle. A public meeting was held August 31. No comments were received.

The conformity statement is a compliance document and does not create any new investment or policy decisions. The document validates that those decisions meet applicable federal requirements, namely the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

Richard noted the Planning Committee reviewed and recommended the draft conformity statement for approval at its August 17 meeting pending the completion of the public review period, during which no comments were received.

Kevin OBuckley moved to approve Resolution 06-57; Mary Pat Hancock seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

b. Certifying that all Federal planning requirements are met Action on Proposed Resolution 06-58.

Richard Perrin explained that every four years the Federal Highway and Transit Administrations conduct a thorough review of GTC activities. In the years between this review, GTC and the other NYSMPOs with Transportation Management Areas are required to certify that their planning activities meet federal requirements through adoption of a self-certification document. The format of the document is specified by NYSDOT and includes sections on required agreements, planning and technical activities (related to the LRTP, UPWP, TIP, and other initiatives), and administrative procedures.

The last joint FHWA/FTA Certification Review was issued in 2005. This review identified one implementation item the development and publication of an annual obligations list within 24 months. The development and publication of an annual obligations list for the most recently completed federal fiscal year has been finalized.

Richard noted the Planning Committee reviewed and recommended the Self-Certification document for approval at its August 17 meeting.

Daniel Hogan moved to approve Resolution 06-58; Chris Wilson seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

c. Amending the FY 2006-07 UPWP Budget to reflect a decreased allocation of FHWA Planning and FTA Metropolitan Planning Program funds Action on Proposed Resolution 06-59.

Richard Perrin explained that the UPWP includes FHWA Planning and FTA Metropolitan Planning Program funds to support GTC staff activities and other agency studies, plans, and projects. NYSDOT notified GTC on June 2 that the allocation of both fund sources was being reduced - the FHWA funds by $12,859 and the FTA funds by $3,127. The timing of this notification did not allow the Planning Committee to consider and make a recommendation at its May meeting for Board consideration in June. GTC staff reviewed its budget and other UPWP tasks, and identified offsets that will not result in a reduction of funds to other agencies.

Richard noted the Planning Committee reviewed and recommended this budget amendment for approval at its August 17 meeting.

Wayne Zyra moved to approve Resolution 06-59; Daniel Hogan seconded.

Paul Haney asked for the major funding changes to be identified. Richard Perrin reviewed the tables in Exhibit 1, noting the slight reductions to and new allocations of specific UPWP tasks. He explained that the changes do not impact any projects being conducted by other agencies.

The motion passed unopposed.

d. Endorsing the Regional Project Priorities List for the 2006 Transportation Enhancements Program Action on Proposed Resolution 06-60.

Richard Perrin explained that the Transportation Enhancements Program (TEP) is a highly competitive federal program that is administered by NYSDOT to fund projects that add value to the transportation system but would not necessarily compete well against traditional transportation (e.g., highway, bridge, and public transportation) projects.

The GTC action is to endorse a ranking of projects to be forwarded to the state-level Transportation Enhancements Advisory Committee (TEAC) for final project selection. NYSDOT and GTC staff work together to develop a project ranking that responds to the evaluation criteria developed by NYSDOT. TEP is a highly competitive program with nearly three times as much funding requested as is expected to be allocated to the region during this round.

Richard noted the Planning Committee reviewed and recommended the approval of the Regional Project Priorities List for the Enhancements Program at its August 17 meeting.

Leslie Bamann moved to approve Resolution 06-60; Esther Leadley seconded.

Lois Giess inquired about the typical amount of funding available to this region through TEP. Richard responded that there is not a set allocation but that the NYSDOT Region 4 area is estimated to receive $4.1 million. Requests by communities in NYSDOT Region 4 totaled $12.7 million and the three highest-ranked projects on the Regional Priorities Project List would consume the estimated allocation.

Tom Pericak asked whether a project not selected for TEP funding is considered for funding from other sources. Richard responded that it is not automatically considered and that the project sponsor must submit an application for other funding programs.

Leslie Bamann asked about the timetable for approval. Richard responded that announcements are expected in mid-October.

Mary Pat Hancock noted that the criteria favored recreational projects instead of business-oriented projects. Richard agreed but added that the Butterhole Trail through the city covers areas of population without automobiles which would expand transportation choices and improve quality of life for that area.

E. Joseph Gozelski asked if the trails have shown a benefit and been successful. Richard responded that they are beneficial but he is not aware of any studies that compare these types of projects to other project types.

