MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE A/GFTC TAC February 8, 2008
Attendees Agency Phone Fax
Members
Mark Galough Wash. County Planning 746-2290
Preston Jenkins Town of Moreau 792-1802 792-1062
Wayne LaMothe Warren County Planning 761-6410 761-6411
William Lamy Warren County DPW 761-6556 623-2772
David Rettig NYSDOT 388-0456 388-0430
Scott Sopczyk GGFT 792-1086 792-7952
Joe Sullivan City of Glens Falls, DPW 761-3834
Mike Valentine Saratoga County Planning 884-4705 884-4780
Walter Young LC/LGRPB 668-5773 668-5774
Others
Lisa Penistan Warren County DPW 761-6556 623-2772
Jeff Tennyson Warren County DPW 761-6556 623-2772
Staff
Aaron Frankenfeld A/GFTC 746-2199 746-2441
Kristina Hong A/GFTC 746-2199 746-2441
Monika Bulman A/GFTC 746-2199 746-2441
Minutes of the Meeting
1. Welcome & Introductions –TAC Chair Bill Lamy called the meeting to order at
10:03.
2. Visitor Issues – None
3. Administrative Items –
A. Approval of last meeting’s minutes
A motion was made to approve the November 13th meeting minutes.
MOVED BY: Joe Sullivan SECONDED BY: Wayne LaMothe MOTION CARRIED
B. Air quality conformity resolution (handout), Aaron
This new resolution is required based on the fact that CDTC approved its
2030 long range plan. A/GFTC and CDTC are in the same air quality
non-attainment area and both are required to demonstrate conformity.
The plan has been put out for public comment. None were received. As no
non-exempt projects are planned for the Town of Moreau, we can continue to
state that we are in compliance with air quality conformity.
A motion was made to approve the resolution
MOVED BY: Wayne LaMothe SECONDED BY: Joe Sullivan MOTION CARRIED
Adirondack / Glens Falls Transportation Council
Washington County Municipal Center
383 Broadway, Room A-231 Fort Edward, New York 12828
phone: (518) 746-2199 fax: (518) 746-2441
www.a
gftc.org info@agftc.org
TAC Minutes
February 8, 2008
Page 2
C. Annual List of Obligated Projects (handout), Aaron
This is a re-emphasized federal requirement from SAFETEA designed to
improve the transparency of the federal transportation planning process. It is
an annual list of federal obligated projects and will be available on our web-
site. Mr. Sullivan had a question about funds remaining for the Warren Street
project and was told the project may not yet be closed out.
D. In-kind service forms (handout), Aaron
New committee members or those with salary changes should complete the
form and return it to A/GFTC as soon as possible.
4. Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
A. Transit
1. GGFT Update, Scott Sopczyk
Since the last meeting, some transit evening services have been initiated
between Fort Edward and Upper Glen. There has been a small but steady
ridership. Plans for summer trolley service are underway. There will be
an Advisory Committee Meeting next week. New vehicles will be delivered
in May.
2. AlterNet Rides, Aaron
This is an internet car pool initiative. At this time 6 people have signed up
as users. Glens Falls Hospital and The Great Escape are interested in
sponsoring their own pages on the site. They will contribute to what it
costs us to establish their locations as destinations and this will in turn
allow them to have some control of online features. In the future we want
to advertise this service on a larger scale. We have received good press
about the initiative.
Mr. Sopczyk mentioned that the Town of Queensbury and the Adirondack
Regional Chamber of Commerce have expressed interest in sponsoring
some bus shelters on Rte. 9. Additional bus/trolley shelters may become
a possibility at locations where repaving is planned.
Mr. Jenkins relayed to Mr. Sopczyk the interest seniors have in a regular
bus service at the Third Street Midtown Apartments. On-demand bus
service is available via a phone call, but existing services can be
reevaluated if there is significant need.
3. Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (handout)
This draft is available on line. The Plan is required by Federal Transit
Administration to be in place in order to access three different FTA
programs: Section 5310-Elderly and individuals with disabilities; Section
5316-Job access and reverse commute (JARC); Section 5317-New
freedom. The draft plan contains some census data, reasons why there is
a need to do the plan and geographic analysis. The preliminary materials
and results from our survey were shared with a number of human services
agencies that had returned the original survey. Aaron reviewed the draft
plan in depth for the TAC and discussed some of the modifications and
additions to the draft that will be forthcoming. Aaron asked for approval
of the draft with the additions and updates for public comment. The
desire is to start the public comment period around the 12
th. To make
certain that one has the current draft on our web site, checking the post
date was suggested.
TAC Minutes
February 8, 2008
Page 3
A motion was made to approve the draft edited CHSTP for public comment
MOVED BY: Wayne LaMothe SECONDED BY: Mike Valentine MOTION CARRIED
4. FTA passenger mile survey, Aaron
GGFT asked us to repeat the 2005 survey again to satisfy a Federal
Transit Administration requirement. Approximately 500 bus/trolley rides
are necessary to complete the survey. This year in addition to our staff,
temporary clerks will be hired. FTA requires that this passenger mile
study be done every three years to allow the allocation of federal funds
in urbanized areas with a population of over 200,000. Mr. Sopczyk is
hopeful that the new buses coming for 2009 will have passenger counters
and a way to automate and make the calculations required easier.
B. Consultant Activities
1. Access Management study, Aaron Most of the chapters are on line for
review. It is a large document. There was been good committee
participation on this study. This project has been on our work program for
quite some time (1999) and ended up being a regional study.
a. Presentation of final document-Aaron gave the presentation to
the TAC focusing on the results of two of the four case studies:
Rte. 9 (Upper Glen Street in Qsby) and NYS 32 (Dix Avenue in
Kingsbury). The guidebook includes the two other case studies:
NYS 197 in Moreau and Quaker Road in Queensbury. There is a
great deal of technical documentation included. We would like to
recommend this guidebook for Policy Committee consideration to
adopt it.
Mr. Rettig requested more time to have the guidebook reviewed
by his staff. A letter will be sent out to the TAC to get approval
for the guidebook by the 29
th of February so it can be presented
to the Policy Committee.
2. Aviation Road Corridor study, Aaron
a. Status of Work: An expansion of the scope of work has been
requested by the Town of Queensbury and the Queensbury
School District. Three primary intersection improvements were
identified; all three involve possible roundabouts. Queensbury
would like the consultants to analyze the locations of the
potential roundabouts more carefully. ROW was discussed. The
revised price to reanalyze the three locations was $14K. Mr.
LaMothe questioned if the School had completed their Master
Plan. Aaron said the contents of the Plan are known to include a
new access on the western end of the campus; they are looking
at a modification to the main entrance (a roundabout).
A motion was requested to allow the consultant to go ahead with
the analysis
MOVED BY: Wayne LaMothe SECONDED BY: Joe Sullivan MOTION CARRIED
TAC Minutes
February 8, 2008
Page 4
3. Upcoming RFPs, Aaron
Hope to have the RFP out for Exit 20 soon.
About a year ago Mr. Lamy and Mr. Bill Thomas met with DOT-Region 1 to
talk about the Exit 20 corridor. Mr. Lamy received a letter recently from
Mark Kennedy describing their findings regarding signal coordination and
issues with backups on the ramp. A copy will be sent to A/GFTC.
Mr. LaMothe pointed out that there are 21 curb cuts from the exit ramp to
the traffic light at 149. This is the same amount of square footage as the
original Crossgates Mall and there is 1/3 of the parking. The initial
recommendation from the County Planning Board when the first project
was presented was to put in service roads but the Town of Queensbury did
not wish to do so.
The GIS RFP would allow someone to come in and look at our data
system. This would include scanning the other MPOs around the state to
see what types of things they are doing with GIS. We want to improve
our internet mapping capabilities. Hope to get this RFP out soon.
Mr. Rettig invited A/GFTC staff to attend a regional GIS coordination
meeting on February 20
th at the regional office.
C. Staff Activities
1. Long Range Plan, Aaron
In the next several weeks staff will be able to resume work on various
chapters of the Plan.
2. Local System Short Term Accident Reduction, Aaron
Several months ago Mr. Rettig came to a TAC meeting and outlined the
desired direction of STP safety money as a local system short term
accident reduction program that would be funded by taking the safety
allocation and turning it over to locals on a regional basis. This would
allow the 8-county region to select projects based upon the most pressing
identifiable safety needs. CDTC has decided that they are entitled to a 70-
75% sub-allocation of these funds. As a result 3 solicitations within the
Region will need to be done.
D. 2008 UPWP Updates (handout), Aaron
We are required to do an administrative update. Last year we had a two year
work program approved. We will go back to a one year work program after
this year. The financial tables reflect carryovers and new FHWA funds.
One major change in the narrative is the description of technical services
contract that we would administer as a Shared Cost Initiative (an NYSMPO
mechanism for taking funds that would have gone to an individual MPO off
the top of the allocations and pooling them towards consulting studies that
are of value to all). This is being changed to hosting a software and
visualization standardization cost initiative.
TAC Minutes
February 8, 2008
Page 5
5. TIP
A. Amendments, Aaron
The processed amendments included getting Buffum’s Bridge back in the
program and a $1 million NHS amendment for ROW acquisition for the 149
job.
Mr. Rettig reported that statewide, NHS funds are tremendously over
programmed.
B. Project Update
1. Warren County, Jeff Tennyson
Alder Brook Road
, have received proposals and are in the consultant
selection phase
Grist Mill Road
and Tannery, expect a small increase on some
construction costs for Tannery Bridge; to proceed with the two bridges
at the same time and to provide a single detour has undergone some
review by DOT.
Beach Road
, expect scoping soon
Corinth Road,
the Town of Queensbury has decided to pursue
underground utilities regardless of whether they win their court case or
not. ROW money is being distributed. Aaron asked if the Town is now
committed to paying for the underground utilities. A Town Resolution
is expected. Construction may start at the earliest in the spring of
2009.
Woolen Mill Bridge,
is stalled in ROW incidentals and acquisitions;
expecting some final resolution and hoping to move forward
2. Washington County – no report
3. Town of Moreau, Preston Jenkins
Had nothing to report
4. Glens Falls, Joe Sullivan
Working on paving schedule.
5. Queensbury – no report
6. NYSDOT, Dave Rettig
NYS 149-NYS 372
, There is a slope failure on NYS 372,
consequently this cannot wait and has to be accelerated into the
149 project.
197 over East Branch of Hudson
, still need to have a public
meeting since the project is now a rehab not a replacement.
Rte 372
, there will be an advisory committee meeting
On February 15 there will be a 20 years needs roundtable
discussion at DOT, Wolf Road from 1 to 3:30. The Commissioner
will give a presentation at this meeting. Subtopics will include
energy and environment.
5. Next meeting and adjourn- Will schedule the next meeting as needed. Mr.
LaMothe made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:34.