MPO Policy Committee

MPO POLICY COMMITTEE AGENDA August 25, 2016 1:30 p.m. Executive Conference Room Farmington City Hall 800 Municipal Drive Farmington, New Mexico  AGENDA FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING August 25, 2016 1:30 PM This regular meeting of the MPO Policy Committee will be held in the Executive Conference Room, Farmington City Hall, 800 Municipal Drive, Farmington, New Mexico. ITEM PAGE 1. Call meeting to order 2. Approve the minutes from the June 23, 2016 Special Policy Committee meeting. 8 3. Receive a report on the Safety Plan 1 Presented by: Duane Wakan 4. Receive a report on the 2016 Proposed Fall Traffic Counts 3 Presented by: Derrick Garcia 5. Reports from NMDOT a. District 5 (Paul Brasher) b. Planning Division (Robin Elkin) 6. Review and consider approval of the final draft Complete Streets Design 6 Guidelines Presented by: Duane Wakan 7. Information Items 7 a. TAP Project Feasibility Review b. Red Apple Transit Ridership Update c. APA Affiliate Memberships d. Grant Writing Workshop e. Citizens Advisory Committee f. Other Presented by: Derrick Garcia 8. Business from Chairman, Members, and Staff 9. Business from the Floor 10. Adjournment ATTENTION PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the MPO Administrative Aide at the Downtown Center, 100 W Broadway, Farmington, New Mexico or at 505-599-1466 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the MPO Administrative Aide if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #3 Subject: Safety Plan Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: August 16, 2016 BACKGROUND  The MPO needs to develop a Safety Plan for use in evaluating needs and targeting safety related projects throughout the MPO area.  The Safety Plan will be a resource for the entities and NMDOT to use in improving the safety of the transportation system by identifying improvements to be made for all modes of travel and areas of greatest need.  A Safety plan is a tool whereby local projects can be prioritized with the appropriate safety countermeasure(s).  NMDOT recognized MPOs who have developed safety plans when considering Highway Safety Improvement Plans and funding opportunities.  All modes should be considered when developing a safety plan. MPO Funds will use a combination of PL and 5303 programs by formula to pay for the primary consulting services.  This report was presented to the Technical Committee on August 10. CURRENT WORK  Establish a steering committee to ascertain regional safety goals and objectives  Create a RFQ/P to attract the appropriate consultant  MPO Intern is currently creating the preliminary crash data maps for use in the public participation process  Integrate historic crash data with the MPOs travel demand model (Bob Shull)  Staff research consistently found the four E’s of safety to be prevalent in safety plans, Engineering, Education, Enforcement and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) – Data Driven plan – Goals and Objectives- Safety Counter Measures  MPO Staff will present the timeline for moving forward with development of the Safety Plan. ANTICIPATED WORK  Work with consultant to outline the planning particulars with clear deadlines.  Collect crash data from UNM and BBER crash reporting unit.  Provide input to HSIP program at the State level: Data Driven (reactionary) vs Close calls (proactive) INFORMATION ITEM  This is an informational item requesting feedback from the Policy Committee members. 1  Safety Plan - Phases of Implementation Aug-16 Sep-16 Oct-16 Nov-16 Dec-16 Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Travel Demand Modeling Hire Facilitator Public Outreach Write Plan Present Final Plan for Committee Review 2  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #4 Subject: 2016 Proposed Fall Traffic Counts Prepared by: Derrick Garcia, MPO Associate Planner Date: August 17, 2016 BACKGROUND  The MPO maintains traffic counts for over 220 locations throughout the MPO area.  Locations are counted according to a three-year cycle and change periodically.  Staff split the administration of the annual traffic count calendar into spring and fall iterations which began 2013.  NMDOT Traffic Count Division has asked the FMPO to count an additional 15 locations which have been spread out over the spring and fall schedule. Several of the locations were in marked contrast to previous counts and Staff was asked to follow up and verify the validity of those counts and ensure the accuracy of the numbers.  Spring counts took place the week of April 25th. There were a total of 47 locations (21 speed and class). CURRENT WORK  Traffic counts are scheduled for the week of August 29th.  The Fall traffic count list is attached.  Aggregating data for trend analysis.  