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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MEETING MINUTES

March 18, 2015

Osage Centre – Cape Girardeau

Board Voting Members Present:

Mr. Chauncy Buchheit, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development       Commission (SEMO RPC)

Mr. Charlie Herbst, Cape Girardeau County

Mrs. Barbara Lohr, City of Jackson

Mr. Scott Meyer, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Tom Mogelnicki, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CGCTA)

Mr. Harry Rediger, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Jim Roach, City of Jackson

Board Ex-Officio Members Present: 

Mr. Matt Seiler, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

Technical Planning Committee Members Present:

Mr. Rodney Bollinger, City of Jackson

Mr. Drew Christian, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development             Commission (SEMO RPC)

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

Mr. Brian Okenfuss, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

Mr. Larry Payne, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee

Staff Present:

Ms. Molly Hood, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Ryan Shrimplin, City of Cape Girardeau

Call to Order

Chairman Buchheit called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.

Introductions

There were no introductions.

Public Comments

Vice Chairwoman Lohr read a note she received from Jackson resident John Short.  The note expressed support for installing street lights on US-61 from Walton Drive to Center Junction to address safety concerns.

Adoption of Agenda

The agenda of the March 18, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting was unanimously approved for adoption upon motion made by Mr. Mogelnicki and seconded by Mr. Roach.

Minutes

The minutes of the January 21, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting were unanimously approved upon motion made by Mr. Roach and seconded by Mr. Mogelnicki.

Communications from the Chairman

There were no communications from the Chairman.

New/Unfinished Business

Chairman Buchheit read RESOLUTION NO. 2015-01, A Resolution amending the FY 2015 Unified Planning Work Program.  Mr. Shrimplin explained the City of Cape Girardeau was recently awarded funding through the Traffic Engineering Assistance Program (TEAP) to conduct a parking analysis for congested corridors in the downtown.  The parking analysis is considered a transportation study and therefore must be included in the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).  The proposed amendment adds the parking analysis as a programmed activity and creates a new line item in the budget.  The proposed amendment was released for the required 15-day public comment period.  No comments were received.  At its March 11, 2015 meeting, the Technical Planning Committee passed a motion recommending adoption of the amendment.  Mr. Roach made a motion to approve RESOLUTION NO. 2015-01. Vice Chairwoman Lohr seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Shrimplin distributed the FY 2016 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Milestone Schedule.  Per the schedule, a date needs to be set for a public hearing on the UPWP.  Vice Chairwoman Lohr made a motion to set the public hearing date for May 20, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.  Mr. Rediger seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Christian stated he is in the process of gathering additional information for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and is also revising the first three sections to address comments received to date. He is also continuing to obtain information on projects for the interim Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  He has created a template based on the TIP format to assist those who wish to submit project information.  By March 2016, any project using FHWA or FTA funds will be required to be included in the TIP in order to receive authorization to proceed.  Mr. Mogelnicki stated the CGCTA needs to relocate to a location that has more room.  Mr. Christian noted that needs such as this will be identified in the MTP.

Other Communications

Mr. Okenfuss gave an overview of SB 540, which proposes to increase fuel taxes by two cents per gallon for the next three years, then protect the rate against inflation by tying it to the Consumer Price Index.  He stated it won’t do everything, but it will allow MoDOT to match all available federal transportation funds and provide much-needed revenue for cities and counties to share.  Mr. Payne asked if the entire tax would be indexed rather than just the 6 cents.  Mr. Meyer replied that it would index the entire tax.  He commended the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) and MoDOT for their part in helping spur the creation of the bill.  He added that it is a reasonable plan to move forward, and he will be discussing it with the Cape Girardeau City Council.

Mr. Christian reported that Steve Duke was unable to fix the problems with the travel demand model.  SEMO RPC and SEMPO staff will have to manually forecast travel demand for the MTP.  He noted that Mr. Duke’s efforts were still valuable because of the extensive data he compiled, which will be loaded into the SEMPO GIS system.

Ms. Hood gave a recap of the two interactive public meetings that were held as part of the City of Cape Girardeau’s Transportation Trust Fund 5 initiative.  The official results are not yet available, but it appeared that maintenance, repair and enhancement projects were heavily supported by the participants.  The City Council will begin work on preparing the final list in time for the vote on the tax issue in August, 2015.

Vice Chairwoman Lohr reported that ground broke on the new traffic signal for East Elementary School in Jackson, which will house its first students in the fall of 2015.  She also gave updates on several other City projects.

Mr. Herbst discussed preparations being made for the quarry that is currently under construction in Cape Girardeau County, including the posting of speed limits and the acquisition of easements for a new road.  He added that the County Commissioners are continuing their presentations at various schools, clubs, and local groups to explain the proposed use tax issue which will appear on the April, 2015 ballot.

Mr. Seiler stated that MoDOT is not opposed to the bills proposed in the Missouri General Assembly pertaining to changes to weight limitations for vehicles hauling livestock or agricultural products on state highways as long as funding is provided to maintain and repair the bridges.

Adjournment

Upon motion made by Mr. Mogelnicki, seconded by Mr. Meyer, the meeting was adjourned unanimously at 2:55 p.m.