MPO TPC/TAC Board Minutes - 06/04/2012TRANSPORTATION POLICY COMMITTEE (TPC) MEETING
WICHITA FALLS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
June 4, 2012
Present:
Glenn Barham, Mayor, City of Wichita Falls ♦ Members
Danny Brown, Proxy for Larry Tegtmeyer, TxDOT District Engineer
Jeff Watts, City of Pleasant Valley, Representative •
Michael Smith, City Council Representative •
Russell Schreiber, Director of Public Works •
Sam Bownds, Proxy for Jim Henson, Lakeside City Mayor •
Tim Ingle, City of Wichita Falls, City Council Representative •
Woodrow (Woody) Gossom, Wichita County Judge •
♦ Ex- Officio
Donnie Arbeau, WFMPO, Transportation Planner Il ♦ Staff
Jaimie Grigsby, WFMPO, Transportation Planner I •
Lin Barnett, WFMPO, Transportation Planning Director •
Tammy Marlow, TxDOT, Funding Specialist, NRSC •
Dennis Wilde, NORTEX Regional Planning Commission, Executive Director ♦ Absent
I. Welcome & Introduction
Judge Gossom, TPC vice chairperson, called the meeting to order at 8:33 a.m. and welcomed
everyone in attendance.
II. Public Comment on Agenda and Non - Agenda Items
Judge Gossom asked for any comments from the public on any of the agenda and non - agenda
items. There were none.
III. Review and Approve Amendment to the April 25, 2012 WFMPO Policy Board Project
Selection Decision Concerning TxDOT's $2 Billion Dollars for Additional Projects:
WFMPO's Funding Allocation of $2.808 Million
Mr. Barnett informed the committee that in March of 2012 the Texas Department of
Transportation (TxDOT) notified all of the TxDOT districts and MPO's statewide that the
department anticipated being able to allocate approximately $2 billion in State and Federal
funding to facilitate construction on some of the state's high priority projects that would help
address needs in the areas of congestion, safety, maintenance, and connectivity. The Wichita
Falls MPO anticipates receiving $2.808 million in Non - Transportation Management Area
WICHITA FALLS MPO TPC MEETING June 4, 2012 PAGE 1
funding. The Technical Advisory Committee discussed the possibility of loaning the funds to the
Wichita Falls TxDOT District for on- system projects inside the district. In return, the District
would repay the funds later.
Mr. Brown explained to the committee that TxDOT's project US 277/82 highway from Wichita
Falls to Abilene could expand from two lanes to four lanes if the Wichita Falls District could
secure funding. He stated the goal was to complete the section from Seymour to the Knox
County line. At the April 25, 2012 Transportation Policy Committee meeting, the WFMPO Policy
Board voted to "loan" the MPO's $2.808 million allocation to the Wichita Falls TOOT District if
the MPO was unsuccessful in attaining approval from TxDOT's Planning and Programming
Division in Austin to use all or part of the funding for constructing the downtown travel center.
Because of the efforts made by the MPO Chairperson, Mayor Glenn Barham, the City of Wichita
Falls will receive $650,000 of the TOOT allocation to use for construction of the Downtown
Travel Center. The Wichita Falls TOOT District asked the Policy Board to award the remaining
$2.158 million to the US 277/82 project. The Policy Board determined this was a good use of
the remaining funds even though the project was located outside the MPO's boundary. The
committee pointed out the fact that the project could help stimulate economic development
within the MPO's boundary.
Mayor Barham arrived twenty -five minutes after the start of the meeting and assumed the
Transportation Policy Committee Chair responsibilities.
Mayor Barham asked for any more comments. Receiving none, Mayor Barham asked for a
motion to approve assigning the funds to the Wichita Falls TOOT District for use in constructing
the US 277/82 highway project. Judge Gossom motioned to re- designate the WFMPO's $2.158
million remaining allocation as an award to the Wichita Falls TOOT District to reconstruct the
section of highway between Seymour and the Knox County line as four -lane highway. Mr. Watts
seconded the motion, which the Policy Board approved unanimously.
IV. Review and Approve the 2013 -2016 Transportation Improvement Program
Mr. Barnett presented the draft 2013 -2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to the
committee. He stated that every four years all 25 MPO's in the state of Texas must update their
TIP's. He informed the committee that TxDOT's Transportation Planning and Programming
Division in Austin required submittal of all 25 TIP's by July 13, 2012. Mr. Barnett discussed the
public meetings held for the draft TIP on May 8 and 10 of 2012. He informed the committee that
as of today's TPC meeting the MPO had not received any comments about any of the projects
in the document.
Mr. Brown inquired about the Downtown Travel Center (transit hub) project. Mr. Barnett stated
that it was in Section VI — Federally Funded Transit Projects of the document. He informed the
committee that construction should begin after Labor Day. Mayor Barham asked if there were
any further discussion on the 2013 -2016 Transportation Improvement Program. Receiving none,
Mayor Barham asked for a motion to approve the TIP as presented. Mr. Brown approved the
motion. Mr. Smith seconded the motion, which the TPC committee unanimously approved.
V. Adjourn
The meeting adjourned at 9:03 a.m.
WICHITA FALLS MPO TPC MEETING June 4, 2012 PAGE 2
Honorable Glenn Barham
Mayor Wichita Falls
RECEIVED IN
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
DATE: ---- - 3 :.7-
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