MPO Policy Committee

MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING September 19, 2013 Policy Members Present: Sherri Sipe, City of Aztec Dan Darnell, City of Farmington Gayla McCulloch, City of Farmington Scott Eckstein, San Juan County Technical Members Absent: Pat Lucero, City of Bloomfield Staff Present: Mary Holton, MPO Officer Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Duane Wakan, MPO Associate Planner June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide Staff Absent: None Also Present: Brian Degani, NMDOT Planning Liaison Phil Gallegos, NMDOT District 5 Dave Keck, San Juan County Ray Hagerman, Four Corners Economic Development CEO 1. CALL TO ORDER Councilor Darnell, Acting Chair called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. While waiting for Councilor McCulloch to arrive, Councilor Darnell moved to Agenda Item #3. 3. HOLD THE ANNUAL ELECTION OF OFFICERS Subject: Annual Election of Officers Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 10, 2013 BACKGROUND  As outlined in the MPO Committee Bylaws, the Annual Election of Officers was moved to September to allow newly elected members to become familiar with Policy Committee proceedings.  Beginning in September 2013, each September the Policy Committee selects the Chair and Vice-Chair from their membership who will serve until the following annual election.  The Chair presides over the meetings and is responsible for the other duties  outlined in the Committee Bylaws and Operating Procedures document.  The Vice-Chair presides over the meetings in the absence of the Chair.  Dr. Henderson served as the last Policy Committee Chair; Mr. Pat Lucero serves as the current Vice Chair. ELECTION  Elections will take place to select a Policy Committee Chair and Vice-Chair until September 2014. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee accept nominations and vote to elect the Chair and Vice-Chair. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori explained that the annual election of officers was moved to the September Policy Committee meeting with the recent update to the Bylaws. The date change was to factor in the municipal level elections held early in the year as well as to provide new members several meetings in their new position to become familiar with the MPO and to better understand the Policy Committee process. Mr. Delmagori noted that with the conclusion of Dr. Henderson’s term as Chair last November, Councilor Pat Lucero, Vice Chair, has been filling in as Chair. Ms. McCulloch arrived following Mr. Delmagori’s introduction of this Agenda item. ACTION: Ms. Sipe nominated Mr. Darnell as Chair. Mr. Eckstein seconded the nomination. The vote to select Mr. Darnell as Chair was passed unanimously. Mr. Eckstein nominated Ms. Sipe as Vice Chair. Ms. McCulloch seconded the nomination. The vote to select Ms. Sipe as Vice Chair was passed unanimously. Mr. Darnell continued the meeting as the newly elected Policy Committee Chair. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 7, 2013 SPECIAL POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING Ms. Sipe moved to approve the minutes from the August 7, 2013 Special Policy Committee meeting. Mr. Eckstein seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 4. RECEIVE AN OVERVIEW OF TECHNICAL COMMITT CONCERNS REGARDING REGIONAL PRIORITIES, MAINTENANCE, AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH NMDOT DISTRICT 5 Subject: Technical Committee Concerns Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 10, 2013 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  At the August 22 Technical Committee meeting, members discussed concerns and issues they have with NMDOT relating to regional priorities, economic development, maintenance, jurisdictions, and communications.  The Technical Committee would like to address these concerns with District 5 and develop solutions during an upcoming work session. CURRENT WORK  Staff prepared a summary of the concerns discussed at the August 22 Technical Committee meeting and provided it to the Policy Committee and NMDOT.  Dave Keck, Technical Committee Chair, will present an overview of the concerns.  The Technical Committee would like to hold a work session to further discuss the concerns and develop solutions. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive an overview of Technical Committee concerns regarding regional priorities, economic development, maintenance, jurisdictions, and communications with NMDOT District 5. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori provided an overview of this Agenda item. As noted in the Agenda, at the August 22 Technical Committee meeting, the members discussed a number of concerns they had with NMDOT relating to a variety of topics. Mr. Delmagori referred to Pages 3 and 4 of the Agenda which listed the issues and concerns discussed by the Technical Committee members. Mr. Delmagori noted that the concerns involved regional priorities as set forth through the MPO for this area and then down to the local level and how the cities and county interact with District 5 in terms of maintenance and jurisdictional and communication issues. Mr. Delmagori commented that many of the items noted have been lingering for some time and the Technical Committee members decided they wanted to get the concerns out on the table for discussion. Mr. Delmagori said the Technical Committee wants to work with District 5 to develop solutions to resolve the items and discussed having a workshop where the items could be discussed in more detail. He noted that the Technical Committee members believed it was important to bring these items to the attention of the Policy Committee for an initial discussion. Mr. Delmagori turned the discussion over to Mr. Dave Keck, Chair of the Technical Committee. Mr. Darnell commented that it sounded like there were some issues of concern for the local jurisdiction in terms of their interaction with NMDOT, but that this was just an initial step in opening a dialogue between the parties. Mr. Keck introduced himself and said he had been with San Juan County for 23 years. He stated that the County has 750 miles of roadway to maintain and two-thirds of that is dirt. He said he understood what it was like to be spread thin and to have to make due with limited resources. He added that he has worked well with NMDOT staff for many years and could appreciate their constraints and the fact that they are working with limited resources as