Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES February 21, 2013 In attendance: Members Staff Ed Koltonowski Ryan Sass, Everett PW Michael Brick, Everett PW Robert Strickland Tim Miller, Everett PW Corey Hert, Everett PW Tom Norcott Euneka Richards, Everett PW Shawn Smith George Baxter, Everett Transit Guests J.T. Dray Bruce Bosman, Everett PD Annalisa McDaniel, Sno. Health Dist Kris Hausmann Ken Dorn, Everett PD Mayor Ray Stephanson Victor Harris Jeffrey Marks, Everett PW Paul Roberts, (City Council liaison) 8:15 a.m. Shawn Smith called the meeting to order.  Mayor Ray Stephanson was our guest. They Mayor stated that he appreciated the time this morning to visit the TAC. He expressed his admiration for the TAC, as it is made up of staff and citizen volunteers, and mentioned how pleased he was at seeing the sense of community that the citizens of Everett have developed. He said his main focus currently is job retention and job growth, as City revenue has been reduced in the last 4 years. Though operating revenue has decreased, wage/benefit and contract increases are still a part of doing business.  Mayor Stephanson emphasized that despite the budget, public safety is always paramount. The City has taken steps to preserve safety in the midst of budgetary concerns. As a result, even Police and Fire have been asked to keep positions open for a while before they are filled. All departments, he stated, face this reality. Providing this as a backdrop, the mayor expressed his desire for getting people back to work in our City through the private sector in order to afford goods and services, which will help increase the City’s revenues through property taxes, sales taxes, B&O taxes.  Paul Roberts commended the Mayor for his leadership and the financial stability of the City in positive comparison to most all other Washington communities he’s aware of.  The Mayor stated that there may be an 8 cent increase in the gas tax, along with other potential increases, for transportation improvements.  Ed Koltonowski thanked the Mayor for attending the meeting, then asked how has the TAC board served him and what he would like from the TAC in the future. The Mayor stated that he didn’t want citizens to simply tell the administration what they feel the administration wanted to hear. He wanted constructive criticism for help. He stated that infrastructure is incredibly important, and how well served Everett has been with the robust overlay program that we have, in comparison to other municipalities. He said that feedback from staff has been positive for the work the TAC board has done.  J.T. Dray mentioned the new opportunity to connect and collaborate with Community Transit. He felt the time was right to forge a better working relationship between Everett Transit and CT which could have a positive effect on Everett ridership. The Mayor acknowledged that  partnership is important, but felt the missions between Everett Transit and CT were unique, which created unique challenges. Because of the different missions, his view of a “merger” would not be an option. However, he said that there is potential in Paratransit working more closely with CT. The Mayor did recognize that the relationship between Everett and Community Transit is a good one at present, but it hasn’t always been so. Announcements  M/S/P approving the January 2013 Meeting Minutes. J.T. felt that some of his comments from the January meeting were not captured accurately. Tom stated to please send an email with corrections for the minutes.  Requests to add Agenda Items: None. Citizen’s Comments  None. Engineering Report  Ryan mentioned that a freight mobility project covering the route from 41st Street to Marine View Drive is being studied. He will bring a presentation for the TAC board to consider at a later meeting. Some discussion ensued about the type of freight being brought through Everett and how it necessitates the changes.  Ryan stated that the Broadway Bridge plans were approaching 100% and that he was following up with businesses in the affected areas. He also stated there was still some negotiation continuing with the Railroad. Closure for work will likely begin by summer. Police Report  Bruce Bosman reported that a marathon is being held on April 28th. The same marathon did disrupt some businesses on W Marine View Drive last year, so we must prepare to deal with these types of issues, as this particular marathon grows from year-to-year. Transit Report  George revealed that new shelters were being built along the Evergreen portal, with 15 being installed within the next 10 days. A purchase for benches and trash receptacles are on order.  Tom Norcott asked about protection from graffiti on the new shelters. George said it all depended on the type of damage as to whether replacement is necessary or other alternatives. Extra glass has been ordered to help with replacements from graffiti.  Victor asked if there was a priority system in place for bench replacement. George stated that benches would be going with the new shelters first.  J.T. asked if the new shelters were based on the prototypes near Wetmore and the County building. George stated that he wasn’t sure. Other TAC members said that they are quite similar, even if done by different manufacturers. Some discussion ensued about the frequency of trash receptacle clean-up. Rubatino handles larger receptacles; transit smaller ones.   Victor asked about partnerships with businesses for solar-powered compactors. George stated that some businesses actually already assist in cleaning the receptacles. However, he said it was difficult for the City to approach businesses in asking for cooperation with certain endeavors.  George stated that inspection on 5 paratransit vans is complete and that the vans will be here in a couple of weeks. Additional inspections are occurring for 7 40-ft hybrid buses, with final inspections and delivery by mid-march. He stated that the hybrid buses produce a 30% mileage increase over standard diesel costs, so there will be some cost savings in operating expenditures. J.T. commented on how the lower decks of the new buses made them a pleasure to board.  George reported that starting on February 25th, he and Tom Hingson were going to be offering public meetings – listening sessions – to talk about anything regarding transit. He said these meetings were designed so they could be readily available to the public about comments and concerns. Tom asked how many meetings were planned. George responded that it will depend on attendance. A motion was added to have the meetings posted on the TAC website, and that it might also be good to mention on Everett TV.  George reported that Transit had received a $700,000 grant for refurbishing Everett Station, as maintenance needs to be done. He stated that the manager is putting together a scope of work, which covers leakages, brick work, improving signage and maps, customer info, and perhaps also the camera system.  A vendor has been tentatively scheduled for the parking garage grant. The decision will be sent to Council next month, with preliminary design work completed by year’s end. Some discussion ensued about how expenses/revenue operates at Everett Station.  George mentioned that Transit is looking at service changes for August. He stated that the changes will be negligible, as currently Transit is working “in the black.” He doesn’t believe any routes will be cut (nor any new routes added), but merely a shifting of service.  Paul Roberts brought up the issue of security around Everett Station. He hoped that with coordination between police, engineering, and Sound Transit that the eastern parking lot might be better utilized. He encouraged Everett Transit to move forward with security measures. Agenda Items: Item 1 & 2: Accessible Pedestrian Signal and City Safety Program Briefing Tim Miller gave a presentation on changes that will be made at crosswalks for ADA individuals. Since cities are prohibited from discrimination against anyone with a disability, sidewalks need to meet today’s standards. Our system must ensure communication with sight and hearing disabilities. We do have some latitude on how to deploy the upgrades and changes, but will have to develop policy on how to schedule and prioritize this. Slides were displayed showing the scope of the needed work over the course upcoming years, as well as projected cost of full implementation. Meeting adjourned at 9:45am The Next Scheduled Meeting is Thursday March 21, 2013