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MPO TPC/TAC Board Minutes - 04/03/2013WICHITA FALLS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Technical Advisory Committee Minutes Wednesday, April 3, 2013 Voting Members Present: Lin Barnett, Wichita Falls MPO, MPO Director, TAC Chairperson Allan Moore, TxDOT Director of Construction David Rohmer, TxDOT, Area Engineer Davis Powell, City of Wichita Falls, City Engineer Karen Montgomery- Gagne, City of Wichita Falls, Planning Administrator Kevin Hugman -City of Wichita Falls, ACM /Director of Community Development Mark Beauchamp, City of Wichita Falls, Traffic Superintendent Mike Beaver, TxDOT, Engineer (Proxy for Danny Brown) Tim Hertel- TxDOT, Director of Operations MPO Staff. Donald Arbeau, Wichita Falls MPO, Transportation Planner II Jaimie Lee, Wichita Falls MPO, Transportation Planner I Visitors: Lori Davidson, AMD Engineering Mark McBurnett -Base Civil Engineer, SAFB Richard Jenkins, AMD Engineering Tammy Marlow, NRSC, TxDOT Absent I. Welcome & Introduction RECEIVED W CITY CLERK'S OFFICE. DATE: /- /3 BY: _Al— '6:65-4ef e -4 Mr. Barnett, the TAC chairperson, called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and welcomed everyone in attendance. II. Public Comment on Agenda and Non - Agenda Items Mr. Barnett asked for any public comments on agenda and non - agenda items. There were none. III. Review and Approval of the January 16, 2013 Technical Advisory Committee's (TAC) Meeting Minutes Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or corrections to the January 16, 2013 minutes. There were none. He then asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Hertel made the motion to approve. Ms. Montgomery-Gagne seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Wichita Falls MPO TAC Meeting April 3, 2013 Page 1 of 5 IV. Review and Comment Regarding the January 30, 2013 Transportation Policy Committee's (TPC's) Meeting Minutes — No Action Required Mr. Barnett asked for comments on the January 30, 2013 TPC meeting minutes. None were received. The committee moved on to the next agenda item. V. Review and Comment Regarding the February 28, 2013 Transportation Policy Committee's (TPC's) Special Called Meeting Minutes — No Action Required Mr. Barnett asked for comments on the February 28, 2013 TPC Special Called meeting minutes. None were received. The committee moved on to the next agenda item. VI. Review and Recommendation to Approve Amendments to the 2010 -2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan Project List for April 2013 Mr. Barnett directed the committee's attention to the 2010 -2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) Project List handouts. Ms. Lee explained to the committee that she receives a list of TxDOT projects within the MPO boundary from Mr. Beaver once a month. She then compares this list to the current MTP and adds any new projects to the list or removes any projects that have been "let ", completed, or begun construction. Ms. Lee also stated that she contacts the City Engineer for Wichita Falls, Wichita County, and Archer County for any project revision or additions to the MTP Project List. Ms. Lee explained that the only changes to the MTP, this quarter, were new CSJ numbers to three TxDOT projects. She also explained those changes were highlighted in purple to distinguish them from the remaining projects. Mr. Barnett asked for a motion to forward the amendments to the Transportation Policy Committee on April 17 for review and approval. Mr. Beauchamp made the motion to forward the amendments to the Policy Board. Mr. Hertel seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. VII. AMD Engineering Presentation of the Long -Range Project Readiness Plan Scoring Results and Overall Project Progress Ms. Davidson and Mr. Jenkins, with AMD Engineering, informed the committee of the Long -Range Project Readiness Plan scoring results and overall project progress. Ms. Davidson presented the TAC with a handout of the long and mid -range project list. Several issues concerning development of the Long -Range Project Readiness Plan revealed themselves at the meeting. Issues such as project rankings not falling in line with individual TAC member expectations; projects ranking high when they should have ranked low, and vice - versa; difficulty applying the scoring criterions to certain projects; inability for one project type to compete or even rise to the same level as another project type; inconsistencies between the old, subjective, opinioned -based system, and the new weighted- criteria, objective based, system; and problems opening and using the Excel scoring sheets. The TAC committee discussed possible solutions to correct the issues such as creating an additional ranking criterion that allows the user to indicate his or her desire to see the project ranked high; creating a definition sheet explaining the purpose of each criterion including where and how the criterion would apply; developing a project information binder containing detailed information about each project undergoing scoring; generating Wichita Falls MPO TAC Meeting April 3, 2013 Page 2 of 5 an "Advocacy Chart" for members wanting to defend specific projects during the vetting process; and, eventually, moving the entire scoring process to a web based portal in order to eliminate access problems for voting members. After the project- ranking phase, the TAC committee discussed holding a TAC workshop specifically aimed at vetting the proposed projects. Staff and the TAC board members would spend the necessary amount of time to inform each other about the reasons for letting or constructing the project. It would also provide an opportunity to question why a project received a poor or overly high rating. This would streamline the process so that the majority of the projects (70% to 80 %) score without disagreement or contention among the TAC board members. The remaining 20% to 30% would vet by exception due to controversy or wide disagreement about the initial ranking of the project. Mr. Barnett stated that he would review the issues raised, discuss them with AMD, and make recommendations to the TAC on how best to resolve them. He asked for any other questions or concerns. Receiving none, he moved on to the next agenda item. VIII. Other Business: a. Discussion & Overview of Progress on Local Transportation Projects -City and TxDOT staff (Quarterly Review) TxDOT Report: Mr. Rohmer reported that phase one construction on US 82/287 under the Windthorst Road Bridge was complete and traffic was running on the new structure. He stated the remainder of the old structure had been demolished and phase two would begin in a few weeks. He reported that a mill and overlay project on SH 240 near Missile Road to the Wichita River should begin in late spring or early summer. Projects on IH 44, and US 82 near Maurine Street, Windthorst Road and McNeil Avenue will receive a Dynamic Message System Sign, which means the signs will upgrade to LED lighting for more visibility. Construction on these projects should begin after spring. Lastly, he reported on three Safe Routes to School projects that were recently released for construction. He stated that TxDOT would meet with the contractor for the pre - construction meeting within the next few months. City Report: Mr. Powell reported the Seymour Highway and Barnett Trail was complete. The 2013 Street Rehab Project from Rhea Road, Kemp Street, and McNeil will be a mill and overlay resurfacing. He reported on the 2013 SH 79 /Professional Drive utility relocation project stating it had been sent for contract and should be under construction within the upcoming weeks. Future projects include Moffett sewer rehab beginning April 2013; the 2013 Water and Valve construction should begin May 2013; the Cherokee Drainage Improvements Project should start in June 2013, and McNiel Drainage should begin July 2014. b. MPO Quarterly Financial Report (1st Quarter FY 2013 - October, November, December) Mr. Barnett reported on the first quarter expenses for the MPO. He stated the MPO had spent 23.71 % of its allocation for FY 2013. Mr. Barnett asked for any other questions or comments about the first quarter report. Receiving none, he moved on to the next agenda item. Wichita Falls MPO TAC Meeting April 3, 2013 Page 3 of 5 c. Grouped TxDOT CSJ Projects Report Mr. Barnett directed the committee's attention to page 23 of the TAC meeting packet. He explained that the TxDOT North Region Support Center recommended including a Grouped CSJ Project List in subsequent meeting packets. The purpose for doing this was to provide information to MPO board members, stakeholders, and the public on state and federally funded projects not listed in Section III — Federally Funded Highway Projects of WFMPO's Transportation Improvement Program. Mr. Barnett explained that MPO staff would update the Grouped CSJ Project List every quarter with new and revised TxDOT projects that are located inside the MPO boundary. Mr. Barnett asked for any comments to the Grouped TxDOT CSJ project report. Receiving none, he moved on to the next agenda item. d. MPO Director's Report: MAP -21 Future Funding Allocations for WFMPO Mr. Barnett informed the committee about the FY 2013 funding distribution spreadsheet he received at the TEMPO meeting in Austin in February. He commented that the good news was that WFMPO would receive a minimum guaranteed funding allocation of $180,000. However, this allocation was $41,000 less than previous historical allocations of $221,000. Mr. Barnett explained this would mean less money for future consultant studies. He also stated the new distribution did not include any carry over funds from 2013, which he estimated at $190,467. He stated all of this was the result of the passage of MAP -21 legislation. e. MPO Director's Report: Transit Oriented Development Study Mr. Barnett informed the TAC committee of the initial meeting with Freese and Nichols in regards to the Transit Oriented Development Study. Freese and Nichols was selected out of five firms that submitted responses to the RFQ issued November 9, 2012. Mr. Barnett explained the MPO and City Transit staff met with the Freese and Nichols' Project Manager, Wendy Shabay, to discuss the scope of work, pricing, and work schedule. Mr. Barnett stated that because WFMPO cannot fund any type of design build or plan implementation, City of Wichita Falls' staff proposed letting the City fund the second phase of the project, which would include a detailed TOD plan implementation process. He stated Ms. Shabay took all of the comments and suggestions back to her office to begin production of the final scope of work, with estimated cost, and work schedule, and would be in contact with Mr. Barnett in the next couple of weeks. Mid to late April is the expected kick -off for this project. Completion should take place by December 2013. f. Other Items — Sneak Peek of New WFMPO Website Mr. Arbeau presented the TAC committee with a sneak peek of the new WFMPO website. He stated the WFMPO worked in conjunction with Crane West to develop the website. New features of the website include links to WFMPO social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as a user - friendly navigation platform. A new feature of the website is a mobile content management system. This means the Wichita Falls MPO TAC Meeting April 3, 2013 Page 4 of 5 website will automatically detect the type of mobile device you are using such as an iPhone or Android enabled cell phone. There is also no need to download additional applications; you can open the website in the browser of your device. IX. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 12:04 p.m. Irvan F. "Lin" Barnett Jr. MPO Transportation Planning Director Wichita Falls MPO Wichita Falls MPO TAC Meeting April 3, 2013 Page 5 of 5