IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF September 14, 2016

10:30 a.m.

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                    City of Brawley                        Rosanna Bayon Moore

                                    City of Calexico                       Armando Villa

                                    City of El Centro                      Ruben Duran

City of Holtville                       Nick Wells

City of Imperial                        Jorge Galvan

                                    County of Imperial                   William Brunet

STAFF PRESENT:     Mark Baza, Kathi Williams, Virginia Mendoza, Michelle Bastidas, Cristi Lerma, Guillermo Gonzalez, David Aguirre

OTHERS PRESENT:  Liz Zarate: City of El Centro; David Salgado: SCAG; Sam Amen, Hanh-Dung Khuu: Caltrans; Reggie Gomez: Calexico Police Department; Tomas Oliva, Elvira Din: Office of Congressman Juan Vargas

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

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Chair Galvan called the Committee meeting to order at 10:40 a.m. Roll call was taken. Introductions were made.

II.                 EMERGENCY ITEMS

A.                 There were none.

III.              PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were none.

IV.              CONSENT ITEMS

A motion was made by Bayon Moore seconded by Wells to approve consent items 4A-4C. Motion carried unanimously.

A.                 Approved ICTC Management Committee Minutes for July 13, 2016

B.                  Received and filed:

1.                   ICTC Board Draft Minutes for July 27, 2016

C.                  Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Plan and Goal for FY 2017-2019 for Federal Transit funds

1.                   Approved the proposed FY 2017-19 DBE plan and annual goal of 1.0%.

V.                 REPORT

A.                 ICTC Executive Director

ICTC staff had the following announcements:

-          Imperial Valley Transit (IVT) recently launched a Facebook Page. The concept is to communicate with FB users, particularly IVC students regarding service, schedules, detours etc.

-          The next IMBA meeting will be on October 13, 2016 at 10 a.m. at the SDSU-IV Campus Library in Calexico, CA. The meeting will include presentations on the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Goods Movement Border Study Phase 2 and the Calexico Urban Planning Feasibility Study presented by the U.S. General Services Administration.

-          ICTC has two new staff persons; Vicky Hernandez, Office Technician and David Aguirre, Associate Transportation Planner.  Mr. Aguirre attended the meeting and was introduced.

-          The Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 which allows State to repurpose any earmark that was designated on or before September 2005. It is anticipated that FHWA will approve the repurposing project list by the end of September 2016. In Imperial County there is an opportunity to repurpose six projects. Details are on page 49 of the agenda.

-          Funding for Phase II of the Calexico West Port of Entry Project in the President’s FY17 Budget. As previously noted, Congress authorized ‎$98 million for Phase 1. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) began construction for Phase 1 in December 2015 with completion scheduled for January 2018. As part of the POE Expansion project, traffic will be rerouted from the existing roadways to SR-98 and Cesar Chavez Boulevard which are not designed to handle the high volumes of traffic associated with the border travel. As result, ICTC submitted a 2016 TIGER grant in the amount of $12,046,400 to improve SR-98 and Cesar Chavez Boulevard. Improvements will include widening, signalization, channelization, lighting, pedestrian/bicycle and ADA improvements.  The TIGER grant application was submitted on April 29, 2016.

-          For the Calexico East Commercial Vehicle Port of Entry Expansion Project the 559 Donation proposal was not approved due to concerns related to the toll collections within federal property. The grant application submittals for FASTLane and TIGER grant programs were also not successful for this year’s grant programs. There may be potential funding from the federal governments freight program.

-          An EPA Workshop will be held on September 14th in Calexico. City Managers are invited to attend.

-          A complete list of ICTC updates can be found on Page 48 of the September agenda.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

                        Mr. Salgado had the following announcements

-          The 2016 California Housing Summit will take place October 11, 2016 from 8:00am to 3:00pm at the L.A. Hotel, 333 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA.

-          SCAG will be holding a series of 3 bike safety workshops in the communities of Calexico, El Centro, and Brawley. The workshops are being conducted as a part of the SCAG GO Human Campaign. GO Human is a community outreach campaign with the goals of reducing traffic collisions in Southern California and encouraging people to walk and bike more.

o   City of Calexico

Monday September 26th, 2016 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Camarena Memorial Library, 850 Encinas Ave., Calexico, CA

o   Imperial County Transportation Commission

Tuesday September 27th, 2016 9:00am – 11:00am

Imperial County Transportation Commission

1405 N. Imperial Ave., Ste. 1, El Centro, CA

o   City of Brawley

Tuesday September 27th, 2016 4:00pm – 6:00pm

Brawley City Council Chambers

383 W. Main St., Brawley, CA

-          SCAG will be hosting a series of 7 workshops in the SCAG region. The workshops will be led by world renowned seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones. The workshops will be tailored to the region in which they are held to fit the areas physical/geographic make-up and needs. The workshops are scheduled for the end of October and early November. Further information and save the date cards will be provided as they are made available.

-          A complete list of SCAG updates can be found on Page 54 of the June agenda.

C.                  Caltrans Department of Transportation – District 11

                        Mr. Amen and Ms. Khuu had the following updates:

-          The I-8/Dogwood Road interchange is nearing completion with a Ribbon Cutting event scheduled for October 5, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. The location is tentatively scheduled to be held on the bridge, with invitations to be sent out the week of September 12, 2016.

-          Phase 1 construction on the Caltrans El Centro Maintenance Station is completed. Phase 2 of the El Centro Maintenance Station is scheduled to be complete in spring 2017.

-          Caltrans District 11 will be hosting the Southern California Local Assistance Management Meeting on September 28, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This meeting will be held at the Caltrans District 11 Complex, Garcia Room 1-125A&B, 4050 Taylor Street, San Diego, CA 92110.

-          The 2017-2018 Sustainable Transportation Grant applications are due November 4, 2016 by 5 p.m.

-          A Caltrans report can be found on page 60 of the June agenda for more information on project updates.

D.   Committee Member Reports

-     There were none.

VI.               ACTION CALENDAR

A.                 San Diego State University /Imperial Valley College Transit Shuttle Analysis

The San Diego State University / Imperial Valley College Transit Shuttle Analysis completed by the AECOM consultant team assessed the feasibility of an inter-college campus shuttle service in Imperial County.  A technical advisory committee team comprised of staff from SDSU - Imperial Valley Campuses, Imperial Valley College, SCAG, ICTC and Caltrans provided guidance in the development of the project deliverables.  A critical element of the project deliverables included multiple outreach efforts at the campuses of SDSU-Calexico, IVC and SDSU - Brawley.  

The study developed a phased approach for implementation and future consideration. The consultant team completed the 2nd round of outreach at SDSU - Calexico, IVC and SDSU - Brawley campuses to obtain input from the student body regarding these proposed route alternatives.

The study alternatives were presented to the IVC Board of Trustees on June 15, 2016.  The IVC Board of Trustees expressed support for the project and future implementation of the first phase when funds are available.  The AECOM consultant team presented to Management and Commission in July 2016 as an information item only.  Attached is the Draft Final Executive Summary. The Draft Final Study is on the ICTC website at http://www.imperialctc.org/campus-transit-study/. 

A brief presentation was made by Ms. Mendoza.

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.                   Approve the San Diego State University /Imperial Valley College Transit Shuttle Analysis

A motion was made by Bayon Moore and seconded by Villa, Motion Carried unanimously.

B.                  Fund Request to the Local Transportation Authority (LTA) – City of Calexico

The City of Calexico has made a request to the LTA for funds from the regional highway set-aside for traffic control staff assistance on State Route 111/Imperial Avenue, for southbound traffic leading to the Downtown Calexico West Port of Entry (POE).  During afternoon peak period delays the queue of vehicles can go as far back as 1.4 miles north of the Port of Entry (or .25 miles north of State Route 98/Birch St.). The average daily traffic volume on SR-111/Imperial Avenue is 26,000 to 34,000 vehicles. Based on border crossing volumes it is estimated that 75 percent of the daily vehicles on SR-111/Imperial Ave. have origin and destination in Mexicali, Mexico.

The City’s request is $150,000 for two years for a total request of $300,000 for Fiscal Year 2016-17 and FY 2017-18.  The City is committed to using $493,580 in available funding sources for FY 2016-17. The City’s contribution pays for three (3) full-time employees and three to seven (3 to 7) part-time traffic control staff (contract employees).  The LTA request will provide funding for four (4) additional part-time traffic control staff to assist with the weekly afternoon peak hours of delay to the POE to fully fund the seven (7) part-time contract employees needed.  The proposed request is a short-term solution to a longer term need as the federal government is under construction to expand the POE in 2018.  In 2018, traffic will use SR-111/Imperial Avenue and Cesar Chavez Boulevard to access the Calexico West POE.  See attached letter of request. With the two-year request for assistance the City is committed to work with all local, state and federal stakeholders to analyze and evaluate traffic control measures for the opening of the completed Phase 1 construction for the Calexico West POE.

SR-111/Imperial Avenue is a regional corridor for Imperial County and the revenue is available in the highway set-aside program.

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

1.                   Approve the allocation for additional funding needed in the amount $150,000 for 2 years for a total request of $300,000 from the Regional Highway set-aside from the Measure D allocations

2.                   Authorize the Executive Director to execute the necessary agreements between the City of Calexico and ICTC

A motion was made by Bayon Moore and seconded by Villa, Motion Carried unanimously.

VII.            INFORMATION CALENDAR

A.     Transportation Development Act FY 2015-16 Claims

                  The following agencies have pending items to be completed:

Agencies that ceased a contracted transit operation must continue to conduct audits including the Article 8c funds, until all unused 8c fund are expensed or returned to ICTC. Agency staff can contact ICTC staff for discussions on reconciliation of their TDA Article 8c account balances.

B.      Update on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Grant Program for Elderly and Disabled Transportation Services FY 2014-15 – ICTC grant application for Mobility Coordination

In February 2015, the Commission approved ICTC’s submittal of a FY 2014-15 FTA 5310 Grant application. The federal grant program had been revised to include funding for certain transit operational expenses and mobility management program functions.

It was staff’s recommendation to fund a Mobility Management/Coordination position with a new ICTC employee. The position was to be of a professional classification and require a standard recruitment process.   The recruitment process was completed and the staff person has been engaged in Mobility Coordination since February 2016.

The Mobility Coordinator is responsible for assisting existing ICTC transit and contractor staff in addressing two primary areas:

1.       The 2014 Human Services – Public Transit Coordinated Planning efforts goals; to use a bilingual Mobility Coordinator to bridge the gap between current public transit service providers, human service agencies, social service agencies and the senior citizen and disabled communities of Imperial County.  

2.       Address the recommendations in the consultant prepared ADA Certification and Eligibility Process, Demand Management Project; to revise the certification and eligibility process ( scheduled for January 2017)

As of August 2016, several presentations have been made to social service agencies, service clubs and agencies such as County Behavioral Health. In addition, public outreach was provided for the recent IVT RIDE El Centro and IVT MedTrans service launches.

C.      Review of the Increase in IVC Express trips between Calexico and El Centro on Imperial Valley Transit (IVT) Fixed Route Bus System

In FY 2013, Staff had made the recommendation and the Commission approved this new service frequency after analyzing testimony, ridership data and passenger comments. Transit service had been in effect for many years, but demand was outpacing available trips. Students complained of being left at the bus stops due to overcrowding.  As a result of the FY 2013-14 UTN Public Hearing, a need was established to increase the trips available.

Once a new route or trip has been implemented a demonstration phase ensues. The “demo” phase typically lasts for a minimum of twelve months. This allows for review and evaluation of the public’s acceptance and use of the transit service. Services adjustments can also be made as necessary in order to remain efficient and effective.  In August 2013, the additional trips to increase capacity were introduced. Ridership responded favorably and no further complaints have been received.  Due to other concerns expressed by students at that time, IVC also began to assist with supervising the loading and unloading at the IVC bus transfer terminal via security staff. IVC security staff now are present and direct the students to form a queue resulting in an orderly process.

In early Spring 2016, Wi-Fi was introduced on the buses and in September 2016, a Facebook page for IVT was created. Both of these services were introduced with the IVC college student in mind.

There has been a single question recently regarding interest in evening IVC express trips.  In addition, it is noticed that in conversations with the students, they prefer to take the bus closest to their class start and end times, but are willing when necessary to take an earlier or later bus to campus. Passengers per trip data is indicating an average of 45 to 55 passengers on each IVC Express trip #21.

D.     2016 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)/Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), Amendment #1

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has approved the regional 2016 RTP/SCS that has been accepted by the Air Resource Board.  SCAG developed the RTP/SCS in collaboration with ICTC, other County Transportation Commissions, and local governments from the six county Southern California region through a bottoms-up, collaborative process.  The RTP/SCS addresses many challenges including projected growth, changing demographics, climate change adaption, housing needs, and transportation demands.

SCAG has opened Amendment 1 of the 2016 RTP/SCS for any changes to existing projects or adding new projects. Projects listed in the RTP/SCS must be of regional significance and increase the road capacity. ICTC has received a request to submit 3 projects as part of Amendment 1.

E.      Sustainable Planning Grant Program – SCAG 2016 Call for Proposals; and,

Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program – Caltrans Strategic Partnerships and Sustainable Communities, FY 2017-18

-                The SCAG 2016 Call for Proposals deadline is November 18, 2016. Categories include:

o   Active Transportation

o   Green Region

o   Integrated Land Use and Transportation

-                The Caltrans 2016 Call For Proposals deadline is November 4, 2016.

o   Priority will be given to projects that address both greenhouse gas emission reductions and meet the Grant Specific Objectives outlined on pages 13-14 of the 2017-2018 Grant Application Guide.

VIII.         NEXT MEETING DATE AND PLACE

The next meeting of the Management Committee will be held on October 12, 2016 at the City of Holtville, Holtville, CA.

IX.               ADJOURNMENT

A.                 Meeting adjourned at 12:03 p.m.