Everett Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)

TAC MINUTES August 20, 2015 In attendance: Members Staff Guests William Weber Ryan Sass, Public Works Keri Moore, Sno Health District Tim Manrow George Baxter, Transit J.T. Dray Sabina Popa, Transit Victor Harris Tom Hingson, Transit Tom Norcott Jeffrey Marks, Public Works 8:15 a.m. Chairman William Weber called the meeting to order.  Approval of June minutes postponed until some edits are recorded, per J.T.’s request. Announcements & Requests to Add Agenda Items  Victor Harris raised a concern that Wall Street, Broadway, and Oakes around Comcast Arena was showing deterioration, but wasn’t being considered for maintenance for 10 years. He stated that there are 6” holes in some places.  Victor Harris also expressed concern about the Smith Island interchange with I-5. He felt Smith Island should be a natural area rather than part of City expansion. Ryan stated that there are multiple things planned associated with Smith Island. He stated some dikes will be breached for natural areas, while other parts will be in place for industrial use, and that I-5 access to Smith Island to and from the south on I-5 will improve transportation to and from the industrial areas.  J.T. commented the commute time from Seattle to Everett on Friday, August 14th, with the heavy rainstorm was 2 hours and 3 minutes and he encouraged everyone to consider mass transit to help alleviate congestion on the roadways. Citizen’s Comments  None. Engineering Report  Ryan Sass gave an update on the Broadway Bridge project, stating that the girder and bridge deck were completed. More utility work is in progress, with a brief change in the traffic detour to accommodate intersection improvements.  Ryan informed the committee that the attempt to accelerate the project with pre-load settlement was successful. He anticipates that the project will likely will be completed sooner than originally estimated.  Victor asked if the closure of California and Broadway as a result of the utility work detour would affect pedestrian traffic as well. Ryan replied that yes, pedestrians on California will be affected.   Victor asked if there was any more over-track work. Ryan stated that all major over track work had been completed.  Ryan reported that pavement maintenance, striping and marking was currently going on. He reported that paving is complete, but that certain areas of marking may be redone due to poor quality by the contractor. Tom congratulated the City and group who was doing the overlay work, as he had seen tremendous improvement on the roads that he travels.  Ryan mentioned that there was a public parking forum on August 18th. He reported that the content was good and would send the committee a copy of the outline. The forum was attended by about 20 people. He stated that the strategies behind the upcoming parking changes were being looked at by the same team who came up with strategies in 2007. The next step in the process is to refine our parking inventory, followed up in October with a study to see where the City is at in terms of utilization of parking stalls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Tom asked if parking was responsible for stopping the construction of the new courthouse. Ryan said that may have been part of it, but not the only reason.  There was additional discussion on parking around the college area, including if such parking challenges will have an impact at Everett Station. Ryan stated that WSU is planning on building additional parking.  Some minor discussion ensued around light rail and how it could affect parking at Everett Station. Police Report  None. Transit Report  George announced that the annual service changes go into effect on Sunday, August 23rd. These changes represent a 4% increase in service levels, including more service along Broadway and Evergreen with Route 7.  George also stated that come September 1st, Everett Station will be considered a “smoke free” campus. This will require some level of enforcement.  It was stated that the moving of Transit’s administrative offices would occur by the end of the year.  J.T. asked about the trip reduction program, “Everett in Motion.” Sabina explained that people can sign up online (rideshareonline.com). This site can help track trips and gives access to good reports. The “Everett in Motion” program is designed for people who live and work in Everett and offers prize incentives in joining the program (http://www.everetttransit.org/233/Everett-in-Motion). Tom Norcott said that he was familiar with the program, as he did the same thing with van pools; it encourages people to use transit and get rewards.  George explained that Transit has been managing the City’s trip reduction program for large employers. Last year, Sabina and staff successfully executed a program to go beyond the large employers, resulting in a 2 year State funded grant to continue this type of service. Agenda Items: Item 1: Annual Transit Development Plan Update 2015-2020 and 2014 Annual Report  George explained that the TDP is a preliminary document that Transit is required to submit with the State every year. It has been brought to the Committee for comments, which will then go before City Council on August 26th. It was noted that Transit is not constrained by the report.  Victor raised questions about the Growth Management Act and if the TDP took that into account, along with light rail. George said that some lack of forecasting in the document is not meant to address what is in the City’s comprehensive plan, which does take the GMA into account. The TDP is simply a document for the State and is not meant to be a long-range strategic plan; a long-range strategic plan will be created to address the comprehensive plan at a later date. George also explained that the forecasting in the TDP was written in accordance to the guidelines the State set out for how the report was to be written.  J.T. asked for some clarification about the Federal Grants listed on page 10 (5307, 5309, 5339). He wondered if any of this grants covered the ETA system and bus stop improvements. George explained that most grants are for facilities preservation or bus preservation. He also informed the committee that the particular grants listed do not go to bus stops, but an earlier grant from 2014 did, and that grant money has been expended. Tom Hingson stated that he will provide a breakdown in some of the grants, which address the ETA program and bus stop signs.  Tom Norcott asked if the grants affect cash flow. George stated that it is budgeted for the year the actual grant is received. He stated that the funding is split 80/20, with the grant reimbursing the City. The statement reflects the grant as money coming in, but also being paid out as part of the expenditures.  There was some discussion on the nature of capital reserves and how the projected figures are calculated.  Victor asked about bulb-outs with the plan. Tom Hingson stated that Transit did not know when they would be awarded a grant for that purpose, so cannot say when it would happen.  William remarked about the Service Connections listed in Section 4. He felt the list could be condensed. George re-iterated that the format is what was asked by the State for reporting purposes.  J.T. asked about Paratransit and how it worked in terms of revenue and expenses. George and Tom Hingson explained that the revenue from the fares is combined with the regular revenues from Transit; it does not operate under a separate budget. However, Transit does track the costs of Paratransit, which amounts to about 24% of Transit’s costs. It was stated that revenue from Paratransit is less than $100,000. J.T. expressed how good the performance of the people handling Paratransit was when he experienced using the service. Tom Hingson said he will be explaining the state of Paratransit to the City Council on September 23rd.  There was some additional discussion about how tax revenue is split with SWIFT. Meeting adjourned at 9:40 am The Next Scheduled Meeting is September 17, 2015