[s1]CAPITAL
DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes
MEMBERS ATTENDING
Carm Basile, Capital
District Transportation Authority
Sarah Crowell,
representing Mayor Daniel Dwyer, City of
Regional Planning Commission
Michael Franchini,
representing Michael Breslin,
Mayor James Gaughan,
Terry Hurley, Albany Port
District Commission
Mary Ivey, NYS Department
of Transportation Region 1, Secretary
Andrew
Kreshik, representing Mayor Harry Tutunjian, City of
Michael
Loftus,
Paula Mahan, Town of
Daniel McCoy,
Mayor John T. McDonald
Linda von der Heide,
representing Kathleen Jimino,
County
Jim Digioia, Interested Citizen
David Jukins, Capital District Transportation Committee
Paul Murphy, Interested Citizen
Sandra Misiewicz, Capital District Transportation
Committee
John Scherzer, Capital District Transportation Authority
Stephen Williams, The Daily Gazette
OPENING REMARKS
Chairman McDonald opened the
Capital District Transportation Committee meeting at
Approval of the
The
Nominating Subcommittee Report
The nominating subcommittee
met on
The nominating subcommittee nominated
Mayor John McDonald of
The Nominating subcommittee
also nominated town and village at-large members for representation on the
policy board. Chris Koetzle (Town of
The Nominating subcommittee
nominated town and village at-large members to serve on the planning committee. Proposed nominations were:
Member: Barbara
McHugh,
Alternate: Kevin
Corcoran, Glenville
Kathy Matern,
Steve Watts, Halfmoon
Mike Morelli,
Tony
Tozzi,
Peter Comenzo,
Paul Reuss, Menands
Members
approved the nominations as proposed.
Administrative & Financial Standing Subcommittee
Report
It is CDTC’s practice for the
Chairman to appoint members to the Administrative and Financial Standing
Subcommittee on an annual basis. The A
& F Standing Subcommittee met on February 18th and appointed the
following to serve on the A & F Standing Subcommittee:
Carm Basile, CDTA
Mary Ivey, NYSDOT Region 1
Joe Landry,
Mike Breslin,
Tom Richardson, Mechanicville
Tom Werner,
At this meeting, the A &
F Standing Subcommittee also approved the line item budget to match the UPWP.
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR
Chairman McDonald indicated that CDTC provides an
opportunity for visitors to address items on the agenda. No one from the public attending the meeting made
a request to speak.
PRESENTATION —LAUNCHING BusPlus
Carm Basile provided an
informative presentation on the launching of BusPlus. BusPlus is CDTA’s planned Bus Rapid Transit (
UNIFIED
PLANNING
Approval
of the 2100-12 Addendum to the 2010-12 UPWP
CDTC is required to develop a
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) as a basis and condition for all FHWA and
FTA funding assistance for transportation planning within the four county
Capital District region. CDTC has embraced the two-year UPWP concept, the
current program being the 2010-12 UPWP that was adopted in March 2010. The
program reflects the goals and objectives of CDTC’s New Visions Plan, the
Community and Transportation Linkage Program studies, and NYSDOT’s Emphasis
Areas.
At its
2010-15 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENTS
Round Two Programming
CDTC’s 2010-15 TIP development
involved a decision to program approximately $150M in “anticipatory” revenues.
The funding level was viewed as sufficient to entertain a wide range of
candidate proposals with the intention of identifying a new generation of
projects that reflect New Visions priorities. After addressing schedules,
budgets and commitments to existing projects, CDTC completed Round One of
programming of new high-ranking projects within a limited set of project
categories. A Round Two of programming was begun to consider other candidates
and to ensure that, overall, the 2010-15 TIP is balanced and equitable. Round
Two was suspended by the Planning Committee in July, 2010 after agreeing that a
minimum of $20M of a $57M programming balance would be directed to pavement and
bridges and that all new projects would be scheduled later than those already
programmed. With Policy Board concurrence, the Round Two programming effort was
tabled for at least six months.
Six months have passed since
the Policy Board’s decision to suspend Round Two. Since that time, federal
funding authorization has been maintained through short term extensions but no
action has been taken by Congress on a multi-year reauthorization bill. It is
likely that implementation of the first two years (2010-11 and 2011-12) of the
2010-15 TIP will face federal funding levels that are, at best, flat. Given
this history, the Planning Committee, at its February 8, 2011 meeting
recommended that Rounds Two and Three of the 2010-15 TIP update remain tabled
at this time.
Continuing to table Rounds
Two and Three maintains the value of the candidate list evaluated for the
2010-15 TIP and reaffirms CDTC’s programming approach. If Congress acts on the
reauthorization within the next year, CDTC can fold completion of Round Two and
Three into the 2012-17 TIP update. If Congress does not act by that time, CDTC
would need to revisit the issue; the shelf-life of the existing candidate list
is not indefinite.
Members approved the tabling
of Round two and three programming.
STATUS REPORT ON FINANCIAL PROSPECTS
A one page status report on
the FY 2010 President’s Budget for the Department of Transportation was
distributed to members. The president’s
FY2012 budget request includes a total of $129 billion for the Department of
Transportation. In an effort to jump start this reauthorization, the
President’s request includes a $50 billion “up-front” economic boost that would
foster job creation. $5 billion is requested to establish an Infrastructure
bank that would provide grants and loans using new innovative financing
approaches that would leverage transportation dollars more efficiently. The overall funding request is 66% above FFY
2010 levels.
STATUS OF PLANNING
NYSDOT
The new commissioner will be sworn in on May 8th.
Sixteen projects will be let in March.
Albany
Port Authority
Maritime volume has continued to increase. The Dock
and Wharf improvements will be complete by June 2011.
CDTC
CDTC staff has been working on the New Visions Maintenance
Plan for 2035. Staff is providing updates
on what has been accomplished since 2007.
The draft will be shared with Board members in time for the June
meeting. An agenda will be laid out for
a more in-depth Plan Update.
Town
of Colonie
The town has been receiving very favorable feedback
about the Single Point Urban Interchange that was completed in 2010. Congestion through Exit 6 has be greatly
relieved; plowing has not been an issue.
Crashes at this site have been minimal.
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:15 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for 3:00 pm,
Thursday June 2, 2011.
Respectfully
submitted,
Mary
E. Ivey
Secretary