Meeting Minutes of the A/GFTC Technical Advisory Committee
August 14, 2013
Attendees Agency
Brian Abare Village of South Glens Falls DPW
Stu Baker Town of Queensbury Community Development
Frank Bonafide NYSDOT Region 1
Michael Breault Washington County DPW
Rob Cherry NYSDOT Region 1
Tracy Conlon Trustee, Village of Fort Edward
Richard Doyle Washington County DPW
Karen Hulihan NYSDOT Region 1
Larry Mulvaney NYSDOT Region 1
Joe Orlow Mayor, Village of South Glens Falls
Scott Sopczyk Greater Glens Falls Transit
Jeff Tennyson Warren County DPW
Mike Valentine Saratoga County Planning
A/GFTC Staff:
Aaron Frankenfeld
Kate Mance
1. Welcome and Introductions: Aaron opened the meeting at 1:30.
2. Visitors Issues: No visitors present
3. Administrative Items –
A. iPoolNorth contract – As noted at the last meeting, A/GFTC has merged its online
ridesharing matching service (iPoolNorth) with that of CDTC (iPool2). Requested items
for the next RFP for a provider of those services are currently under consideration.
B. RPB reimbursements – A/GFTC was informed that payments to the host agency in
advance of services was not a reimbursable expense, despite having sustained the
practice for several years. The Regional Planning Board has adjusted their billing
accordingly after discussions with staff and the RPB’s accountant.
4. UPWP
A. Completed / Ongoing Activities
1) On-call assistance projects
a. Fire Road Pedestrian Improvements – Kate reported on the status of the
project. A successful joint public meeting was held between the Glens Falls
Common Council and Glens Falls School Board to discuss the project, and
outreach to individual stakeholders has been conducted. The preferred
option that has emerged is a multiuse trail. A presentation of the draft
report is planned for the Common Council in September; thus far, the City
seems content with the project.
Adirondack / Glens Falls Transportation Council
11 South Street, Suite 203
Glens Falls, NY 12801
p: (518) 223 – 0086 f: (518) 223 – 0584
info@agftc.org
www.agftc.org
b. Bay / Sanford Crash Analysis – Aaron reported that CHA staff was in the
field as of last week conducting additional data collection. Receipt of a draft
report is anticipated soon.
2) Exit 17 Land Use Study – Aaron reported on the project. A study kickoff meeting
was held July 25th, during which we reviewed the advisory committee
representation and project schedule. A meeting with Town of Moreau officials to
discuss potential buildout was scheduled.
3) Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan update – Aaron reported that A/GFTC’s
Panning Assistant had been working on shoulder data collection for Moreau and
Washington County as a complement to the information that had been compiled as
part of the Warren County Bicycle Master Plan. A/GFTC staff also met with several
representatives from Washington County to discuss the planning initiative and
establish contacts. Mike Valentine asked about the data collection. Aaron noted
that it was shoulder width and speed data that would ultimately be used in the
analysis.
5. Long Range Plan update –
A. Comments on draft – Aaron asked the committee for any substantive comments on the
draft that would require resolution prior to staff releasing the draft. Smaller, technical
corrections can be resolved during the public comment period. To date, comments had
been received from NYSDOT and the Canal Corporation and staff was working to
incorporate those into a revised draft.
B. Approval for public comment – A motion was made to approve the draft for public
comment.
Moved by: Stu Baker Second: Mike Valentine Motion Carried
6. Transit
A. GGFT Update – Scott Sopczyk reported that four new buses had been delivered. The
entire GGFT fleet is now equipped with onboard cameras that have proven to be quite
valuable. The roof replacement project has been completed. Procurement of a new
trolley during FFY 14 has been initiated. Regarding operations, construction on Route 4
has been a challenge but has not resulted in any significant service disruptions. SUNY
Adirondack students will now be able to present their student IDs as fare for GGFT
services. Ridership increases are anticipated as a result. Aaron reported that A/GFTC
staff has updated the GGFT route map; maintaining the map had been a challenge on
account of previous formatting.
7. Transportation Improvement Program
A. Amendments and Modifications – Aaron summarized recent TIP changes to the TIP,
including necessary modifications for the Beach Road, Fort Edward Visitors Center,
Broad Street, GGFT Trolley Purchase, Routes 28N and Route 4 bridge, and West
Mountain Road MTC projects. An amendment was presented by NYSDOT to reintroduce a
project to improve the at-grade CP rail crossing at East Street, a project that was
previously on the TIP but had been withdrawn on account of inactivity. Aaron noted that
the Village of Fort Edward was supportive of this amendment request. A motion was
made to approve the amendment request for project 193286.
Moved by: Mike Valentine Second: Tracy Conlon Motion Carried
B. Project Updates
Jeff Tennyson reported on Warren County projects. Bids had been received for
the Crane Mountain Road bridge replacement and Hicks Road reconstruction
projects. No resolution has been made on the ongoing dispute with FHWA
regarding reimbursement for ARRA projects. FHWA has not responded to the
latest County inquiry and it is anticipated that a political push will be necessary.
Beach Road is completed. Steel repairs are ongoing on the Lanfear Road bridge.
The Draft Design Report for Valley Road bridge is almost complete. PS&E for Blair
Road over Mill Brook is underway. ROW issues have been encountered with
Palisades Road over Brant Lake inlet; Warren County will attempt to resolve
those without a TIP amendment. Scott asked about the schedule for Hicks Road;
Jeff noted that project could begin as soon as September and that the contractor
is aware of the need to coordinate schedules with the balloon festival.
Mike Breault reported on Washington County projects. CR 12 over the Mettawee
River is on schedule. CR 61 was delayed on account of high water and a resulting
change in the bridge footing.
Mayor Orlow reported that field personnel for the Route 9 safety project have
been responsive and helpful. The Village would have preferred additional
amenities as part of the project, but the project has been well received
nonetheless.
Stu Baker reported that although elements of the design authorization have been
delayed, the Aviation Road project is still on schedule for construction in Spring
2014.
Frank Bonafide reported on NYSDOT projects. Work on U.S> Route 4 continues.
the 197 bridge over the Hudson River is scheduled for an 8/15 letting. Route 28N
over the Hudson is due to be let in October. The Route 4/149 intersection project
will be out for bid in October; ROW has been successfully acquired. Removal in
advance of replacement of the Route 4 bridge over the Champlain Canal in
Whitehall is scheduled for December. Frank also reported that Region 1
performed well in project delivery as compared to other DOT regions, but noted
that delivery of the Make the Connection program projects could be improved.
C. Draft STIP – Aaron noted that the draft STIP has been released for public comment and
can be accessed at the A/GFTC office.
D. Preservation Program Solicitation – Aaron noted that design funds for the pavement and
bridge preservation block programs would be available for obligation by October 2013.
A discussion ensued as to how to conduct the solicitation. A motion was made to
establish a working group to conduct the solicitations.
Moved by: Jeff Tennyson Second: Frank Bonafide Motion Carried
E. TEP – Aaron noted that the application deadline is Friday, August 16. Few local projects
were expected to be submitted, but Frank noted that the Region was expecting dozens
of applications. A project selection process similar to what had been recently deployed
with success for the STEP process was anticipated. Aaron noted that that process had
worked well in the past. The Regional office will determine eligibility. No firm timeline for
announcement of awarded projects has been provided.
8. Next Meeting and Adjourn
The next meeting was scheduled for October 16 at 1:30. The meeting was adjourned at 2:48
PM.