DRAFT MINUTES Regional Transportation Council PUBLIC MEETING Kaufman County Regional Toll Revenue Transportation Funding Initiative Recommendations Meeting Date and Location The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) held a public meeting as follows: 1. Monday, September 13, 2010 6:30 p.m. Kaufman High School; attendance: 39; moderated by Michael Morris, Director of Transportation Public Meeting Purpose and Topic The public meeting was held in accordance with the NCTCOG Transportation Department Public Participation Process, which became effective June 1, 1994, as approved by the Regional Transportation Council (RTC), the transportation policy board for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and amended on March 11, 2010. Staff presented information about: 1. Kaufman County Regional Toll Revenue (RTR) Transportation Funding Initiative Recommendations presented by Christie Jestis The NCTCOG public meeting was held to educate, inform and seek comments from the public. Comments were solicited from those present who wished to speak for the record. The 30-day comment period remained open through October 13, 2010. The presentation made at the meeting is available at: www.nctcog.org/trans/outreach/meetings. Each person who attended the public meeting received a packet with a meeting agenda, a sheet on which to submit written comments, and a copy of the presentation. The names of RTC members were listed on the back of the agenda so attendees could see who represented them. A list of RTC members is available online at: www.nctcog.org/trans/committees/rtc/roster.070110.pdf Outline of Public Meeting Welcome, introduction Michael welcomed and thanked the attendees for coming and summarized the public meeting topic and outlined the goals of the Kaufman County RTR Task Force. Michael noted the approval in October 2009 by the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) for expansion of the metropolitan planning area (MPA) boundary which now encompasses the entire county of Kaufman. This action helped bring to the forefront the need for further discussion on planning for transportation funding and projects in Kaufman County. Initially, the total transportation funding available for Kaufman County was approximately $23 million. Over the past year, through the hard work and tough negotiations of task force representatives the general consensus was met on an initial set of Kaufman County Project Funding Recommendations. The task force recommendations total about $78 million in transportation funding. About $23 million of the total is from the RTR funding initiative. 1
DRAFT Michael stressed that public comment from the citizens, city and county staffs, and elected officials is an important component of the process and encouraged attendees to comment on the proposed Kaufman County Project Funding Recommendations which will be presented for action to the Surface Technical Transportation Committee (STTC) in September and the RTC in October. Public comments can be presented at the public meeting or by mail, phone, fax, or e- mail at: North Central Texas Council of Governments, Transportation Department, P.O. Box 5888, Arlington, TX 76005; Phone: (817) 695-9240; Fax: (817) 640-3028; E-mail: jstout@nctcog.org, or on the website at: http://www.nctcog.org/trans. Summary of Presentation A. Kaufman County Regional Toll Revenue (RTR) Transportation Funding Initiative Recommendations presented by Christie Jestis Background of the Kaufman County RTR Task Force: o The RTC set aside RTR funding for future Kaufman County projects. o A Kaufman County RTR Task Force was created consisting of elected officials and city managers within the county. o The task force worked with NCTCOG staff to develop project recommendations consisting of the highest priority projects in Kaufman County. Available RTR funding for Kaufman County: Funding Type Source RTR Allocation Interest Earned 1 Total RTR Funds Plus Local Match (% Required) Total Funding Mobility Safety Stimulus Available Funding RTR Original Allocation (Excess Revenue) RTR New Boundary Set Aside Kaufman County ARRA East/West Partnership Exchange $2,727,555 $261,883 $2,989,438 $10,000,000 N/A $10,000,000 $7,170,000 N/A $7,170,000 $747,359 (80/20) $2,500,000 (80/20) 0 (100/0) $3,736,797 $12,500,000 $7,170,000 $19,897,555 $261,1883 $20,159,438 $3,247,359 $23,406,797 1 Includes interest earned as of July 31, 2010. Does not include future interest projections. 2
DRAFT Kaufman County Project Funding Recommendations: City Projects Total Funding Recommended RTR Funds State/Federal Funds Local Funds Kaufman Terrell Crandall Unincorporated Forney SH 34 from US 175 to SH 243 SH 34 from High Street to Airport Street 1 st St. Reconstruction and Expansion from W. Trunk to Lewis Street Lawson Road from US 80 to Scyene Road Forney Parkway at US 80 Grade Separation $26,640,000 $9,184,438 $11,996,100 $5,459,462 $27,694,816 $ 0 $24,943,271 $2,751,545 $859,705 $750,000 $ 0 $109,705 $1,225,000 $1,225,000 $ 0 $ 0 $21,800,000 $9,000,000 $ 0 $12,800,000 Totals $78,219,521 $20,159,438 $36,939,371 $21,120,712 The strategy was to choose priority projects throughout the county. To see a map illustrating project locations please see the presentation at: www.nctcog.org/trans/outreach/meetings. Project selection timeline: o August 2009: Initial coordination meetings o September 2009: Task force created o September 2010: Public meeting o September 2010: STTC action o October 2010: RTC action o November 2010: Projects added to 2011 2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)/State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) o December 2010: TTC concurrence requested o January 2011: Projects can begin Specific topics and issues presented for public involvement: o Distribute the Kaufman County project funding recommendations for public consideration and comment. o For more information please contact Christie Jestis, Senior Program Manager, (817) 608-2338, cjestis@nctcog.org or Angela Smith, Transportation Planner, (817) 695-9254, asmith@nctcog.org. 3
DRAFT ORAL COMMENTS RECEIVED AT MEETINGS (Kaufman County) Kaufman County Regional Toll Revenue Transportation Funding Initiative Recommendations Danny Booth President, Economic Development Corporation (EDC), City of Terrell A. Even Playing Field Comment: Over the past 20-plus years the City of Terrell has been fortunate with its economic development initiatives being competitive locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally on a number of projects. Mr. Booth recognized that economic development projects are extremely competitive. Mr. Booth expressed that he believes there are currently two primary retail sites in Kaufman County that receive the majority of attention by officials; the Forney Parkway bridge project at U.S. 80 and FM 548 and the potential site of a new Baylor Regional Hospital at I.H. 20 and Spur 557 in Terrell. Mr. Booth noted that the city of Terrell has worked with TxDOT on a number of road related improvements to move forward the development for the Baylor Regional Hospital site. The cost of these projects has been paid for by the city, the developers, and the Terrell EDC. Among others, the Terrell EDC funded a number of improvement projects that helped progress the Tanger Outlet Center which contributed immensely to the retail growth in Kaufman County. Understandably, the city of Terrell must compete with the local communities for the same retail opportunities in the county. Mr. Booth strongly expressed his desire to see all of Kaufman County succeed, but would like to note the disparity he finds in the Forney Parkway project being recommended for $9 million in RTR funds while the potential site of the Terrell Baylor Regional Hospital is receiving no assistance from RTR funding. Mr. Booth noted that he considers the Forney Parkway project an economic development project and considers the recommendation of the $9 million by the RTC as giving priority to one economic development project over another. Mr. Booth stressed that in his belief of competitive fairness, the $9 million should be split equally between Forney and Terrell so each city has fair standing to be able to compete for future economic development opportunities. Response by Michael Morris: For a number of years the City of Forney has contributed a significant amount of work and funding, in partnership with the private sector, to build projects that contributed to the current overall growth and demand in the area. One of the sources of revenue for the project funding recommendations was the equity from projects in the Forney community that came in under bid. The construction of transportation projects results in economic benefits for everyone. The funding available for transportation projects is steadily decreasing and necessitates exploring alternative revenue sources. Throughout the region different communities will require different resources. The challenges are to distribute the available funds as equitably as possible in order to make all projects move forward and this sometimes results in what appears to be an unequal process. In this particular instance, the Forney Parkway project needs the $9 4
DRAFT million in RTR funds for completion and in return the county will be able to move forward to build other needed projects. Bill Baker Citizen, Terrell A. Less Local Funds Comment: Mr. Baker noted his appreciation for all the work and the RTR funding NCTCOG has provided on behalf of Kaufman County. Mr. Baker agreed with the statement that the Forney Parkway project is an economic development project, which will result in private landowners benefiting the most. To take the burden off the taxpayers, he believes the RTC should take part of the funding allotted to the Forney Parkway project and allocate it to the S.H. 34 project. The S.H. 34 project has been in the transportation plans for a significant number of years and the section that has been completed has resulted in a hazardous driving environment on the roadway. Summary of response by Michael Morris: Michael reiterated that Mr. Baker s suggestion is to take approximately $5.5 million from the Forney Parkway recommended RTR funds of $9 million, that were a direct result of initiatives by the city of Forney, and replace the local match of the city of Kaufman funds on the S.H. 34 project with these funds. Thank you. Ben Gremminger Citizen, Kemp A. Unsafe Roadways Question: Mr. Gremminger commented on a number of specific roadways throughout the county that have remained unimproved as heavy duty trucks have become wider and higher, and thereby weigh more. These heavier trucks and the increased traffic are taking a significant toll on the conditions of the roadways and have made it unsafe to travel along many of them. The county maintains it is facing a funding shortfall and cannot afford to maintain safety on the current roadways. How is it finding the funds to provide for the local match? Summary of response by Michael Morris: Maintenance of the current roadways is outside the scope of the Kaufman County RTR Task Force. If there are roadways that are known to be unsafe, Michael requested Mr. Gremminger list those he is aware of and provide the list to the TxDOT staff that were present. There is a serious funding shortfall in transportation. At some point, elected officials are going to have to make the tough decisions on how to raise the needed revenues to enhance the transportation network not only in the North Central Texas region, but the entire state, in order to remain competitive in the world marketplace. Mike Sims Assistant City Manager, City of Terrell A. Supports S.H. 34 in Terrell Comment: Mr. Sims expressed appreciation to TxDOT and NCTCOG and the work of the Kaufman County RTR Task Force and noted the City of Terrell strongly supports the S.H. 34 project from High Street to Airport Street that will improve the safety of the roadway. Response by Michael Morris: Thank you. 5
DRAFT David Hinds Citizen, Forney A. MPA Boundary Comment: Mr. Hinds expressed support for expansion of the MPA boundary and the positive implications this has on regional cooperation. Response by Michael Morris: Thank you. B. Forney Parkway Comment: Mr. Hinds supports the S.H. 34 project. He expressed his belief that the Forney Parkway project is an economic development project and should not be subsidized by the taxpayers. The priority should be building needed transportation projects first and then focus on economic development. As such, the taxpayers should not be asked to carry the burden of $2.7 million for the S.H. 34 project in Terrell. The $9 million in RTR funds allocated for the Forney Parkway project should be prioritized for other needed projects that are not economic development projects. Response by Michael Morris: The challenge is to distribute the available funds as equitably as possible in order to make all projects move forward. If adequate funding is not allotted to one project in order to complete the project then subsequent projects will not be able to move forward. It is important to consider the whole group of revenues and allocate the available funds in such a manner that every project can move forward. The argument could be made that the Forney Parkway project is not a 100 percent economic development project, and therefore, it is a candidate for RTR funding. Ken Leonard Citizen, Forney A. Cooperation Comment: Mr. Leonard encouraged the community to work together for the benefit of the entire county. At some point the discussion over the various projects must end and the projects need to be built. The priority of the county must be building transportation projects. Summary of response by Michael Morris: The mission of the RTR Task Force was to reach consensus on a proposed list of projects in Kaufman County with the available funding so that the projects can move forward to construction. If consensus can be reached on the project funding recommendations, the projects can move toward construction as soon as January 2011. Ray Clark Commissioner, Kaufman County A. Thank You Comment: Mr. Clark expressed his appreciation for all the work NCTCOG and TxDOT have done for Kaufman County. All projects are going to enhance economic development in the county and make the roadways safer for the citizens. Response by Michael Morris: Thank you. 6
DRAFT Brian Brooks City Manager, City of Forney A. Forney Parkway Project Comment: The Forney Parkway project is not solely an economic development project and the project will address safety concerns of the residents. The project does have some economic development aspects and private developer funding, but that is how the project is getting the needed funding. This partnership helped enable $10 million in savings on the U.S. 80/FM 548 project that was returned to the RTC, $9 million of which has been allocated in RTR funds to complete the Forney Parkway project. Forney considers this fiscally responsible and is proud of what the city has helped accomplish. Available partnerships need to be explored and encouraged. It is a difficult process to address the multiple issues of the county. Last year, there were approximately ten train stoppages in Forney adversely affecting residents on the south side of the train tracks in Forney. These stoppages effectively blocked all five intersections in downtown. If a train were long enough and stopped beginning at FM 548, it will block access for police or emergency personnel to effectively serve the entire south side of the train tracks. This is the major safety issue of the City of Forney. Response by Michael Morris: Thank you. Darren Rozell Mayor, City of Forney A. Cooperation Comment: Mr. Rozell expressed his disappointment in the somewhat lackluster response to consensus of the project funding recommendations of the RTR Task Force. The county must work together for the benefit of the entire community. Throughout the process of the RTR Task Force there were a number of proposals discussed, but the resulting outcome of $78 million available for projects is a positive development. The current list of recommended projects is only the beginning of the future enhancements and growth of Kaufman County. The opportunity to bid projects at lower construction costs has and does result in significant savings and should be pursued aggressively while it is available. Response by Michael Morris: Thank you. Bruce Wood Judge Elect, Kaufman County A. Thank You Comment: Thank you to the RTC and TxDOT for all the hard work in making these projects a reality in Kaufman County. With Kaufman County now a full partner with the RTC, it looks forward to continuing to work with all partners to move projects forward. Summary of response by Michael Morris: Thank you. Gary Brown O.R. Colan Associates, Grapevine A. Engineering Funding Question: During the presentation it was noted that, if approved, projects will be ready to go to construction in January. Where did the funding come from to pay for the engineering and design of the various projects? 7
DRAFT Summary of response by Michael Morris: The ability of the project to move to actual construction depends what stage the project is in. From the standpoint of NCTCOG, the funding for the project to be built could be available in January 2011. Because funding has been dedicated for the projects, if there are still other aspects that need to be completed before the project can move forward these steps will be able to proceed. WRITTEN COMMENTS RECEIVED AT MEETINGS Name and Title Agency, City Represented (meeting location in parentheses) Topics addressed Comments Mike Sims Assistant City Manager, City of Terrell SH 34 Funding Attachment 1 Bruce Wood Judge-Elect, Kaufman County Kaufman County RTR Transportation Funding Initiative Attachment 2 8
Additional Public Comments Name and Title Agency, City Represented Topics addressed Curtis Snow Ray Clark Bruce Wood Wayne Gent Paul Cheng Dorothy Brooks, TRMC, CMC Rick Barnes David M. Schnurbusch, P.E. John Holcomb Rick Townsend Irving M. Groves, III City Manager, City of Kaufman Commissioner, Precinct 2, Kaufman County Judge-Elect, Kaufman County Judge, Kaufman County Principal, Cheng Investments City Secretary, City of Forney Forney Police Department Kaufman County resident, American Society of Engineers National Region 6 Director Fire Marshal, City of Forney Chief, Forney Fire Department President, SPG International, Inc. Project and funding recommendations Forney Parkway at U.S. 80 E. Taylor Armstrong, Jr. The Armstrong Trust Project and Funding Recommendations Comment submitted electronically Sept. 8, 2010 Curtis Snow On behalf of the City of Kaufman, Mayor Fortner and myself wholeheartedly appreciate the Regional Transportation Commission and NCTCOG efforts to financially support the construction of Highway 34 through Kaufman and Terrell. These are projects both cities have been working to achieve for over forty years. The City of Kaufman also appreciates the NCTCOG staff that worked diligently to get the County and Kaufman municipalities to work together toward a better transportation system in Kaufman County. Thank you.
Comment submitted electronically Sept. 8, 2010 Ray Clark As stated before, I am extremely happy that we can move the projects forward. Timing is critical in regards to taking advantage of current pricing, eg. Terrell 34 has gone from an estimate of 16.5 Mil two years ago to todays estimate of 29 Mil. The dollar amount contributed by each City appears to be equal which is a good indicator of consensus of our needs. Kaufman County looks forward to assisting in any way to bring this 80 Mil of list of projects to completion. Thank you all for participating and we should now move forward with developing a strategy for future projects countywide. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 10, 2010 Bruce Wood Thanks for the update. I believe this is a reasonable use of the funds and support the idea as outlined in your e-mail. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 13, 2010 Wayne Gent Looks Great! Forney Parkway at U.S. 80 Comment submitted electronically Sept. 15, 2010 Paul Cheng We believe the Forney Parkway Bridge is a crucial transportation improvement that is much needed by the City of Forney. As it is right now, Forney is a divided city. It is divided by not only Highway 80, but also by a very active railroad. The railroad parallels Highway 80 and is highly trafficked each day. (6+ trips a day). In each instance, the traffic crossing Forney in a north south direction is completely stopped until the long train goes by. There are only a very limited amount of crossings through Forney in a north south direction and they are traffic jammed as a result. For reasons of medical emergency, human safety, traffic mitigation this Parkway Bridge, which is a flyover the railroad, will be a sorely needed traffic relief. Additionally, the developments to the south of Forney along Highway 20 is growing rapidly. Those communities are situated by and large to the Southeast of this location and they will also be looking for traffic relief and better crossover routes to the north side of Forney, Rockwall, Heath and the rest of northeast Dallas. The building of this bridge will also help the entire traffic circulation of the region as well as it will form a major part of a new loop around the City of Forney allowing it better connections to Heath, Rockwall, Talty, Mesquite and Terrell.
For all of the above reasons, we support the awarding of RTC funding for the building of the Forney Parkway Bridge. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 16, 2010 Dorothy Brooks With regard to the $9 million for the Forney Parkway, I can only say that it would be a sound decision to award those funds to the City of Forney for the Forney Parkway project. The construction of the Forney Parkway is a huge safety factor for the City of Forney. Currently, the City has no through access over the railroad tracks from one side of town to the other when trains are coming through. Should an emergency call go through to the fire department or EMS at the same time, those fire and rescue vehicles have to wait on the train. This is and can be a life/death issue. As Forney grows, the Forney Parkway will also assist in the mobility of its citizens and visitors. The Forney Parkway will be a gateway for economic development for the City of Forney. The economic growth in the area of the Forney Parkway will benefit not only the citizens of the City of Forney, but those in County of Kaufman and surrounding cities, too. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 20, 2010 Rick Barnes I HAVE BEEN A EMPLOYEE OF THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND IF THERE WAS EVER A COMMUNITY THAT NEEDED A WAY TO CROSS OVER THE RAILROAD TRACKS IT IS THIS AREA. THE TRAIN HAS CAUSED COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF TIMES OVER THE YEARS OF BEING BROKEN DOWN AND NO WAY OF GETTING POLICE AND FIRE FROM ONE SIDE OF THE TRACKS TO THE OTHER. THIS WOULD PROVIDE A WAY TO DO AWAY WITH THIS PROBLEM ALLOWING EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH SIDE OF THIS AREA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN THIS DECISION. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 21, 2010 David M. Schnurbusch, P.E. RE: Kaufman County Regional Toll Revenue Transportation Funding Initiative Forney Parkway at US 80 Grade Separation As a long time resident of Kaufman County, an active Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas and the American Society of Engineers (ASCE) National Region 6 Society Director which includes Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma I wish to provide my personal comments on the above referenced Project. I have followed the work of the Regional Transportation Council (RTC), the Kaufman County Regional Task Force (RTF) and the NCTCOG throughout the process of developing the list of priority projects. I believe that their strict and comprehensive oversight in considering the
criteria and regional need on all projects received and their final prioritization of subject projects is beyond reproach. I am in favor of the allocation as presented and specifically the above referenced project after considering the following in my review: The work of the agencies and task committees stated above The critical need of this project from a Health, Safety and Welfare standpoint as it will provide for the only above grade crossing of US 80 crossing the Railroad Track for this area. Currently the train is active in this area the majority of the day with 26 trips per day, backing traffic up significantly at the current grade crossings. In talking to a Fire Department representative, if an emergency of any significant size occurred in the area north of US 80 currently, the response time for emergency vehicles to reach it is of grave concern to them. Congestion Mitigation is a high priority for the government, for many reasons, and currently, as well as for many years, congestion at these at grade crossings during most of the day is and has been totally unacceptable. This project will directly improve Regional Mobility in the overall County by providing a connection from I20 to US 80 to FM 548 to FM 740 and beyond.this location also provides for a direct access, centrally located transit oriented facility station that fits nicely with the future Mobility Plan. According to Traffic Impact Analysis review the future traffic counts from the City of Kaufman and surrounding community s support this Project as highest priority. The Stimulus for the overall County included with this project is significant and directly tangible. A large number of new jobs for residents of the County will be created with the future development of commercial property due to this Project. Sales tax revenue will increase for the overall County, allowing for future investment in County and State Infrastructure rehabilitation which is in desperate need. According to the National and Texas ASCE Report Cards on Infrastructure, which have been quoted by President Obama, an overall grade of D was given. We need projects that meet the overall definition of Stimulus, which includes priority, socio- economic benefits, job creation, health safety and welfare concerns, improved mobility and investment contribution from multiple entities which are all goals of the RTC and this Project meets all of these for Kaufman County. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 22, 2010 John Holcomb As Fire Marshal of the Forney Fire Department, I have only been involved in this process since January of 2010 when I was hired at the City of Forney. The Forney Parkway Bridge will be beneficiary to the City and surrounding area by giving us another north south route over Hwy 80 and mainly over the rail road tracks. As you know when we respond to a call every second counts and when their is a train coming threw our City or one stops on the tracks it will delay our response putting our citizens more at risk in their time of need. With the building of the Nursing
Home that is schedule to open this year and the schedule start date of a retirement center that is going to be built on the north side of Hwy 80 this will give us a route that we can take that will guarantee us and our citizens that their will be no delays or extended response time to the call. I have heard that surrounding areas have asked that this not be funded because it is being built for economic development and not for safety or adding more roads to the system. Any road that is built is going to add economic development no matter where it is built ( Kaufman, Mabank, Crandall, Terrell, etc...). If a roadway is built their will be development that comes from it. This bridge will add development to Forney but the main reason is SAFETY and giving us a Guaranteed route from the North to the South over Hwy 80 and the Rail road tracks. Thank you for considering my comments and feel free to call me if you have any questions. Comment submitted electronically Sept. 22, 2010 Rick Townsend Thank you for taking my comments concerning the Forney Parkway. As Chief of the Forney Fire Dept. I have watched the development of our Forney Parkway Bridge and related roads with great interest over the past months. At this time our department faces several challenges as far as emergency response goes. We respond to an 80 square mile area that includes the City of Forney, The Town of Talty, and Kaufman County Emergency Services District # 6. This encompasses the northeast section of Kaufman County. We also have mutual aid agreements with Heath in Rockwall County, all of the cities in Kaufman County, and an automatic aid agreement with Mesquite. We responded to 3,000 calls for service last year and our total is expected to be higher this year. So, as you can see, we have a great potential for staying busy. Our response area is bi-sected by Hwy. 80 and the Union Pacific railroad. This poses a potential problem when the trains stop on the tracks for various reasons and block the crossings thus preventing our emergency vehicles from traveling north and south. Another example of a frequent challenge we face is if we are dispatched on a call to the Talty area (south of Hwy. 80) and then receive another call on the north side of Hwy. 80. Our travel time is greatly increased due to the fact that we must drive to F.M. 548, F.M. 740, or to Spur 557 to gain access to the north side of Hwy. 80. The Forney Parkway Bridge will span both Hwy. 80 and the railroad thus eliminating the danger of crossings being blocked and giving us a direct route from north to south. In my opinion, this new access road will allow us to drop our response times by several minutes which will enhance the safety of the 30,000 plus citizens and 13 school campuses in our fire protection area. I think it is the nature of "old fire chiefs" to look for every advantage we can when it comes to life safety and the Parkway Bridge certainly makes since to me. When we talk about helping someone in a CPR situation, car crash extrication, or during a fire rescue we are talking about minutes or seconds making the difference. I am not even considering any commercial development that might originate from this road project, I am looking at how much it will help our firefighters and EMT's in responding to the various emergencies we are called on to assist with. Thanks again for considering my comments and feel free to call on me if further information is needed.