Chris Wilson asked Richard Perrin to explain how the TEP process in this region compares to that in other regions. Richard explained that the statewide program (TEP) is administered through NYSDOT regions and each one works with their respective MPO (if present) based on that regions needs. Richard gave the example of the Syracuse area (NYSDOT Region 3) which does not require MPO Board action, instead relying on the equivalent of the TIP Development Committee to provide a prioritized list of projects to the TEAC.

Leslie Bamann noted that tourism in the Finger Lakes is up 17 percent in the past year and these types of projects benefit economic development by supporting this growing industry.

The motion passed unopposed.

e. Accepting the final project reports as evidence of completion of various UPWP tasks

Chairperson Brooks suggested that proposed Resolutions 06-54, 06-55, 06-56, and 06-61 be considered under one motion. The Board concurred.

(1) Accepting the report, 2005 Land Use Report for Monroe County, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 4210 Action on Proposed Resolution 06-54.

(2) Accepting the report, 2005 Regional Land Use Monitoring Report, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 4220 Action on Proposed Resolution 06-55.

(3) Accepting the report, Route 14A Corridor Study, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 7530 Action on Proposed Resolution 06-56.

(4) Accepting the RGRTA Emergency Management Plan Project Summary, as evidence of completion of UPWP Task 8270 Action on Proposed Resolution 06-61

Chris Wilson moved to approve Resolutions 06-54, 06-55, 06-56, and 06-61; Esther Leadley seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

f. Adopting amendments to the 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Program

Chairperson Brooks suggested that proposed resolutions be grouped by jurisdiction and be considered under individual motions. The Board concurred.

(1) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Law Street Bridge over Tonawanda Creek project and deleting the Pike Road Bridge project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-62

Paul Haney moved to approve Resolution 06-62; Mary Pat Hancock seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

(2) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by increasing the total cost of the Preventive Maintenance project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-63

(3) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Lift Line Bus Replacement project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-64

(4) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the RTS Site & Facility Upgrades project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-65

(5) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by combining two RTS Bus Replacement projects, increasing the total number of vehicles purchased, and increasing the total cost of the two projects Action on Proposed Resolution 06-66

(6) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the RGRTA Intelligent Transportation Systems project and reducing the cost of the Renaissance Square project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-67

David Watson moved to approve Resolutions 06-63 through 06-67; David Cook seconded.

Paul Haney asked for an explanation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Richard Perrin discussed the purpose of ITS and typical uses for public transportation (e.g., automated passenger counters, next bus information provision, etc.).

Paul Haney noted that the system in the Main Street bus shelters doesnt seem to be working. David Cook responded that the system displayed static scheduled information in the past but is not currently functioning. The new system would display actual arrival information similar to flight arrival/departure screens in airports.

Paul Haney asked how Resolution 06-67 impacts Renaissance Square. Richard Perrin responded that it is 50% matching program resulting from an earmark. The congressional sponsor is in agreement with the amendment and Main and Clinton Local Development Corporation is aware of the change.

Paul Haney asked if the transportation portion of Renaissance Square is fully funded in the TIP. Maggie Brooks responded that it is and noted that these funds are for an earmark related to ITS and do not impact the overall capital program.

The motion passed unopposed.

(7) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by changing the schedule of the Port of Rochester Security/ITS Project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-68

Paul Haney moved to approve Resolution 06-68; Lois Giess seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

(8) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by decreasing the total cost of the Route 390 Reconstruction project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-69

(9) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the Route 390 @ I-490 Interchange Improvements project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-70

(10) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by decreasing the total cost of and renaming I-390 Reconstruction Stage 1 project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-71

(11) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by adding the I-390 Interchange Improvements @ Rt. 15 (Exit 16 Part 2) project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-72

(12) Amending the 2005-2010 TIP by changing the schedule of the Route 252 (Jefferson Road) Stage 2 project Action on Proposed Resolution 06-73

Wayne Zyra moved to approve Resolutions 06-69 through 06-73; Kevin OBuckley seconded. The motion passed unopposed.

7. Any Other New Business

Richard Perrin distributed a schedule of the 2007 GTC Board meetings. The full calendar of GTC Board and Planning Committee meetings will be provided to Board members in their December meeting package.

8. Next Meeting

The next Board meeting will be held Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Henrietta.

9. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 9:16 a.m.