Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC) Minutes

Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC) Minutes Regular Meeting at URS Corporation 7 th Floor Board Room 7650 West Courtney Campbell Causeway Tampa, FL February 6, 2009 10:00 a.m. Attending: Jessica Lunsford, Senior Planner, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Bill Jonson, Chair, Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway CAC Christine Commerce, Executive Director, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful Lori Snively, Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator, Florida Department of Transportation Ken Hoyt, Citizen, Hillsborough County John Doran, Council Member, City of Clearwater Bill Adams, Senior Project Manager, Tampa Airport Interchanges Chris Weber, Westshore Alliance Lauren Brooks, Transportation Planner, URS Corporation Ron Gregory, Vice President, URS Corporation Susan J. Miller, Bicycle/Pedestrian Planner, Pinellas County MPO Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena, Tampa City Council Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting Christine Commerce indicated that on the last page of the minutes there is mention of the ANature Conservancy@ and it should be the AOcean Conservancy.@ There being no further corrections, the minutes of the July 11, 2008 meeting were approved. Old Business: 1. Update report on the FDOT Cross Causeway Trail Feasibility Study Mr. Jonson reported the final report was issued, and the Executive Summary was distributed by Jessica electronically. He looked at the summary of the final report and compared it to the comments that the CAC received in response to its letter of May 31, 2008. Mr. Jonson also mentioned that an additional letter was received from Bob Clifford in which he discusses the need for a PD&E study, but stated that FDOT currently does not have a funding program available for it. Mr. Clifford did suggest possible options for constructing portions of the trail, exclusive of the new bridge, and stated that FDOT is willing to explore other funding options for phased construction. Mr. Clifford has since accepted the position of Executive Director for TBARTA and Mr. Jonson asked Lori Snively if she had any update on where the group should go from this point. Ms. Snively replied that FDOT is in somewhat of a holding pattern until a new department head is selected. She has been working with Lee Royal to find some other funding options. Mr. Gregory mentioned that FDOT has design scheduled in Fiscal Year 2010 and construction in 2012 for the milling and resurfacing of State Road 60 from the Hillsborough County line to west of Rocky Point Drive. It also involves replacement and upgrade of the bridge railing and replacement of the box beam guardrail. Consistent with Mr. Clifford=s letter of November 25, 2008, the department has already programmed a design project in the fiscal year 2010 which begins on July 1, 2009. He 1

felt that with cooperation and forethought, it would be possible to incorporate the ideas in Mr. Clifford=s letter with the design work for the milling and resurfacing project. Councilwoman Saul-Sena asked if there was anything the CAC could do to encourage FDOT to do this. Ms. Snively stated she needed to determine what the department is planning. She will find out when the scoping meeting will be held and then e-mail Ms. Lunsford so she can send it to the committee members. In order to have something official in the minutes, Mr. Jonson suggested a motion be made stating that the CAC approach the Livable Roadways Subcommittee of the Hillsborough County MPO to present the recommendation that as part of that project they look at the trail opportunities and incorporate those. Mr. Hoyt made this a motion. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Discussion took place regarding the aesthetics of the new replacement guardrail and Councilwoman Saul-Sena stated that if there is a choice she would want whatever will be the most attractive to bicyclists and pedestrians. Ms. Miller asked whether the consultant had said the historic type was as safe as the more modern design. She recalled that they had. Ms. Lunsford stated that she would look it up in the minutes of previous meetings. The group agreed that if the historic type guardrail met current safety standards they would prefer to have the historic type in keeping with the history of the corridor. Councilwoman Saul-Sena made a motion that the guardrails be replaced with the historic type. The group determined that this information should be forwarded to the current project designer. Mr. Jonson thought it would also be appropriate to send it to the State Scenic Highway folks. Mr. Gregory seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. It was announced that the next Livable Roadways Subcommittee meeting will be held on February 25. Councilwoman Saul-Sena brought up the issue of the Friendship Trail being closed after being declared unsafe by FDOT. She expressed the hope that, with the ever increasing demand for trails by bicyclists, joggers, etc., if there is plan for the Courtney Campbell and it is pursued, perhaps at some point in the future there will again be funds to create some type of linkage. Also, in considering federal transportation spending, she is hopeful that rather than having 80 percent going to highways and 20 percent for everything else, that it will become closer to 50/50. There are a number of cities lobbying to have this 50/50 split, and if that were to happen, there would be more funds available for projects like the corridor connection. Mr. Jonson asked about the balance of the $400,000 grant, and Ms. Snively reported there is $95,000 remaining, however, they have not received the final bill from The LPA Group. Councilwoman Saul- Sena stated while she understands that FDOT is operating under federal guidelines, she feels engaging The LPA Group was not a smart expenditure of all that money. In the future, she felt it would be wise to hire a firm from this area rather than one based in Tallahassee. Also, if community meetings are held regarding the project, someone from the local area would make those meetings more user friendly for local residents. She stated had it been up to her she would not have spent so much money on the study, but would have applied those funds to many of the practical things they are now discussing. Mr. Hoyt agreed and added that, in his opinion, there was nothing in that entire project that was done properly or well or to the CAC=s expectations. Every time the group asked a question, they often got no response at all, and he believes FDOT did not get value for the money nor did the consultant meet any of the objectives for this project. Councilwoman Saul-Sena remarked that the CAC was supposed to be the client and she asked where down the road does the group inform FDOT that this was a very unsatisfying experience. Ms. Snively replied that she did not know because she was not part of the project at the beginning, but that she would find out and let the group know. Councilwoman Saul-Sena made a motion that the CCSH CAC chairman, Mr. Jonson, write a letter to FDOT expressing the group=s displeasure with the consultant and expressing what a waste of resources this study was. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Councilwoman Saul-Sena felt the letter should be sent before the final bill from the consultant is paid. Ms. Snively stated Peter Maass is the new project manager for the feasibility study and he would be the one to contact regarding the final bill. Councilwoman Saul-Sena stated The LPA Group was completely unsatisfactory as consultants. Mr. Hoyt stated the CAC should get the word to Peter 2

Maass that they feel none of the remaining $95,000 should be paid to the consultant. Councilwoman Saul-Sena made a motion to have the CCSH CAC chairman, Mr. Jonson, directly contact Mr. Maass and suggest that the remaining money not be paid to the consultant based on the complete and profound dissatisfaction with the work that was done. Mr. Hoyt seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 2. Annual Report Review The CCSH CAC is required to file an Annual Report, and Mr. Jonson commended Ms. Snively for taking the initiative to meet with Mike Palozzi to draft the report for this year. Copies are available for any who wish to have one. Ms. Snively noted that on Number 18 for the Traffic Counts along the Corridor, last year=s report contained data from Pinellas, so this year they used Hillsborough. 3. Westshore Pedestrian Plan Addendum Ms. Lauren Brooks reported they covered the original study area, the business district of Westshore, and then they also looked at areas not previously covered within the special services district. She indicated on the map the blue area, which is the core, and the orange area is the addendum. They didn=t cover the airport or Drew Park because Drew Park is doing its own pedestrian plan and the airport is its own entity. Ms. Brooks indicated these are all the components that went into the organization of the Plan. They did an existing conditions analysis which included past planning initiatives, various data sets from all different entities and conducted a field review where deficiencies in the area were documented pertaining to the pedestrian, bicycle and transit network. They also looked at drainage and right-of-way issues which are critical in terms of implementing the projects they are recommending. They did everything from corridor enhancements, which addressed sidewalk gaps, to intersection enhancements. Ms. Brooks indicated she will post this presentation onto the study website. They looked at all the various aspects of the transportation environment and proposed a list of priorities and then came up with preliminary costs and identified potential funding sources leveraging options. They revisited the framework or the city ordinance; the Westshore overlay development district standards and suggested revisions to those. The Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway is in their Plan, but they have not prioritized the off-road trails as yet because they would like to have input from the CAC. Ms. Brooks went to the Tampa City Council yesterday to request they look over the Plan in terms of the city=s framework and the legal aspects so they can incorporate their recommendations into the city ordinances, after which they will go to the MPO in March to have the Plan adopted so their projects can be incorporated into the long range transportation plan currently being updated. Ms. Brooks reported the Plan will be presented on March 11 to the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee for their approval. Mr. Hoyt asked if there is an estimate as to the total cost of these proposals. Ms. Brooks replied that they have not done total cost as yet. Mr. Gregory stated that they have the individual budget costs; they just have not been totaled yet. Councilwoman Saul-Sena reported the City of Tampa is trying to expand their definition of what can be spent of the money the city receives from developers for traffic impacts. Currently, the money is restricted to being spent on road expansion, but the since the roads cannot be expanded, she would like to spend up to 50 percent of it on transit, pedestrian improvements, etc. She would like URS to help the city do the rationale for this so the city can make the improvements recognized in the report. Councilwoman Saul-Sena stated another thing identified in the URS report that the city needs to do is change the ordinances which reflect internal capture and internal circulation. Councilwoman Saul-Sena made a motion to endorse the proposed pedestrian system plan and hold it up as a model for what is needed to be accomplished all over town. Mr. Hoyt said it should be added that the CAC appreciates the collaboration, not only with the Westshore Alliance, but also with the MPO Livable Roadways, and the cities of Tampa and Clearwater to tie all this together. Mr. Jonson restated the motion on the floor as: Move to endorse the Pedestrian Plan and appreciate the collaboration opportunities of working together with the Westshore Alliance, who not only funded 3

the Plan but demonstrated great leadership. Also, with these organizations working together the performance of each has been improved, and that this iteration of the Plan addresses the concerns of the Courtney Campbell. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Mr. Gregory noted that on the Annual Report summary, Number 19, Corridor Resources, the reference to Ben T. Davis Beach states AThe replacement facility is scheduled for construction in 2008.@ He thought this had not occurred, and he asked if there was a new construction schedule for this project. Councilwoman Saul-Sena stated she would be happy to call the Parks and Recreation office to obtain that information. Mr. Gregory asked if the boat ramp should be included as a corridor resource since it ties the users to the waterways. Councilwoman Saul-Sena also added that the Westin Hotel has just opened and there is another hotel on Westshore of which she did not know the name. New Business: 4. Airport/60 Links Extension to rocky Point - potential sidewalk/trail improvements Mr. Jonson introduced Mr. Bill Adams, Senior Project Manager, Tampa Airport Interchanges, explaining that Mr. Adams gave a presentation to the Pinellas County MPO and one of the items mentioned was that the milling and resurfacing has extended to Rocky Point. Mr. Jonson asked that Mr. Adams give an overview as to what the original project was and what the extension was and how that might affect the Courtney Campbell. Mr. Adams reported that they are doing milling and resurfacing of the Causeway to the Rocky Point intersection and will be replacing the box beam guardrail. However, the milling and resurfacing does not have anything to do with the sidewalks. The sidewalks in the original project extend to the tide gate where the sidewalks are twelve feet wide. On the other side of the tide gate down to the intersection there are no improvements. Mr. Adams stated there may be a project coming along in the future to replace the tidal gate or modify it, and that might present an opportunity to build a bridge and extend sidewalks. Councilwoman Saul-Sena asked if, strategically, this would be a better question to be raised with Jim or Don Skelton or both. Mr. Adams thought both. Mr. Gregory stated the tidal gate could be spanned with a pre-fabricated structure. Mr. Hoyt brought up the problem with the bus stop has been ongoing for at least three years. He stated HARTline has never participated in the projects. When a milling and resurfacing project is in process, relay a path that allows for a bus stop that does not cause the passenger to fall down into the ditch. He has tried it himself and it is difficult to use that bus stop without falling into the ditch. There a lot of people who come to Rocky Point to work who do not drive cars, but ride the bus. Councilwoman Saul-Sena asked Chris Weber how the City of Tampa spent the transportation impact dollars from the Westin, because the money should have been spent improving that bus stop. Mr. Weber replied he did not know, but would find out. Councilwoman Saul-Sena felt the group should invite a representative from HARTline to the next meeting, and also from the City of Tampa Transportation Department. She also asked if there are plans to install additional landscaping. Mr. Adams replied that they have a significant landscape package included in their contract, predicated on the landscaping being maintained by the city. The city has chosen to back out of that agreement based on funding issues. She asked how the CAC could be helpful, and added that she thought having the landscaping installed and having the city maintain it was fair. Mr. Adams stated that they will plan to install more Florida friendly landscaping that will take much less maintenance, also they are planning to sink wells for watering as opposed to using potable water. Mr. Jonson stated that as part of the Links project there was a stone memorial and he wondered where that was. Mr. Adams replied that it is in storage and will be reinstalled, however, he did not know exactly where. The memorial is quite large and heavy and will probably not be placed where motorists will be able to easily access it, but it will be very accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists. Councilwoman Saul-Sena suggested having some type of event, perhaps in the spring of 2010, to introduce the public to all the connecting trails since she felt the general public may not be aware of all the improvements. Mr. Hoyt mentioned that a while back one of the newspapers ran an article in which they had a map of the area showing the different trails. It would probably be possible to retrieve that article, which he thought was quite good. 4

5. 75 th Anniversary of the opening of the Causeway on 6/28/09 Mr. Jonson suggested the group plan an event to celebrate this milestone. Since June can be quite warm Councilwoman Saul-Sena suggested holding it at sunset and asking one of Scenic Highway partners, for instance the Hyatt, to help host it. The press should be invited so the accomplishments can be noted. Mr. Adams suggested tying that celebration in with the reinstallation and unveiling of the monument. He could work with his contractor to try to have that entire area completed, although it will cutting it close with regard to having all the landscaping completed. 6. Report on Grant Application filed to fund the Five-Year Corridor Management Plan Update Ms. Lunsford reported that approximately a week and a half ago, it was discovered that there is money available from the Scenic By-Ways Program, so a grant application was quickly drawn up. What is being requested is funding to conduct the five-year update to the Corridor Management Plan. Today is the day they will find out from the By-Ways Program if they will even consider the submittal and also give comments as to what they want. Once she finds out the decision, there will be approximately a week or two to do the revisions and resubmit the application. The decision will be made in June. 7. Create meeting schedule for 2009 Councilwoman Saul-Sena suggested the CAC meet every other month and she asked the group whether this was still a good time and whether URS will still offer their conference. Ms. Lunsford asked how they wanted to begin to schedule starting with the next meeting. It was suggested that if the group intends to plan the 75 th Anniversary celebration, they should definitely meet more often until that event is behind them. Ms. Lunsford added that if they do end up getting the funding for the fiveyear update, they will need to meet more often for that as well. Mr. Gregory pointed out that the CAC is going to have to be engaged with FDOT on the topic of extending the limits of the upcoming design project and then incorporate into it the concept of providing the pathway on the north and south across the tide gate. The first contract that will be let is the design contract and they would have to include the scope language in that and redefine the FDN number descriptions. Councilwoman suggested meeting in March, April and May and then see if every other month will work after that. She asked Mr. Gregory to be involved in writing that. Mr. Jonson confirmed the CAC will be meeting on Friday, March 6, and continue meeting the first Friday of April and May. 8. Other items from the group Ms. Commerce reported that the Coastal Clean Up pulled 3,200 volunteers who collected close to 52,000 pounds of trash. Along the Causeway there were 587 volunteers who picked up 8,685 pounds of trash. In December they traveled to Washington, D.C. to accept the national award from Keep America Beautiful. On March 26 they have set a date to kick off their newest member to fight litter--pete the Pelican Pirate--at a news conference. The event will be held along the Causeway at the boat ramp, and will also kick off the Great American Clean Up to be held on April 18. Ms. Commerce asked about the completion of the rest rooms at Ben T. Davis Beach. She is also a member of the Stormwater Task Force Committee and they have been talking about water pollution and impaired waters and lack of facilities at the beach is an item of concern. There being no further business, Mr. Jonson adjourned the meeting. Next Meeting: Friday, March 6, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in the URS Conference Room. 5