well. Mr. Keck said the issues and concerns on pages 3 and 4 of the Agenda were summarized well and he said he did not plan to go over each item in detail. He noted that the federal funding the County and local entities receive is administered by NMDOT. He stated that when an entity receives a grant, the entity must fund the project up front and then request reimbursement from NMDOT once the project has been completed. Because of this, there is a lot of pressure for local entity staff to perform properly and to meet NMDOT standards which are not always clear cut. Mr. Keck said the County is currently undergoing their budget process and one of the over-riding values for the county is to have a desirable, clean, and attractive place to live. He stated the County has made progress in this area by passing land use and junk ordinances and cleaning up a large number of private properties. Mr. Keck said with the economic uncertainty and the need to attract new business and industry to the area, presenting an attractive appearance is extremely important to the local community. He stated, however, that the highways are not well maintained and that this was one of the first things people see when they enter the region. Mr. Keck said some of the maintenance along the state highways in the area is almost non-existent. When citizens complain it is usually to the local entity and, thus, maintenance and upkeep falls to the county and local governments to provide. Mr. Keck said that during a recent call to NMDOT regarding some trees growing in the median outside of Aztec, he was told they did not have the resources to take care of the problem. Mr. Keck stated that the issue then falls to city or county staff to correct because citizens call the local government regardless of the fact that the issue is on a state highway and should be addressed by NMDOT. Local government staffs respond to the concerns because they are community-minded and want to improve their community. They do whatever is needed even if the issue is on a state roadway which creates both a cost and liability issue for the local government. Mr. Keck believes that if there was a NMDOT representative who lived in the area, they would see the issues and could work to ensure that appropriate maintenance and repairs were completed by NMDOT. Mr. Keck said the Technical Committee members believed these concerns needed to be brought to the attention of the Policy Committee. He noted that the Technical Committee members deal directly with NMODT and thought that a collective voice from the MPO political level could emphasize the fact that the community is working to beautify the area and needs NMDOT to assist in this effort by maintaining the state highways in the area. Mr. Keck also spoke to the level of funding being spent on the US 64 project. The Technical Committee members believe that this money would have been better spent on other local projects such as construction of the Pinon Hills bridge and extension and repaving all the roads to Navajo Dam. These projects would have beautified the area and provided more value to the community than increasing US 64 to six lanes. Mr. Darnell stated that, speaking from the City of Farmington viewpoint, because of these types of ongoing issues, the local governments historically have accepted the responsibility for state highway maintenance. Mr. Darnell asked how best the MPO can approach NMDOT with these concerns. He said there is a local representative to NMDOT and it seemed that we hesitated to involve this commissioner. He agreed that the first step is to try and work things out was through staff, but that at the end of the day, if issues still needed to be addressed, the MPO should contact Commissioner Butch Mathews. Mr. Darnell reiterated that he thought the Technical Committee did hesitate to communicate with Commissioner Mathews. Mr. Darnell added that another concern he sees is with the prioritization of projects here. NMDOT has their own priorities that do not match with the local priorities of the Pinon Hills Bridge and the East Arterial bypass project in Aztec. Mr. Darnell stated he believed Commissioner Mathews could help with these types of communication issues. Mr. Darnell asked for Mr. Keck’s opinion on engaging Commissioner Mathews and using him to act as a liaison in getting communications started. Mr. Keck agreed this was a great idea. He added however that since the Commissioner’s position is a political appointment, both he and members of the Technical Committee would first prefer to work through the levels of their own governmental entity or the MPO before approaching the Commissioner. Ms. McCulloch said she had engaged Commissioner Mathews in the past and was not pleased with his comments. She had taken a few minutes to speak to him about road priorities of the local governments and was told that those were not his priorities. She thought that inviting him to an MPO meeting to hear the discussion first hand was a good idea. In this way he can hear and learn all the details from all the Technical and Policy Committee members in an official setting. Ms. McCulloch said she believed that Commissioner Mathews was willing to hear discussion on local transportation topics and urged the MPO to get a workshop scheduled. Mr. Darnell agreed that inviting Commissioner Mathews to a meeting where the issues and concerns were discussed was a good idea in order to help him understand how the local priorities differ from those of NMDOT. Mr. Keck also suggested extending the invitation to the upper executive staff of the local governments. He said he knew that the County’s Executive Officer Kim Carpenter would be interested in participating in this type of meeting. Ms. Sipe commented that Commissioner Mathews had been invited to an Aztec work session where current issues were discussed. Ms. Sipe said that Aztec wanted to know what they could do to make things work better between the entities and NMDOT, but Commissioner Mathews was less than supportive about anything that differed with the viewpoint of NMDOT. Mr. Keck said two of the biggest concerns are jurisdictional concerns and liability issues when an entity takes on a project on state highways. NMDOT does not want the local entities taking on projects on state roadways unless there is an agreement in place to do so, because if something should happen there could be consequences. A solution to this problem is for an entity to have an MOU in place with NMDOT