TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES

July 23, 2020

            Present:          

                Guillermo Sillas                        City of Brawley

            Abraham Campos                     City of El Centro

            Veronica Atondo                       County of Imperial

            Jesus Villegas                           City of Imperial

            Lily Falomir                             City of Calexico

            Ismael Gomez                           IID

            Others:

            Mark Baza                                ICTC

            Virginia Mendoza                     ICTC

            Marlene Flores                          ICTC

            Michelle Bastidas                      ICTC

            David Aguirre                           ICTC

            Daveline Villaseñor                   IVRMA

            David Salgado                           SCAG

            Andres Miramontes                   City of Brawley

            Gordon Gaste                           City of Brawley

            Javier Luna                               City of El Centro

            Christian Rodriguez                   City of El Centro

            Felix DeLeon                            City of El Centro

            Catherine Gutierrez                   City of El Centro

            Isabel Garcia                             City of Imperial

            Robert Urena                            County of Imperial                               

            Ben Guerrero                            Caltrans

            Jose Ornelas                             Caltrans

            Poonam Boparai                        Ascent Environment Inc.

            Lexi Journey                             Rincon

            Andrew Beecher                       Rincon

Due to the COVID-19 and Executive Order N-25-20, teleconferencing is recommended for the public, however measures will be taken to have access for those who wish to participate in person while still abiding by local, state and federal mandates. Following is teleconference information.

            The meeting was called to order at 10:03 a.m. A quorum was present, and introductions were made. There were no public comments made.

1.       Introductions

2.       A motion was made to adopt the minutes for June 25, 2020 (Luna / Gomez) Motion Carried.

3.       Regional Climate Action Plan- Existing Conditions Analysis Presentation        

Presented by Consultant Team: Ascent Environment, Inc. & Rincon

Ascent Environment provided a brief presentation on the GHG Inventory Results and on the Existing Conditions Analysis Results. The Existing Conditions Analysis provides a foundation for the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction policies that will be included as part of the Regional CAP by providing an understanding of policies, actions and initiatives that are currently in place throughout Imperial county. This analysis also provides the level of implementation and rating of quality, based on five criteria for successful implementation, as assessed by representatives for the respective jurisdictions. The assessed policies, actions and initiatives are categorized based on their connection to state and regional goals and guidelines.

The results will help to guide the policies of the Imperial Valley Regional CAP. Rincon also provided an overview of their Outreach Strategy for this project. Phase I of the outreach strategy focuses on educating and gathering feedback on the draft GHG reduction measures from websites, social media, virtual stakeholder meetings and surveys. Phase II of the outreach is to present the Draft Climate Action Plan and get community feedback.

4.       ICTC Updates / Announcements

(Presented by ICTC Staff)

a.       Transit Planning Updates- Virginia Mendoza provided a brief update on transit. Based on the current events surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic, ICTC is still operating under COVID-19 requirements.

b.       Transportation Planning Updates (by Virginia Mendoza):

-          LTA Updates 2012 and 2018

-          2012 LTA Bond- City of Brawley still has a balance on their respective 2012 LTA Bond account of ($670,284).

-          2018 LTA Bond- The City of Holtville already utilize all their 2018 LTA money and City of Calexico ($7,764,761) and City of Calipatria ($1,398,936).

-          I-8 / Imperial Avenue Interchange Project- Mark Baza provided a brief update on the project. The project is moving along with schedule and today at 6:30 p.m. the bridge will be demolished.

c.       Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency (IVRMA) (by Daveline Villaseñor):

-          Daveline provided an overview of what the Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency does and what services it provides. A brief update on the State Recycling Mandates and upcoming deadlines were provided. IVRMA’s mission is to develop, implement, and support efficient and sustainable programs for waste reduction, reuse, recycling, hazardous waste Management, composting and recycled-content purchasing for Imperial Valley citizens in accordance with local, state, and national mandates. Brawley, Calipatria, Imperial, Calexico, El Centro, Westmorland, Holtville and County of Imperial are included in IVRMA’s scope of work. TAC members requested a sub-committee or TAC dedicated for IVRMA. Discussion concluded with TAC members requesting an action item for the August TAC meeting to establish a TAC for IVRMA.

5.       SCAG Updates / Announcements (by David Salgado)

-          2020 Local Early Action Planning Grant (LEAP) Program: The Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) grant program’s deadline has been extended to January 31, 2021. Jurisdictions who did not apply: For cities and counties that were not able to meet the July 1, 2020 deadline, they still have more time. They now have until January 31, 2021, to apply for LEAP funding. Remember, LEAP funding is non-competitive, flexible funding to help cities and counties plan for housing in their communities.

-          David Salgado mentioned SCAG will go dark in the month of August.

-          Scholarships- Congratulations to Southwest High School graduate Aaliyah Felix. Aaliyah is the recipient of the SCAG 2020 scholarship. She will receive $4,000 in financial support and she will participate in a two-week internship with SCAG or a local planning agency. Congratulations to Aaliyah.

6.       Cities and County Planning / Public Works Updates:

-          Local agencies gave an update on their local projects in progress.

7.       Caltrans Updates / Announcements (By: Ben Guerrero)

Local Assistance: Ben Guerrero provided updates on local assistance.

Summer 2020 Deadline: Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 5 Call for Projects: The California Transportation Commission (CTC) call for ATP projects began March 25, 2020.

The extended deadline is July 15, 2020, for “Quick-Build” ATP projects. September 15, 2020 is the new deadline for all other ATP project types.

Inactive Projects- As of July 2020, the INACTIVE and FUTURE Inactive list was updated. An invoice is not cleared from either “Inactive” or “Future Inactive” lists until paid by the State Controller’s Office. Provided local agencies adhere to the format described in Chapter 5 of the Local Assistance Procedures Manual (LAPM), invoices typically are paid by check within 60 days of receipt (or 50 days if paid through Electronic Funds Transfer).

September 4, 2020 – Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Cycle 10 Call for Projects- Caltrans Division of Local Assistance announced the local HSIP Cycle 10 Call-for-Projects on May 5, 2020. The application deadline is September 4, 2020.

Quality Assurance Program (QAP) – Documentation Expired in 2020- Everyone is cleared.

Temporary Exception for Requiring “Wet” signature on Invoices- The current process of requiring wet signatures on invoice documents in order to process for payment is

temporarily exempted. Until further notice, scanned copies of invoices will be accepted.

For questions, please contact either the Local Area Engineer, Mr. Guerrero, or Local Assistance Program Support Analyst, Alma Sanchez, via email at Alma.Sanchez@dot.ca.gov

I-8 / Imperial Avenue Interchange Project- Jose Ornelas provided a brief update on the I-8 project. Caltrans crew will be closing the Interstate to demolish and remove the existing bridge today July 23rd around 6:30 p.m. City of El Centro and Caltrans will be working together to provide information on closures of eastbound Interstate 8 on- and off- ramps at Imperial Avenue. Please see detour maps and informational links on the Caltrans website.

8.       General Discussion / New Business

- Virginia Mendoza mentioned that the august TAC meeting will focus primarily on the IVRMA program. More information will be provided.

- Next TAC meeting will be on August 27, 2020 via Zoom.

9.       Meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m.