Meeting Agenda State College Borough Transportation Commission Regular Meeting Room 304/12:15 p.m. I. II. III. IV. V. Call to Order Roll Call Approval of Minutes Public Hour Discussion Items A. B. C. Proposed 2019 Budget and Impact on Work Plan PennDOT Response to Requests for Speed Limit Reductions Atherton Street Update VI. VII. VIII. Liaison Reports Upcoming Meeting January 8, 2019 Adjournment Documents: Complete Transportation Commission Agenda -.pdf
Page 1 of 9 I. Call to Order II. Roll Call Meeting Agenda State College Borough Transportation Commission Room 304 / 12:15 p.m. Ray Najjar, Chairman Richard Garis, Vice-Chairman Rick Gilmore Mieke Haeck Paul Jovanis Diana Malcom Hugh Mose III. Approval of Minutes November 6, 2018 IV. Public Hour Hearing of Citizens V. Discussion Items A. Proposed 2019 Budget and Impact on Work Plan The proposed 2019 operating budget as presented to Borough Council determines what projects in the approved Capital Improvements Plan will be funded. The CIP and funding status of the various projects is included for review. The budget as presented to Borough Council did not include the Traffic Signals and Intersection Safety project for 2019. That project proposed looking at the Borough s intersections overall which has not been performed since 2010. Since then, many intersections have been revised in part or in whole to improve the overall safety. Additionally, several new buildings have been constructed with traffic mitigation requirements, the Borough has been upgrading traffic signs to current standards, and PennDOT has performed design and construction on state highways that incorporate safety measures in the design. The work originally approved is what was submitted to Council. B. PennDOT Response to Requests for Speed Limit Reductions As recommended by Transportation Commission and Borough Council, Borough staff requested that PennDOT evaluate Park Avenue (SR3007) from Shortlidge Road to North Atherton and Atherton Street (SR3014) from Prospect Avenue to Branch Road for speed limit reductions from 35 MPH to 25 MPH. During November, the Borough received separate letters from PennDOT stating that the speed studies conducted do not indicate a speed limit reduction is justified. For Park Avenue, PennDOT stated they will place a speed display board in the area during the spring of 2019. For Atherton
Page 2 of 9 Street, PennDOT discussed the next section of Atherton Street construction which is currently in design. In the design, PennDOT is planning to address pedestrian facilities and relocate some existing CATA bus stops to make this section safer for all modes of transportation. This is for informational purposes with no action required. C. Atherton Street Update PennDOT hosted a press conference at the State College Borough Municipal Building on December 4, 2018. They provided an update of the construction status for the current section of Atherton Street with important dates for 2019 as well as updated the status of the next section as they are planning for the construction to be completed during 2020 from Park Avenue to the Parkway. The current project map and construction timing as prepared by the Centre Region Planning Agency is included for your information. VI. Upcoming Meeting January 8, 2019 VII. Liaison Reports A. MPO/CRPA/COG Transportation Tom Zilla/Trish Meek B. Centre Area Transportation Authority Jackie Sheader C. Penn State Transportation Rob DeMayo D. PennDOT Albert Carlson E. Borough Planning Commission Ed LeClear/Anne Messner F. Borough Engineer Amy Kerner G. Sustainability Coordinator Alan Sam H. Parking Office Patrick Ward I. State College Police Lt. Barrett Smith VIII. Adjournment
Page 3 of 9 Meeting Minutes State College Borough Transportation Commission November 6, 2018 The State College Borough Transportation Commission (TC) met on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 in Room 304 of the Municipal Building. Chairman Najjar called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. Members Present Ray Najjar, Chairman; Richard Garis, Vice-Chairman; Diana Malcom; and Paul Jovanis Members Absent Rick Gilmore; Mieke Haeck; and Hugh Mose Others Present Deborah Hoag, Director of Public Works; Amy Kerner, Borough Engineer; Anne Messner, Planner/Zoning Officer; Lt. Barrett Smith, State College Police; P. Rick Ward, Director of Parking; Trish Meek, MPO, CRPA; Jackie Sheader, CATA Public Relations Manager; Albert Carlson, PennDOT; Robert DeMayo, Pennsylvania State University (PSU) Transportation; and Judy Altieri, Office Manager Approval of Minutes Ms. Malcom motioned to amend the meeting minutes from October 9, 2018. Mr. Garis seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. Public Hour Hearing of Citizens There was no one that spoke during the public hour. Discussion Items Approval of 2019 Work Plan Ms. Hoag led the 2019 Work Plan discussion; she noted the plan would be presented to Borough Council (BC) in November. She highlighted several topics, and noted that pedestrian safety would always be an issue for review because of the commercial development happening in the downtown area. Mr. Jovanis asked about item 6 review and update of the Vehicle and Traffic Ordinance. Ms. Hoag noted a thorough review had not been done for several years and a recent review indicated there were several discrepancies that needed to be reviewed and addressed during a comprehensive update. Mr. Jovanis motioned to approve the 2019 Work Plan; Mr. Garis seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.
Page 4 of 9 Approval of 2019 Meeting Dates Mr. Jovanis read a note from Mr. Mose (who was unable to attend the meeting). Mr. Mose s note suggested the TC research areas where they could carve out a more meaningful role when addressing transportation, parking, and pedestrian issues within the Borough municipal limits, which included high-occupancy vehicle parking, CATA service enhancements, etc. His note also suggested meeting informally during a work session to learn more about what the TC responsibilities were. Ms. Hoag indicated there was an ordinance that defined the duties of the TC, but most of their work items were referred to the Commission by BC. She noted the TC had some limitation as they were an advisory commission to the BC. Ms. Malcom questioned the process for taking public comments at the TC meetings. Ms. Hoag confirmed that the Commission could always take public comments, but that some of those issues could not be addressed by the TC and would be directly forwarded to BC or possible to another ABC (Authorities, Boards or Commissions). Mr. Jovanis noted there was merit to scheduling a work session and asked Ms. Hoag about the feasibility/mechanics. He noted that perhaps they would all gain some value and have a better sense of what they could (or could not) address as a Commission. He suggested the work session be scheduled for the first meeting in January. Ms. Hoag indicated she would have to check on the legality of scheduling a work session. She also noted there had been previous discussions about having an orientation program for all of the ABC members, so everyone had a better understanding of how they work/fit together and report to BC. She noted the first meeting of the year could not be a work session, as the TC needed to reorganize. Lastly, she added that all of the TC s meetings would be recorded by CNET as long as there were not scheduling issues. Mr. Jovanis motioned to approve the 2019 meeting schedule. Mr. Garis seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. Upcoming Meeting(s) Mr. Najjar noted he would not be attending the meeting and asked Mr. Garis to chair the meeting. Liaison Reports MPO/CRPA/COG Transportation - Ms. Meek noted they continued to do workshops and solicit projects for the Centre County long-range planning document. Centre Area Transportation Authority - Ms. Sheader indicated CATA would hold their annual public input meeting on November 20, 2019. Penn State Transportation - Mr. DeMayo indicated the university was having discussions with the Borough about Ubers. He also noted they had success with their bike share program and were looking to expand the program. Lastly, he added that electric scooters (escooters) were not allowed on campus.
Page 5 of 9 Ms. Meek added a meeting would soon be scheduled for representatives from the local municipalities and PSU to discuss the issues/concerns regarding escooters, ebikes, etc. Some of the questions being asked were: are they street legal, require registration, licensing, insurance, etc. She noted the ebike movement was gaining speed and it was only a matter of time before they showed up in force in State College. She continued, noting there were a few on the street already, but if a large-scale company brought in a shared program there could be considerable injuries, etc. Ms. Hoag suggested Ms. Meek put together a presentation for the TC on the subject matter for a future meeting. PennDOT - Mr. Carlson noted the request for information noted above would be sent to the Central Office for response. Borough Planning Commission - Ms. Messner noted the PC had recently reviewed two land development plans (old diner downtown and the cafeteria expansion at the Our Lady of Victory school). She also noted Planning staff continued to work on the zoning ordinance rewrite project with the Zoning Revision Advisory Committee. Borough Engineer - Ms. Kerner noted the Park/McKee Pedestrian Island project was complete and a welcomed addition to that area. She also noted the Easterly Parkway Reconstruction project would be coming to an end within the next week. Sustainability Coordinator - No report given. Parking Office - Mr. Ward thanked the TC for their input on the Highlands area residential parking changes. He noted Council had approved the TC recommendation and the changes would take affect on January 1, 2019. State College Police - No report given. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chairman Najjar adjourned the meeting at 12:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Judy Altieri Office Manager
2019 Capital Fund Projects Transportation Commission Page 6 of 9 PROJECT NUMBER PROJECT TITLE AMOUNT ST191 Hiester Street Bus Pull-Off $56,000 SW191 Sinkhole Repairs $400,000 ST001 Street Reconstruction $450,000 ST001 Street and Alley Resurfacing $660,000 BD131 Government Building Improvements $175,000 IT400 Data Center Improvement $80,000 BD015 Government Building Maintenance Reserve $128,000 ST941 Bicycle Facility Improvements $65,000 OP121 Energy Savings Project $75,000 ST121 Atherton Corridor Improvement Project $53,000 SW111 Stormwater Projects $383,000 OP181 Development Market Analysis $40,000 TOTAL $2,505,000 2019 OPERATING BUDGET
2019 Other Funds Projects Transportation Commission Page 7 of 9 Funding Sources (Enterprise Fund) PROJECT NUMBER PROJECT TITLE AMOUNT SS-1 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation $850,000 SS-2 Sanitary Sewer Inflow & Infiltration $216,000 SANITARY SEWER FUND $1,066,000 PF138 Parking Study $100,000 PARKING FUND $100,000 ST021 Downtown Streetlights $271,590 CDBG FUND $271,590 2019 OPERATING BUDGET
Unfunded Capital Projects Transportation Commission Page 8 of 9 There are 9 projects, which total $2,041,200, that were approved in the 2019-2023 Capital Improvements Plan but are not funded in the 2019 Budget due to lack of funding: PROJECT NUMBER PROJECT TITLE AMOUNT PK200 Park Land Acquisition/Improvements $48,700 ST142 Downtown Infrastructure $350,000 IT183 Aerial Photography Update $65,000 PK182 Park Land Restoration $25,000 PK001 Parks Maintenance Reserve $52,500 ST022 Traffic Signals and Intersection Safety $75,000 IT280 High Speed Internet $70,000 OP191 West End Transportation Infrastructure $155,000 OP192 Social Housing Redevelopment Project $1,200,000 2019 OPERATING BUDGET
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