IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MINUTES FOR September 25, 2024

6:00 p.m.

__________________________________________________________________­­­­___________________

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                                                City of Brawley                                       George A. Nava

                                                                City of Calipatria                                    Maria Nava-Froelich

                                                                City of Calexico                                      Camilo Garcia

                                                                City of El Centro                                    Martha Cardenas-Singh

                                                                City of Imperial                                      Robert Amparano

                                                                City of Holtville                                       Mike Goodsell             

                                                                City of Westmorland                           Absent                                            

                                                                County of Imperial                                Absent            

                                                                County of Imperial                                John Hawk

                                                                Imperial Irrigation District                 Absent                                                                                                                                                            

STAFF PRESENT:               David Aguirre, Cristi Lerma, Maricela Galarza (Zoom), Esperanza Avila, Cesar Beltran,

OTHERS PRESENT:            Eric Havens: Counsel; Roy Abboud, John Garcia: Caltrans, David Salgado: SCAG,

PUBLIC:                                None

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, August 28, 2024, together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

Vice Chair Amparano called the Commission meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

II.                   EMERGENCY ITEMS

                There were none.

III.                PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were none.

IV.                CONSENT CALENDAR

A.            ICTC Commission Minutes:                                           August 28, 2024

                B.            Received and filed:

1.                   ICTC Management Committee Minutes: August 14, 2024

2.                   ICTC TAC Minutes:                                           August 22, 2024

3.           ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                   September 4, 2024

A motion was made by Goodsell and seconded by Nava-Froelich to approve the consent      calendar as presented, roll call:         

                                Motion Carried.

V.                  REPORTS

A.                  ICTC Executive Director

-           ICTC received correspondence indicating five (5) applications for the Imperial County Region. Applications were submitted by the City of El Centro, Imperial County Office of Education, Heber Public Utility District, City of Calipatria and City of Holtville.

As a result of the State of California’s budget deficit the ATP program overall funding was reduced significantly. Funding was anticipated to be $568 Million overall but was ultimately reduced to approximately $168 Million. Also, because of the budget deficit and associated cuts, the anticipated Imperial County Regional Share was reduced to approximately $300k. More information is to come pertaining to State and Regional Share awards.

-          2024 Local Partnership Program, Cycle 5: The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1) created the Local Partnership Program (LPP) as a program to reward and incentivize local or regional transportation agencies that have sought and received voter approval of taxes or that have imposed fees, which taxes or fees are dedicated solely for transportation improvements. The program is implemented by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). The CTC adopted the 2024 LPP Program Cycle 5 Guidelines on August 15-16, 2024. As a result of the adoption of the Cycle 5 Guidelines the Call for Projects has opened. The LPP Grant funds require a one-to-one match. The Imperial County Region’s estimated allocation amount for FY 2025/26 is $524million and $520 million for FY2026/27 for a total of $1,044 million. There is also a competitive program that is administered by the CTC. Guidelines for the program can be found at

https://catc.ca.gov/-/media/ctc-media/documents/programs/senate-bill-1/2-bi-4-12-draft-2024-lpp-competitive-guidelines-red-line-v8.pdf. On August 22, 2024, the TAC committee members reviewed and ultimately recommend Option 2 to be forwarded to the Commission for approval and to authorize ICTC to open the Call for Projects for the Local Partnership Formulaic Program Cycle 5. On August 28, 2024, the Commission approved TACs recommendation. The Competitive Call for Projects for the CTC opened on August 16, 2024, with a deadline of November 20, 2024. There is also a competitive call for projects that is open for submittal directly to the CTC.

-          Imperial County EV Charging Infrastructure Feasibility Study – Staff is currently working on the development of the Scope of Work for the project to proceed to the issuance of a Request for Proposals. Staff is anticipating reviewing the proposed SOW with the ICTC TAC to obtain additional feedback.

-          ICTC/IVT Operations and Maintenance Facility- We are continuing coordination with the city of El Centro, and to begin conducting the required environmental studies like a Phase 1 Site Assessment. ICTC will also continue to work on grant opportunities to fund the acquisition of the property. The preliminary site plan has been prepared and will be shared with the commission. ICTC was recently informed that it had received a funding commitment for the completion of the design/environmental phases of the project.

-          Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening Project- The final project improvements which consisted of the reinstallation of new bolts under the existing bridge section was completed in early August 2024. The project construction efforts are now complete, and the project is now in closeout phase.

-          Calexico Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) It is anticipated that the project will start construction in November/December 2024. The final set of contract documents are being prepared in anticipation of the construction bidding phase.

-          Transit Comprehensive Operational Analysis: Staff recently released the Request for Proposals to the public and are anticipated to work towards a contract award in September/October 2024. The analysis is anticipated to take a year to complete.

-          Calexico Microtransit Service- The service has averaged 180 passengers per day since

-          the removal of the free fares and has been well received. ICTC has been working with CMO to obtain additional funding for the project. ICTC was awarded an additional $500,000 to be utilized for operations of the service and additional service hours. The contract amendment with the operator was approved at the June 23, 2024, meeting. ICTC is anticipating securing two additional grants to help support the project. ICTC also received additional funding to further continue the service beyond year two of operations.

-          State Route 86 (Northbound) Border Patrol Checkpoint- As discussed, and confirmed with Border Patrol, ICTC will only provide the remaining funds we had available (February 2021) of approximately $1.3 million to complete the traffic study, 100% design plans, and construction of the canopy, lighting related to the canopy, and traffic related improvements required by Caltrans. Border Patrol is committed to paying for all other construction-related costs and Border Patrol will lead the construction contract. Border Patrol, Caltrans, and ICTC are having weekly meetings toward completing design plans. CBP will be working with Caltrans to obtain environmental clearance once funding for construction is obtained. The improvement plans have been prepared in final draft form and have been submitted to Caltrans for review. Caltrans has provided review comments on the project improvement plans. ICTC will work with the design engineer to complete the required updates. Environmental studies and Caltrans submittal are pending submittal by CBP.

-          All other updates are on the Executive Director report on page 23 of the agenda.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

Mr. Salgado had the following update:

-          SCAG 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop Program Announced: The 35th annual event was held on Sept. 24 at SCAG’s main office in Downtown Los Angeles and was also available online.

-          SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM – ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND SAFETY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS GUIDELINES- The deadline for applications is Sept. 27, and SCAG anticipates announcing application awards in December 2024. To support the application process for eligible applicants, SCAG held an application workshop on July 25, with a second application workshop scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7 (register online). In addition, office hours are available on Mondays and Thursdays during the application period. For more information about the call and to sign up for office hours, visit the Sustainable Communities Program page on the SCAG website.

-          SCAG PUBLISHES REPORT AND MODEL ORDINACE FOR BROADBAND PERMIT STREAMLINING-  To help resolve these challenges, SCAG, in collaboration with the San Diego Association of Governments and with funding from the California Emerging Technology Fund, developed a “Broadband Permit Streamlining Report” and “Broadband Permit Streamlining Model Ordinance.” The report outlines key challenges and complexities involved in both wireless and wireline broadband deployment. SCAG created a model ordinance based on the report’s findings to offer local jurisdictions options for accelerating permitting processes. Jurisdictions can use this ordinance as a template, either adopting it in full or selecting specific sections to streamline their existing broadband permit processes. The report and ordinance are available on the SCAG website. For more information regarding the “Broadband Permit Streamlining Report” and “Broadband Permit Streamlining Model Ordinance,” please contact Roland Ok at ok@scag.ca.gov or (213) 236-1819.

-          All other updates are on the SCAG report on page 32 of the agenda.

C.                  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)- District 11

               Mr. Aboud had the following updates:  

-          I-8, SR-78 Bridge Rehab at Various Locations: 4 Bridges along I-8 and 2 on SR-78 at Palo Verde-  Work on I-8 bridges is mostly complete.

-          SR-111 Roadside Improvements: To be completed in October 2024.

-          Completed Projects- SR-98 Widening Project. I-8 Roadside Safety Improvements. All Imperial County Clean California Projects. IMP-8-PM R3.7/48: HM-1 Pave Preservation Ramp Project.

-          SR- 186 All American Canal Bridge: Project Milestone: Project Approval/Environmental Clearance is 12/24.

-          Coordination- Imperial Ave Bridge: Coordinate with the City of El Centro to install additional signage on Imperial Ave Bridge. Signs are still in manufacturing with an estimated timeline of four weeks. 2. Imperial County Lithium Valley Specific Plan Engage with County of Imperial, identify areas of priorities and establish collaborative efforts between agencies.

-          Maintenance and Traffic Operations- El Centro Traveled Way Crew – Fence repair: I-8/SR-111, Sealing intersections: SR-86, Storm Damage Repair: SR-98/Mount Signal Road.

-          SR-86/ Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Checkpoint- The environmental studies are being prepared by ICTC/CBP and will be sent to Caltrans District 11 Staff for review. Caltrans will assist ICTC in coordinating upcoming meetings.

-          Feasibility Studies: District 11 Truck Parking and Medium/Heavy Duty ZEV Charging Station Site Assessment – Lost funding-delay. Timeline: The Project Initiation Document (PID) is pending.

-          Calexico Travel Corridor Improvements- The Project Initiation Document (PID) is pending.

-          All other updates are on the Caltrans report on page 36 of the agenda.

D.                  Commission Member Reports

-          Updates were provided by various commissioners.

VI.                ACTION CALENDAR

A.                  2024 Quality Assurance Program (QAP)

The ICTC Management Committee met on September 11, 2024, and forwarded this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Approved the proposed 2024 Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

A motion was made by Nava-Froelich and seconded by Cardenas-Singh to approve the Action A as presented, roll call:

                                Motion Carried.

B.            Adjustments to IVT RIDE Paratransit System – Acquisition/Development of Rider Application

                The ICTC Management Committee met on September 11, 2024, and forwarded this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Authorized the Executive Director to proceed with the acquisition and development of the IVT Ride Rider Application and Scheduling Software. 

A motion was made by Goodsell and seconded by Nava-Froelich to approve the Action B as presented, roll call:

                                Motion Carried.

C.            Coordinated Border Infrastructure (CBI) Funding – Project Identification and Recommendation

ICTC Staff forwarded the following recommendations to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.       Approved the recommendation of CBI funding in the amount of $2,000,000 for the selected agency and selected project.

2.       Authorized the Executive Director to coordinate the necessary agreements between Caltrans, the Imperial County Transportation Commission, and the recommended agency.

A motion was made by Nava and seconded by Nava-Frolich to approve the Action C as presented, roll call:

                                Motion Carried.

VII.              INFORMATION ITEMS

A.            Forrester Road Proposed Improvements – Project Study Report Presentation by David Aguirre

                B.            LTA Bond Presentation

                                Presentation by Carmen Vargas, Barclays Capital Inc

                C.            ICTC Facility Acquisition

                                Presentation by David Aguirre

VIII.            The next meeting will be on October 23, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the ICTC Offices, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243, and via Zoom Meeting for the public.

IX.                ADJOURNMENT

A.                  Meeting Adjourned at 8:47 p.m.