IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MINUTES FOR DECEMBER 14, 2016

6:00 p.m.

______________________________________________________________________

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                                                        City of Brawley                        George Nava

                                                                        City of El Centro                      Cheryl Viegas-Walker

                                                                        City of Westmorland                Lawrence Ritchie

                                                                        City of Holtville                       James Predmore

                                                                        City of Imperial                        Doug Cox

                                                                        City of Calexico                       Maritza Hurtado

                                                                        County of Imperial                   Jack Terrazas

                                                                        County of Imperial                   Ryan Kelley

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:        Caltrans District 11                   Marcelo Peinado

STAFF PRESENT:     Mark Baza, Kathi Williams, David Aguirre, Michelle Bastidas, Virginia Mendoza, Vicky Hernandez

OTHERS PRESENT:  Marcela Piedra: City of El Centro; Sam Amen: Caltrans; Robert Amparano: City of Imperial, Michele Martinez: SCAG; Hasan Ihkrata: SCAG

The following action minutes are listed as they were acted upon by the Imperial County Transportation Commission and as listed on the agenda for the meeting held Wednesday December 14, 2016 together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

Chair Predmore called the Commission meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.  Roll call was taken and a quorum was present.

II.                 EMERGENCY ITEMS

There were none.

III.              PUBLIC COMMENTS

Mr. Baza recognized Supervisor Jack Terrazas (County of Imperial) and Mayor Doug Cox (City of Imperial) for their leadership and commitment on the Imperial County Transportation Commission and wished them the best of luck on their retirement. 

Mr. Baza introduced SCAG President Ms. Michele Martinez and SCAG Executive Director Hasan Inkrata.  He welcomed them to Imperial County and they both expressed pleasure being in Imperial County and were grateful to be present at the ICTC Commission meeting.

IV.              CONSENT CALENDAR

A.                 Approved ICTC Board Draft Minutes:                                        October 26, 2016

B.                  Received and Filed:     

1.                   ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                                 October 5, 2016

2.                   ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                                 November 2, 2016

3.                   ICTC TAC Minutes                                                      October 29,2016

C.                  2017 Active Transportation Program (ATP) Project Nomination list

1.                      Approved the project Nomination List for the Imperial County ‘s 2017 Active Transportation Program (ATP)

2.                      Approved the award of ATP funds to the Imperial County Office of Education’s Project Ride, Walk, Learn project in the amount $224,000.00.

3.                      Approved the award of ATP funds to the County of Imperial’s Aten Road Class I Bicycle Path Improvements projects in the amount of $285,572

4.                      Directed staff to submit formal Nomination List to SCAG and proceed with the State/Federal programming and documentation.

D.                 California Transit Security Grant Program FY 2014-15

1.           Approved the attached resolution authorizing the Executive Director or his designee to take any actions necessary on behalf of the ICTC for the purposes of obtaining FY 2014-15 financial assistance provided by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security under the California Transit Security Grant Program.

A motion was made by Viegas-Walker and seconded by Terrazas to approve consent items A through D, Motion carried unanimously.

V.                 REPORTS

A.                 ICTC Executive Director

                        Mr. Baza and staff had the following announcements:

-          Mr. Baza stated that Mr. Peinado would is representing Caltrans today.

-          Mr. Baza stated that Assemblyman Jim Frazier has introduced a new bill and a funding package for $6 billion to repair and maintain our state and local roads, improve our trade corridors, and support public transit and active transportation. See attached summary and supporting documentation as prepared by the Self Help Counties Coalition (SHCC).  Additionally, an urgent provision permanently extends the existing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) delegation to Caltrans – this is very critical to our federal-aid funded projects as Caltrans currently assist us in streamlining the review and approval of our local projects, such as projects with CMAQ, RSTP, HSIP, federal earmark funds, etc.  If this element is not approved, our local projects may be delayed so significantly that could result in the loss of funds to our region. Attached the agenda was a report about our economy and how it is looking. A meeting has not been set yet but the committee is planning to meet in December or January. Ms. Viegas-Walker asked if all jurisdictions require their Request for Authorization’s (RFA) to get submitted. Mr. Baza stated that each city should have proper information.

-          Mr. Kelley requested that we provide a monthly update to the Commission regarding his request in providing the community of Salton City transportation services to Riverside County.

-          A complete list of ICTC updates can be found on Page 30 of the agenda.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

                        Mr. David Salgado had the following announcements:

-          The 7th Annual Southern California Economic Summit was held on Thursday, December 1, 2016. The summit drew over four hundred stakeholders from throughout the state to discuss the state of the region’s economy and learn of key issues which affect the region. This year’s focus centered on the innovation economy and the key issues that are affecting the region most.

-          The City of El Centro had a very successful “Walk and Bike to School” event. The event was coordinated by School Resource Officer Michael Seaman. Officer Seaman was encouraged to have an event in El Centro after attending a SCAG Bicycle Safety Workshop held in El Centro as a part of the “GO Human” Campaign. Many stakeholders were in attendance. The event began at the Lotus Water retention basin where students, parents, teachers, and stakeholders congregated and were escorted to Sunflower Elementary School by the many stakeholders who were in attendance. Some of the stakeholders who participated included the El Centro Police Department, U.S. Marshalls Service, Imperial County Sheriffs and Probation, Imperial County Public Health, Customs and Border protection, ICE, Imperial County Fire, El Centro Fire, and El Centro Elementary School District. REACH Air Ambulance also landed their chopper at the school.  Ms. Walker-Viegas commended Mr. Salgado on his services. Stated it was a great opportunity to talk to parents on the walk to school.

-          SCAG was able to hold a workshop at the SCAG/ICTC offices regarding Affordable Housing Sustainable Community (AHSC) Capacity Building on Thursday, December 8, 2016 in order to build capacity for future potential AHSC grant opportunities in the Imperial County region. SCAG was able to have a consultant team, as well as a representative from the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) and SCAG staff, provide a comprehensive overview and review of potential project concepts for future AHSC opportunities. The workshop was very well attended and participants were able to provide valuable feedback to the SGC representative and SCAG staff regarding potential projects and unique challenges the region faces. Future prospects include more workshops and possible creation of a working group in order to continue dialogue.

-          A SCAG report can be found on page 34.

C.                  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

-          Mr. Peinado stated that a full report of Caltrans updates can be found on page 36 of the agenda.

-          The I-8 CRCP Project is underway.

o   Segment 1, is near El Centro from 0.6 mile west of Anderholt Road overcrossing to 0.5 mile east of the East Highline Canal Bridge.  It was awarded to Coffman Specialties, Inc. on November 18, 2015. Construction began the first week of February 2016. and completed early 2018.  Both westbound and eastbound I-8 traffic are using the newly constructed eastbound side of the freeway.

o   Segment 2, which is located 26 miles east of El Centro from 0.8 mile west of SR-98/I-8 separation to 0.6 mile east of the All American Canal, was awarded to Coffman Specialties, Inc., on December 15, 2015.  Construction began in early March 2016 and is scheduled to be complete in early 2019.   Westbound traffic was been detoured on to Evans Hewes Highway from west of SR-98 to east of Gordons Well Road.  Eastbound traffic has been diverted to the westbound lanes of I-8.  

o   Segment 3, near Winterhaven from 0.7 mile west of the SR-186/I-8 separation to 0.3 mile east of Fourth Avenue overcrossing, was awarded to Security Paving Company, Inc., on December 22, 2015.  Construction began mid-March 2016 and is scheduled to be completed in early 2018. 

-          The remaining two segments were advertised in November 2016 and are scheduled to being construction in April 2017.  These two segments are: 

o   Segment 4, near El Centro from 0.6 mile west of I-8/SR-111 separation to 0.6 mile west of Anderholt Road overcrossing and from 0.5 mile east of the East Highline Canal Bridge to 0.8 mile west of I-8/SR-98 separation.

o   Segment 5, near Winterhaven from 0.7 mile west of Ogilby Road overcrossing to 0.7 west

-          The SR-98 / Cesar Chavez Widening Project was awarded in December and is scheduled to begin construction in Spring 2017.

-          The El Centro Maintenance station is near completion.

D.                 Commission Member Reports 

-          Mr. Cox stated that the downtown improvements near Worthington Square are complete. He also stated that the Christmas parade was a success with 85-90 entries New city council will be sworn at their next meeting. Mr. Kelley congratulated Mr. Robert Amparano.

-          Ms. Hurtado stated that she is pleased with the new city council and is hopeful for the city in the New Year.

-          Mr. Ritchie stated the Honey Festival was a success.

-          Mr. Terrazas thanked everyone for their assistance throughout the years. He also stated that it’s been fun being on the ICTC/LTA Board. He thanked Mr. Baza including staff and Caltrans for everything. He stated that is was a pleasure to serve the community.

-          Mr. Nava thanked Mr. Terrazas and Mr. Cox for their dedication and hard work for the region.

-          Mr. Viegas-Walker introduced Marcela Piedra, new Deputy City Manager.  Also, City of El Centro named Alex Cardenas the new Mayor of El Centro and Cheryl Viegas-Walker the Mayor Pro-Tem. Ms. Viegas-Walker stated she went to CalCog with Mark on November 14, 2016. She also stated that she participated on a tour today which stopped by the Salton Sea. Mr. Ikhrata and Ms. Martinez from SCAG also went on the tour.

-          Mr. Predmore thanked Jack Terrazas and Doug Cox.

VII.            ACTION CALENDAR

A.                 Funding Request from the City of El Centro to provide added Security at the El Centro Bus Transfer Terminal on 7th and State Streets

Ms. Williams stated that the City of El Centro requested for funding assistance from ICTC to address safety concerns at the transfer terminal on 7th and State streets. The request was presented to the Commission in October, for $90,000.00 for a one-year period and would be used to hire for security staffing.

ICTC Staff recognizes the need to address the ongoing issues the City has had with the overall security at the transfer terminal.  Many of our Imperial Valley Transit (IVT) bus passengers have expressed that they are not comfortable using the transfer terminal and its restrooms due to excessive loitering, vandalism, the appearance of drug use/transactions and other violent crimes that have occurred.

 The Commission met on October 26th and took the following actions:

1.                   Direct ICTC Staff to research funding sources in the amount of $90,000.00 to assist the City of El Centro in providing added security at the Bus Transfer Terminal on 7th and State Streets.

2.                   If funding is found available, direct staff to begin coordination with the City of El Centro to develop a fund transfer agreement and parameters of proposed armed security services for consideration to be approved by the Commission and the City.

ICTC staff have researched funding sources and are presenting the following for further direction/action.

Option A: Funding is available through the Local Transportation Authority 2% for Regional Transit. The LTA Board would need to take action on the funding request and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would need to be created to address liability for the use of funds. In addition, the MOU would need to state that the funds would be treated as reimbursement to the City, after the submittal of documentation.

Option B: Funding is also available from the State Transportation Development Act (TDA) through Article 8c, if there is a contract between the City and a security company, or reimbursement is needed for police department expenses. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) would also need to be created to address liability for the use of funds. In addition, the MOU would need to state that the funds would be treated as reimbursement to the City, after the submittal of documentation.

ICTC staff recommended the use of LTA funds as described in Option A. The LTA 2% Regional Transit funds are available and eligible as it is to proposed to provide needed security support for our IVT regional transit terminal and operations in the City of El Centro.  In addition, the LTA funds are locally controlled and not subject to as many administrative burdens as the TDA funds in Option B. 

Ms. Piedra reiterated that the funds requested would more than likely alleviate some of the issues at the transfer terminal.  Due to the lack of funding the Police department cannot provide the level of service necessary and therefore looking to hire a private security company. Further discussion continued where Ms. Piedra addressed the safety concerns the City has been dealing with.

It was requested that the ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Directed Staff to forward the request from the City of El Centro in an amount up to $90,000.00 to assist the City of El Centro in providing daily security at the Bus Transfer Terminal on 7th and State Streets, to the Board of the Local Transportation Authority (LTA) as a one-year demonstration.

A Motion was made by Nava, seconded by Cox, with 1 opposed (Ryan Kelly) Motion Carried.

B.                  Unmet Transit Needs Public Hearing - for Fiscal Year 2017-18

The Commission directed staff to set the FY 2017-18 Unmet Transit Needs Public Hearing for February 9, 2017 at 3:00PM. The hearing will take place at the IID Board Chambers in El Centro.  

It was requested that ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Appointed the Unmet Transit Needs Hearing Panel: Cities of Cities of Brawley, El Centro Calexico and the County of Imperial. Alternates include the Cities of Holtville and Westmorland.

2.                   Selected a Public Hearing date of February 9, 2017

3.                   Selected the time of the meeting for 3 p.m.

4.                   Directed staff to conduct the administrative arrangements

                        A Motion was made by Cox, seconded by Viegas-Walker, Motion Carried unanimously.

C.                  Transportation Development Act (TDA) Tri-ennial Performance Audit of the Administration/Management of the Imperial County Transportation Commission: FY 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16

ICTC Staff requested that the Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment(s), if any:

1.                   Approved the award of the Consultant Agreement for the FY 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 Transportation Development Act Triennial Performance Audit of the Imperial County Transportation Commission, to Michael Baker International for the fee of $72,076.

2.                   Authorized the Chairperson to sign the Consultant Agreement.

A Motion was made by Viegas-Walker, seconded by Cox, Motion Carried unanimously.

VIII.         NEXT MEETING DATE AND PLACE

A.                 The next meeting of the Imperial County Transportation Commission will be held on Wednesday, January  25, 2017 at 6:00 p.m., at the County of Imperial Board Chambers, at 940 W. Main Street, El Centro, CA.

IX.              ADJOURNMENT

A.                 Meeting adjourned at 7:37 p.m. (Cox/ Terrazas) Motion carried.