[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER]
THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER.HI, I'M SUSAN SUMMERS, UM, I'M CHAIR OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
I'M GONNA CALL THE MEET REGULAR MEETING OF OUR COMMISSION TO ORDER.
IT'S, UH, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH, 2024.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
FIRST THING ON OUR AGENDA EVERY MONTH IS, UH, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.UM, SO WE DO ALLOW FOR THE FIRST 10 SPEAKERS WHO ARE SIGNED UP, UM, PRIOR TO THE MEETING, UH, WILL BE ALLOWED A THREE MINUTE ALLOTMENT TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ON ITEMS NOT RELATED TO THE AGENDA.
I DO HAVE A LIST OF, UM, I BELIEVE THREE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HERE TODAY.
LOOKS LIKE ALL OF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, NOT THINGS ON THE, UM, ON THE AGENDA.
SO I'LL JUST WORK DOWN MY LIST WITH THAT.
AND THE FIRST ONE THAT I HAVE IS, UH, RYAN SAUNDERS.
YOU CAN JUST GRAB ONE OF THESE MICS.
MAKE SURE YOU CLICK THE GREEN, CLICK THE BUTTON GREEN BEFORE YOU START.
UH, YOU JUST TAKE, I THINK, EASIEST USUALLY IF YOU SIT OKAY.
THANK YOU NATALIE, FOR HELPING ME.
UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK BECAUSE I WANT TO DISCUSS SOME ISSUES WITH PARKING AND THE HOLLY NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, I LIVE AT 96TH LYNN STREET ON THE BLOCK BETWEEN EAST CHAVEZ AND WILLOW.
AND, UM, I'VE LIVED THERE FOR A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS.
BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR SIX YEARS, PREDOMINANTLY ALL IN EAST AUSTIN, AND THERE'S FOUR BARS IN DIRECT, UM, PROXIMITY OF MY HOUSE AND THE BARN ACROSS THE STREET IS REGULARLY, UM, TRIED TO GET RID OF THE RESIDENTIAL PERMIT, PARKING ONLY IN THE AREA, AND HE'S LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT HE'S IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DISTRICT THREE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, MR. VELAZQUEZ.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO BE HERE TO, UM, DRAW SOME LIGHT TO THE ISSUE.
A FEW REASONS WHY I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS, UH, MY HOUSE IS A DUPLEX.
IT'S A HUNDRED YEAR OLD HOUSE.
AND, UH, I PURCHASED IT FROM TWO OUT OF TOWN OWNERS THAT HAVE LET THE HOUSE GO TO PRETTY BIG DISREPAIR.
AND, UH, THE HOUSE COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TORN DOWN IN A MODERN HOME BUILT IN ITS PLACE.
BUT I INVESTED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE HOUSE AND LEFT THE ENTIRE FACADE, UM, AS IT ORIGINALLY WAS JUST IN AN UPGRADED FASHION.
AND I'VE, UH, WORKED WITH OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO OFFER OTHER, LIKE, YOU KNOW, TO REALLY, UM, CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD RATHER THAN TAKE AWAY FROM IT.
AND THE REASON WHY I FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THE BAR OWNER NOW HAS LEASED THE LOT FRONTING EAST CESAR CHAVEZ, UM, FROM THE ORIGINAL LAND OWNER, AND HE'S PLANNING TO PUT A FOOD TRUCK PARK THERE.
SO THAT'LL ADD ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC CONGESTION, UM, ISSUES.
AND JUST A ALONG THE LINES OF, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN REMOVING THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES, WHICH I'M IN SUPPORT OF, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS, WOULD BE A BAD PRECEDENT TO SET TO ALLOW A BAR OWNER TO INITIATE, UM, GETTING RID OF A PARKING RESTRICTION, WHICH IS THERE TO PROTECT US AS RESIDENTS, UM, FROM THEM.
AND ALSO BECAUSE MY HOME'S A DUPLEX.
IF I LOSE THIS RESIDENTIAL PERMIT, PARKING MY APARTMENT AND THE HOME, WHICH, UH, DUPLEXES, UH, QUADPLEXES IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ARE REALLY, UM, CRITICAL TO HELP KEEP, UM, HOME PRICES DOWN.
SO I FEEL LIKE I'M SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD BY MAINTAINING THAT AND, UM, IT WOULD REALLY HURT MY INVESTMENT AND THE PROPERTY VALUE.
AND THEN JUST ANOTHER POINT IS COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES.
THEIR CUSTOMERS HAVE LOTS OF OPTIONS ON HOW TO GET TO THE BUSINESS.
THEY CAN RIDE A BIKE, THEY CAN TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AN UBER, BUT IN YOUR HOUSE YOU HAVE NO OTHER SOLUTION.
I MEAN, YOU CAN'T HANG YOUR CAR FROM A TREE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PARKING SPOT.
UM, AND THEN I JUST WANT TO PROVIDE A COUPLE OF STORIES THAT IT WILL KIND OF FURTHER, UM, SOLIDIFY JUST THE REASON WHY I FELT LIKE THERE SHOULD BE MORE, UM, UH, OVERVIEW OF THE AREA.
SO RECENTLY I HAD A CAR COMPLETELY BLOCKED IN MY DRIVEWAY.
UM, AND THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE, UM, YOUR PROPERTIES, UH, BLOCKED FROM EMERGENCY VEHICLES, HAVE YOU HAD A SITUATION, THEN YOU NEED TO CALL 9 1 1.
THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE THE CAR REMOVED.
UM, IT TOOK ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR, THE WHOLE SITUATION TO KIND OF UN UNFOLD, THE POLICE OFFICER CAME AND HE WAS NOT GONNA CALL THE TOW TRUCK.
HE WANTED TO LOOK UP THE DRIVER'S, UH, TAG NUMBER AND TRY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DRIVER.
BUT YEAH, ANYWAY, THE CAR DIDN'T GET TOWED.
AND THERE'S BEEN OTHER SITUATIONS WHERE I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH DRUNK DRIVERS.
I TRIED TO TAKE A GUY'S KEYS AND GIVE IT TO THE BAR OWNER.
AND, UM, THAT'S SOME OF THE SITUATIONS WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT.
SO I HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION TO YOU, AND, AND I'M NOT AWARE OF THIS.
I, YOU KNOW, UM, I HEAR ABOUT A LOT OF TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, BUT NOT EVERYTHING.
ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY DISCUSSION OF LIKE A THANK YOU.
ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY DISCUSSION
[00:05:01]
OF LIKE A, A PARKING TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT DISTRICT IN DISCUSSION FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S COME UP WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY OR SOMETHING THAT YOU OR YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE LOOKED, HAVE TALKED ABOUT AT ALL? SO THE, IT ALREADY IS A RESIDENTIAL PERMITT PARKING ONLY.AND THE, MY, UH, GOOD FRIEND AND MY NEIGHBOR TOLD ME THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE BLOCK FOUGHT REALLY HARD FOR THAT LIKE OVER 10 YEARS AGO.
AND SO THE BAR OWNER IS TRYING TO WORK WITH THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO REMOVE THAT RESTRICTION.
SO, SO WHAT A PARKING TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT DISTRICT DOES IS IT ACTUALLY IS, IS A, UM, A TARGETED SET OF SOLUTIONS THAT CAN, UM, IT'S NOT JUST, IT CAN INCLUDE RPP, IT COULD INCLUDE METERED PARKING, IT COULD INCLUDE, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF PARKING ENFORCEMENT OR DIFFERENT OTHER TYPES OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS THAT COME INTO PLAY.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION.
UM, WE SEE THOSE IN, UM, YOU KNOW, WEST CAMPUS AND, UM, ALSO, UH, MORE RECENTLY IN THE SOUTH CONGRESS AREA WAS JUST PASSED.
SO THAT, THAT COULD BE, UM, I'M JUST LEARNING ABOUT YOUR ISSUE.
BUT LIKE THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE FOR YOU NEIGHBORS AND HOLLY AND CESAR CHAVEZ TO EXPLORE.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WITH THAT, YOU GET SOME METERED PARKING AND THAT BRINGS SOME MONEY IN.
AND THEN YOU GET TO THINK ABOUT SOLUTIONS AND BENEFITS THAT YOUR COMMUNITY COULD ALSO RECEIVE FOR THAT.
SO THAT MIGHT BE, UM, A WAY TO ALSO THINK ABOUT SOLVING YOUR SOLUTION.
SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS.
UH, SPENCER? I SAW SPENCER FIRST.
UM, THIS ISN'T A QUESTION MORE JUST, UH, A THOUGHT, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU OR NOT.
UM, TPW IS STARTING TO ROLL OUT, UH, A NEW SOLUTION CALLED HYBRID PARKING, WHICH IS WHERE YOU HAVE METERED PARKING, BUT YOU AS A RESIDENT RESIDENTIAL PERMIT PROGRAM PARTICIPANT DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.
UM, I COULD SEE THAT AS PERHAPS, 'CAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE PROCESS WOULD BE FOR REMOVING AND RPP, BUT I COULD SEE THAT BEING MOVED OVER FROM REGULAR RPP TO HYBRID AS BEING A SOLUTION THAT'S BEING LOOKED AT.
UM, WHAT I'LL, I WILL SAY IS I WOULD DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE YOU IF YOU HAVEN'T TO REACH OUT TO THE TPW, UM, PARKING ENTERPRISE GROUP.
'CAUSE THEY ARE, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, AT LEAST IN MY EXPERIENCE.
YEAH, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
I THINK MORE THAT WOULD BRING IN MORE, UM, OVERSIGHT TO WHERE THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT WOULD BE IN THE AREA MORE OFTEN, WHICH I THINK IS NEEDED.
AND IT WOULD BE A, A PARKING TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AS WELL, WHICH MEANS YOUR COMMUNITY WOULD GET TO REINVEST THOSE DOLLARS THAT COME FROM THE METERS BACK INTO LOCAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT WILL BEAUTIFICATION ANYTHING YOU WANT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY.
I WAS GONNA GO AHEAD AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE CONTACTS WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO TALK TO OUR PARKING MANAGEMENT FOLKS.
SOMETIMES IT'S TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT PERSON COULD TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.
BUT, UM, I HAVE MY EMAIL ADDRESS I CAN GIVE TO YOU AND YOU CAN, UM, DEFINITELY REACH OUT TO ME AND THEN I'LL GET YOU TO THE RIGHT FOLKS.
UM, I'M GONNA NOW CALL ON, UH, DIANA TER, UM, IS SPEAKING ON ZILKER PARKING.
ARE ARE YOU? YES, THERE WE GO.
UH, YOU HAVE SOME, YOU HAVE VISUALS, I THINK.
GREETINGS AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
PLEASE CONSIDER REVIEWING THE CURRENT JANUARY 22ND PAR RECOMMENDATION, ASKING FOR THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TO BE THE LEAD ON TRANSIT SOLUTIONS FOR ZILKER PARKS STARTING IN SUMMER OF 2024.
YOUR DEPARTMENT SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF A SOLUTION TO REDUCE CONGESTION ON PUBLIC ROADS.
THIS MEANS THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT NEEDS A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO PREVENT CARS FROM QUEUING ON PUBLIC ROADS AS THEY TRY TO ACCESS THE WATER ZONE OF ZILKER PARK.
DEMAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES WILL BE ESSENTIAL.
I'D LIKE TO REVIEW SOME OF THE PAST PROPOSALS FOR A ZILKER PARK SHUTTLE SERVICE.
MY POINT IS, ALL PREVIOUS EFFORTS AT DESIGN AND EXECUTION OF SHUTTLES WERE POOR.
A PROFESSIONAL INTERVENTION IS NEEDED BY YOUR DEPARTMENT AND CAP METRO NEXT.
THIS SCREENSHOT SHOWS TYPICAL SUMMER PEAK DAY TRAFFIC CONGESTION ON BARTON SPRINGS ROAD.
THE CURRENT PARD DESIGNED SUMMER SHUTTLE SERVICE ACTUALLY WORSENS CONGESTION IN THIS ZONE AS IT TURNS LEFT TO ENTER THE POOL.
THE ZUCKER PARK VISION PLAN PROPOSED THIS INTERNAL SHUTTLE FOR THE PARK.
IT REQUIRED A NEW ROAD TO BE BUILT ALONG MOPAC AND TWO PARKING GARAGES WITH CAPACITY OF OVER 2000 CARS DESIGNED WITHOUT CONSIDERATION FOR ROADWAY CONGESTION.