which allows the entity to perform the specified function along with a mechanism to be reimbursed for the work performed. Ms. Sipe said the City of Aztec has tried to get MOUs from NMDOT to do striping and mowing along state roads without much success. She agreed the MOUs would provide a good option for both NMDOT and the local entities, but they seem to get tangled up in NMDOT red tape. Mr. Keck added that NMDOT staff would probably agree that the MOUs are a good way to share the work. Mr. Keck commented on an MOU the County has been seeking for several years that would reimburse the County for litter they pick up along the state roadways. Mr. Darnell stated that Commissioner Mathews has been apprised of the MOU situation because he personally spoke to him about the issue. The proposed workshop would be a good opportunity to ask him where he is at with the issue of getting MOUs approved. Mr. Darnell recommended that the workshop be an educational format so Commissioner Mathews could learn about local transportation issues and priorities. Mr. Darnell asked Mr. Phil Gallegos if NMDOT had some comments they would like to add to the discussion or would he prefer to skip to Agenda Item #7 and give a full District 5 project update now. Mr. Gallegos decided he would first like to speak to the issues and then would follow that up with the District 5 update. Mr. Gallegos said he thought the workshop would be best if the District 5 Engineer, Miguel Gabaldon, and David Martinez from his staff were included. Mr. Gallegos said he began pushing along some of these items several months ago and believed the workshop would help speed up the process. Mr. Gallegos suggested the meeting be more of a special Policy Committee meeting where the parties could speak about the concerns. Mr. Darnell asked if this was in lieu of inviting Commissioner Mathews. Mr. Gallegos said Commissioner Mathews could be included, but believed the best way to get action on the issues would be to invite Mr. Gabaldon. Mr. Gallegos said he has made Mr. Gabaldon aware of many of the issues, but with the recent flooding, everyone has been extremely busy. He reiterated that a meeting with all the invested parties present would allow for a plan of action to be developed. Mr. Darnell asked at what point the MPO would have the opportunity to educate Commissioner Mathews on current concerns. Mr. Gallegos thought Commissioner Mathews should be brought in from the very beginning and should be invited to the workshop. He reiterated that the meeting needs to include the District 5 Engineer and his staff because they will be able to provide solutions and timelines at the meeting. Mr. Darnell offered to extend a formal invitation to Commissioner Mathews for this workshop and explain to him what the MPO is hoping to achieve. Ms. McCulloch added that the workshop should be scheduled based on Commissioner Mathews availability. Mr. Delmagori thought this was a good idea and said that the invitation would have more effect coming from the Policy Committee Chair. Mr. Gallegos reported that the portion of US 64 under construction is on the strategic network of U.S. highways. This project was a priority for the area prior to the inception of the MPO. He said the project has been started with funding invested in it, and FHWA wants the project completed. Mr. Gallegos said that since FHWA holds the purse strings, the project will need to be completed. Mr. Gallegos said the project is very expensive and NMDOT does not expect to complete the project until 2019. Mr. Gallegos stated that, in the future, should federal funding increase or another bonding program come about, this project would be considered a priority to be funded some other way which could then free up STIP funds for other projects. Mr. Darnell thought this was a great answer. With so much money being spent on the project, it was good to hear that NMDOT would look at other funding options should they become available. Mr. Gallegos stated that District 5 is not silent on the priorities of this area. He cited the East Arterial project in Aztec that had been funded but upon final environmental review has been found to not be ready. Mr. Gallegos reported that there was an issue with independent utility and the funding was lost. He said the District Engineer is committed to refunding the project but District 5 wants to ensure the city has a complete PSA package that is ready to bid before a STIP amendment is done so funding is not lost again. Mr. Gallegos stated that the $2,400,000 in federal STP money to fund this project was lost and went back to the state for use on other projects elsewhere. Ms. Sipe asked what was meant by “independent utility”. Mr. Gallegos said an independent utility meant a project that led to nowhere. In other words, the project ended with no connection to another roadway system. Each federally funded project has to function on its own and has to be connected to some other type of roadway. The East Arterial project ended just short of an arroyo which is considered as a dead-end. Mr. Gallegos stated that the federal requirements are strict on the project connecting to an existing facility to where it could be used as an arterial while the project phases are being constructed. Mr. Gallegos said there is a solution to getting this project completed in the future. The City of Aztec can package Phase IB of the project so that it connects to the road that goes to the land fill (Legion Rd) and it would then meet the federal requirements. Mr. Gallegos restated that Mr. Gabaldon is committed to refunding this project as well as the entire East Arterial project. The City of Aztec, however, must ensure the project package is fully complete because District 5 does not want to risk losing the money again. Ms. Sipe said she was confused because she thought everything was in order for the project. Mr. Gallegos stated that District 5 was told that Phase IB had been environmentally cleared through the arroyo, but it was actually only cleared up to the arroyo. When the District’s environmental division reviewed the project for environmental clearances, they realized the project was incomplete. They then reviewed the independent utility issue which caused the project to be completely halted and the money moved out of FY2013. Ms. Margaret Haynes and Mr. David Quintana will work with the City of Aztec to ensure the project package is fully complete before it is resubmitted. Mr. Gallegos said the project will be