Interactive traffic count map now available on FMPO website. (www.fmtn.org/375/MPO-Traffic-Counts) ANTICIPATED WORK  Work flow development with consultants.  Perform traffic count data mapping and analysis.  Data upload to NMDOT and MS2. INFORMATION ITEM  A report on the proposed 2016 Fall Weekday Traffic Counts. 3 LOCAL_ID ON_ROAD FROM_ TO Area SpeedClass LATEST_YR AZ_125 Park Ave Rio Grande Ave Chaco St Aztec Y 2014 AZ_32 Blanco Mesa Verde E Urban Limit Aztec 2014 AZ_47 CR 3008 CR 3000 CR 3009 Aztec 2013 AZ_93 Mesa Verde Zia Chuska Aztec 2013 BL_X1 Kirby Street Evans Ln Oakwood Dr Bloomfield BL_226 E Blanco/CR 4899 N Kirby St Deer Trail Bloomfield Y 2013 BL_155 US 550 Sullivan Rd US 64 Bloomfield Y 2016 BL_175 US 64/Broadway Church US 550 S Bloomfield 2014 SJ_154 CR 6480 Troy King Rd CR 6200 County 2013 SJ_178 US 64/Broadway CR 4899 CR 4800 County Y 2012 SJ_195 CR 3000 CR 3950 CR 350 County Y 2012 SJ_203 NM 489 (CR 6100) CR 6400 US 64 County Y 2012 SJ_52 Old Aztec Hwy/ CR NM 516 CR 3590 County 2012 3520 SJ_53 Old Aztec Hwy/ CR CR 3590 CR 350 County 2012 3520 SJ_76 Lake St Murray Pinon St County 2012 SJ_161 US 550 NM 173 5.362 mi S of Col State County Y 2014 Line SJ_164 US 64 CR 6500 NM 489 (CR 6100) County Y 2012 SJ_172 US 64/Broadway Browning Pkwy CR 5569 County Y 2012 SJ_198 CR 390 Andrea Dr CR 350 County Y 2012 SJ_221 US 64 CR 6800 CR 6500 County Y 2012 SJ_48 CR 350 US 64 CR 5580 County Y 2012 FM_X1 24th St Municipal Dr Glade Rd Farmington FM_X2 Miller Ave Broadway Miller Farmington FM_27 Auburn Ave N Apache Glade Farmington 2014 FM_1 20th Municipal Dr Sunset Farmington 2014 FM_17 Airport Main Apache Farmington 2012 4 LOCAL_ID ON_ROAD FROM_ TO Area SpeedClass LATEST_YR FM_209 Foothills Pinon Hills Blvd Crestwood Dr Farmington Y 2012 FM_21 Apache Palmer Airport Farmington Y 2012 FM_211 Foothills Rinconada End of Route Farmington 2012 FM_26 Auburn Ave N US Apache Farmington 2012 64/Broadway FM_29 Beckland Dr NM 516/E Main End of Route Farmington 2012 FM_39 Butler 20th 30th Farmington Y 2012 FM_63 English Largo NM 516/E Main St Farmington Y 2012 FM_64 English NM 516/E Main Pinon Hills Farmington 2012 St FM_73 Hutton 20th Cliffside Farmington 2012 FM_8 30th Pinon Hills Sunset Farmington 2014 FM_90 Marseille Blvd NM 516/E Main Martello Farmington 2012 St FM_91 McCormick School Murray US 64/Broadway Farmington 2012 FM_153 Twin Peaks Rd NM 170 Troy King Rd Farmington Y 2014 FM_214 Browning Pkwy US 64 So Side River Rd Farmington 2012 FM_116 NM 516 Country Club CR 350 Farmington 2012 FM_212 Main St Scott Sullivan Farmington 2012 FM_215 Browning Pkwy So Side River Morningstar Farmington 2012 Rd FM_35 Butler San Juan Blvd E Main St Farmington 2012 FM_86 Main St Auburn Butler Farmington Y 2014 FM_98 Murray Dr/NM 5001 US 64/W Main W Pinon St Farmington 2012 FM_34 Butler US San Juan Farmington 2012 64/Broadway FM_217 NM 516 Largo Shopping Center Farmington 2012 FM_218 NM 516 English Pinon Hills Blvd Farmington 2014 FM_88 Main St Sullivan San Juan Blvd Farmington 2012 5  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #6 Subject: Complete Streets Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: August 16, 2016 PREVIOUS WORK  Complete Streets are a means of designing a roadway so that it accommodates all modes of travel, including driving, walking, biking, and transit.  Staff has worked with the Complete Streets Advisory Group (CSAG) on content, and design guidelines for the FMPO planning area.  The Advisory Group held its last meeting on September 3, 2015 and reviewed the draft Complete Streets Design Guidelines document.  Technical Committee Workshops were held on February 24, March 16, and April 26 to review and provide edits to the draft Design Guidelines document.  The Technical Committee reviewed the Intersection section on June 22, 2016 and their recommendations were included.  The Technical Committee reviewed the Intersection and Equity sections on July 23, 2016.  A final Technical Committee Workshop was held on August 24, 2016 to complete a final review of the draft Design Guidelines document. The final version will be presented to the Policy Committee on August 25. CURRENT WORK  The Technical Committee has had many opportunities provide comments and adjustments to the design guidelines.  Seek input from PC members on any updates and recommendations. ANTICIPATED WORK  Publish final document and distribute to entities.  Create a regional Complete Streets resolution for regional consideration and adoption. ATTACHMENTS  A final draft of the Complete Streets Design Guidelines was sent out on August 18th and can also be downloaded on the following link: http://www.fmtn.org/DocumentCenter/View/8695. ACTION ITEM  It is recommended that the Policy Committee consider approval of the final draft of the Complete Streets Design Guidelines. 