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TECHNICAL PLANNING COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

January 3, 2018

Osage Centre – Cape Girardeau

Technical Planning Committee (TPC) Voting Members Present: 

Mr. Rodney Bollinger, City of Jackson

Ms. Mandi Brink, Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority (SEMO Port)

Mr. Drew Christian, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development

Commission (SEMO RPC)

Mr. Joe Killian, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

Mr. Bruce Loy, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport

Mr. Alex McElroy, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. John Mehner, Cape Girardeau Area MAGNET

Mr. Scott Perry, Bootheel Regional Planning & Economic Development

Commission (Bootheel RPC)

Ms. Kelley Watson, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CTA)

Technical Planning Committee (TPC) Non-Voting Members Present:   

Ms. Elquin Auala, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

Mr. Kirk Sandfort, Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO University) (alternate for Ms. Beth Glaus)

Mr. Jeremiah Shuler, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – Region 7

(via teleconference)

Ms. Betsy Tracy, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) – IL Division

(via teleconference)

Ms. Eva Voss, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) (via teleconference)

Ms. Janette Vomund, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) – Multimodal Transit Division (via teleconference)

Staff Present:           

Mr. Ryan Shrimplin, City of Cape Girardeau

Program Administration/Support Consultant Present:

Ms. Kelly Green, KLG Engineering

Call to Order

Chairman Bollinger called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m.

Introductions

The group went around the room, with each person giving a brief introduction.

Public Comments

There were no public comments.

Adoption of Agenda

The agenda of the January 3, 2018 Technical Planning Committee (TPC) Meeting was unanimously approved for adoption upon motion made by Mr. Christian and seconded byMr. McElroy.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the December 6, 2017 Technical Planning Committee (TPC) Meeting were unanimously approved upon motion made by Mr. McElroy and seconded by Ms. Brink.

Communications from the Chairman

There were no communications from the Chairman.

New/Unfinished Business

• Public Participation Plan Amendment No. 2 – Discussion

Mr. Shrimplin presented Public Participation Plan (PPP) Amendment No. 2.  He explained that the amendment adds a section entitled “Transit Program of Projects”.  FTA requires recipients of Section 5307 grant funds to develop a Program of Projects (POP), which lists the projects proposed to be funded by the Section 5307 funds.  The development of the POP must include a public participation process that complies with FTA regulations.  The regulations allow a recipient use the MPO’s public participation process for the development of its TIP to satisfy the POP public participation requirements.  The new section in the PPP states that CTA (a Section 5307 grant recipient) and Southeast Missouri State University (a sub-recipient) have elected to follow SEMPO’s TIP public participation process to meet the requirements.  Mr. Shrimplin stated that the amendment will now be reviewed by MoDOT and ONE DOT, and the TPC will release it for public comment at its next meeting.

• Public Transit – Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan – Discussion

Mr. Christian stated that he will be presenting a draft of the SEMPO Public Transit – Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan at the February 7th TPC meeting.  Two public meetings were held late November/early December to obtain input regarding public transit needs.  A meeting for transit providers will be held on January 18th at 2:00 p.m. at the SEMO RPC Office.  He noted that the plan will include goals and objectives but will not necessarily include projects.  Mr. Shuler stated that the plan needs to identify and prioritize strategies as well as identify gaps in service.  The plan also needs to describe the measures that were taken to encourage participation by low-income and disabled citizens.  Mr. Christian stated that although there were no citizens in attendance at the public meetings, there were several citizens who completed the online survey.

• FY 2019 Unified Planning Work Program – Discussion

Mr. Shrimplin stated that he is preparing to begin work on the FY 2019 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).  He explained that some of the plans and studies from the FY 2018 UPWP, such as the Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and the Public Transit – Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan, will be completed by the end of the fiscal year.  He asked for suggestions for new plans and studies to include in the FY 2019 UPWP, after which he reviewed the goals and objectives section of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), which identifies several potential plans and studies that could be undertaken.  Ms. Green suggested hiring a consultant to conduct an ADA self-assessment and prepare a transition plan.  Mr. Loy suggested hiring a consultant to prepare a freight plan.  Mr. Bollinger suggested conducting a comprehensive review of the existing sidewalk systems to identify gaps, especially near schools and other key facilities.  Ms. Tracy stated that the Champaign, IL MPO developed a sidewalk inventory tool software, which is available for use by other MPO’s.  She will share the link.  Mr. Sandfort stated that he can share SEMO University’s ADA transition plan.  Mr. Shrimplin discussed the schedule for reviewing and adopting the FY 2019 UPWP.  He stated that a decision will need to be made regarding the proposed plans and studies at the next TPC meeting.

Member Reports

Mr. McElroy reported on several of the City of Cape Girardeau’s projects.  The overlay portion of the Lexington Avenue – Sherwood Drive to West Cape Rock Drive project is scheduled for construction this spring.  The West End Boulevard – Rose Street to Bertling Street project is scheduled for construction in 2019.  The City is looking into converting the streetlights on Broadway to LED.

Mr. Bollinger reported on several of the City of Jackson’s projects.  Koehler Engineering has begun preliminary design for the realignment of South Old Orchard Road near the former Class Act Gymnastics facility.  Koehler has also been hired to design the traffic signal at East Main Street and Oak Hill Road.  The Concrete Street Repair, Asphalt Overlay, and Joint Routing & Sealing Programs have all been completed.  Lochmueller Group will be presenting the City’s Comprehensive Traffic Study to the Board of Aldermen this month.  Smith & Co. has been hired to design intersection improvements at East Main Street and South Shawnee Boulevard.

Ms. Watson reported that CTA was busy during New Year’s Eve.

Ms. Brink reported that the SEMO Port Loop Tracks Terminal project, being funded by a Delta Regional Authority grant, has been issued for bid and is scheduled for construction this spring.

Mr. Loy reported that the new SkyWest Airlines service is doing well.  SkyWest is in the process of hiring a new marketing employee.

Mr. Christian presented a draft of an amendment to the MTP, which adds language regarding SEMPO’s support of the state Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan and Safety performance measure targets.  He also announced that Mr. Barry Horst has been named SEMO RPC’s new executive director.

Mr. Perry announced that Mr. Brent Stidham has been named Bootheel RPC’s new executive director.

Mr. Killian announced that MoDOT’s Statewide Planning Partner Meeting will be held on February 8th in Jefferson City.  He also reported that the 2017 traffic count data has been finalized for distribution.

Ms. Voss reported that the 21st Century Missouri Transportation System Task Force has issued its report.  She also reported on the status of MoDOT’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) update.  The draft is currently being reviewed by a consultant.  A webinar on the draft plan will be scheduled for March or April.  The final plan will be presented to the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) this summer.  She also reported that the 2016 transportation data on MoDOT’s ftp site will be removed from the site in February.  She added that the next FAST Act/MAP-21 conference call is scheduled for January 8th.

Ms. Vomund reported that the State Fiscal Year 2019 State Transit Assistance Application is now available on MoDOT’s website.

Staff Report

Mr. Shrimplin reported that the draft Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan has been released for public comment, along with an online comment form.  Two open houses will be held on January 9th.  The first open house will be from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Jackson Civic Center in Jackson.  The second open house will be from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau.  Lochmueller Group and SEMPO representatives will be in attendance to answer questions about the plan.

Ms. Green asked if the TPC would like to have a calendar of key dates prepared, as was done last year.  She also asked if the TPC would like to receive a quarterly financial report.  The TPC expressed interest in both.

Other Business and Communications

There was no other business and communications.

Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 11:53 a.m. upon motion made by Mr. McElroy and seconded by Mr. Christian.