refunded as soon as it is ready, but this process could take up to three fiscal years. Mr. Gallegos reported that NMDOT is in the process of hiring three engineers statewide. These engineers will each work with two districts exclusively to assist the local governments in those districts to ensure they understand all NMDOT project requirements and will provide assistance from a project’s inception to final construction. Because these engineers will work exclusively with the local governments this should streamline the process currently being handled by Ms. Haynes. Mr. Gallegos said that Mr. David Martinez told him that the MOUs for San Juan County are with NMDOT’s legal department. He hopes that this process will proceed quickly and that the documents can be returned to the County for their review. Mr. Gallegos said any other entity maintenance agreements would have to be considered on an individual basis because funding is an issue. With a limited statewide maintenance budget, money obligated to different entities takes away from the district-wide funds. Mr. Gallegos added that this was why he wanted the District Engineer in attendance at the workshop so he could address not only maintenance issues, but their budget as well. Mr. Gallegos said that the issue of not involving the municipalities or developers when issuing driveway access permits is handled by his group. He said he would ensure that all entities are involved in the process from the very beginning. Mr. Darnell noted there had been an issue come up during all the recent rains and flooding dealing with NMDOT drainage. It appears that the drainage takes care of the highways, but causes the water to drain into neighborhoods. Mr. Darnell would like this added to the list of items discussed at the workshop. Mr. Gallegos also commented on the issue of District 5 staff not returning phone calls. He asked that if this happens to give him or Mr. Gabaldon the names of that individual and they will ensure it does not continue to happen. He stated there was no reason for this to be occurring. Mr. Darnell suggested that if this continued to happen that the Technical Committee members should log who they called and when their call was actually returned. Mr. Keck made some suggestions that he thought might assist District 5 with their maintenance yard system and the pros and cons of a micro yard versus a central yard. He thought a central yard would decrease expenses and provide a central telephone number for citizens to call and report maintenance concerns. Mr. Darnell said he thought these ideas would be good to be considered during the workshop. Mr. Gallegos gave the following project updates for District 5: - CR6100 and US 64- the safety analysis was completed; the sight distance is good and no deficiencies were noted. A letter summarizing this evaluation was sent to Mr. Keck on August 12; - Signs (congested area) for the Nageezi Chapter House are being fabricated and will be installed as soon as they are ready; - Mr. Martinez is evaluating a drainage issue in Kirtland; - NM 516/CR 3535 – there was an issue at this location with the post office. The District 5 traffic engineer reviewed the site and determined that additional signage (no u-turn at exit of post office) would be installed to see if that solves the traffic problem; - The Shiprock lighting agreement is being worked on. Mr. Quintana is working to set up a meeting in the next two weeks with all the parties; - Data from speed studies on US 550 at milepost 112 to 116 and from 125 to 128 is being evaluated by the District 5 traffic engineer; - Data has not yet been collected on NM 371 from milepost 53 to 55. The traffic technician is expected to be in the area soon to complete this work; - District 5 staff is in the City of Aztec to look at ADA upgrades to NM 516. These upgrades as well as corrections to the uneven pavement surface caused by the mill and inlay will be corrected next spring;  - Additional ADA improvements are needed for the project on US 64 at Troy King Road. These improvements were left out of the original plans; - There have been some traffic issues with the intersection work at NM 516 and Light Plant Road. The project did not begin until after the school year had started and there is heavy school time traffic at the intersection. Mr. Gallegos said they are working quickly on the project and hope to have it completed in December; - The intersection of US 64 and US 550 in Bloomfield has had some scheduling conflicts with the contractor. The project is hoped to be completed by December. - The road safety audit (RSA) was conducted on NM 371 and N36. District 5 is waiting for the final RSA recommendations. Mr. Darnell asked what this meant and where the process was at. Mr. Gallegos stated that the RSA looked at what might be done to improve safety. Mr. Darnell asked if a decision had been made on whether that meant lights or striping. Mr. Gallegos said that lighting and auxiliary lanes were indicated in the draft report and District 5 is now seeking funding for the project. He anticipates that the project will be funded because it is a safety project that has been justified through an RSA. Ms. McCulloch asked when this project is expected to be completed. Mr. Gallegos said he anticipated the project to be completed within 12-18 months. Mr. Hagerman, CEO with Four Corners Economic Development (4CED) spoke on what his organization is working on for the area. He described some of the target industries and the long-term goals, and stated that transportation aesthetics impact the activities they are involved with. Mr. Hagerman said 4CED has identified five target industries where San Juan County could hold regional economic advantages. Those are: energy/manufacturing, tourism, health care, education, and agriculture. Mr. Hagerman said that in terms of the energy industry and because there is a movement across the country and the world for alternative energy sources for vehicles, etc., this region should be a future center for natural gas-related product vehicle conversions, manufacturing, engines, supply chain, and even for products going out into the oilfield. To do this, the region needs to get multi- modal transportation. Most heavy duty manufacturing cannot be done until this type of transportation is available in the region. Mr. Hagerman said that 4CED is making some significant progress in this area. He stated that on Monday, BNSF Railroad representatives will be in town to speak to stakeholders about rail into the area and the priorities for BNSF. Mr. Hagerman noted that the tourism industry is extremely important to this area and that was where the aesthetics of the road system came into play. Unless there were well maintained road systems into and out of the area, it would be very difficult to get people to come here and to stay here. Mr. Hagerman said if this was the case, it was unfortunate because there are opportunities happening. He said that by the end of October, there will be Tesla super charging station in Farmington. Tesla is the fastest growing electric car on the market right now and gets about 250 miles on each charge. Mr. Hagerman said that Tesla is trying to set up 300 super charging stations throughout the country. They are not just setting up the charging stations every 250 miles, but are trying to create experiences for their owners so are individually selecting sites. Mr. Hagerman said that Tesla contacted 4CED and said they had entered the area from several different arterials and thought it was a beautiful area and a prime spot for launching into other areas. Because of this, they selected Farmington as a location for a super charging station. Mr. Hagerman stated this is another opportunity to showcase our community from a tourism perspective, but the road systems need to help us reach out to the people as they come into the area. Mr. Hagerman also reported that at the end of September, 4CED will be holding a work group meeting among stakeholders who have expressed an interest in furthering compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion stations in the area. He stated there are many industry players interested in converting their fleets, as well as municipal entities and school systems that want to convert fleets to CNG. Mr. Hagerman is hopeful that this meeting will bring some definitive steps on getting the infrastructure here and getting this project up and running. He noted again that much of the success will depend on transportation and he encouraged all ongoing discussions. Mr. Hagerman has also spoken with Commissioner Mathews about local priorities and noted that there were no easy solutions. He stated that this region has a limited multi-modal perspective today, but 4CED is working to find solutions and believe they have engaged all of the right parties to do so. Mr. Hagerman noted that in the meantime, we need to depend on our current road systems. That includes looking at the micro-level and the businesses on US 64 that are wondering if they will be able to stay open due to limited business access from the continuing road construction. Mr. Hagerman urged everyone to lean on their legislators and commissioners to get and keep our roads maintained. Mr. Darnell thanked Mr. Hagerman for his comments and for participating in the meeting. Mr. Darnell asked about the two schools of thought regarding the possibility of bringing rail service to the area: coming up on NM 371 or the preferable route up US 491 and US 64. He asked if BNSF is ready to talk about how they would actually bring rail service to the area. Mr. Hagerman commented that the preferred route now is to come up NM 371. This is because the Navajo Nation has purchased almost 400 acres at Thoreau, New Mexico and they are co-developing an industrial park there. The park will focus on translating activities. Mr. Hagerman added that there are companies currently trucking oil down NM 371 and then loading the product into rail cars. Having this translating facility would simplify this transfer and this is the most advantageous location for BNSF in the southwest at this time. Mr. Hagerman said there are currently seven major local players (i.e.: Halliburton and others) that have signed up to put in facilities and develop the industrial park. The park itself will only accommodate about 22-24 sites and after the initial seven, there are another 14 or 15 nearly ready to sign. The next priority is to run the rail another 120 miles north to Farmington and put in another industrial park. 4CED has conducted a preliminary demand study and, based on the formulas for imports and exports provided by BNSF, 4CED determined there were 32 cars coming out of the area on a daily basis, not including oil or Navajo coal. The magic number is 100 cars each day to make this a viable project. Mr. Hagerman said there is a lot of need and desire for rail in and out of the area. Mr. Darnell said the original discussion of bringing rail into the area was for it to be taken to NAPI and stop there. Mr. Hagerman said subsequent discussion has definitely gone beyond this point. He thought what might be considered is a shared industrial park on the mesa where part of it would be on NAPI land and part on private property. Mr. Hagerman said the ball is with the Navajo Nation right now to get all the rights-of-way needed from Thoreau to San Juan County. ACTION: The overview was received. Mr. Delmagori clarified that Commissioner Butch Mathews, District 5 Engineer and staff, Technical and Policy Committees, 4CED, and executive staff from the local entities were to be invited to participate in the workshop. 5. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT #2 TO THE FFY2014-2019 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP) Subject: FFY2014-2019 TIP Amendment #2 Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 10, 2013 BACKGROUND  On August 15, 2013 the Farmington MPO advertised Amendment #2 to the FFY2014-2019 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  The amendment revises one project, adds three projects to the TIP, and removes one project as described in the attached notice. CURRENT WORK  The revised project is for Phase 4 of the US 64 widening project, which revises funding amounts and fiscal years.  Two of the new projects are Phases 5 and 6 of the US 64 widening project.  These two phases were identified by District 5 during development of the update to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  The City of Aztec is adding construction of a trail connecting Aztec Ruins to the Animas River Pedestrian Bridge to Martinez Lane.  The CR 7950 project in San Juan County is being removed from the TIP since the County is no longer programming federal and local funding to the project.  A public hearing on Amendment #2 was held on August 22, 2013 during the Technical Committee meeting.  The Technical Committee recommended approval of Amendment #2. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee approve Amendment #2 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP and the Self-Certification document for Amendment #2. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori referred to Pages 6 and 7 of the Agenda. The projects are shown below: • US 64 Phase IV (CN F100110) – revise funding and fiscal years as shown in the following table: Existing Project Amended Project $3,951,000 in National Hwy Performance $3,284,964 in NHPP with $559,797 in Program (NHPP) with $673,000 in State State match in FFY2015 match in FFY2014 $3,161,280 in NHPP with $538,720 in $8,544,000 in NHPP and $2,268,636 in State match in FFY2015 Small Urban Area with population 5,000 to 200,000 with $1,842,603 in State match in FFY2016 Total Funding - $8,325,000 Total Funding - $16,500,000 Mr. Delmagori stated that this project had been in the TIP but only at about one-half the funding necessary to complete this phase of the project. • US 64 Phase V (CN F100112) - adds this phase of the US 64 widening project (milepoint 56 to 58) to the Regionally Significant List from the Unfunded List using the amounts, sources, and fiscal years as shown in the following table. Total funding for this phase is $17,655,750. Federal Amount & Source State Match FFY2015 $773, 873 in NHPP $131,877 FFY2017 $4,240,116 in NHPP $722,566 FFY2018 $10,071,084 in NHPP $1,716,234 • US 64 Phase VI (CN F100113) - adds this phase of the US 64 widening project (milepoint 54 to 56) to the Regionally Significant List using the amounts, sources, and fiscal year as shown in the following table. Total funding for this phase is $9,000,000. Federal Amount & Source State Match FFY2019 $6,565,803 in NHPP and $1,310,400 $1,123,797 in Small Urban Area with population 5,000 to 200,000 Mr. Delmagori reported that Phases V and VI of the US 64 project have now also been identified taking the completion of the project out to 2019. Phase VI is currently only funded at $9,000,000 and this amount will likely almost double when this Phase is ready to be constructed. • Animas River Trail – the City of Aztec will use local Municipal Road Funds in FFY2014 to construct a bicycle/pedestrian trail connecting Ruins Road to the Animas River Pedestrian Bridge (CN F100120) to Martinez Lane. The Municipal Road Fund will be in the amount of $806,911. Mr. Delmagori explained that this is a local project that will support the pedestrian bridge being constructed across the Animas River. This bicycle/pedestrian trail will link Aztec Ruins to the pedestrian bridge and then to Martinez Lane. This project is being funded through the Municipal Road Fund in the amount of $806,911. • CR 7950 (CN L5076) – removes this resurfacing project from the TIP. San Juan County has determined that it will not program a federal earmark and local funds to this project. The County has decided they will not be programming the project on CR 7950 which was a resurfacing project on the road to Chaco Canyon. This project will be removed from the TIP. Mr. Delmagori stated that the 30-day Public Comment period was held from August 15 to September 17, 2013 and no comments were received. A public hearing was held during the August 22 Technical Committee meeting and no comments were received. ACTION: Mr. Eckstein moved to approve Amendment #2 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP. Ms. Sipe seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. Ms. Sipe moved to approve the Self-Certification document for Amendment #2. Mr. Eckstein seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 6. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE PROPOSED 2014 MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE POLICY COMMITTEE Subject: 2014 Annual Meeting Schedule Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 11, 2013 BACKGROUND  Each year the Policy Committee approves a resolution ensuring compliance with the open meetings act and establishes its meeting schedule for the coming year. CURRENT WORK  Staff will present a proposed meeting schedule for discussion with the Policy Committee  It is suggested that the Policy Committee hold seven regular meetings during 2014.  Meetings are recommended for January, March, April, June, August, September, and November.  Meeting can continue to be held on the third Thursday at 1:30pm on a rotating  basis among the entities or held at more appropriate days and times.  Formal action to adopt a meetings resolution will be done in November. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on the proposed 2014 meeting schedule for the Policy Committee. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori referred the Policy Committee to Page 11 of the Agenda which gave a draft meeting schedule for 2014 for the Policy Committee. He noted that the meeting date remained on the third Thursday and that meetings would be held on seven months. Mr. Delmagori said there are several times when the Policy Committee meets in back-to-back months to address the UPWP and TIP action items. Mr. Delmagori also noted that there has been a meeting added to the month of August, because over the past couple of years, special meetings have been called for in August due to pending action items. He explained that the November meeting was moved up by one week to accommodate the Thanksgiving holiday. Mr. Delmagori said this was a preliminary schedule and the Policy Committee could discuss revising it and then take formal action on the meeting schedule at the November Policy Committee meeting. Ms. McCulloch said the third Thursday of the month oftentimes conflicts with another meeting she has, but she does not yet know when those meetings will be scheduled in 2014. The Policy Committee decided to contact Mr. Delmagori with any changes, he could adjust the calendar as needed, and the formal meeting schedule approved at the November Policy Committee meeting. ACTION: The report was received. 7. RECEIVE A REPORT FROM NMDOT Mr. Phil Gallegos gave the District 5 report earlier in the meeting. Mr. Brian Degani introduced himself as the new Planning Liaison for the MPO replacing Ms. Maggie Ryan who formally resigned her position with NMDOT in July. Mr. Degani explained the Transportation Information Management System (TIMS) database system and the work being done to upgrade the system. The contractor hired to upgrade the system is beginning the work by compiling 27,000 miles of road with GPS and video logging of all the interstate, US routes, and state roads. NMDOT has determined that using this process would be more efficient and complete than trying to upgrade the current system. Mr. Degani said that TIMS is also used for functional classification. The Planning Division will be setting up a meeting in a couple of weeks with the MPO to review the processes used by both agencies and begin to integrate the MPO traffic counts and locations with those of NMDOT. Mr. Degani said the Planning Division may also ask the MPO to look at any overlap with the NWRPO’s traffic count needs and see how each could assist the other. The MPO Quarterly Meeting was held on September 18 in Santa Fe and Mr. Degani said it was reported that MAP-21 will be rolling out the safety performance measures very shortly. During November and December, there will be a period called “notice of rule-making”. FHWA does this to detail what the rules will be for safety (bridges will be included as well) for all the data driven performance measures that will be required to be analyzed and developed. Agencies will be able to comment on the rule making and what it encompasses or fails to encompass. Mr. Degani encouraged everyone to make their comments and to express any concerns. Mr. Degani stated that it will be important for everyone to understand the performance measures set out by MAP-21 as the MPO begins to develop their own data-driven performance measures. Going forward, Mr. Degani sees MAP-21 being extended under continuing resolutions as Congress continues to develop the laws relating to MAP-21. Mr. Degani reported on some upcoming MAP-21 workshops to be held in the next few months. Mr. Degani reported that the Request for Proposals (RFP) have been received for the state long-range plan. The consultant selected will help NMDOT format the working groups. This process will be discussed in more detail on October 21 at the joint MPO/RPO meeting. Development of the long-range plan is expected to take two years. Mr. Degani reported that the draft State Rail Plan will be released on October 1. There will be three public meetings held in Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Farmington to discuss the draft plan. Mr. Degani referenced the earlier conversation on rail freight activity and the freight he sees traveling through the Grants/Milan area. Mr. Degani also referenced NMDOT’s travel demand model and the upgrade the Rail Runner stations and service centers to determine ridership, as well as the integration of the park and ride lots. Mr. Degani said that Mr. Steve Egan would be updating the Comprehensive Transportation Safety Plan. FHWA wants each state to give the plan its own name and to update it in conjunction with their long range plan. The policies that come out of the state’s long range plan will be in line with Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and vice versa. Also during the MPO Quarterly Meeting, Mr. Egan stated that there is approximately $25,000,000 each year available to HSIP projects. Mr. Degani reminded everyone that this money is for safety projects and project selection is data driven. All aspects of the collected data are reviewed in order to analyze projects properly and also to determine if an RSA might be required. Mr. Degani reported that an application and guideline process is being developed for the HSIP process and should be available in a couple of months. Mr. Darnell commented that Mr. Dave Pennella with MRCOG gave a great overview presentation on MAP-21 at the Policy Committee Summit on September 14. Mr. Darnell asked if this presentation could be made available to the Policy Committee members. Mr. Delmagori said he would send out the presentation when it was made available to Staff. 8. RECEIVE A STATUS REPORT ON FEDERALLY FUNDED PROJECTS IN FFY2013 AND IN THE FFY2014-2019 TIP Subject: Status of TIP Projects Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 9, 2013 BACKGROUND  The STIP Protocols, finalized in January 2012, indicate that a status report on projects in the current TIP will be provided twice a year.  The status report is given around March or April and again in August or September.  Reviewing the status of projects is an opportunity to review project details, programmed amounts, and any potential situations that may affect funding.  A status report on the federally funded projects in FFY 2013 and in the FFY2014- 2019 TIP was presented to the Technical Committee on August 22. CURRENT WORK  Staff will review projects that are expected to be obligated in FFY2013.  Staff will discuss the list of TIP/STIP projects that are receiving federal funding for FFY2014 through FY2019.  Staff will highlight an upcoming amendment needed for project revisions. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on the status of federally funded projects in FFY2013 and in the FFY2014-2019 TIP. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that the STIP protocols require the MPO to provide a status report update twice a year to their Committees which outline where current projects stand and to announce upcoming projects in the future years. Pages 13- 21 list all the MPO’s federally funded projects. Mr. Delmagori reviewed the several projects that had been discussed during the meeting as the rest of the projects on the list are in good shape: East Arterial Route (Page 13) The STP funding of $2,402,573 for this project was lost and reverted back to NMDOT. CR 7950 (Page 17) This project has been removed from the TIP Bergin Lane (Page 18) This project was original funded under the old Transportation Enhancements (TPE) Program. Since the TPE Program has been replaced by the TAP program, this project will need an amendment to be removed from the TIP and be added to the Unfunded Projects List. 20th Street (Page 18) This project was also originally funded under the old Transportation Enhancements (TPE) Program. An amendment will need to be made to replace this TPE project with TAP funds that were approved for two phases of this project. Mr. Delmagori also referred to some upcoming projects shown on Pages 19-21. US 64 Phase 4 (Page 19) This Phase will be revised based on Amendment #2 that was just approved. ACTION: The report was received. 9. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE UPDATE TO THE REGIONAL TRAFFIC MODEL Subject: Regional Traffic Model Update Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Associate Planner Date: September 12, 2013 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  Staff completed baseline population/employment estimates and changes to the Traffic Analysis Zones (TAZ) boundary structure.  