6  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #7 Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Derrick Garcia, MPO Associate Planner Date: August 16, 2016 INFORMATION ITEMS a. TAP Project Feasibility Review. MPO and entities staff met with District 5 engineering staff and NMDOT planning representatives in Santa Fe on August 8, 2016 to review and discuss TAP project feasibility forms. b. Red Apple Transit Ridership Update. 2015-2016 comparison (January to July) Route 2015 2016 Percent Change Red 8,007 6,199 -22.6% Green 13,919 12,700 -8.8% Purple 9,874 9,829 -0.5% Yellow 9,671 11,210 15.9% Blue 21,432 22,645 5.7% Saturday Rte 1,127 2,100 86.3% 2016 Fmtn Routes 64,030 65,786 2.7% Tiger (Aztec) 2,119 3,854 81.9% Bobcat (Bloomfield) 2,975 3,137 5.4% Bronco (Kirtland) 4,034 4,000 -0.8% Total Ridership 73,158 76,688 4.8% c. APA Affiliate Memberships. The accepted applications for APA Affiliate Membership for each Policy Committee member were received. Several Technical Committee members, who were not already APA members, were also registered for Affiliate Membership. d. Grant Writing Workshop. Mr. Garcia attended a grant writing workshop in Albuquerque on July 20 and 21, 2016 e. Other. 7  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION SPECIAL POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING June 23, 2016 Policy Members Present: Curtis Lynch, City of Bloomfield Nate Duckett, City of Farmington Linda Rodgers, City of Farmington Larry Hathaway, Alternate, San Juan County Policy Members Absent: Sherri Sipe, City of Aztec Paul Brasher, NMDOT District 5 Jimmy Voita, San Juan County Staff Present: Mary Holton, MPO Officer Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Derrick Garcia, MPO Associate Planner June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide Staff Absent: None Others Present: Terri Kennedy, Citizen & Place Matters Member David Sypher, City of Farmington Steven Saavedra, City of Farmington 1. CALL TO ORDER Councilor Duckett called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 26, 2016 POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING Mr. Hathaway moved to approve the minutes from the May 26, 2016 Policy Committee meeting. Ms. Rodgers seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Wakan introduced the new MPO Associate Planner, Derrick Garcia to the Policy Committee. 3. FFY2017-2018 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM Subject: FFY2017-2018 Unified Planning Work Program Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: June 14, 2015 8  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 BACKGROUND  The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is the fiscal year work plan for the MPO.  The FFY2017-2018 UPWP will cover planning activities and work products to be completed from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2018.  Based on the Planning Procedures Manual (PPM), the MPO needs to provide a draft UPWP to NMDOT in April with final approval in June.  The Technical Committee reviewed the final draft of the FFY2017-2018 Unified Planning Work Program and their recommended approval is anticipated on June 22. CURRENT WORK  Annual activities will include reporting and budgeting, the traffic count program, TIP maintenance, GIS activities, and Safe Routes to School activities, transit data collection and mapping.  Major activities will include land-use and transportation scenario planning, transit studies, travel demand modeling updates, and completion of the safety plan.  Staff estimates base federal PL funds of $207,125 and base federal 5303 funds of $57,119 for both FFY2017 and FFY2018.  Staff consolidated sections and deleted a couple sections based on recommendations from the Technical Committee. ACTION ITEM  It is recommended that the Policy Committee consider approval of the FFY2017- 2018 UPWP. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan said in lieu of reviewing the entire final draft of the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) he would provide an outline of the changes made since the May Policy Committee meeting: UPWP Revisions/Updates - The document has been shortened after receiving feedback from NMDOT; - Data collection activities consolidated into one new activity (3.6) under Task 3. This data includes population/employment, land use, demographic data, crash data, transit, and kid counts for Safe Routes to School (SRTS); - Some tasks deleted as plans were recently worked on and are complete, and there will be no need to address them in the next two years (as examples); o Highway Functional Classification Review and Update – completed once every 10 years with NMDOT; o Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) – technology in our signals or signage that alerts motorists to traffic issues. This infrastructure plan was updated last year. No work will need to be done on this other than to manage new TIP projects that might want to incorporate ITS; - Access Management Plan will be kept in the UPWP in order to update the plan and get regional adoption. It was adopted with mixed success in 2009. This Plan addresses turns and driveways, excess ingress/egress for businesses, and looks at consolidation to reduce conflicts for bikes and pedestrians. 9  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 - New Special Studies and Activities o Storm Water Management – San Juan County already has a regional body that meets (MS4) to address storm water management issues. The MPO will join and participate in this discussion; o Travel & Tourism – assist with the city and county branding campaigns; contribute conceptual planning and visualization to impact tourism o Regional Models of Cooperation – MPO already does but FHWA wanted this task included in the UPWPs. This activity is participating in activities outside of the MPO area and help coordinating projects (TIGER grants) and communities; - Travel Demand Modeling – add language, “coordinate with NMDOT to ensure statewide model interfacing with the MPO model; - Safety Plan – work to develop a regional plan and work with stakeholders who can help guide and direct the plan. NMDOT wants to participate in this plan and FMPO has encouraged both NMDOT engineers and planners participate to ensure a more comprehensive look is provided; - Public Health Activities – goals for public health and including active transportation amenities in planning were included in the MPO’s MTP. These MTP goals are now tied to the UPWP. Mr. Wakan stated that the Technical Committee recommended the UPWP be approved with the inclusion of the Access Management Plan as a task along with the minor NMDOT changes. Mr. Hathaway asked if this was a one or two year plan. Mr. Wakan replied that it was a two-year plan that would begin on October 1, 2016. ACTION: Councilor Lynch moved to approve the FFY2017-2018 UPWP. Councilor Rodgers seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 4. COMPLETE STREETS Subject: Complete Streets Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: June 14, 2016 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  Complete Streets are a means of designing a roadway so that it accommodates all modes of travel, including driving, walking, biking, and transit.  Staff has worked with the Complete Streets Advisory Group (CSAG) on content, and design guidelines for the FMPO planning area.  The Advisory Group held its last meeting on September 3, 2015 and reviewed the draft Complete Streets Design Guidelines document.  Staff made editorial revisions based on input from CSAG members. Works cited and minor grammatical errors will be corrected or updated on an ongoing basis. 10  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016  A Technical Committee Workshop was held on February 24, March 16, and April 26 to review and provide edits to the draft Design Guidelines document. CURRENT WORK  The Technical Committee reviewed the Intersection section of the Design Guidelines document at the June 22 meeting. INFORMATION ITEM  Complete the review of the draft Design Guidelines document. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan reported that the Technical Committee met and reviewed the Intersection chapter to the draft Complete Street Design Guidelines on June 22. They went over the chapter page by page and made the following recommendations/comments: Page 1 Add the words “multi-modal” to the title. Page 2 Remove the last two sentences in the 3rd paragraph and the diagram associated with the text. This level of detail regarding turning movements and radii are too specific to the more generalized, regional design guidelines being developed. Page 3 There is a question in the last sentence of the 2nd paragraph as to whether the 10% reduction in accidents refers to all accidents or just to bicycle accidents. This is a quote from another’s research and Staff wants to clarify the author’s meaning. Page 4 Not many substantive changes recommended on this page. Conclusion 3rd sentence: “Where possible, the intersection should be designed for the most vulnerable street user rather…”; the street is not designed for one mode or group over another, it is designed for all modes. Delete this sentence. Also, the last sentence in the paragraph clarifies that the design is for all modes Mr. Wakan stated that the final draft design guidelines will be reviewed again by the Technical Committee and the Policy Committee in July and August. ACTION: The report was received. 11  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 5. REPORTS FROM NMDOT There were no NMDOT representatives at the meeting. Mr. Wakan recapped the NMDOT updates presented the day before at the Technical Committee meeting. The following is the engineering update from District 5: • NMDOT met with the City of Aztec June 22nd regarding the East Arterial Route. Staff has not heard the outcome of this recent meeting. NMDOT wants the City of Aztec to expand the right-of-way so that any future road exchange would be for a four-lane facility. The East Arterial is currently being built as a two-lane relief route facility. This expanded right-of-way is encroaching on an old landfill managed by the BLM and this environmental issue is causing setbacks in the design. By taking this facility to four lanes, it becomes a bypass and not a relief route and what then is the economic impact to the City of Aztec in this scenario. • Mr. Sypher reported on Phases I and II of the Pinon Hills Boulevard project. There has been some movement from NMDOT, but nothing conclusive and it is coming much too late in the process. The current deadline is June 30 which they said they can extend until August 31. All the remaining processes are with NMDOT and they cannot meet the tighter time frames. Mr. Sypher said that without some intervention, NMDOT has successfully killed this project. Nica Westerling has travelled to Santa Fe to take them another set of documents that they claim they cannot find. The boxes of materials were given to NMDOT last November and they had never looked at them, but now they say they cannot find them. Mr. Sypher said the City of Farmington has provided six separate duplicate submittals over the past few years. Mr. Sypher added that NMDOT’s environmental comments were ready over a year ago, but were withheld pending the review resolution of the right-of-way issues. In the meantime, NMDOT’s right-of-way division did not review any of their documents. Mr. Sypher said the City of Farmington will wait and see for another week and then push the issue up a level to Mr. Butch Mathews. Mr. Mathews is not aware of the newest developments. • There were no updates from the Planning Division. There is a training regarding a workshop for anyone seeking grants for Brownsville remediation. Mr. Wakan will forward the e-mail to the Policy Committee members. 6. INFORMATION ITEMS Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: June 15, 2016 12  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 INFORMATION ITEMS a. Associate Planner. Welcome Derrick Garcia. b. MPO Quarterly. The Farmington MPO hosted the MPO Quarterly on June 13 & 14. c. 30th Street & Hutton Pedestrian Boulevard. Presentation by Anngela Wakan, Safe Routes to School Coordinator. d. Other DISCUSSION: a. Derrick Garcia came on board as the Associate Planner with the MPO on June 20. Mr. Garcia said he had been an intern with the MPO in 2012 collecting Red Apple Transit ridership data throughout the summer. He went to UNM in 2013 and earned his Master in Community & Regional Planning. Following graduation, he went to work with Texas DOT. The FMPO Associate Planner position opening gave him the opportunity to return to his hometown of Farmington. b. The MPO Quarterly was a two-day event that began with a tour of the US 64 and US 550 facilities in Bloomfield specifically the refuge islands/medians and intersections. The refuge islands are difficult to access in a wheelchair and there is an isolated pork chop island that can leave pedestrians stranded. Mr. Maurice Williams with UNM’s Center for Injury Prevention Research & Education (CIPRE) also participated in the tour. The Center provides safety awareness promotional campaigns and is willing to partner with the MPOs. He gathered some ideas for infrastructure improvements in Bloomfield and Staff will work with Mr. Williams again in the future. Day two of the Quarterly provided the MPOs and NMDOT an opportunity to discuss a host of topics. Councilor Duckett and Mr. Hathaway participated in the meeting and agreed that some good ideas were shared and the meeting is a valuable opportunity for all the agencies to communicate and work together. c. Mrs. Wakan, Safety Routes to School Coordinator, presented a proposal for a 30th Street & Hutton pedestrian boulevard. The following is a summary of her presentation: - 8 80 City – if it works for an eight-year old and it works for an eighty-year old, it will work for everyone in between. Would like to make Farmington an 8 80 city; encourage other cities to consider changes for their community; - Walking and biking are the only individual mode of mobility for youth; additional health aspects for all; - Dignify walking and biking by building the facilities for them; - Need physical separation of pedestrians/bicycles from vehicles; - Impatiens (something done quickly and inexpensively to show progress and what can be achieved) vs. orchids (long-term, more expensive changes); - Roads are public and not just meant for vehicles; need to be creative in how roadways are used; - Take outside lanes of 30th Street from Sunset to Hutton (and then down Hutton to Main Street) and turn them into a bike/ped facility; roughly three miles; 13  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 - The infrastructure is already in place and the city has the right-of-way; - Eventually take the pedestrian boulevard down Hutton to address equity issues and help balance low income neighborhoods near Animas Elementary and Heights Jr. High; - Proposing to start pedestrian boulevard with the use of paint and bollards; - Average daily peak traffic count (from 2012) in single-lane sections of 30th Street is 16,000 vehicles; one lane roads can easily handle 18,000-25,000 cars per day; other vehicle travel options are Pinon Hills Boulevard, 20th Street, and Main Street; - The boulevard could offer connections for seven local schools (Farmington has 16 total schools): FHS, Ladera, Northeast, Hermosa, Mesa Verde, Heights, and Animas; - The boulevard could eventually connect with parks, library, aquatic center, recreation center, Boys & Girls Club, baseball/soccer fields, and be designed in a way to access the downtown area; - Add specialized crosswalk on 30th Street between Knudsen and Carlton; - Possibly consider secondary future phases to expand down Dustin and Sullivan Avenues; - San Juan County Partnership is planning to hire a county-wide SRTS coordinator who could help with these types of concepts for Aztec and Bloomfield. Mrs. Wakan said that she has also identified some pedestrian safety projects that she asked to be considered for possible 2018 TAP funding: - Speed Indicator Flashing Beacons - Pedestrian Activated Flashing Beacons - Sidewalks - Crosswalks - Bollards for secondary phases of Pedestrian Boulevard 14  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 There are two school zone flashing beacons missing for Bluffview Elementary and on 20th Street near Hutton Avenue for Animas Elementary. These would help slow traffic down to 15 mph (this is the required speed in school zones in New Mexico) during school hours. Mrs. Wakan also noted where some solar-powered pedestrian activated flashing beacons ($8,000 each) on each side of the roadway that could be used when there is no (or absent) crossing guard that would assist pedestrians to cross busy streets. The beacons remain off unless activated by a pedestrian and then gives 30-40 seconds for the pedestrian to cross the street before shutting off: • Butler: McKinley Elementary crosswalk • Dustin: McKinley Elementary crosswalk • Apache: Apache Elementary crosswalk • 30th Street: Between Knudsen and Carlton - crosswalk for Hermosa and Northeast • Sullivan and Cliffside • Hutton and Cliffside (new crosswalk) • Veterans Park: Cross Butler (new crosswalk) • Foothills: Country Club crosswalk • Sunset: FHS crosswalk Missing sidewalk sections (it was noted that these are typically at an undeveloped lot and that the sidewalk is funded when the lot is developed): • 30th Street between Butler and Knudsen • 30th Street on northwest corner of Sullivan • East side of Hutton between 20th and 30th Streets Proposed new areas for crosswalks: • Special paint or treat crosswalk and move from 30th Street and Knudsen to between Knudsen and Carlton • Across Butler near North Carlton: connects to bus line and Veterans Park • Across Hutton near Cliffside In conclusion, Mrs. Wakan said she would like to encourage making some inexpensive, quick changes (impatiens) now and begin looking at the more expensive, future amenities (orchids). Councilor Rodgers spoke about the issues she is aware of in the Bluffview Elementary School and Sycamore Park Community Center areas. She was very interested in how these ideas could also be considered and implemented for this area. Mrs. Wakan said she will be meeting with the Bluffview principal in July and that school’s safety concerns will be discussed. Councilor Rodgers thought some of these ideas could be implemented as a visible, interim measure until sidewalks or something more costly could be constructed. Mrs. Wakan said she had started with the 30th Street location because that area is what she is most familiar with. The innovations could certainly be considered for anywhere in Farmington. Councilor Duckett said Mrs. Wakan had presented this proposal to him a few weeks ago. He commented on growing up in Denver and the multitude of bike paths that provided 15  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 access to wherever he needed to go. Councilor Duckett said people have asked for and he would like to see the community look at building trails and bike routes from north Farmington down to the river and to the downtown area. He acknowledged that funding is tight with the other projects scheduled and under construction. Councilor Duckett commented that there are questions and obvious concerns with narrowing 30th Street which are magnified by the current construction on 20th Street construction making 30th Street the main travel road. Councilor Duckett said the changes need to be taken step by step and the costs considered for each. Mrs. Wakan said her research estimated a few thousand per mile for paint and bollards. Mr. Sypher said there were a lot of considerations and he would prefer to spend some time and calculate a more accurate cost estimate. Mr. Sypher said there are numerous considerations with the pedestrian boulevard proposal: shared bike/pedestrian paths are not preferable as they each want their own space; lower speeds would have to be looked at, average daily traffic (ADT), and; the possible future growth of Farmington that could necessitate taking 30th Street back to four travel lanes. Mr. Sypher added that the number of available grants has shrunk. The City of Farmington has $20,000,000 in pending street/surface repairs. The additional proposed projects make maintaining the status quo even more difficult. Mr. Sypher said the sidewalk issues will be studied and, if they are warranted, they will be installed. He said there are numerous reasons why a sidewalk section could be missing, but that 90% of the time it was because the lot was undeveloped. Councilor Rodgers said she was excited about the concept. Along with the safety and traffic aspects, she thought taking the pedestrian boulevard along Hutton would be a great amenity to an under-served area. Mr. Wakan stated that having bicycle and pedestrian amenities raise property values and increases economic development in those areas. Mr. Wakan showed a video on changes to street designs made in New York City over a six-year period. They realized the need to focus on quality of life and the efficiency of their infrastructure. Mr. Wakan said that although Farmington is not a New York City, it is a microcosm of New York City with many of the same problems. He noted the leadership, innovation and risk it took to implement these changes, and he hoped the MPO committees and staff could begin to make some similar changes in Farmington and across the region. Mr. Hathaway commented on this video and the benefits the city of Bogotá, Colombia experienced when they eliminated all vehicular traffic on their downtown main street. An unexpected benefit they saw was a reduced crime rate because having more pedestrians on the street increased awareness and visibility. Councilor Duckett asked what the current TAP projects were. Mr. Sypher said the City of Farmington was going to be applying for three projects that, unfortunately, will all compete against each other: • Phases II and III of Foothills; this project is already designed; will incorporate some aspects of a multi-use path; the City may decide to only seek funding for Phase II; 16  TC Draft Special Meeting Minutes June 23, 2016 • 20th Street; complete streets project including great landscaping, curbs, separate sidewalks, ADA improvements, some underground power, resurfacing, bike paths and all new utilities; • Downtown Main Street; complete streets project for Farmington’s downtown Main Street. Mr. Wakan explained that a city can only be awarded a maximum of $2,000,000 in TAP funding. Additionally, there is a minimum project cost of $75,000 or more (excluding the SRTS Coordinator position). Mr. Sypher said that the Foothills project alone is a $2,000,000 project. Mr. Wakan said that the school districts are their own entity and can apply for their own funding and are separate from any entity requests. Mr. Sypher added that the TAP/RTP funding is for a two-year cycle with year one being for planning and design, and construction happening in year two. He said it was important to note that the projects selected will be the only projects for the next two years. 7. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF There was no business from the Chairman, Members and Staff. 8. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR There was no business from the floor. 9. ADJOURNMENT Councilor Lynch moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Hathaway seconded the motion. Councilor Duckett adjourned the meeting at 2:55 p.m. ___________________________ _____________________________ Councilor Duckett, Chair June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide 17