MPO Policy Committee

MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING January 16, 2014 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 June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide Staff Absent: Duane Wakan, Associate MPO Planner Also Present: David Quintana, NMDOT District 5 Karen Georgina, San Juan Center for Independence Larry Hathaway, San Juan County 1. CALL TO ORDER Councilor Darnell called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 14, 2013 POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING Commissioner Eckstein moved to approve the minutes from the November 14, 2013 Policy Committee meeting. Councilor McCulloch seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 3. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT #4 TO THE FFY2014-2019 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP) Subject: FFY2014-2019 TIP Amendment #4 Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 7, 2014 BACKGROUND  On December 1, 2013 the Farmington MPO advertised Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).   The amendment adds one project to the TIP as described in the attached notice.  A public hearing on Amendment #4 was held on December 19, 2013 during the Technical Committee meeting.  The Technical Committee recommended approval of Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP. CURRENT WORK • For the East Arterial project in the City of Aztec, Legion Road will be upgraded to city standards and will become the terminus for the next phase of the East Arterial project (Phase 1B). • The city will upgrade Legion Rd from its current terminus to the end of Phase 1B of the East Arterial. • This project creates a logical terminus for Phase 1B of the East Arterial. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee approve Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP and the MPO Self-Certification for Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori explained that funding for Phase 1B of the East Arterial project in the City of Aztec was declined when it was determined that there was no logical terminus for the project. The City of Aztec has since identified Legion Road as a logical terminus for Phase 1B and District 5 plans to reprogram the project in the near term. One step toward achieving this is to get the Legion Road project into the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) as the logical termini for the project. Mr. Delmagori referred to Page 2 of the Agenda which showed the Public Notice for the Amendment and gave the project details. He noted that Legion Road does already exist for a short distance from US 550. The City of Aztec will upgrade the road to city standards from its current end and Phase 1B of the East Arterial project will then be able to connect to this portion of Legion Road. Mr. Delmagori also stated that the MPO Self- Certification for Amendment #4 could be found on Page 3 of the Agenda. ACTION: Councilor McCulloch moved to approve Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP and the MPO Self-Certification for Amendment #4 to the FFY2014-2019 TIP. Commissioner Sipe seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. 4. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE FFY2014-2015 UPWP BUDGET AMENDMENT BASED ON FY2013 CARRYOVER AND NEW WORK AUTHORIZATION FUNDING AMOUNTS Subject: FFY2014-2015 UPWP Budget Amendment Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 7, 2014 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  The MPO prepared its FFY2014-2015 Budget based on initial funding estimates from NMDOT for FHWA PL and FTA 5303.  Work Authorizations now provide official amounts for PL and 5303 funding.  The Technical Committee recommended approval of the FFY2014-2015 UPWP Budget Amendment on December 19. CURRENT WORK  The MPO is receiving a base amount in federal PL funding as part of the transition to the federal fiscal year.  The MPO received approval to carryover federal PL funds from FY2013 to FFY2014.  The MPO is receiving federal FTA 5303 funding that will cover transit activities from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee approve the amendment to the FFY2014-2015 UPWP Budget based on FY2013 carryover and new Work Authorization funding amounts. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that the annual work program is initially developed in June using estimated amounts for both the PL and FTA 5303 funding sources. Once the final work authorizations are received several months later, the budget can be amended to reflect final amounts. Mr. Delmagori referred to Page 5 of the Agenda which provided a summary of the current MPO budget status and showed what the final budget would be following approval of the budget amendment. Mr. Delmagori noted that the FHWA PL estimate from June 2013 was the actual authorized amount received in July 2013. The FTA 5303 estimate from June 2013 was significantly lower at $36,000 than the authorized amount of $51,175.87. Farmington MPO FFY2014 Budget – October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014 FFY2013 FFY2014 FY2014 Est. Authorized FFY2014 FY2013 Authorized Amt FFY2014 Final Budget (June Amts (Jul 2013) Authorized Carryover (Oct (Dec 2013) Budget (Dec Fund Source 2013) P513130 Amt (Jul 2013) 2013) P500020 P514120 2013) FHWA PL - Federal Share $ 196,487.00 $ 196,487.00 $ 71,863.82 $ 170,013.00 $ 438,363.82 FHWA PL Required Match $ 33,483.74 $ 33,483.74 $ 12,246.46 $ 28,972.25 $ 74,702.45 FHWA PL Total $ 229,970.74 $ 229,970.74 $ 84,110.28 $ 198,985.25 $ 513,066.27 FHWA PL Traffic Counts - Federal FHWA PL Required Match FHWA PL Traffic Counts Total FTA 5303 - Federal Share $ 36,000.00 $ 51,175.87 $ 51,175.87 FTA 5303 Required Match $ 9,000.00 $ 12,793.97 $ 12,793.97 FTA 5303 Total $ 45,000.00 $ 63,969.84 $ 63,969.84 Federal Share of MPO Budget $ 232,487.00 $ 489,539.69 Local Required Match $ 42,483.74 $ 87,496.42 Additional Local Funding Total $ 51,827.26 $ 0.00 MPO Grand Budget $ 326,798.00 $ 577,036.11 Maximum Total Local Contribution (Required Match & Additional Local) $ 94,311.00 $ 87,496.42 Maximum Aztec Share (10%) $ 9,431.10 $ 8,749.64 Maximum Bloomfield Share (10%) $ 9,431.10 $ 8,749.64 Maximum Farmington Share (60%) $ 56,586.60 $ 52,497.85 Maximum SJ County Share (20%) $ 18,862.20 $ 17,499.28 Increase in federal PL $ 241,876.82 Increase in federal 5303 $ 15,175.87 Overall federal Increase $ 257,052.69 Aztec Contribution Reduction $ 681.46 Bloomfield Contribution Reduction $ 681.46 Farmington Contribution Reduction $ 4,088.75 SJ County Contribution Reduction $ 1,362.92 Overall Local Reduction $ 6,814.58 With the transition to the federal fiscal year by the MPO, Mr. Delmagori commented that work authorizations were received for both 2013 and 2014 along with approval for $71,863.82 in carryover money. The federal share of the FFY2014 final budget is $438,363.82 which is the largest budget the MPO has ever had. Mr. Delmagori stated that added to this amount was the $51,175.87 in FTA5303 dollars, which raised the federal share of the MPO budget to $489,539.69. The corresponding local match is $87,496.42 and each of the entities has a reduction in their contribution amount due to the higher level of federal funding. Mr. Delmagori stated that the action being sought was to approve the amendment to the budget from the estimates shown in June 2013 to the final budget amounts shown for December 2013. ACTION: Commissioner Eckstein moved to approve the amendment to the FFY2014- 2015 UPWP Budget based on FY2013 carryover and new Work Authorization funding amounts. Commissioner Sipe seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. 5. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT (JPA) AMENDMENT, REFLECTING MAP-21 PROVISIONS AND A CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCESS Subject: Joint Powers Agreement Amendment Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 8, 2014 BACKGROUND  The FHWA MPO Review indicated that the MPO needs to amend the current Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) to meet new provisions of MAP-21 and to include a conflict resolution process to address disagreements.  The proposed MAP-21 provisions to be included in the JPA and the development of the conflict resolution process for the JPA have been reviewed by the Technical and Policy Committees.  The Technical Committee recommended approval of the Joint Powers Agreement Amendment on December 19. CURRENT WORK  MAP-21 provisions are included in Section 4 referencing performance measures for the MTP, TIP, and other planning documents.  Section 7 is expanded to address conditions that would indicate when the JPA needs to be updated.  Staff developed a conflict resolution process based on the FHWA-NMDOT oversight agreement.   The conflict resolution process includes working with the Technical and Policy Committees on agreement.  If an issue is not resolved at that point, local entity councils and commissions will work to reach agreement.  Staff provided the revisions to FHWA for review and they were accepted on December 5. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee approve the JPA Amendment with the MAP-21 provisions and the new conflict resolution process. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori stated that the proposed revisions have been reviewed by both the Policy and Technical Committees over the past several months. The recommended revisions came out of the FHWA MPO Review in September 2012. Staff incorporated general language with regard to MAP-21 and specifically referenced the performance targets and measures that are part of that bill and will be a recurring theme in many MPO planning documents in the future. Mr. Delmagori said that the Review also asked for a conflict resolution process to be identified by the MPO. Mr. Delmagori reviewed the proposed revisions to the JPA: Section Four Added to Section Four are the National Planning Goals from MAP-21. Where the JPA referenced the Long Range Plan and the TIP, additional language was added regarding the incorporation of performance based measures and various approaches to those documents. As a way to reference other planning documents, items #9 and #10 were added: - Coordinate performance targets with NMDOT to ensure consistency; - Integrate performance-based processes into other transportation plans. The language in the JPA is kept general since this is an all-encompassing document. More detailed and specific language will be added to the individual documents. Section Seven Additional language was added to this Section to expand on the situations where the JPA might need to be amended. Section Ten This Section was added to address the conflict resolution process. It explains how the process would begin with the Technical Committee and if the