Members absent: Connie C. Holland, Delaware Governor s Appointee Bill Miners, representing Cecil County Municipalities

Transcription

1 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 The Council meeting was held at WILMAPCO, 850 Library Avenue, Suite 100, Newark, Delaware, on September 10, CALL TO ORDER: Mr. John Sisson, Council Chair, opened the meeting at 6:40 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL: Members present: Dave Blankenship representing Cleon L. Cauley, City of Wilmington, Mayor Dennis P. Williams Appointee Drew Boyce, representing Jennifer L. Cohan, DelDOT Secretary of Transportation D. Reed MacMillan, representing New Castle County, County Executive, Thomas P. Gordon Heather Murphy, Maryland Governor s Appointee Eric Sennstrom, representing Tari Moore, Cecil County Executive John Sisson, Delaware Transit Corporation s Chief Executive Officer Michael Spencer, representing New Castle County Municipalities Members absent: Connie C. Holland, Delaware Governor s Appointee Bill Miners, representing Cecil County Municipalities Guests, Observers: Marc Dixon, Federal Highway Administration Mary Ridgeway, Federal Highway Administration Staff members: Dan Blevins, Principal Planner Janet Butler, Administrative Assistant Heather Dunigan, Principal Planner Sharen T. Elcock, Executive Assistant Dave Gula, Principal Planner Randi Novakoff, Outreach Manager Bill Swiatek, Senior Planner Tigist Zegeye, Executive Director Minutes prepared by Janet Butler 3. MINUTES: The July 9, 2015, meeting minutes were approved. On motion by Mr. Spencer seconded by Mr. Blankenship, the Council approved the July 9, 2015, Council Meeting Minutes. Motion passed. ( ) 4. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: None. 1

2 COUNCIL MEMBERS AND DIRECTOR S REPORT: 5. Chairperson s Report Mr. Sisson said DART is hosting Community Conversations to get input regarding potential service changes to take to the public hearings for the January Service Change. They will also discuss some bus alignments coming through the efforts of Wilmington Transit Moving Forward (WTMF); and a new route starting in October 2015 from Wilmington to the Amazon Warehouse in Middletown. Mr. Sisson mentioned Amazon gets most employees first, from Wilmington and second, from the City of New Castle. During the Community Conversations they will get feedback on DART s fare media, which includes outdated fare media maps for the value card. The Community Conversations will be held at: 1) Wilmington Public Library, Monday, September 14, 2015, from 4:00-6:00 p.m.; 2) WILMAPCO, Tuesday, September 15, 2015, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.; and 3) Tuesday, September 22, 2015, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., in Middletown. Council Member s Reports: Mr. Boyce said DelDOT was successful in getting the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) funding for the US Route 301 project. DelDOT has had meetings with contractors and the project is moving forward quickly. This has been a lengthy process, which has been 40 plus years in the making. You can go to the DelDOT.gov website and click on the Route 301 project to view a simulation video, which is a tool that shows the scope of the project and how it fits into the surrounding environment. 6. Executive Director s Report Ms. Zegeye reported on the following events and information: Staff participated in the Mid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation Center s annual meeting in Wilmington on August 6 and 7, 2015, and presented our sea level rise transportation vulnerability assessment. Staff is continuing to coordinate with the Delaware Hispanic Commission to improve our outreach to the Latino community. Staff exhibited at the 55+ Lifestyles Expo in Elkton; Henrietta Johnson Community Dinner in Wilmington; Peach Festival in Middletown; and the Eastside Community Day. Staff is working with Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington to initiate an SRTS program. Staff presented the results of our SR9 Walkable Community Workshop to the New Castle Prevention Coalition. Staff met with representatives of Nemours to discuss measures to better engage public health professionals in the planning process. Staff is continuing to support the City of Wilmington s project to restore the South Wilmington wetland to mitigate flooding and sea level rise. A public open house is planned for September 23. Staff is continuing to work on the school anti-idling campaign, which is on the agenda this evening. On August 24, 2015, DelDOT and WILMAPCO held a TIP/CTP public workshop prior to the PAC meeting from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., which was well attended, at the Newark Public Library. Staff attended the pre-tour Cecil County CTP meeting on September 8, Staff will attend the DART service change community conversations. 2

3 The Cecil County CTP Tour will be held on September 17, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., which is at the same time as the WILMAPCO TAC meeting; however a staff member will attend. Staff will exhibit on September 20, 2015, at Newark Community Day. The Wilmington bike share feasibility public workshop will be held on September 29, 2015, at the Wilmington Library. Staff will participate in the Unified Development Code (UDC) transportation working group and public meeting in September, WILMAPCO is hosting the Mid-Atlantic Roundtable on October 29, 2015, in partnership with Delaware Valley Regional Planning Council (DVRPC) and Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) at the Chase Center. Seventy participants are registered so far. Ms. Zegeye encouraged Council members to attend and send their staff to the event. The North Claymont Area Master Plan Request for Proposal (RFP) went out, two proposals came in, and interviews will begin on September 24, The Newark Regional Transportation Center (NRTC) Study is moving forward, there is a weekly conference call with FTA Region III, and staff will be meeting with the City of Newark in the fall. The Wilmington Transit Moving Forward (WTMF) project management committee is working on strategy for moving forward with prioritized transit corridors and locations in the City. The Walnut Street Improvement Project Report was completed. A community meeting will be scheduled to discuss the plan and it will be presented at a public meeting in September. The Glasgow Avenue Planning Study is progressing. Staff is working with DelDOT on developing a model to test alternatives. The SR Year Transportation and Land Use Plan is moving forward. Staff is working on vision and goals, and we expect to hold a public session on October 8, The Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway Design Standards Overlay project report is being completed, which will be reviewed by the team, and staff will hold an October Advisory Committee Meeting and a November Public Meeting. Ms. Zegeye distributed the August 2015 Financial Report that indicated WILMAPCO is well under budget. Ms. Zegeye announced that Ms. Tamika Graham, Senior Planner, has accepted an affordable housing services position in Dover, Delaware. 7. Public Advisory Committee (PAC) Report: Ms. Novakoff said the PAC met on August 24, 2015, and 17 people attended. The PAC Chair, Mr. Antonio Vanezuela, moved the agenda along well. The PAC nominated Mr. Vanezuela to continue as PAC Chair, and Mr. Vanezuela accepted the nomination. Mr. Valenzuela asked for three volunteers to nominate a PAC vice Chair, which included: 1) Bill Dunn; 2) Brett Saddler; and 3) Javier Torrijos, who will meet separately. Ms. Dunigan presented the Draft FY2016 TIP Public Outreach component. PAC reviewed the Quick TIP Guide again. They also commended the guide and made additional suggestions including web links for specific projects. Ms. Dunigan said we are also improving web mapping for the TIP. The PAC suggested attending the Delaware Hispanic Commission Transportation Subcommittee meetings, which WILMAPCO is already attending. The PAC approved the public outreach portion of the FY2016 TIP. 3

4 Ms. Dunigan presented information on the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway Design Standards Overlay Project. There was a heated discussion about the boundaries for the project and one PAC member suggested a motion be made that the Red Clay Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan be expanded to include the entire corridor. The PAC vote was 8 in favor and 9 opposed; therefore, this motion did not pass. Mr. Swiatek presented information on the SR9 Walkable Community Workshop. PAC members had questions about corridor management plan boundaries; however, they supported the project. Mr. Blankenship asked how dual-language printing is being handled. Ms. Novakoff said we are working on getting that in place, and we have some translation services in place now. Mr. Spencer asked if the names of the PAC members who voted on actions are recorded in the minutes. Ms. Novakoff responded we don t include the names. 8. Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Report: Ms. Dunigan said the July 2015 TAC meeting was held as a joint meeting with Air Quality Subcommittee (AQS), and there were two TIP amendments, Cecil County Element: 1) 5310 funds, and 2) the MARC Maintenance project, which were recommended for approval. The draft amendments to the TIP included discussions from Bill Geronimo, DelDOT, and Gene Donaldson, DelDOT, regarding the changes to the funding. At the August 2015 meeting, two amendments were recommended for approval for the FY2016 UPWP, and one amendment for the FY2016 TIP, New Castle County/Delaware Statewide Element. There were also presentations on the Route 9 Walkable Community Workshop and the School Anti-Idling Campaign. ACTION ITEMS: 9. To Amend the WILMAPCO FY2016 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) with Carry Over Tasks Ms. Zegeye distributed the June 2015 WILMAPCO billing report as reference for the UPWP information in the Council packet. On page 1 are descriptions of all the projects that are proposed to be carried over to the FY 2016 UPWP, which matches the June billing report with a total of $524, On page 2, the first five tasks are proposed to be carried over into the FY2016 UPWP, which are projects started in FY 2015, but not completed by year end, and the total amount is $430, The second portion of the projects (tasks 1-14), listed on the chart are proposed tasks to be transferred to the general funds, in the total amount of $93, These projects have been completed and came in under budget. On page 2, the prior years carry over funds include, MD FHWA ($99,052.85); MD FTA ($39,728.79); MD State ($13,963.35); DE FHWA ($458,277.90), and DE FTA ($67,550.56). Because a new Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was formed in Salisbury, Maryland, to include portions of Sussex County, Delaware, WILMAPCO deducted $23,824 from DE FHWA, and $6,175 from DE FTA, which is a total of about $30,000. The total available funds that will be carried over are $678, Staff proposes $430, be carried over into FY 2016 UPWP and program $247,767 for future tasks. TAC and Staff recommended amending the FY 2016 UPWP with carryover tasks. Mr. Spencer asked if there is a reason the PAC didn t vote on the action. Ms. Zegeye said the PAC usually votes on the public outreach component, but, this is administrative. 4

5 On motion by Mr. Spencer seconded by Mr. Sennstrom, the Council amended FY2016 UPWP with Carry Over Tasks. Motion passed. ( ) 10. To Amend the FY2016 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) with Member Agency Tasks Ms. Zegeye said the total amount for new projects amended into the FY 2016 UPWP is $247,767. WILMAPCO has received three project requests from member agencies, which are attached as information in the Council packet as follows: 1) The North Claymont Area Master Plan -- WILMAPCO will allocate $100,000 for consultant fees; 2) New Castle County, Route 9 Corridor Master Plan -- WILMAPCO will allocate $75,000, which is half of the requested amount ($150,000). However, WILMAPCO will consider a request for the remaining $75,000 in an upcoming UPWP; 3) MTA and DTC requested a MARC/SEPTA Commuter Rail Service Extension Ridership Analysis -- WILMAPCO will allocate $75,000. TAC and staff recommended amending the FY2016 UPWP with agency tasks. Mr. Boyce asked if the total amount of $247,767 is for the three projects. Ms. Zegeye replied yes, but, we will actually need a lot more funding for these projects; however, this amount will be a starting point and we expect to continue funding these projects in FY2017. On motion by Mr. Sennstrom seconded by Mr. MacMillan the Council amended the FY2016 UPWP with Member Agency Tasks. Motion passed. ( ) 11. To Amend the FY Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Cecil County Element Ms. Dunigan said this amendment is for Section 5310 Capital Assistance for preventative maintenance and small bus replacement. The amendment will add $90,000 in FY2015; $20,442 in FY2016; and $90,000 in FY2017 using 80 percent FTA Section 5310 and 20 percent local funds. TAC and staff recommended approval of the amendment to the FY TIP, Cecil County Element. On motion by Mr. Spencer seconded by Mr. Boyce the Council amended FY TIP, Cecil County Element. Motion passed. ( ) 12. To Amend the FY Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Cecil County Element Ms. Dunigan said this amendment is for additional funding for the MARC Maintenance and Layover Facility project. The amendment will add $4 million FTA Section 5337 and $1 million state funds in FY2017. Air Quality Subcommittee reviewed the project and there are no air quality conformity requirements, and TAC and staff recommended approval of the amendment to the FY TIP, Cecil County element. On motion by Mr. Sennstrom seconded by Mr. Spencer the Council amended the FY TIP, Cecil County Element. Motion passed. ( ) 5

6 13. To Amend the WILMAPCO FY Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), New Castle County/ DE Statewide Elements Ms. Dunigan said the TIP was out for public comment from August 3 to September 10, The TIP Quick Guide is included in the packet and was used as part of the public comment period. Participants could also comment on the WILMAPCO website. Mr. Boyce commended the quality of the website TIP information. Ms. Dunigan continued we also hope to have an interactive box to click on where participants will get project information easily. Staff publicized the TIP through the E-news, press releases, and radio advertisements. The August 24, 2015 TIP workshop was held in conjunction with DelDOT s Capital Transportation Program (CTP) meeting, which benefited attendance, because there were 36 attendees at the Newark Library. This TIP allocates $2.2 billion to projects, which is 25% more funding than what was approved in March, Ms. Dunigan reviewed the public comments on the TIP contained in Appendix G. She said the first part is a transcript from the public hearing. For instance, one comment was regarding US 40/896 and that the grade separated intersection is a big priority; there is significant congestion in that area; and the project is needed in the TIP. Two comments were about transit and the need for better connections; such as bus connections between Wilmington and Newark Train stations, and better connections between Newark and New Castle and locations for transferring buses, which has resulted in long waits. However, they commented that overall DART service is good. Another type of comment was in favor of bike facilities and the need for better transitions between multi-use pathways and bike lanes such as at Airport Road and Applebee Road, and Rt. 72 and Old Baltimore Pike. Another comment was regarding SR299, where they commended the design for multi-use pathways, but would like to see the project extended to Odessa for better pedestrian access. Additional comments were on the Lorewood Grove Road between Route 1 and US 13 for bike access to tie into the St. George s Bridge and provide access to the C&D Canal Trail. Additionally, there were comments regarding the diverging diamond interchange at SR1 and SR72, and the need for bike lanes and multi-use paths across the bridge. Other comments were about the City of Wilmington, regarding requests for bike lanes and improvements on Walnut and Shipley streets. They commented along with the Industrial Track project these types of improvements will bring economic benefits. There were also comments regarding traffic around Christiana Mall, and a suggestion that the road project advance and that DelDOT purchase the right-of-way in the area. Other comments were regarding accommodating pedestrians; and the Little Baltimore Pike and Valley Road project between Little Baltimore Pike and Lantana Square and North Star Road need bike lanes. Mr. Sisson commended staff for the TIP Quick Guide. Ms. Dunigan added in an earlier version we talked a lot about the process, but we learned the public has shown they care more about the projects than the process. The DelDOT letter dated July 8, 2015, indicates categories of funding including Urban Surface Transportation Program (STP); FTA Urbanized Area; Congestion Mitigation/Air 6

7 Quality (CMAQ); FTA Elderly and Persons with Disabilities; and Transportation Enhancement (TE) Program. On page 9 are transportation management projects. Mr. Boyce clarified the East 12 th Street project has been absorbed into Bridge #577, Northeast Blvd. and the Brandywine, which are projects going out in advance of the Viaduct project. Ms. Dunigan said on page 9 and 10 there is a listing of ITMS projects. On page 11 there are CMAQ funded statewide bike and pedestrian projects, including one New Castle County project, in which Wilmington to Newark Phase I got funding for design. The rest of the projects include New Castle County Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) projects. She added New Castle County and Wilmington received adequate funding for these projects. Mr. Boyce also commented that the TIP information from DelDOT has been coming out slowly, and as you know, the Delaware Legislature passed Bill 140, and DelDOT got more funding. We took a look at the priority list of the RTP and program funding, and at our spend rate and our ability to finance projects. We understood that the complexity of projects today is difficult once you establish a schedule, you need to complete that schedule. We have a cash reserve and additional borrowing authority. We are trying to get as much work done on the street as possible, and there will be additional tweaks and changes to the TIP project numbers. These changes will fall under administrative changes and won t require public input. On motion by Mr. Blankenship seconded by Ms. Murphy the Council amended the FY TIP, New Castle County/DE Statewide Elements. Motion passed. ( ) 14. To Approve the Proposed Public Advisory Committee (PAC) Reappointments Ms. Novakoff said this resolution is to approve the Public Advisory Committee (PAC) reappointments for another three years. The PAC members up for renewal are: 1) Glen Pusey, Bear Glasgow Council, member since 2008; 2) Jeff Peters, Pike Creek Valley Civic League, member since 2012; 3) Dick Janney, Southern New Castle County, member since 2006; 4) Pat Folk, Cecil County, member since 2003; and 5) Bruce Brunozzi, City of Wilmington, member since Mr. Blankenship said on the list of PAC replacements, Mr. Bruce Brunozzi s name needs to be changed from Bruch to Bruce. On motion by Mr. Blankenship seconded by Mr. Sennstrom the Council approved the PAC Reappointments, with the name correction from Bruch to Bruce Brunozzi. Motion passed. ( ) 7

8 PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS: 15. Route 9 Walkable Community Workshop Mr. Swiatek distributed the Route 9 Walkable Community Workshop report. Mr. Swiatek said the Route 9 WCW study area includes a small segment of Route 9 between Lambson Lane and Hillview Avenue. The four elements of the WCW include: 1) Background of walkability in the community; 2) Walking audit with local residents to identify bike and pedestrian trouble spots and provide potential solutions; 3) Mapping exercise, which indicates where problems are located, and possible solutions; and 4) Summary of feedback, which is put into a report. The project was requested by New Castle County Community Services. A new library is being built south of Wilmington. Access and connections to that library and the surrounding community were considered. The project team consists of New Castle County, DelDOT, and WILMAPCO. A WCW was held at the Rose Hill Community Center on May 5, Staff conducted additional public outreach through attending several meetings with residents; flyers were distributed throughout the community; and radio ads were broadcasted. The result was very good. The Route 9 WCW attracted 33 attendees, and half were residents. The Route 9 community is auto-oriented and key issues include safety, connectivity between neighborhoods and community centers, enhancing design, and improving old/non-ada infrastructure. Improvements discussed at the workshop included adding pathways to the new library, improving sidewalks on Hillview Avenue, adding bike lanes on this and other streets, improving the crossings and bus stops along Route 9, and adding a new road near the new library to connect Lambson Lane and Hillview Avenue. Five people were hit by cars at the Hillview Avenue intersection between 2011 and Other ideas for improvements include providing better lighting and sidewalks and adding a pathway near the Rose Hill Community Center; addressing illegal truck traffic in the area; realigning Lambson Lane, and redesigning the commercial space on Route 9. Additional suggestions include enhancing the green space leading to the Dunleith community; adding traffic calming along Route 9; providing school zone signage at Lambson Lane/SR 9; and providing some historic place making features. A post workshop survey indicated 100% of the participants felt the workshop was useful to the community. Open-ended comments included that: the workshop was important because the team recognized the everyday safety concerns, and just being there, having input, and knowing something might happen to make the area safer was helpful. Some of the next steps include: 1) Draft WCW report; 2) Compile ideas; 3) Identify potential implementation funding; and 3) Build ideas upon the Master Plan, beginning fall Mr. Blankenship said University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration (IPA) is credited for several of the photos and asked if IPA was participating in all of the workshops. Mr. Swiatek responded yes, they were invited to all of the workshops; they took photos, and participated at additional workshops. Mr. Sisson said there are flooding issues due to storm water that need to be taken into account. Mr. Swiatek agreed that there are flooding issues, but mostly in the northern part of the corridor. 8

9 16. School Anti-Idling Campaign Mr. Swiatek said WILMAPCO has been working with Nemours regarding reducing vehicle idling for the last several years. The goal of the campaign is to reduce bus and personal vehicle idling around schools. Doing so provides environmental, health, and economic benefits. The School Anti-Idling Campaign is an outgrowth of the Wilmington Asthma Action Plan. Asthma is a chronic disease that tightens air ways. The disease is aggravated by fumes from motor vehicles, among other things. About 9.5 percent of New Castle County residents have asthma. Nationally, asthma is more common among children, women, blacks, Puerto Ricans, and low-income individuals. It is also the leading cause of emergency department visits both nationally and locally. Nemours led the Asthma Action Plan in Delaware, and the work in New Castle County was targeted to zip codes and These places in Wilmington are home to a much higher than average rate of asthma. Nemours also received a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) grant to conduct this work. WILMAPCO became involved through the South Wilmington Planning Network (SWPN). The plan targets both indoor and outdoor asthma triggers. In terms of outdoor triggers, reducing school bus idling was identified as an easy first step. Key idling facts that are presented include: 1) environmental caused by ozone formation and haze; 2) health caused by diesel exhaust: direct links to asthma, suspected links to cancer; and 3) economic one school bus idling for 30 minutes per day equals $ fuel expense per year. The CMMI funding has ended, so WILMAPCO is now leading the anti-idling work. WILMAPCO has expanded the efforts for school bus driver education/awareness, and added private vehicle idling reduction. The current campaign partners include WILMAPCO, Nemours, DNREC, American Lung Association, and Air Quality Partnership of Delaware. School Bus Driver/Awareness Training was provided in August 2015 to 70 drivers at the Colonial School District and 31 contracted drivers in Christina School District. As part of the campaign, a toolkit was developed to reduce private vehicle idling at schools. The toolkit includes a range of options for schools, including: school-wide awareness presentations at assemblies; air quality mascot, Tropo, appearing at assemblies; school anti-idling policy signage was put up around the school; and an ozone flag program. More in depth work could target science/health classes with an asthma/anti-idling curriculum; presentations from experts; interactions with air quality monitoring equipment; and mock enforcement and encouragement of the anti-idling policy. Measurements of the program include air quality monitoring pre- and post-program rollout and surveys. Video production is also proposed to help document the work and promote the work at other schools. This work is tied to Next Generation Science Standards; schools choose their level of involvement; and funding is proposed to be obtained from Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grants, WILMAPCO, and in-kind work. The program is open to all schools; 9

10 however, the work is still focused on zip codes and Potential participants in the program include Howard High School, Elbert-Palmer Elementary School, and Stubbs Elementary School. For more information visit: INFORMATION ITEMS: DelDOT s Administrative Modification request letters. Mr. McMillan announced that on September 16, 2015, New Castle County is holding their third Workshop regarding the Unified Development Code (UDC) Update, from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., at the Christiana Firehouse. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Boyce made a motion to adjourn, and Mr. MacMillan seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m. 10