The Policy Committee approved the new TAZ boundary structure on April 23.  The Policy Committee approved the TAZ base year and future (2010, 2025, and 2040) population and employment projections and distribution on August 7.  An update on the work on the Traffic Model was given to the Technical Committee on August 22. CURRENT WORK  The consultant has begun TAZ boundary review and traffic count integration.  Staff is updating the traffic count links (peak hour traffic analysis) for model integration.  The consultant will initiate model calibration, validation and staff training in late September.  RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on the update to the Regional Traffic Model. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan reported that the TAZ boundaries and population and employment projections were approved by both the Technical and Policy Committees in August. Staff has now begun working with the traffic model consultant as he begins to review TAZ boundaries and integrate traffic count data into the model. Staff is also updating the peak hour traffic numbers for model integration as well. Mr. Wakan reported that overall the TAZ boundaries looked good, but the consultant had suggested minor revisions to two or three of the TAZ boundaries. The consultant is also providing training to staff on the components of the model program. Once all the data is incorporated into the model, the consultant will calibrate and validate the model. Mr. Wakan also noted that the traffic model update will be used in developing the MTP update. ACTION: The report was received. 10. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE 2013-2014 TRAFFIC COUNT PROGRAM Subject: 2013-2014 Traffic Count Program Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Associate Planner Date: September 12, 2013 BACKGROUND  The MPO maintains traffic counts for over 220 locations throughout the MPO boundary.  Locations are taken according to a three year cycle and periodically change due to the deletion or addition of various locations.  The 2013-2014 Traffic counts are in the first year of a new three-year cycle.  Counts that were not approved last year or were affected by road construction will be counted in 2013.  The MPO conducted 88 volume counts in 2012 (30 Speed/Class).  The MPO also conducted 32 initial Weekend Counts in May 2013. CURRENT WORK  Staff is splitting the annual traffic count list into a fall/spring calendar format.  Staff is also merging the weekend count calendar to coordinate with the weekday count calendar on a semi-annual basis.  MPO Staff has renewed a one-year contract with a consultant to take counts for 2013 and 2014.  RECOMMENDATION  Staff recommends that the Policy Committee receive a report on the 2013-2014 Traffic Count Program. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan stated that the MPO will be starting a new traffic count series this fall. Staff has decided to split the annual traffic count list into a fall/spring calendar format which will also include the weekend traffic counts as well. Mr. Wakan provided a handout to the Policy Committee members which showed the fall 2013 traffic count locations including 16 weekend count locations. The Technical Committee has reviewed the list for any potential construction or repair issues on roads scheduled to be counted. Some road projects in Farmington are expected to be completed before the counts are taken. Mr. Wakan stated that the consultant anticipates taking the counts during the third or fourth week of October. ACTION: The report was received. 11. INFORMATION ITEMS Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: September 11, 2013 INFORMATION ITEMS a. Statewide Policy Summit. Councilor Dan Darnell and Joe Delmagori attended the statewide meeting of the MPO Policy Committees on September 14. A summary of the meeting will be provided on September 19. b. Transportation Alternatives Program. Staff will provide a status report on the TAP program as the MPO prepares to submit all required documents to NMDOT by October 1. c. MPO Quarterly Meeting. Duane Wakan attended the MPO Quarterly in Santa Fe on September 18. d. Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update. Every five years the MPO needs to update its long range plan. Development of the 2040 MTP will begin in October 2013 and conclude in April 2015.  e. Other. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that he and Mr. Darnell attended the statewide MPO Policy Committee Summit in Albuquerque on September 14. Mr. Delmagori reiterated that the presentations on MAP-21 and the state’s long-range plan were very informative. Mr. Darnell added that he was disappointed in the attendance at the summit especially by the RPOs in the more rural communities. He did not think a statewide meeting of this kind was beneficial as policies differ among the various elected officials and politics get in the way of devising solutions to issues. Mr. Darnell thought an informational type meeting would be better received. Mr. Delmagori said he thought there would be notes from the meeting forthcoming and would forward those to the Policy Committee members when he receives them. Mr. Delmagori said that all the required documents for the selected TAP projects were finalized and the resolutions from the local entities were passed. All TAP documentation was given to Mr. Degani who will take it back to the Planning Division. Mr. Delmagori reported that Staff will begin its update of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). He stated this was a lengthy process and included many elements. Staff will be completing the update in-house and anticipates the process taking about 18 months. Mr. Delmagori will have an overview presentation that will outline the main aspects of the MTP update for the November Policy Committee meeting. 12. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF There was no business from the Chairman, Members or Staff. 13. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR There was no business from the floor. 14. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Eckstein moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Sipe seconded the motion. Mr. Darnell adjourned the meeting at 3:20 p.m. __________________________ ________________________________ Dan Darnell, Chair June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide