MPO Technical Committee

MPO TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AGENDA January 13, 2016 10:00 a.m. Executive Conference Room Farmington City Hall 800 Municipal Drive Farmington, New Mexico  AGENDA FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING January 13, 2016 10:00 AM This meeting will be held in the Executive Conference Room at Farmington City Hall, 800 Municipal Drive, Farmington, New Mexico. ITEM PAGE 1. Call meeting to order 2. Approve the minutes from the December 10, 2015 Technical Committee 7 meeting. 3. Hold the Annual Election of Officers 1 Presented by: Fran Fillerup 4. Review the TIP Status Update Report 2 Presented by: Fran Fillerup 5. Receive a report on an amendment to the FFY2015-2016 Unified Work Program 3 (UPWP) Presented by: Fran Fillerup 6. Receive a report on an amendment to the Public Participation Plan (PPP) 4 Presented by: Fran Fillerup 7. Receive a report on Grant Writing 5 Presented by: Fran Fillerup 8. Reports from NMDOT a. District 5 b. Planning Division (Brian Degani) 9. Information Items: 6 a. Complete Streets Design Guideline edits b. Call for Projects c. Transportation Acronym List d. MPO/NMDOT Meeting on Performance Measures e. Transportation Research Board Conference f. Other Presented by: Fran Fillerup 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.  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #3 Subject: Annual Election of Officers Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 6, 2016 BACKGROUND  At the first meeting of the new year, the Technical Committee selects the Chair and Vice-Chair from their membership who will serve until the next annual election.  The Chair presides over the meetings and is responsible for the other duties outlined in the Committee Bylaws and Operating Procedures document.  The Vice-Chair presides over the meetings in the absence of the Chair.  Current Chair (David Sypher), current Vice-Chair (Dave Keck). ELECTION  Elections will take place to select a Chair and Vice-Chair for the Technical Committee for 2016. RECOMMENDATION  It is recommended that the Technical Committee accept nominations and vote to elect the Chair and Vice-Chair for 2016. 1  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #4 Subject: Status of TIP Projects Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 5, 2016 BACKGROUND  The STIP Protocols, finalized in early 2014, indicate that each MPO shall develop a process to monitor the progress and status of each project in the first two years of the TIP. These monthly reviews help correct inconsistencies in the TIP, STIP, the MPO’s MTP, Agreement Request Forms (ARFs), etc.  The next scheduled TIP Amendment cycle begins in January 2016. TRACKING INFORMATION  Local Agreement Status (ARF)  ROW Certification  Design Completion 30 – 60 – 90%  Environmental Certification  Utilities Certification  Railroad Certification  Archeology Certification  ITS/Sys ENG Certification  Public Involvement Certification CURRENT WORK  Staff will continue the monthly review of project status for projects in the TIP. This includes updates on NMDOT and local lead projects. Staff will work from the latest 2016-2021 TIP at the meeting. INFORMATION ITEM  This is an information item only. Committee members will have an opportunity to provide feedback regarding TIP project status and details. 2  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #5 Subject: FFY2015-2016 UPWP Amendment Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 6, 2016 BACKGROUND  The MPO maintains a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) document which sets forth the tasks the MPO will undertake in a fiscal year.  In November, staff presented changes to tasks within the UPWP based on the 2040 MTP and direction from FHWA.  In December, staff presented a summary of carry over requests and new total budget amounts for the FHWA PL grant and the FT 5303 grant.  According to Appendix A of the document, the total MPO budget amount for FFY 2016 is $369,168.97. The previous MPO budget amount for FFY2016 was $302,458. Increases are due to new award letters and requested carryover in the FHWA PL and FTA 5303 grants.  The total estimated expenses are $367,000. Details are also provided in the second table of Appendix A. CURRENT WORK and ATTACHMENTS  MPO staff will present the Draft Amendment to the FFY2015-2016 UPWP, which will be provided as a separate document. ACTION  The Draft Amendment to the FFY 2015-2016 UPWP is presented for recommendation by the Technical Committee. The document would then be presented to the Policy Committee for consideration and final action. 3  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #6 Subject: Public Participation Plan Amendment Prepared by: Fran FIllerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 4, 2016 BACKGROUND  The current Public Participation Plan (PPP) was adopted on January 19, 2012.  The PPP needs to be reviewed and amended at least every five years.  An overview of amendments are as follows: o The public comment period is proposed to be 15 days instead of 30 days. (See page 14). NMDOT has recommended, and the other MPOs throughout the state have already adopted this change for most documents including TIP amendments. A new TIP adoption would continue to have a 30-day comment period. o At their November 19 meeting, the Policy Committee recommended the use of social media in MPO outreach efforts and this is reflected in this amendment. (See pages 8 and 9). o Representation by NMDOT on the Policy Committee, and by NMDOT and Red Apple Transit on the Technical Committee, are updated. (See page 2.) o Newsletters will be published at least three times per year (previously, four newsletters have been published). (See page 8.) o Planning factors of MAP-21 have been clarified and are included. (These may again be updated as similar federal guidance is provided as part of FAST Act, the new multi-year transportation bill.) (See page 2.) o A series of demographic maps will be produced to help comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights and issues of environmental justice. (See page 7.) o Amendments related to these and other minor changes are shown as track changes in the Draft Amendment of the PPP. o In November, the Policy Committee also recommended developing a Citizens (Civic) Advisory Committee. Staff will present on this topic in February, and several documents may be amended in the future.  The 45-day public noticing requirement for the Public Participation Plan began on November 29, 2015. CURRENT WORK and ATTACHMENTS  Staff will review the proposed amendments to the PPP. The Draft Amendment to the Public Participation Plan with proposed track changes will be sent as a separate attachment. ACTION ITEM  Staff recommends that the Technical Committee recommend approval of amendments to the Public Participation Plan. This recommendation would be forwarded to the Policy Committee for consideration and final action. 4  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #7 Subject: Grant Writing by MPOs Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 6, 2016 BACKGROUND  At the December 2015 Technical Committee meeting, Committee Members asked Staff to investigate the possibility of additional funding being acquired and being used for grant writing on behalf of local entities.  Currently, FMPO staff presents on opportunities for federal and state grants to fund project design, project construction, planning studies, and other similar programs. FMPO staff also offers data, maps and other analysis in support of grant applications, and to review application content.  Federal and State regulations with regards to 5303 & PL funds need to be considered when making decisions regarding planning activities in the UPWP. CURRENT WORK  Review of grant writing efforts at other MPO’s in New Mexico:  Mesilla Valley MPO, Santa Fe MPO, Mid-Region MPO and El Paso MPO each provide assistance to local entities similar to the help offered by the FMPO staff. They produce data made available generally, write letters of support, and review application content.  Mid-Region Council of Governments and the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments offer grant writing to local governments, but indicated this is more of a function of their council of governments.  A member of the Technical Committee gave the example of the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments in Kelso, Washington for its grant writing. The transportation planner at that office indicated that they have done grant writing in the past, but have lost staff in the past three years and do not currently offer grant writing. INFORMATION ITEM  This is an information item only. 5  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #9 Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: January 5, 2016 INFORMATION ITEMS a. Complete Streets Design Guidelines. The Complete Streets draft edits are now available for review on the MPO website. We need to set a date for a review of these edits by the Technical Committee’s Complete Streets Sub- committee. b. TIP Call for Projects. Staff will send out a Call for Projects for the FFY 2016-2021 TIP Amendment cycle. New projects to be added to the TIP are due to Staff by February 3. c. Transportation Acronym List. The MPO has an acronym list on its website under the heading of MPO Documents. (See www.farmingtonmpo.org.) Please note other terms which may need to be added. d. MPO/NMDOT Meeting on Performance Measures. On December 16, 2015, staff of FHWA, NMDOT and MPOs throughout the state met in Las Cruces to coordinate performance measurement in the state’s NM Transportation Plan and MPO MTP’s. e. Transportation Research Board Annual Conference. MPO staff will be attending the Transportation Research Board Annual Conference the week of January 10. f. Other 6  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING December 10, 2015 Technical Members Present: Bil Homka, Alternate, City of Aztec Teresa Brevik, City of Bloomfield Cindy Lopez, City of Farmington David Sypher, City of Farmington David Quintana, NMDOT, District 5 Andrew Montoya, Red Apple Transit Dave Keck, San Juan County Technical Members Absent: Bill Watson, City of Aztec Staff Present: Mary Holton, MPO Officer Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner June Markle, MPO Administrative Aide Staff Absent: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Others Present: Brian Degani, Planning Liaison, NMDOT Brad Fisher, NMDOT North Region Design Center Morris Young, Citizen & Owner of Envirotech 1. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Sypher called the meeting to order at 10:08 a.m. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 5, 2015 JOINT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE & NMDOT MEETING Mr. Keck moved to approve the minutes from the November 5, 2015 Joint Technical Committee and NMDOT meeting. Mr. Montoya seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. 3. RECEIVE A REPORT ON THE FFY2016 PL AND FTA 5303 WORK AUTHORIZATIONS Subject: FFY2015-2016 Work Authorization Update Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: December 3, 2015 7  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 BACKGROUND or PREVIOUS WORK  The MPO prepared its FFY2015-2016 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. CURRENT WORK  The MPO is receiving a base amount in federal PL funding of $198,000 + $32,742 in local match for a total of $231,742.  MPO staff has requested a carryover amount of $5,855.22  The MPO received federal FTA 5303 funding of $56,276 + local match of $14,069 for a total of $70,345 that will cover transit activities from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016.  FTA updated the MPOs Award Letter from July 1, 2015 to the end of the 2015 FFY in the amount of $84,413.94  MPO staff has requested a 5303 carryover amount of $48,182.82 into FY2016. INFORMATION ITEM  This is an informational report only. DISCUSSION: Mr. Fillerup reviewed the work authorizations which provided the official PL and FTA 5303 funding levels for the MPO for FFY2015-2016: PL Funding for FFY2016 Federal PL funding $198,000.00 Required local match 33,742.00 Sub-Total $231,742.00 Requested carryover $5,855.22 Total $237,597.22 FTA 5303 Funding for FFY2016 Federal 5303 funding $56,276.00 Required local match 14,069.00 Sub-Total $70,345.00 Requested carryover $48,182.82 Total $118,527.82 Mr. Fillerup explained that there had been a 4th Quarter FFY2015 FTA5303 award given to the MPO as a result of the new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that became effective in July 2015 and provided some additional funding. This increased the MPO carryover amount for FTA for FFY2016 to that shown above. The MPO has also requested approximately $5,000 of PL carryover. Staff will present an amendment to the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) in January to reflect these new work authorizations. Mr. Sypher stated that the Technical Committee had discussed the limited funds received by the MPO and how that funding might be increased in the future. Since 8  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 grant application processes have become much more complicated, he wondered if additional funding could be sought to provide the MPO with the ability to provide grant writing services. Mr. Sypher thought it would be helpful for the entities to not have the burden of applying for grants. The members thought it would be worth exploring to see if other MPOs provide this service and to consider what might be available. Mr. Fillerup said Staff could research how other MPOs handle such requests and Mr. Degani suggested this could be discussed at the MPO Quarterly next week. Mr. Sypher and Mr. Homka stated they had experience with organizations offering grant writing, and Mr. Fillerup asked for their assistance to know which organizations to contact as part of Staff’s research on the topic. This topic will be added to an upcoming agenda for further discussion. Mr. Degani added that the requested PL carryover amount into FFY2016 was small and the Planning Division wanted to acknowledge the good budgeting of funds by the MPO and the successful completion of all tasks and consultant work. ACTION: The report was received. 4. RECEIVE A TIP PROJECT STATUS UPDATE Subject: Status of TIP Projects Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: December 1, 2015 BACKGROUND  The STIP Protocols indicate that each MPO shall develop a process to monitor the progress and status of each project in the first two years of the TIP. These monthly reviews help correct inconsistencies in the TIP, STIP, the MPO’s MTP, Agreement Request Forms (ARFs), etc.  The next scheduled TIP Amendment cycle will begin in January 2016. CURRENT WORK  Staff will continue the monthly review of project status for projects in the TIP. This includes updates on NMDOT and local lead projects. Staff will work from the latest 2016-2021 TIP at the meeting. INFORMATION ITEM  This is an information item only. Committee members will have an opportunity to provide feedback regarding TIP project status and details. 9  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 DISCUSSION: For the monthly review of TIP projects, Mr. Fillerup asked the Technical Committee members to provide any status updates on their projects: East Arterial-Phase II – No update. East Pinon Hills-Phase I – FHWA met with NMDOT’s right-of-way department and the City of Farmington is awaiting word from that meeting. The City has submitted everything requested of them. The right-of-way map/plat will be taken to the next P&Z Commission meeting. East Pinon Hills-Phase II – No update; this Phase is waiting on Phase I. East Pinon Hills-Phase III – An issue with the right-of-way bureau was encountered. The County will be hiring a special consultant to deal with the right-of-way issues. This will delay construction to the middle of next year. Mr. Sypher added that the right-of-way process over the past six to eight months has received greater scrutiny by FHWA. This increased oversight has slowed the approval process tremendously. Mr. Keck noted that there are 58 parcels and 23 property owners the County is working with on Phase III. The timing of mapping, title work, and appraisals is complicated. If a property sells during the process, then the right-of-way maps and title reports all have to be readjusted. San Juan County has hired Tierra Right of Way Services of Albuquerque to handle these property acquisitions. US 64 Phases IV, V, & VI – Phase IV is currently under construction. There will be some structure extensions on the shoulders over the winter, but there will be little impact to traffic. The actual construction will be suspended until next spring. Phase V – This Phase is 60% complete; a public meeting was held on December 3 that was well attended with many good comments received. The design is well ahead of schedule and right-of-way acquisition is anticipated during 2016 (March – December). The project should go out for letting towards the end of 2017. Phase VI – Design is slightly behind schedule, but will be ready well ahead of its programmed funding cycle in 2020 and 2021. Mr. Quintana stated that the US 64 project was added to the Governor’s priority project list and that some state funding had been provided for this project. The extra funding will help, but it will not move the project up in the program years because of the size and cost of the project. US 550 Bridge Preservation – This project is under development and the design is ongoing. Construction is expected to begin in September 2016. This is a book project which will have two milestones: 60% and then a 90% at PSE. The design timeline for this type of project will be shortened up and milestones combined. NM 173 – The design of this project is progressing and the 60% design review will likely happen in January 2016. This project should let in early summer. The project is 10  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 estimated at $4,000,000 and NMDOT added some additional safety funds during the last TIP amendment. CR350/390 Intersection – The PS&E is complete; with 90% of the plans approved. Construction is expected to begin in March. Vereda del Rio River Trail–Phase I - The PS&E was held in September and the City of Bloomfield is now waiting on the PIF letter from the consultant. For Phases II and III, the plans are almost done and the project is ahead of schedule. Kirtland Walk Path – San Juan County is in the process of approving the design agreements and then the design process will begin. Red Apple Transit (Capital & Operating) – No update. Red Apple Transit (TAP Project) - Mr. Montoya said he had received no information on moving the TAP awarded project to FTA oversight. Mr. Fillerup introduced Mr. Brad Fisher who is the local government coordinator with the North Region Design Center. The Technical Committee welcomed Mr. Fisher and thanked him for his attendance. ACTION: The project list was updated and the report received. 5. RECEIVE A REPORT ON AN AMENDMENT TO THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN (PPP) Subject: Public Participation Plan Amendment Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Associate Planner Date: December 2, 2015 BACKGROUND  The current Public Participation Plan (PPP) was adopted on January 19, 2012.  The PPP needs to be reviewed and amended at least every five years.  Staff is proposing changes to the PPP.  Changing the public comment period to 15 days instead of the stated 30 days (see Page 14 of the current document)  NMDOT has recommended, and the other MPOs throughout the state have already adopted, a 15-day public comment period for most documents including TIP amendments.  A new TIP adoption would continue to have a 30-day comment period.  The 45-day public noticing requirement for the Public Participation Plan was begun on November 29, 2015.  At their November 19 meeting, the Policy Committee recommended the use of 11  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 social media in MPO outreach efforts as well as developing a Citizens (Civic) Advisory Committee. DISCUSSION ITEM  This item is presented for review only. DISCUSSION: Mr. Fillerup reported that Staff had presented the Public Participation Plan (PPP) previously. He noted that several sections are being considered for review and amendments. The 45-day public noticing requirement began on November 29. The first recommended change will be brought back for discussion in January and has to do with the 30-day time frame currently required for public comment on TIP amendments. Staff proposes to move to a 15-day public comment period to reflect what the other MPOs and NMDOT use which gives greater flexibility in amending projects. Mr. Fillerup provided a memo that highlighted the Policy Committee discussion on the PPP during their meeting in November. Mr. Quintana agreed that the 15-day noticing allows for greater flexibility in adding funding to local government projects and emergency TIP amendments can be handled outside of the quarterly schedule. ACTION: The report was received. 6. INFORMATION ITEMS Subject: Information Items Prepared by: Fran Fillerup, MPO Planner Date: December 2, 2015 INFORMATION ITEMS a. MPO Quarterly. The MPO Quarterly will be held on December 14, 15, and 16 at the Mesilla Valley MPO in Las Cruces. b. Pedestrian Facility Design Course - there are three sessions the week of Dec. 14 in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. This class is highly recommended for T/LPA engineering/planning staffs who have received TAP funding. c. Transportation Bill Update – It is anticipated that Congress will pass a new Federal Transportation Bill shortly. d. Other 12  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 DISCUSSION: a. The MPO Quarterly is being held in Las Cruces on December 14, 15 and 16. On Wednesday, NMDOT will give a presentation on performance measures. When the 2040 MTP was completed, the section on performance measures was left unfinished pending guidance and direction from NMDOT and FHWA. Mr. Sypher asked that a draft copy of this information be provided to the Technical Committee when it becomes available. b. On December 14 and 15, there are three sessions of a pedestrian facility design course being held in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces. c. The new five-year transportation bill, FAST Act, was signed into law on December 5 and authorizes $305 billion in funding. Mr. Fillerup distributed an overview of the new bill provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Most funds are expected still to be directed toward maintenance and safety before adding capacity. d. Mr. Fillerup attended a UNM-Bureau of Business & Economic Research data (demographic and economic) users conference in November. Mr. Fillerup shared some information from this conference to highlight the new release of information by the Census and the American Community Survey. He will forward a link to the data for use by the Technical Committee members. Mr. Degani stated that the Planning Division also uses BBER for their planning purposes, cost analysis, GIS, as well as the state demand model. 7. JOINT MEETING DISCUSSION ITEMS a. US 64 – Phase V – Mr. Quintana said he had no new updates for Phase V. Mr. Fillerup introduced Mr. Morris Young who had attended the public meeting on December 3 and had requested the opportunity to meet with District 5 representatives individually. Mr. Young introduced himself as the owner of Envirotech, a local business along US 64 that is being impacted by Phase V of the construction. Mr. Young stated his concern that the design for Phase V will impact the safety of the large trucks that enter and leave his facility as well as, potentially, other vehicles and drivers on the road. He asked that NMDO re-evaluate the design and eliminate the safety issues he sees with the current design for his business and for his drivers who are driving rigs up to 100’ long and weighing 85,000 to 110,000 pounds that will now have to make a U-turn to gain access to the yard. Mr. Quintana said Mr. Young would need to speak with Mr. Habib Abi-Khalil, the District 5 Engineer to discuss design changes, access issues, and changes in traffic patterns. Unfortunately, Mr. Abi-Khalil was not able to attend the meeting today, but Mr. Quintana said he would provide Mr. Young with Mr. Abi-Khalil’s contact information. 13  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 Mr. Young stated that he wants to illustrate and demonstrate the problems he foresees for his business and to see if there is a way to eliminate the problems before they are incorporated into the design. Mr. Sypher thanked Mr. Young for his positive feedback. He asked for Mr. Young to let the MPO know the outcome of his meeting with Mr. Abi-Khalil. Mr. Fillerup also offered to help facilitate securing a location for the meeting. Ms. Brevik agreed with the U-turn issues raised by Mr. Young. She has experienced the same issues with her subdivision near Bloomfield. With the recently completed construction, she has to pass the roadway to her subdivision and then U-turn to get back to the road into her subdivision. Mr. Fillerup asked about a public meeting that was moved from the spring of 2016 to the December date to gather more public comment sooner. The project was already at the 60 percent review at this point and, according to trainings on the project development process, the ability to make changes after the 60 percent review was significantly reduced. The MPO would also like to request that project review meetings be held in San Juan County when possible rather than in Santa Fe to allow local input. Mr. Quintana responded that the design review meetings are not public meetings. The design review meetings are for the design team, most of whom are in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The only public meeting was held on December 3 and any future design milestone meetings will be design team meetings needed to advance the project to PS&E. Mr. Quintana clarified that there was a public meeting held early on in the project (8- 10 years ago) to let the public know the scope of the project and that it would be a phased out project. The scope of the entire corridor has not changed since the beginning. To begin getting ideas on ROW and other concerns, the entire corridor was taken to 30 percent with NMDOT’s first professional service contract. Now, the final design contracts are being issued and taken from 30 percent to 60 percent. Mr. Quintana stated that the funding for the project is there and, if there is a need to add to the project without impacting ROW, the change(s) could be addressed. Mr. Quintana noted that the MPO had questioned the addition of a multi-use trail and if there was sufficient space to allow for this. There is room for this and it could be incorporated, but there is currently no funding available. Mr. Quintana said he had recommended to Mr. Wakan several programs (TAP, TIGER, or CMAQ-Flex) that might be considered to potentially fund and incorporate the trail into the overall project. Ms. Brevik asked about the status of the US 550 and US 64 intersection. Mr. Quintana said he thought the claims department was working on it. There are some sidewalks issues, but funding to correct the issue will likely not be available until the next state fiscal year in July 2016. b. Communication & Project Concerns Mr. Sypher said the City of Farmington has been having some challenges with the finance group on several reimbursement requests. The requests have been finalized, but the City of Farmington is only receiving partial reimbursement which results in the 14  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 requests having to be resubmitted. He hoped this group could be supported to allow them to fully review the reimbursement requests and process full reimbursement payments. Mr. Sypher also commented on the lack of timely responses with the right-of-way division. Once submittals are made to the division, there are significant delays and the turnaround time is drawn out and unacceptable. Each of the individuals contacted has a great attitude, but the time delays overall are escalating the costs of the project and creating extra work. Mr. Keck stated that San Juan County is experiencing the same type of problems with these two departments. They have pending reimbursements that are four months old and work becomes dated while waiting for a response from the ROW bureau especially with the appraisal review process. Many of the Technical Committee members hope that NMDOT will consider making additional staff or resources available to these departments to assist them in being timelier in their responses. Mr. Sypher asked Mr. Fisher to provide his contact information to the Technical Committee members. Mr. Fisher said he would help facilitate communication with the divisions noted above, just include him on any e-mails. Mr. Sypher commented that the environmental comments on the East Pinon Hills project were on hold until the ROW comments are issued. He is concerned that once the ROW is approved, environmental comments could then change the ROW and cause this process to begin again. Mr. Quintana replied that the environmental comments are impacted by the ROW finalization and that is likely the reason they are holding off on their comments. Ms. Brevik thanked Mr. Fisher for his assistance with the City of Bloomfield’s PS&E. She added that she had recently attended a good conference on civil rights and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) presented by District 5 in Santa Fe. Mr. Degani shared a quarterly publication by Mid-Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) that provides information about the TIP/STIP, federal funds, upcoming deadlines, local government agreements and agreement request forms. He thought this might be something the FMPO might want to consider putting together to enhance communication. c. Status of NMDOT Representation on FMPO Policy Committee Mr. Quintana said he would be the NMDOT representative and to keep the representation dynamic, the Policy Committee representative should be the District Engineer or his designee. Ms. Holton stated that Bylaws did not specify who from the NMDOT would serve on the Policy Committee. They would need to appoint their own representative and the MPO needs to receive a letter from NMDOT stating who their representative will be. Mr. Quintana and Mr. Degani said they would take care of requesting these letters. 15  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 It was also noted that the Technical Committee meeting dates for 2016 will be the second Wednesday of the month to better fit the schedules of District 5. Mr. Quintana said the change would allow him to participate more regularly. Mr. Sypher said that having Mr. Quintana present at the meetings was important. d. Additional Update from District 5 Mr. Quintana had no additional updates. e. Additional Update from the Planning Division Mr. Degani provided a written update for the meeting which is shown below: Mr. Degani stated that more information will be provided as it becomes available. This is the first bill since SAFETEA-LU of 2005 to provide funding for a full five years. There are several National Highway Institute trainings coming next year which are mandatory for the MPO planners so they are aware of these funding programs. Mr. Degani noted that there will be several acronym changes upcoming, one of which is TAP which is going to the Surface Block Transportation Program. Mr. Sypher asked Staff to update their acronym list for the Technical Committee members. Mr. Degani said NMDOT is using more ARC-GIS on line. There is an interactive statewide bicycle map online for the public. This will be used more in the future for the freight plan and other MPO bike maps will be linked to the NMDOT map. Planning Division Update – Brian Degani Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act Transportation Bill Both the U.S. House and Senate passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which is five-year legislation for improving the Nation’s surface transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transit systems, and rail transportation network. The bill is intended to provide the following: reform and strengthen transportation programs, refocuses on national priorities, provide long-term certainty and more flexibility for states and local governments, streamline the project approval processes, and maintain a strong commitment to safety. The bill, once signed into law by President Obama, will be the first long-term transportation authorization legislation (1,300 pages) in the United States to be passed in a decade since SAFETEA-LU in 2005. Upcoming Meetings/Trainings/Timelines • MPO Quarterly – 12/15/15 in Las Cruces, hosted by Mesilla Valley MPO. • MPO Performance Measures and Targets – A half-day workshop is scheduled for 12/16/15 from 8 am to noon at the Roadrunner Room at Branigan Library 200 E. Picacho in Las Cruces, the day after the MPO Quarterly. • Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures Webinar Series (free) - The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) is offering a webinar series on pedestrian safety countermeasures. Since NM and Albuquerque are a focus state and city, respectively, due to our high numbers of per capita pedestrian fatalities, these strategies are very relevant. Registration is FREE. It’s a 12 part webinar series, running from Oct. 2015 to Jan. 2016. Info and registration: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/training/webinars_PSAP_countermeasurestrategies.cfm 16  TC Draft Meeting Minutes December 10, 2015 National Highway Institute Trainings • Federal-Aid Highways 101 – three two-day sessions scheduled week of 2/22/16 and 2/29/16 in Las Cruces, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. This class is mandatory for all MPO and RTPO Planners/Planning Program Managers. • Highway Program Financing –Sessions are scheduled for 3/15/16-3/16/16 in Santa Fe, 3/29/16-3/30/16 in Albuquerque and 4/5/16-4/6/16 in Las Cruces. If you already registered, please contact Cecilia Romero, Continuing Education/Workforce Development Coordinator, Northern NM College, by email at cromero@nnmc.edu or phone at (575) 581-4117, to change or confirm your registration. This class is mandatory for all MPO and RTPO Planners/Planning Program Managers. Project Updates NMDOT Bicycle Guideline Map (Rosa Kozub): In addition to the newly updated printed map developed, an interactive, web-based version of the map can be viewed here at the following link: http://nmdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=e41ec746a4ce4eb292e9197799 68a291. As it is further developed, it would be eventually linked to MPO bike maps through ArcGIS online. The MPOs would then maintain their own data, but we would link it to our NMDOT viewer, and users would turn the MPO layers on/off as desired. More information will be forthcoming from Rosa Kozub, Programs Supervisor Bicycle, Pedestrian, Equestrian (BPE) Coordinator. 7. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF Mr. Sypher asked about the status of a Road Safety Audit (RSA) at English & Main Street that was required for HSIP funding the City of Farmington was seeking. Mr. Quintana said the RSA list was backlogged as quite a few had been approved. He said he would check to see where this particular RSA was on the list and when it might be scheduled to be conducted. Mr. Sypher thanked Mr. Young for his participation in today’s meeting as well as NMDOT staff for their attendance. There was no additional business from the Chairman, Members and Staff. 8. BUSINESS FROM THE FLOOR There was no additional business from the Floor. 9. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Sypher adjourned the meeting at 11:25 am ___________________________ ___________________________ David Sypher, Chair June Markle, Administrative Aide 17