disagreement was not resolved, it would then be brought to the attention of the Policy Committee. If agreement could still not be reached, the issue would escalate to the local councils and commissions. Mr. Delmagori noted that this process reflects the current process used by FHWA and NMDOT in resolving their issues. Mr. Delmagori explained the addition of the use of mediation and facilitation at any level to help expedite resolution and that these would be held within the MPO planning area. Councilor Darnell asked if there had been a conflict resolution process in the JPA prior to now. Mr. Delmagori said that the current JPA had nothing specific to address conflict resolution. ACTION: Commissioner Sipe moved to approve the JPA Amendment with the MAP-21 provisions and the new conflict resolution process. Councilor McCulloch seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. 6. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE 2040 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN Subject: 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 8, 2014 BACKGROUND OR PREVIOUS WORK  The Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) is the long range planning document that addresses transportation needs for the next twenty-five years.  The 2035 MTP was adopted in 2010.  Development of the 2040 MTP began in November 2013 and is expected to be adopted in April 2015.  Overview presentations have been given to the Technical and Policy Committees. CURRENT WORK  Overview presentations will be given to various groups in the coming month.  Staff is organizing a stakeholder workshop and public meetings in early February.  These meetings will seek to gather ideas on transportation projects that can then be analyzed later in the MTP process.  The current MTP Vision, Goals, and Objectives will be discussed and reviewed. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) is the long range planning document for the MPO is up for renewal and Staff is targeting April 2015 for final adoption of the plan. Mr. Delmagori said that an update of the MTP process had been provided at the Policy Committee’s November meeting. Staff has now begun to branch out to other stakeholder groups and to the local councils and commissions to provide them with an overview of the MTP. Mr. Delmagori said that, to date, Staff has spoken with the Farmington Chamber of Commerce Redcoats and San Juan Rotary. Presentations are scheduled with the Farmington Chamber’s Young Professionals group and all four local governments. Additional stakeholder groups have been identified and presentations with these groups will be scheduled over the next month or two to explain the MTP and how they can be involved in the process. Mr. Delmagori also reported on the MTP Stakeholder Workshop scheduled for February 5 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the MPO Office. Mr. Delmagori stated that Policy Committee members were invited to attend the workshop and the final agenda would be provided to them when completed. Mr. Delmagori reported that the Technical Committee members requested the workshop to get initial feedback and input from the public that they could then react to. The workshop will provide an opportunity to learn what the community would like to see in terms of transportation for this area, as well as discuss with them what is already identified in the current MTP. As the MTP process progresses, additional workshops may be planned to provide for additional public input. Mr. Delmagori referred to Pages 8 and 9 of the Agenda which showed the vision and mission statements, as well as the goals and objectives that were identified for the current 2035 MTP. Councilor Darnell asked if the e-mail the Policy Committee members received about a workshop on February 5 was the same workshop Mr. Delmagori had referred to. Mr. Delmagori said this was the same workshop. Councilor Darnell asked if the workshop would be open to the public. Mr. Delmagori said it would be, but that specific invitations had already been sent to various stakeholder groups. Councilor Darnell also asked if individuals from the groups being presented to were being invited to the workshop to give input or were the presentations simply to inform them about the MTP process. Mr. Delmagori said the presentations begin as a way to inform the public about the MTP but, following the presentations, many participants do ask how they can become involved with the process. Ms. Holton said the MPO is stressing the inclusion of all interested individuals and that the workshop would be advertised in the newspaper. ACTION: The report was received. 7. RECEIVE A REPORT FROM NMDOT Mr. David Quintana reported that District 5 is working with Staff to outline the workshop to discuss community concerns. He said this would be an all day workshop on February 20 with representatives from the general office also being invited. They will provide a breakdown of local government procedures and the expected increased oversight by District 5 on local projects. District 5 is in the process of selecting a consultant for the final design of a safety project on NM 173 from mile marker 2.5 to 3.0 to address vertical concerns and drop-offs. Mr. Quintana said it is hoped to identify the consultant in the next couple of months and begin a construction project in FY2016. Mr. Quintana said that once the Legion Road project is completed by the City of Aztec, there will then be a logical terminus for Phase 1B of the East Arterial project. Mr. Quintana said District 5 then plans to reprogram the project in time for the January STIP preview and for the anticipated April amendment approval process. The funding would then be available in FY2015 and would coincide with the design package the City of Aztec expects to have ready in July or August. Mr. Quintana said District 5 wants to ensure the Legion Road project is underway before they reprogram the project. Mr. Delmagori asked if District 5 had a dollar amount for Phase 1B. Mr. Quintana said there is enough money in FY2015 to cover the estimated $3,500,000 cost of the project. He stated that the remainder of the corridor would be phased out in the STIP over the next five to six years. The intersection project on US 64 is almost completed. Mr. Quintana reported it should be completed in four to five weeks pending the completion of punch list items. Mr. Quintana reported that the next phase of the US 64 project from mile marker 60 to 62 was awarded to Mountain States Construction. He noted that they are mobilizing and that construction on this phase should begin once the weather warms up and that it should be completed by the end of the construction season. Commissioner Eckstein commented that Mountain States has already begun some preliminary work along the roadway and already seem to be moving quicker than Sterling Brothers. Mr. Quintana added that Mountain States is better equipped for the project and better steady progress on the next phase is expected. The phase of US 64 from mile marker 58 to 60 is currently under design. Mr. Quintana reported that District 5 will be working on acquiring rights-of-way during this calendar year. This project is programmed for construction over FY2016 and FY2017. He anticipates this project beginning in early FY2017. Mr. Quintana reported that $25,000,000 in state funding has been requested from the legislature to assist with the US 64 project. If approved, the US 64 project from mile marker 58 to 60 could be accelerated. Councilor Darnell asked about the safety study for the intersection of NM 371 and N36. Mr. Quintana said there is a phasing study being conducted on NM 371 all the way south to I-40. Councilor Darnell asked if this was in conjunction with the emphasis on getting rail to the Farmington area. Mr. Quintana said there was no rail connected to this study although he thought an RFP was going to be written to study the corridor for freight rail. Mr. Quintana said that for the intersection of NM 371 and N36, District 5 is completing a signal warrant analysis this month. A temporary warning flasher will be installed now and then District 5 will begin developing a signalized project. Mr. Quintana thought a project would be programmed in the next year to get the intersection signalized. He commented that the traffic counts prior to the casino opening warranted a signal. Mr. Miguel Gabaldon has met with Representative Sharon Clahchischilliage and informed her that the signalized project for this intersection will be fast-tracked. Mr. Brian Degani could not attend the Policy Committee meeting. Mr. Delmagori said that at the Technical Committee meeting in December, Mr. Degani had reported that the state is working on their long-range plan update process which involves all the MPOs and RTPOs. Additionally they are working on the freight rail plan and the functional classification updates. 8. RECEIVE A REPORT ON COMPLETE STREETS Subject: Complete Streets Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 7, 2014 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  Complete Streets is a means of designing a roadway so that it accommodates all modes of travel, such as walking, biking, and transit.  On August 7, the Policy Committee approved a vision statement, values, and goals for Complete Streets which create the framework for the program.  Staff has been working with the Advisory Group on development of land use context areas and road types overlays.  The Advisory Group held its latest meeting on November 20. CURRENT WORK  The Advisory Group completed exercises in which they identified titles and descriptions for land use context areas and road types for the MPO Complete Streets program.  Land use context areas are areas that comprise of a unique combination of building types, densities, and development form.  Road types better represent how a street functions within a neighborhood.  These overlays better represent the built environment and relate to the Complete Streets elements that would be expected to be found in that area.  Land use context areas and road types will be matched for creating Complete Streets design guidelines. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on Complete Streets. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that just prior to the holidays the Complete Streets Advisory Group wrapped up a final draft of the land use context areas and road types. Mr. Delmagori reiterated that these are overlays to the traditional land use categories and road types that better represent the built environment as well as how the road interacts with the adjacent development. Mr. Delmagori referred to Pages 11-13 which provided the final draft titles and descriptions for the land use context areas and road types developed by the Advisory Group. Preliminary approval of these titles and descriptions is expected by the Advisory Group at their January 22 meeting. The design guidelines will be developed using these context areas and road types overlays. Mr. Delmagori showed some maps developed by Staff that illustrated the interaction of the context areas and road types. These maps are only the first iteration of the information and the Advisory Group will review and comment on the information at their January meeting. The maps have only been completed for the Farmington area but will be expanded to include all areas of the MPO. The maps will help to verify that the titles for the context areas will best represent the area. The same mapping process was used to illustrate the road types that the Advisory Group developed. Mr. Delmagori gave 30th Street as an example saying it is categorized as a minor arterial but it moves back and forth into residential and commercial. The mapping and coloring of the road types will show how 30th Street changes based on the land use context area. This information will help to provide a better understanding of how the built environment interacts with the road types. Councilor McCulloch asked when Complete Streets might be ready to be taken to the entities for adoption. Mr. Delmagori said this was probably several months out as the Advisory Group will next begin looking at the design guidelines. Once the design guidelines are developed, Staff should have a better understanding of the timeframe for bringing Complete Streets to the entities. Ms. Holton stated that the MPO has invited Mr. Dan Burden of the WALC Institute to return to the area on May 11, 12 and 13. During his visit there will be a public workshop as well as a technical workshop for the Advisory Group. He will also present to each of the local entity’s councils and commissions. Councilor McCulloch asked about incorporating some Complete Streets concepts into the City of Farmington’s Foothills project and design. Mr. Delmagori said that at a recent public meeting to discuss the plans, the project consultant provided some cross-sections of potential options that he believed were in line with Complete Streets guidelines. Councilor McCulloch asked if MPO participation was being sought and would they be involved in the process going forward. Mr. Delmagori said the City’s Public Works Department has kept the MPO informed of the process. Ms. Holton added that in this design phase, the lead is with Public Works, but they will continue to keep the MPO in the loop. Councilor Darnell stated that the Farmington City Council is revisiting the East Main Street corridor and he asked if Complete Streets concepts could be incorporated there. He commented that the focus of many individuals in the community is to keep traffic moving and to minimize wait times along this corridor. The opposite argument is that the community wants a vibrant East Main Street to encourage economic development in the area. Councilor Darnell asked if this roadway had been considered for Complete Streets designs and ideas. Ms. Holton thought the concepts in Complete Streets will involve a cultural change and a move from the past focus of simply moving vehicles. She reminded everyone that Complete Streets focuses on accommodating all users, not just vehicles. She said that there are many facets to Complete Streets which include making the streets safer for pedestrians and encouraging walking between businesses. Ms. Holton said these changes will require people to think about getting out of their vehicles and starting to walk. The roads need to be made safe enough for those who do choose to walk while still moving traffic along the corridor. Councilor Darnell noted that he has been working with several disabled individuals who need to cross East Main Street on a regular basis. Crossing Main Street for these individuals is currently very difficult as there is no staging area in the middle of the road for them to rest. Ms. Holton said that one aspect of Complete Streets is to look at safety medians that would provide a barrier for a pedestrian to cross half way across the street and then be able to wait there for the light to change. Councilor Darnell said these types of changes need to be addressed not only by policy individuals, but also by the technical individuals. Councilor McCulloch commented on the lack on Complete Streets concepts considered for the US 64 project. She was disappointed that with the millions of dollars spent on the project, no Complete Streets ideas were incorporated. Mr. Quintana commented that NMDOT tried to incorporate as many multi-modal features as possible for a regional connector. The new roadway does include sidewalks and medians to provide a safe harbor for pedestrians. He said this type of roadway, however, functioned differently and did not lend itself to pedestrian walkability that might be seen in a downtown or main street setting. Councilor McCulloch said that the new stretch of US 64 in Bloomfield is so wide, so fast, and offers no aesthetics. She added that she does not believe the roadway has helped the Bloomfield community. She thought that the cultural change of incorporating complete streets designs also needed to happen within NMDOT and that, perhaps, it should actually begin there. Councilor McCulloch emphasized that these cultural changes needed to happen at the state level. She commented on the section of East Main near Villa View Drive and how she wanted that good visual provided by Complete Streets designs to be what people saw when they entered the city. She added that she was encouraged that Complete Streets ideas were beginning to be discussed in a setting that included NMDOT. Councilor McCulloch asked how best to add input into the roadway decision making process. Mr. Quintana said that the entities were strongly encouraged to participate in the planning processes. He noted that when planning began for the US 64 project in 2000, the purpose was determined to be regional mobility and the need to speed up traffic. Ms. Holton added that at a recent MPO Quarterly meeting, there was discussion with NMDOT planners on when to provide local input on project design. Their recommendation was to include complete streets designs and ideas in their TIP. Commissioner Eckstein stated that after numerous discussions with NMDOT, there will be some landscaping incorporated into the medians along US 64 in Bloomfield. Commissioner Sipe agreed that the cultural changes and focus on complete streets needed to begin at the state level and then work down. She commented on how difficult it was to merge a vehicle into traffic along the new section of US 64 because of the speed of the road section and the multiple lanes. Mr. Hathaway commented on the plan for Dan Burden to visit with each of the entity’s councils and commissions in May. He noted that the San Juan County Commission meeting did not fall on the dates Mr. Burden was to be in town. Mr. Delmagori said he would look at the schedule again to see what type of rearrangement might be accomplished. ACTION: The report was received. 9. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE STATEWIDE FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION UPDATE Subject: State Functional Classification Update Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 8, 2014 BACKGROUND OR PREVIOUS WORK  The NMDOT Planning Bureau held a meeting in Albuquerque on November 5 to discuss the statewide update of the functional classification system.  All of the MPOs and RTPOs will assist NMDOT by making recommendations for classification changes to their regional roads.  NMDOT and its consultant team are targeting February 2015 for completion of the review and update.  Staff reviewed the list of proposed class changes from 2011 with the Technical Committee on December 19. CURRENT WORK  The Functional Classification Guidance Manual explains the new class types and the criteria for the specific classes.  The MPO identified many classification changes in 2011.  The adopted MPO Major Thoroughfare Plan identifies the recommended current and proposed classifications for the region.  All of these potential changes will serve as the basis for recommended changes by the MPO to NMDOT. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Policy Committee receive a report on the Statewide  Functional Classification Update and the proposed functional class change list from 2011. DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori stated that in November, the NMDOT Planning Bureau had held a meeting to discuss the statewide update of the functional classification system. The MPOs and RTPOs have been asked to make recommendations for classification changes to regional roads in their respective areas. Mr. Delmagori referred to Pages 15-17 of the Agenda which showed a list of proposed class changes developed in 2011. Unfortunately, due to changeover in the NMDOT department that reviewed functional classification, these recommended changes were never addressed. With this new update, the MPO now has the opportunity to submit these changes for consideration. Mr. Delmagori said the list of proposed changes from 2011 provided a basis to begin working from. This existing list will be reviewed to make sure it is still valid or determine if there are additions or deletions to the list based on changing conditions. Mr. Delmagori reviewed NMDOT’s functional classification listing that was last published in 2004 in conjunction with the proposed classification changes submitted by the MPO in 2011. As an example of what the process would involve, Mr. Delmagori referred to Page 15 of the Agenda. Listed there is Twin Peaks/CR 6480 which parallels US 64 heading west toward Kirtland. NMDOT’s listing showed this as a Principal Arterial and the MPO recommendation was to classify this down to a Minor Arterial. The reason for this was that US 64 is the Principal Arterial that moves traffic out of town to the west and there was no need for a second principal arterial for this rural part of the county. Mr. Delmagori explained that the road classifications shown on Page 16 are those being recommended to be reclassified upward. As an example of this, NMDOT shows CR 350 as a Rural Collector. Back in 2004 when the NMDOT list was published, this road was in the process of being expanded to the current four-lane facility. CR 350 is the main north/south roadway across Crouch Mesa to move traffic from US 64 to NM 516. The MPO recommendation was to reclassify this up to a Principal Arterial because of its function and purpose. Mr. Delmagori referred to Page 17 of the Agenda which listed roads that were never identified by NMDOT in 2004. The MPO recommended that they be added to the NMDOT functional classification database. Mr. Delmagori said Staff would be reviewing this list with the Technical Committee at their meeting on January 23 to get their input. Staff will also meet with the individual Technical Committee members to talk specifically about their entity’s classifications in more detail. The information gathered will then be presented and recommended approval sought at the February Technical Committee meeting. Final approval will be sought by the Policy Committee at their March meeting. Councilor Darnell asked why it was important for these functional classifications to be accurate. Mr. Delmagori explained that the classifications represent how the road functions and its purpose. Roads typically are meant for mobility and to move traffic through town or from town to town. Mr. Delmagori referred back to CR 350 begin labeled a rural collector. He noted that this road is not collecting traffic but rather its purpose is to get traffic between communities. Mr. Quintana added that the functional classifications identify which roads are eligible for federal funding. ACTION: The report was received. 10. INFORMATION ITEMS Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Joe Delmagori, MPO Planner Date: January 7, 2014 INFORMATION ITEMS a. Workshop with NMDOT. The Technical Committee and NMDOT expect to hold the workshop on regional priorities, communications, and maintenance on February 26. b. Regional Traffic Model. The consultant provided an update on January 8 and indicated that all calibration statistics for the base 2010 model are within acceptable parameters. The consultant will now calibrate the mid-range (2025) and long range (2040) model networks. c. Other DISCUSSION: Mr. Delmagori reported that the workshop with the Technical Committee and NMDOT to discuss regional priorities, communications, and maintenance concerns is now being planned for February 20. Discussion with the Local Government Unit will be held in the morning and then have discussions with Mr. Quintana and other representatives from District 5 in the afternoon. The workshop will be advertised as a public meeting and any interested Policy Committee member would be welcome to attend. The agenda will be provided as it is finalized. The update process for the regional traffic model is going well. Staff and the consultant discussed some of the statistical outputs of the model in terms of calibration. Mr. Shull is taking the population/employment data provided by Staff, assigning trip rates to the data and then assigning traffic throughout the network. The consultant then compared the model output to traffic counts over the past five or six years. If the model output is within a reasonable threshold of actual counts, it means the calibration is on track. The base year calibration will now be taken out to the mid-year of 2025 traffic model and then out to the long-range 2040 traffic model. As long as the calibration for the base year is accurate, validations for the long range model should also be on track. Mr. Delmagori said that Staff hoped the traffic model update would be completed and available for use within the next month or two. Mr. Delmagori reiterated that Mr. Dan Burden would be in town on May 12 and 13 and will present workshops and presentations to the local councils and commissions and the public. Another individual from the WALC Institute will be accompanying Mr. Burden who is an advocate for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. Mr. Delmagori said some SRTS activities will also be incorporated into the two days. The plan is to identify a school in Farmington that may have heard of SRTS but is not currently participating and see if they can be encouraged to join SRTS. Councilor Darnell said the last time Mr. Burden was here he had hoped Mr. Burden could provide some ideas on how to incorporate Complete Streets concepts into the US 64 project. Councilor Darnell asked if on this visit, Mr. Burden could take a local roadway where there is a struggle on vision (East Main Street) and provide some ideas on what could be done along that stretch. Councilor Darnell said he comprehends the concepts of Complete Streets, but then has difficulty understanding the actual application of Complete Streets. Mr. Delmagori said this idea is being discussed with WALC Institute representatives as the agenda is prepared for Mr. Burden’s visit. Staff plans to provide some existing local examples of the area and ask Mr. Burden for recommendations on how they could be converted to a complete street design. Ms. Holton added that Staff has asked the WALC Institute if Mr. Burden can provide more specifics on how Complete Streets might function for some local examples. Ms. Holton commented that Mr. Burden typically comes in the day before his presentation to tour the area and take his own photographs. The technical presentation and discussion is planned for Monday morning, May 12. 11. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF There was no business from the Chairman, Members or Staff. 12. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR There was no business from the floor. 13. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Eckstein moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Sipe seconded the motion. Councilor Darnell adjourned the meeting at 2:32 p.m. __________________________ ________________________________ Dan Darnell, Chair June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide