MPO Policy Committee

MPO POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA September 22, 2016 1:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room San Juan County Administrative Building 100 South Oliver Street Aztec, New Mexico  AGENDA FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING September 22, 2016 1:30 PM This meeting will be held in the Administrative Conference Room at San Juan County’s Administrative Building, 100 South Oliver Street, Aztec, New Mexico. ITEM 1. Call meeting to order 2. Approve the minutes from the August 25, 2016 Policy Committee meeting. 3. Review and consider approval of the final Complete Streets Design Guidelines document. Presented by: Duane Wakan 4. Update on the Safety Plan. a. New Federal Ruling on the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Presented by: Duane Wakan 5. Fall Traffic Counts a. Update on fall counts Presented by: Derrick Garcia 6. Project Updates a. Local Projects b. TAP/RTP Presented by: Derrick Garcia 7. Update on the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Presented by: Duane Wakan 8. Information Items a. National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) Conference b. New Mexico APA Conference c. People for Bikes Community Grant d. Other Presented by: Derrick Garcia 9. Reports from NMDOT a. District 5 (Paul Brasher) b. Planning Division (Robin Elkin) 10. Business from Chairman, Members, and Staff 11. Business from the Floor 12. 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.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION SPECIAL POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING August 25, 2016 Policy Members Present: Sherri Sipe, City of Aztec Dorothy Nobis, Alternate, City of Bloomfield Nate Duckett, City of Farmington Stephen Lopez, NMDOT District 5 Jimmy Voita, San Juan County Policy Members Absent: Curtis Lynch, City of Bloomfield Linda Rodgers, City of Farmington Paul Brasher, NMDOT District 5 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: Cheri Floyd, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Hannah Grover, The Daily Times Christina Morris, NM Department of Health Terri Kennedy, Citizen & Committee for Health Equity Larry Hathaway, San Juan County Pam Valencia, San Juan County Partnership 1. CALL TO ORDER Councilor Duckett called the meeting to order at 1:38 p.m. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 23, 2016 POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING Commissioner Sip moved to approve the minutes from the June 23, 2016 Policy Committee meeting. Mr. Voita seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 3. SAFETY PLAN Subject: Safety Plan Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: August 16, 2016  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 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. INFORMATION ITEM  This is an informational item requesting feedback from the Policy Committee members. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan provided an overview of the Safety Plan that the MPO is beginning to develop. There are no specifics currently, but a preliminary timeline is established and shown on Page 2 of the Agenda. NMDOT has highly recommended a safety plan be developed to assist in seeking Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding. Having a safety plan in place will, hopefully, help local projects score higher when competing with others across the state when seeking HSIP funds. Mr. Wakan stated that the MPO plans to hire consultant, Mr. Bob Shull, to calibrate and update the travel demand model as well as integrate the crash data into the model. This information will help predict future crashes and identify existing and future potential problem areas. Staff is also proposing to hire a facilitator who would work with the steering committee and help define what the end product will look like and would truly reflect the voice of the region. The steering committee will be open to all parties interested in assisting in the  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 development of the safety plan. Councilor Duckett asked what the anticipated cost was for the facilitator. Mr. Wakan said this cost is typically $3,000-$5,000 per day would depend on how long they are contracted for. Mr. Shull’s work on the travel demand model is expected to be about $20,000. Mr. Wakan said Staff also planned to hold public outreach meetings to gather input from the public to determine the direction for safety and goals for the region. These meetings will allow participants to talk about corridors they are concerned about and provide their recommendations on how safety might be improved. Mr. Wakan said he thought the development of the safety plan should leave open for the public voice. Councilor Duckett asked if the work completed by Mr. Shull would then be made available to the municipalities. Mr. Wakan replied that it could, but how the information is decimated would likely be at the direction of the steering committee. Publication of some/all the material may be considered proprietary which would obviously limit how the data would be shared. Commissioner Sipe asked if this work has been budgeted. Mr. Wakan said that the MPO budget for consulting services will allow for all this work to be completed. Mr. Wakan said that following the public outreach process, Staff would then hire a consultant to write the safety plan. The consultant would have the technical engineering expertise to incorporate the travel demand data as well as the public input and pull everything together. They would assist Staff in developing specific safety countermeasures and offer regional recommendations. Councilor Duckett asked if this was not something Staff could develop. Mr. Wakan said Staff has the ability to produce crash maps and analytics, and make recommendations, but the consultant will provide the engineering side of the safety plan and then be able to draft the plan and bring all the individual pieces together. Mr. Wakan reported that the safety plan has been programmed into the FFY2017 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) which begins on October 1, 2016. Staff hopes to get the plan developed and then receive final approval on it early next year so that next summer when the HSIP call for projects goes out, the plan is place and can become a vital part of project applications seeking funding. The MPO now has a five-year crash history from 2010 to 2014. Staff is creating the visualizations analyzing the causes, and calculating some interesting data which will become part of the public outreach effort. Mr. Voita asked what the most dangerous intersection in Farmington was. The group discussed both the San Juan Boulevard and Scott intersection and the intersection of English and Main. One of the worst intersections was San Juan Boulevard and Scott Avenue which was improved with funding from an HSIP grant. Mr. Wakan showed the Policy Committee some of the available crash data that is available both in tabular and map formats, and provided some crash data numbers. The mapped data is available for all the entities and the information, if desired, can be forwarded to the members. Publication of the crash data and the maps will be delayed until the safety plan is developed.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Councilor Duckett asked if Staff had received feedback about the blinking traffic lights at several of the downtown intersections. Mr. Wakan said Staff had received comments about the confusion and lack of understanding created by the flashing lights. It was noted that this was done as part of a 90-day testing period that is due to end soon. ACTION: The report was received. 4. 2016 PROPOSED FALL TRAFFIC COUNTS 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) INFORMATION ITEM  A report on the proposed 2016 Fall Weekday Traffic Counts. DISCUSSION: Mr. Garcia referred to Pages 4 and 5 of the Agenda showing the list of fall traffic count sites scheduled to begin the week of August 29, 2016. Councilor Duckett asked if once this data is collected was the information provided to the entities so that an entity did not duplicate effort by re-counting a specific location in their city already county through the MPO efforts. Mr. Garcia said the data is made available and is also published on the MPO website as an HTML map. A specific count location can be clicked on and all the count data for that location is visible. Any special or additional information for a count location can be supplied by Staff.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Mr. Voita commented that it appeared traffic was declining. Mr. Garcia said that was the observed trend over the past few years. He also noted that a speed and class count will be taken close to the downtown area to have data that will coincide with the end of the 90-day flashing signal test period. Commissioner Sipe asked what the “E Urban Limit” referred to in count #AZ-32. Mr. Garcia and Mr. Wakan explained that it described the traffic link and not the actual count location. The description simply identifies the length of the link and is used by the MPO and NMDOT to assign the data. The actual count location is at a single point along the link. ACTION: The report was received. Mr. Lopez arrived for the meeting. 5. REPORTS FROM NMDOT District 5 – Stephen Lopez A verbatim transcription was requested for this portion of the August 25, 2016 Policy Committee meeting minutes. [Begin verbatim record]: Mr. Stephen Lopez: We are still trying to, as far as in the MPO, trying to address some erosion issues we’ve seen on the current construction on the US 64 project. Trying to come up with a new method of, ah, temporary erosion control and sediment plant to try and reduce our maintenance costs and we’re going to implement them on the next phase of, in front of the casino, that two mile stretch to the west of that, the one that’s currently under construction. We did review the Complete Streets and we don’t have any more comments at this time. That’s why we didn’t go to the meeting yesterday. Okay? It’s not like we were ignoring you or anything, but we didn’t need to… Basically we are putting some plans together for NM 170 improvements. Because we did a study about 2-3 years ago and just finally got recommendations. We’re trying to figure out how to put projects together to improve that corridor. Councilor Nate Duckett: Is that LaPlata Highway? Lopez: Yes. We’re trying to probably do it in 2 or 3 mile segments as we can afford it in our budget. We’re getting questions from Commissioner Mathews on why aren’t we improving that, so we do plan to improve it. And, um, do you have any questions for me? Duckett: Any questions for NMDOT? Duane Wakan: The intersection that up by the casino, NM 371… Lopez: Yes.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Wakan: and Navajo 36. I just wanted to follow up that you had made contact with, I always forget the name of that casino, ‘cause I have one in Spokane that’s Northern Quest… June Markle: Northern Edge Wakan: Northern Edge, okay. Northern Edge Casino. Their attorney’s always been calling us about what’s the update on that intersection. Lopez: Basically, we’re going to do a safety audit or an updated doc to see if a signal is warranted there. We still have issues with a lighting agreement and a signal maintenance agreement that would need to be maintained by the local entity whether it’s the Tribe or the casino and we haven’t gotten plans together yet but we’re going to re- scope it and re-submit it for a safety project. That one and the one in front of Shiprock High also. We plan to re-do that one too. Both of them were moved to 2018 because of the lighting agreement issue and it was supposed to have been, uh, well…The chapter and the main government for the Nation have trouble coordinating as you know, so we’re trying to get a global agreement with the Navajo Nation that covers lighting agreements for all DOT projects both in District 5 and 6. Duckett: So the project at that intersection by Northern Edge has been moved to 2018. Lopez: Yes. That’s where we have it right now. We are still re-applying for state safety funds because the current status is it won’t be available again until 2018, so we lost the opportunity to build the project because of the lighting agreement this year. And we got a lot of pressure because we met with the Nation about a month ago and they are very concerned that we are not addressing their needs. So we are aware of the issues up here. Wakan: Okay. Well that’s good. Commissioner Sipe: What’s the schedule for like the mowing and the weeds in the median and stuff like on 550 coming into Aztec toward the north – coming in from the north there – some of those are getting pretty tall and pretty… Lopez: I can bring it up to your maintenance because I know they had gotten calls from the City of Aztec engineer, or engineering manager as far as doing something about the striping on 550 (inaudible)… Sipe: Striping, right, the striping Lopez: and the drainage issues there, too. So we’re trying to work on those and also they have to figure out the mowing of both the shoulders and the median. I’m not sure where that is on their schedule, but I’ll let them know. Sipe: Yeah. I don’t know that that’s been mowed all summer, part of that anyway. If it has, it’s been awhile ‘cause they’re getting pretty…some of them are getting pretty tall and I know Aztec had some crews out, like closer into town on some of the medians we don’t have fixed up yet. They were out there this morning actually pulling some weeds. Well, anyway, I was just curious about the schedule.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Lopez: I’ll ask the maintenance guys and see if they have that on their schedule Sipe: What their schedule is…and the striping, too. Lopez: Yes. Sipe: Appreciate it. Lopez: I brought it up when I saw it back in…when we came up here back in (inaudible), the striping... Sipe: Seems like the striping… Lopez: was non-existent. Sipe: Right. At night it’s especially hard if you don’t know, if you’re going through town and you don’t know… Duckett: or it’s raining, too Sipe: not familiar with the area…or it’s raining and you don’t know where the lines are. Thank you. Lopez: They brought it up on their plan. They plan to do it I’m not sure when, so I’ll have them coordinate with your City Manager on that. Sipe: Thank you. Lopez: You’re welcome. Duckett: Anything else for DOT? Lopez: Another thing I wanted to add as far as the local project stuff. Pinon Hills, as you are aware, is being moved out because of, uh, couldn’t get the certification to be able to go to construction this year. So, we’re coordinating with the city as far as, so we can…once they get the certifications we can construct it. But the money basically will be moved by administrative amendment with the MPO to get it out of the…and moved to the next fiscal year or when it’s feasible to or when you think the certifications can be obtained to go construction. Duckett: You’re talking about certifications from whom? Lopez: The right-of-way certification and the environmental document are tied together. Duckett: Just for Phase I? Lopez: Yes. Duckett: I’m not going to comment on that publicly. Lopez: Yeah. (inaudible). And then we’re having issues with Aztec on the East Arterial because of the scope that’s been proposed because it goes through a landfill. Thinking  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 of moving it to 2019 by administrative amendment because the agreements with BLM for the right-of-way and then the clean-up or mitigation of the landfill is just not achievable by the time the city wants to go to construction. Sipe: On that last phase? Lopez: Yes. Sipe: I know. It just blows my mind though that it’s like just now…’cause the landfill, everyone knows the landfill’s been there forever and it’s just now becoming an issue, I mean… Duckett: …it’s been a 20-year issue with Phase I on Pinon Hills Boulevard but it’s always something… Sipe: I know, it’s always…but this phase is fixing to be paved starting the 30th I believe, I think it’s the 30th, unless the rain has slowed that down. Yeah, it’s crazy that we’re having to change things now at this point when we’ve got the two outside ends done…it’s not going to be usable until the middle is done. Lopez: Paul will be sending a letter to the city reflecting our position in the next couple of weeks. Sipe: They’re thinking of moving that last phase to 2019? Lopez: Moving the federal money to 2019 as far as what we have programmed in the TIP. Sipe: Wow… Lopez: We’ll have to find the local match again and identify that year and all the other funding that we have and show it in the TIP for a project for next year. Because there’s also an issue as far as the type of environmental document that the BLM wants for the transfer of right-of-way versus what FHWA will accept, so we’ll have to work out that issue, too. Jimmie Voita: For my clarification the Pinon Hills project Phase I is that from East Main to Southside River Road… Duckett: Phase I goes to Hubbard Voita: Oh, to Hubbard. Okay. Lopez: It’s a short segment and has been in the works for a while. David Sypher explained to me how it evolved at one of our meetings. It’s just in how the right-of-way was acquired for that…that FHWA…it doesn’t comply with their process for acquiring of right-of-way as far as complete title documentation and appraisals, and everything. There are issues with that. So, we’re not totally abandoning the project, but we want to make sure the city has gotten over those obstacles before we can authorize the project. Lopez: That’s all I have.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Duckett: Thank you. [End verbatim record]. 6. COMPLETE STREETS 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. ACTION ITEM  It is recommended that the Policy Committee consider approval of the final draft of the Complete Streets Design Guidelines. DISCUSSION: Mr. Wakan reported that the final draft of the Complete Streets Design Guidelines is prepared, and the Technical Committee recommended approval of the document pending an opportunity by the Complete Streets Advisory Group (CSAG) members to review the final draft and provide their comments. The CSAG members will be given two weeks prior to the next Technical Committee meeting on September 14 in which to offer their written comments. Those recommendations will then be vetted by the Technical Committee on September 14 and final recommended approval of the document is expected at that time. Mr. Wakan stated that no action by the Policy Committee would be sought today.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Mr. Wakan reviewed the final edits and recommended changes made by the Technical Committee in a special workshop held on August 24, 2016. He noted the sections with red text were where the Technical Committee recommended changes be made. The Technical Committee also asked for the colors to be changed in the headings and corresponding sections and recommended the use of a broader range of primary colors. They noted there were too many greens being used. Preface Move two of the photos shown on the right hand side of the page and change some of the verbiage under the pictures. Equity in Complete Streets (currently Page 18) will be moved to the front of document. This section looks at how and where funds can be equitably distributed across the region Executive Summary This section remained the same. Page 1 Tie transit into the section on public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that residents who take transit meet the minimum daily requirements for physical activity. Bolster the need for enhancing our transit services as a means to improve public health. When upgrading streets, also consider transit. Page 2 Use holistic approach when looking at health, safety, and welfare. Page 3 With the changes and subsequent new formatting, this page was actually deleted. Page 4 Several paragraphs were deleted, but some of the recently mapped crash data and fatality information is now included in the first paragraph. Mr. Lopez asked how these numbers compared to the statewide numbers. Mr. Wakan said this would be good to highlight, but Staff has not reviewed the statewide numbers. He noted that the MPO analysis is not completely thorough because we do not have the necessary methods or counters to gather the data. Mr. Lopez asked if there were plans to do this. Mr. Wakan said it is in our newest UPWP as a planned activity. Mr. Lopez asked if this would necessitate hiring a consultant. Mr. Wakan said there is hardware that can be purchased or it can be borrowed from NMDOT’s Planning Division. Commissioner Sipe asked if it was possible to differentiate between cars, bikes, and/or pedestrians. Mr. Wakan replied that the counters are able to note the differences between each of the modes. Page 5 This page shows the improved metrics following the completion of a road diet in Seattle. Mr. Wakan explained how in a road diet a four-lane road is taken down to two lanes with a center left-turn lane and added facilities for bikes and/or pedestrians. The Seattle road diet showed a decrease in the number of motor vehicles speeding, a decrease in motor vehicle traffic, and other improvements.  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 Mr. Voita asked if a road diet actually slowed down getting from point a to point b. Councilor Duckett said when the design calls for it, such as along Main Street in downtown Farmington, traffic is slowed. Mr. Wakan added that efficiency is increased with the design of the intersections along a road diet corridor. Mr. Lopez stated that the use of the continuous left turn lane also improves efficiency. Page 6 The Aesthetics section did not change much; some visuals will be altered. Page 8 The Economic Vitality section was shortened to just one page. Page 10 Some re-write in this section to show the need to connect all including housing in order to provide an equitable distribution of facilities. Page 12 The Multi-Modal section had some minor changes. Added the advance of smart technology and how that has improved efficiency (larger use e-commerce has not necessarily increased truck traffic; smaller delivery trucks have actually reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in urban areas). New Mexico’s VMTs are falling at a faster rate than the national averages. Mr. Lopez asked about the drive license graph shown on this page. Mr. Wakan commented that this data actually came out of the state’s long range plan that showed individuals 19 years of age and under are delaying the time before seeking a driver’s license. They are using more public transit and would rather own a cell phone than a car. Mr. Duckett said the insurance industry shows there has actually been an uptake on the number of drivers and he wondered if there was data more current than from 2012. Mr. Wakan said Staff has been trying to get this information from several state departments when the 2040 MTP was being developed, but no one seems to have the information. He agreed this would be good information to have and Staff will continue to try and track it down. A new bicycle to work graphic will be added. Additionally new language will be added to speak to not only build safe and comfortable facilities, but also consider “affordable” changes. With the funding scarcity less than 2% of transportation funds go to multi- modal facilities. Commissioner Sipe asked if more rural areas could be considered and referenced. She thought that many of the images and information referenced city facilities and did not adequately account for the distances between the local entities or address the rural nature of San Juan County. She referenced the New Mexico Seniors organization and their meal delivery program that is based on delivering meals in Albuquerque and how this system would not work for San Juan County. Councilor Duckett commented that he thought this was true of much of the Mountain Time zone area as a whole. Mr. Wakan said Staff welcomed comments by Policy Committee members. He noted that the western United States is more bikeable and facilities are being built faster in the west than elsewhere. Councilor Duckett added that having these facilities planned into the infrastructure beforehand is much preferable and less expensive than trying to  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 retrofit. He noted, as an example, the Foothills area here where the city continues to build up the area, but it is not bikeable and those amenities were not built into the planning. Mr. Lopez commented that NMDOT is required to consider all modes of access as part of their projects but they are limited because they are not a trail building organization. They allow bikes on the roadway shoulders which allow for easier roadway maintenance. They will widen shoulders to facilitate bikes, but will not build a separate lane to accommodate bicyclists. Mr. Wakan said he had previously discussed with District 5 the possibility of using TAP funds for a multi-use detached trail along the US 64 right-of-way. This would need to be a priority for the local entities to come together seamlessly to get this type of project built. TIGER Grant funds on the other hand have been specifically identified for this type of project involving multiple agencies. Page 15 There were no changes to the section on multi-modal intersections. Page 19 The section titled Coordinating Land Use & Transportation will be moved under the Design Guidelines to encourage designers and developers to work with the local land use planning offices and coordinate projects. Page 23 Some minor changes to the column titled “FMPO ADT” on this page (Applying the Design Guidelines) to clarify MPO ADT numbers vs. those set by NMDOT. Pages 31 and 32 There were also some changes recommended to the pictures shown in the Traffic Calming Toolkit on these pages. The Technical Committee thought that some of the pictures did not represent true traffic calming measures. Mr. Wakan said that these were basically the changes recommended by the Technical Committee. Councilor Duckett asked if any audience members should be recognized before discussion on this item concluded. Mr. Wakan recognized several members who had served on the Complete Streets Advisory Group. Councilor Duckett said he was impressed with the final document and thanked the CSAG members for their participation and the time they invested in this project. Councilor Duckett asked if any of the CSAG members wanted to comment on their experience. Pam Valencia: Ms. Valencia said she joined the CSAG as part of the San Juan Communities-Place Matters group. She commented that Complete Streets is what the Place Matters group was all about; making sure that streets are safe, comfortable, and multi-modal. She said MPO Staff listened well and worked hard to incorporate the ideas presented. Christina Morris: Ms. Morris said she works in public health and appreciated being involved in bringing public health and transportation together. She noted that equity in health looked at opportunity and access and she hoped the Design Guidelines will be the changing dialog toward creating economic opportunities. Ms. Morris thought this  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 project and all the MPO committees involved have been successful in unifying health and transportation. Councilor Duckett commented that the City of Farmington has adopted Complete Streets and are dedicated to seeing it happen. The first example to implement some of the concepts will be 20th Street with buried electric lines and offset walking paths where possible. Councilor Duckett stated that access in some other areas of Farmington is poor and these and other challenges are being addressed. Mr. Wakan said the CSAG members will be given the opportunity to review the document and provide written comments, the Technical Committee will vet the final draft at their September 14th meeting, and the final draft will be presented to the Policy Committee on September 22, 2016. ACTION: The report was received. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS 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%  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 b. 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. c. Grant Writing Workshop. Mr. Garcia attended a grant writing workshop in Albuquerque on July 20 and 21, 2016 d. Other. DISCUSSION: a. Mr. Garcia reported that several weeks ago, MPO and entities Staff met with Mr. Lopez and other members of District 5 to review each of the FMPO’s TAP applications. There were several environmental questions however no representatives from NMDOT’s environmental division were in attendance. These and right-of-way issues remain the biggest hurdle when developing projects. Mr. Wakan added that the TAP review meetings the other MPO’s had with NMDOT were also missing an environmental presence. b. Mr. Garcia gave a comparison of Red Apple Transit ridership from 2015 to 2016. He noted the large increase in ridership on the Saturday route and the increase seen in overall ridership. Councilor Duckett commented on the vision Andrew Montoya has for the Red Apple and the great job he is doing to improve the transit system. Mr. Garcia stated Staff is looking over boarding and alightment data just provided to the MPO by Ride Right. An updated report on transit ridership will be provided when this information has been thoroughly reviewed. c. APA Affiliate memberships have been purchased for each of the Policy Committee members. d. Mr. Garcia attended a grant writing workshop in July. Staff would like to pursue more grants for the MPO area and to do this requires an understanding of what goes into the preparation of a grant. This training will help Staff assist the entities when they are seeking grants. Mr. Lopez stated that applying for a TIGER Grant is fairly involved and required a good understanding and knowledge of how to write a grant. e. Mr. Wakan reported on the development of a Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC). Staff has drafted an invitation seeking volunteers from the region who might want to serve on the CAC. Mr. Wakan asked the Policy Committee members if there were individuals they would like to invite to become part of the CAC. The CAC will be the public voice of the region and provide a different perspective on transportation issues for the Policy Committee to consider. Mr. Wakan explained that a CAC is a less formal group than the Technical Committee and can be comprised of as many members as desired who can be appointed by the Policy Committee or an open invitation can be sent out to potentially interested parties. Mr. Wakan said Staff would like direction from the Policy Committee on how to proceed. Councilor Duckett asked for discussion and ideas on how to reach out to citizens. He thought Facebook might be a good format for an open invitation. He also added that each Policy Committee member could each provide a few names of potential  PC Draft Meeting Minutes August 25, 2016 candidates. Mr. Lopez suggested putting a list together and then pre-screen those individuals to ensure unbiased opinions. Councilor Duckett thought maybe the Policy Committee members could provide as many names as possible to ensure viable applicants. He cautioned that many people who are asked to volunteer or have other civic responsibilities have full plates. It would be good to find people outside of the group who always serve to be CAC members. Councilor Duckett thought that perhaps CSAG members might be interested since they have some insight into what the MPO is working towards and if they are interested to contact Mr. Wakan. The group discussed the desired size of a CAC. Mr. Wakan said that there was no limit unless the Policy Committee wanted to limit the size. He asked the Policy Committee to bring some names with them to the September 22 committee meeting. He will send out an invitation to CSAG members and report back to the Policy Committee in September. Commissioner Sipe said she thought potential participants will want to know what they are getting into with the CAC and what type of meeting schedule was planned. Those who work could be unable to meet during the day. Mr. Wakan said the CAC would probably meet in line with Policy Committee meetings (maybe 6-7 meetings per year). Mr. Wakan said Staff would be flexible with this and maybe even consider doing an evening meeting. Meetings would be kept to an hour or so. Councilor Duckett asked if the CAC would be incorporated into development and review of all MPO documents (i.e.: Safety Plan, Complete Streets, etc.). Mr. Wakan said they would and then Staff would bring the CAC recommendations directly to the Policy Committee’s attention. Mr. Lopez stated that NMDOT has some guidance on citizen involvement and coordinating these groups called “context Sensitive Solutions” and can be found on the website under environmental document process. 8. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF There was no business from the Chairman, Members and Staff. 9. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR There was no business from the floor. 10. ADJOURNMENT Councilor Duckett adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m. ___________________________ _____________________________ Councilor Duckett, Chair June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide