CHARLOTTE COUNTY-PUNTA GORDA & SARASOTA/MANATEE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS JOINT REGIONAL MEETING

Transcription

1 0 0 0 CHARLOTTE COUNTY-PUNTA GORDA & SARASOTA/MANATEE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS JOINT REGIONAL MEETING Venice Community Center Nokomis Ave South Venice, Florida MINUTES FOR JANUARY, 0 Members Present Charlotte County Punta Gorda MPO Board Commissioner Christopher Constance Charlotte County Commission Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch Charlotte County Commission Commissioner Ken Doherty Charlotte County Commission Councilman Tom Cavanaugh City of Punta Gorda Commissioner James Herston Charlotte County Airport Authority Sarasota/Manatee MPO Board Councilman Patrick Roff City of Bradenton Councilman Gene Brown City of Bradenton Commissioner Linda Yates City of North Port Mayor Jacqueline Moore City of North Port Commissioner Larry Bustle Manatee County Commission Commissioner Betsy Benac Manatee County Commission Commissioner Vanessa Baugh Manatee County Commission Commissioner Charles Hines Sarasota County Commission Commissioner Alan Maio Sarasota County Commission Commissioner Christine Robinson Sarasota County Commission Commissioner Jack Daly Town of Longboat Key Commissioner Susan Chapman City of Sarasota Vice Mayor Suzanne Atwell for City of Sarasota Mayor Willie Shaw Commissioner Jonathan Davis for City of Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant Mayor Bob Johnson Island Transportation Planning Organization (ITPO) (Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach & Holmes Beach) Councilman Bob Daniels City of Venice

2 January, 0 Page of Advisory Secretary Billy Hattaway Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One Member Absent Commissioner Carlos Beruff Sarasota-Manatee Airport Authority Charlotte County-Punta Gorda MPO Staff Robert Herrington, Director Bekie Murrill, Administrative Services Coordinator Gary Harrell, Principal Planner Lakshmi N. Gurram, Planner II Wendy Scott, Planner II Sarasota/Manatee MPO Staff David Hutchinson, Executive Director Sue Clapsaddle, Human Resources/Fiscal Manager Nanette Eubanks, Office Manager Mike Maholtz, Senior Transportation Planner Jim Van Pelt, Public Transportation Planner Colleen McGue, Transportation Planner Rachel McClain, Office Assistant Others Attending Laura Lockwood, FDOT Roxann Lake, FDOT Keith Robbins, FDOT Katy Heck, City of Punta Gorda Police Department Isaac Brownman, Sarasota County Mitchell Austin, City of Punta Gorda CALL TO ORDER: JOINT CHAIRS Commissioner Christopher Constance, Charlotte County-Punta Gorda MPO Councilman Patrick Roff, Sarasota/Manatee MPO Chair Christopher Constance called the Joint MPO Board Meeting to order at approximately :0 a.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Chair Patrick Roff recognized Mr. Danny Bilyeu of Congressman Vern Buchanan s office.

3 January, 0 Page of Chair Christopher Constance recognized Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners Chair, Commissioner Bill Truex. I. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC No one from the public came forward. II. OPENING COMMENTS Members introduced themselves and stated their jurisdictions. III FDOT UPDATE Secretary Hattaway reported on the following: As a result of the Dangerous by Design report the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) implemented its statewide initiative to improve bicycle and pedestrian by adopting a Complete Streets Policy in September of 0. FDOT has been working with Smart Growth America since March of 0 to develop an implementation plan for the Compete Streets Policy. Along with its consultant, the FDOT is developing a Complete Streets Implementation Handbook. The Handbook will be a transition document that will be developed over the next to months and will be utilized as a training tool. IV. REGIONAL DISCUSSION ITEMS. River Road Regional Interstate Connector Mr. Isaac Brownman, Sarasota County Public Works, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the River Road Interstate Connector: Background: Regional Roadway Improvement and Reconstruction Project Major Arterial Roadway from S.R. (Charlotte County) to I- (Sarasota County).-mile long widening and elevation improvement

4 January, 0 Page of Add capacity, correct deficiencies, hurricane evacuation Add bicycle lanes, sidewalks, streetscape, street lighting Multiple partners and stakeholders Design complete from US to I- lane and lane sections consistent with the federally approved Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study and projected traffic analysis Accomplishments to Date: Winchester Blvd. constructed from Charlotte County Line to River Road (00) Full Design/Permitting of U.S. to I- Right-of-Way Acquisition and Reservation (various segments) West Villages Pkwy Signalized Intersection U.S. /River Road Intersection (0) Funding Strategy Moving Forward: MPO Major Project Priorities List Financially Feasible Plan 0 0 US to West Villages Pkwy Right-of-Way (ROW), Construct lane Pursue majority funding from Federal/State Discussion ensued regarding Sarasota County s ability to acquire right-of-way (ROW) through developer contributions and the importance of contacting Representatives in Tallahassee regarding funding for River Road. Mr. Brownman pointed out Sarasota County does look for ROW opportunities through donation and impact fee credits; ROW for much of the project has been reserved.. FDOT Future Corridors Presentation Ms. Laura Lockwood, FDOT, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding an update on Florida s Future Transpiration Corridors: Active Study Areas: Tampa Bay- Central Florida Study Area Tampa Bay-Northeast Florida Study Area Future corridors: Meet growing demand for moving people and freight to support economic development Provide solutions for or alternatives to existing congested corridors Improve connectivity between regions/between Florida and other States and Nations Coordinate long range growth and transportation plans

5 January, 0 Page of Transform/modernize existing facilities, especially to serve a new function such as adding tolled express lanes, truck only lanes or bus rapid transit (BRT) to an existing highway Identify study areas for potential new facilities, such as new parallel facilities to provide alternatives to existing congested highways and new multimodal facilities in regions not well served by statewide corridors today Ms. Lockwood suggested an update at next year s joint meeting regarding: Tampa Bay - Central Florida Concept Report East Central Florida Corridor Task Force I- Relief Task Force For questions or further information please contact Ms. Laura Lockwood at - - or Laura.Lockwood@dot.state.fl.us. Discussing ensued regarding FDOT s study tying into the rail corridors. Ms. Laura Lockwood explained that with the multimodal approach, FDOT is looking into potential future rail corridors for freight and passenger rail, as well as other transit modes and options for public transit.. FDOT District One Freight Study Mr. Keith Robbins, FDOT District One Freight Coordinator, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the District One Freight Study: Purpose: Provide an executive level overview of the findings of the Florida Department of Transportation s (FDOT) District One Freight Mobility & Implementation Study. Objectives: Regional Coordination Freight Asset Inventory Hot Spots Identification Freight Project/Investment Options/Invest Implementation Consistency with Statewide Investment Element Principal Tasks:

6 January, 0 Page of Public Involvement/Outreach Freight Policies Review, Data Inventory, Needs Assessment and Project Recommendations Implementation Plan: Executive Summary Summary Overview of District One freight and logistics infrastructure and operational footprint Implementation guide with objectives, strategies, action items, and example projects to guide us along the path to improve freight mobility Flexible and dynamic plan that can be modified as required for the changing landscape For questions or comments please contact Mr. Robbins at -- or Keith.Robbins@dot.stat.fl.us.. Bicycle/Pedestrian Activities Ms. Colleen McGue, Sarasota/Manatee MPO provided updates regarding local bicycle and pedestrian programs: Local crash data Statewide efforts MPO efforts Local efforts Complete Streets Planning Efforts SUN Trail Coast to Coast Connector For questions or comments please contact Ms. McGue at -- or Colleen@MyMPO.org. Question was raised regarding hot spots (pedestrian incidents) and the reasoning behind the detail for the large concentration for the hot spot areas in northern Sarasota County versus the difference in South County. Ms. McGue responded it is a combination of many factors regarding the differences between North and South County. Secretary Hattaway noted that generally, as FDOT looks at high crash corridors across the state, they intend to be higher speed, multi lanes corridors and many times no medians.

7 January, 0 Page of Secretary Hattaway announced a new series of training sessions intended for staff of local governments: Designing for Pedestrian Safety March th and th to be held at FDOT- Ft. Myers and in Bartow on April th and th Road Safety Audit Training February th and th in Bartow, April th and th in Tampa and in Ft. Myers on September th and th Mr. Mitchell Austin, City of Punta Gorda, a provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the City s bicycle and pedestrian programs: and the City of Punta Gorda becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community: Only Florida Bicycle Friendly Communities in the State of Florida (City of Venice is of the ) Is a collaborative effort within the community since 00 Goal is to create a well-connected network of on and off street bicycle infrastructure Creation of Share the Lane Punta Gorda- giving people the skills and confidence to ride Develop a broad based bicycle education program Expand Share the Lane Punta Gorda website and brand Develop a Bicycle Master Plan for Punta Gorda Lieutenant Katy Heck, City of Punta Gorda Police Department, provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding its programs: Goal is to improve bicycle safety and pedestrian safety through education, communication, and enforcement Moving forward through B.E.E.P.- Bicycle-Part of the community, Education-Training, Enforcement-Safety and Program- Holistic approach Chair Christopher Constance noted that Lieutenant Heck is the City of Punta Gorda s Officer of the Year!

8 January, 0 Page of V. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS It was the consensus of the Board Members that a joint meeting is an excellent way of sharing information. It was suggested that next year s joint meeting be held in January, 0. VI. ADJOURNMENT OF JOINT REGIONAL MEETING AT : A.M.