MPO Executive Board

Bristol Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization December 3, 2015 Board Members Present: Councilman Guy Odum - Bristol, Virginia Bill Sorah - Bristol, Tennessee Ambre Torbett - Sullivan County, Tennessee Commissioner John Schroer - Tennessee Department of Transportation Donny Necessary - Virginia Department of Transportation Cherith Marshall - Washington County, Virginia Members Absent: Abingdon, Virginia Others Present: Rex Montgomery - Bristol MPO Marsha Fiol - VDOT Randy Dodson - Mattern & Craig Tim Beavers - Bristol, Tennessee Jason Carder - Mattern & Craig Chris Craig – First Tennessee RPO Kimery Grant – TDOT Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend - Bristol, Tennessee Eli Jones – TDOT Tanisha Hall – TDOT Lyndsay Botts – TDOT Matt Barnes – TDOT Freddie Holly – TDOT Toks Omishakin – TDOT Matthew Johnson – Abingdon, Virginia Call to Order / Roll Call: A Quorum being present, Vice-Chairperson Ambre Torbett called the meeting to order at 10:15 a.m., December 3, 2015, in the Ewell L. Easley Annex Building, Bristol, Tennessee. Approval of Minutes: Bill Sorah moved to adopt the minutes of September 3, 2015 as submitted; seconded by Donny Necessary; motion carried unanimously. Comments from the Public: None Old Business: None New Business: Item A: Amendment # 10 - FY 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program [Rex Montgomery] The Transportation Improvement Program documents how Federal funds will be expended on transportation projects within the MPO’s Metropolitan Planning Area. Amendment #10 represents Federal funding programmed for reconstruction of Route 11 (Lee Highway) from 100 feet west of the I-81 south bound on/off ramps to 75 feet west of Island Road in Bristol, Virginia (UPC 105309). The amendment includes Federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds, as well as State funding, Revenue Sharing, and Advanced Construction funds for a total of 9.7 million dollars. It was noted the City of Bristol, Virginia has submitted an application to replace the Revenue Sharing funds with House Bill 2 grant funding. There being no further discussion, Donny Necessary moved to adopt Resolution 15-13 approving Amendment # 10 to the FY 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program; seconded by Cherith Marshall; motion carried unanimously. Item B: Multimodal Access Grant Application – Sullivan County, Tennessee Ambre Torbett addressed the Board requesting a letter of endorsement for the Sullivan County, Tennessee application for the TDOT Multimodal Access Grant Program. The project is titled “A Better Blountville – Connecting the County Seat” and will include pedestrian infrastructure consisting of sidewalks, signage, and crosswalks in Blountville (Sullivan County Seat). Discussion incurred on the project details and connectivity between various land uses in Blountville. There being no additional discussion, Donny Necessary moved to adopt Resolution 15-14 supporting the Multimodal Access Grant Application for Sullivan County, Tennessee; seconded by Cherith Marshall; motion carried unanimously. Other Matters of Mutual Interest: Item A: The Annual Listing of Federally Obligated Projects for Fiscal Year 2015 was reviewed with the Executive Board. The report was for information only and no action was required. Item B: The meeting schedule for 2016 was discussed. The regular quarterly meeting dates were identified as February 4, May 5, August 4, and November 3. Item C: Councilman Guy Odum discussed the City of Bristol Virginia’s Tobacco Commission funding for a passenger rail ridership study to be conducted for the corridor between Roanoke and Bristol, Virginia. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation has approved the study, but has requested a letter of support from the MPO. It was noted no funding for the study is being provided by the MPO. Margaret Feierabend (Bristol Tennessee City Council) spoke on behalf of the Bristol Rail Coalition, which has been an advocate for passenger rail service and coordination between State DOTs to extend service from Virginia into Tennessee and Georgia. There being no additional discussion, Bill Sorah moved to submit a Letter of Endorsement from the MPO to Amtrak in support of the passenger study requested by Bristol, Virginia; seconded by Cherith Marshall; motion carried unanimously. Item D: Commissioner John Schroer, Tennessee Department of Transportation, provided a presentation on State and local project needs. TDOT has launched website to provide public information on the current backlog of projects, as well as new project needs, and the insufficient revenue from fuel taxes to maintain transportation infrastructure. Adjournment: There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned. Page 2