[00:10:01]
FACT THAT SCHOOL BUSES ON FIELD TRIPS TO THE NATURE CENTER CANNOT PARK INSIDE A PARKING GARAGE WITHOUT THE GARAGES.NEXT, THIS IS THE ZILKER PARK NATION PLANT'S PROPOSED EXTERNAL SHUTTLE.
IT CREATES CONGESTION DOWNTOWN WHILE IGNORING THE FACT THAT MANY VISITORS ARRIVE FROM THE WEST MOPAC SIDE OF THE PARK.
NEXT, THE CIRCLE SHOWS PARTS CURRENT SUMMER SHUTTLE ROUTE.
IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT PARTS SHUTTLE BUSES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE CONVENIENTLY LOCATED AND SHADED ZUCKER PARK CAT METRO BUS STOPS A BUS STOP THAT ALSO CONNECTS VISITORS TO A MULTIMODAL BIKE SHARE STATION.
NEXT TO EXPLAIN THE PARD DESIGN SHUTTLE SERVICE, THESE TWO BUSES ARE OPERATED ON THE HOUR.
ONE DRIVER HEADS OUT AT 10:00 AM AND THAT SAME DRIVER'S NEXT DEPARTURE WILL NOT BE UNTIL NOON.
THE TWO BUSES CAN OFTEN BE SEEN SITTING EMPTY AND USELESS SIDE BY SIDE AT THE REMOTE PARKING GARAGE.
PHOTO IS SATURDAY MORNING, 10:37 AM THEY DID NOT CIRCULATE.
TH 32 BUS STOPS NEAR THE POOL, EAST AND WEST ENTRANCES.
IT REDUCES CONGESTION ON BARTON SPRINGS ROAD IN 2019.
IT RAN EVERY 15 MINUTES ON PEAK DAYS AND WAS ADVERTISED ON THE CAT METRO WEBSITE.
I HOPE YOU AGREE THAT TRANSPORTATION OF PUBLIC WORKS AND CAP METRO NEED TO TAKE THE LEAD ON SOLUTIONS FOR ACCESS TO ZILKER PARK IN 2024 AND THE NEED FOR LONG-TERM STUDIES FOR FUTURE ADAPTATIONS AND STRATEGIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW, UM, JUST TO OFFER A COMMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M, WE, WE HEARD OF COURSE, IN THE MAS MASTER PLANNING PROCESS FOR ZILKER THAT SORT OF, I GUESS FAILED.
I, I GUESS IS FAIR TO SAY OR DIDN'T PASS.
I, YOU KNOW, UM, WE HEARD A LOT OF, UH, INPUT AND, UH, SEVERAL PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PLANNING AND, AND THE VISIONING THERE.
UM, I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL BE VERY EAGER TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THE TRANSPORTATION AS WE SORT OF REIGNITE THAT PROCESS, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE.
I DID A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST OF THE ZILKER PARK VISION PLANNERS TO ASK IF THEY DID A TRANSPORTATION STUDY.
THEY HIRED THE CONSULTANT NELSON NYGARD, BUT ALL THEY PUT IN THE PLAN WERE CRASH DATA.
AND THEY DID NOT DO A, THEY DID NOT DO A TRANSPORTATION STUDY.
CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING? SURE.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH PART ON A TRANSPORTATION PLAN OUT THERE, AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN BRING BACK TO THE ATION.
I'M GONNA NOTE THAT, BUT I THINK DURING FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THAT.
UM, I THINK WE BELIEVE WE DO NOT HAVE THE THIRD SPEAKER HERE, NATALIE, WAS THAT WHAT YOU OR THEY ARE HERE? SO, UH, THE THIRD HAND, THE RECORDER, THE FOURTH IS HERE.
SANTIAGO IS HERE TO SPEAK TO US TODAY.
UH, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO HERE.
I FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS, UM, APPREHENSIVE.
I'M NOT GONNA BE QUITE AS ELEGANT AND PRESENTING.
UM, I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF, UH, RESEARCH LATELY ON TXDOT AND IN PARTICULAR THE BRIDGE, UH, DEMOLITION THAT IS PROPOSED, UH, OVER TOP OF, UH, THE COLORADO RIVER.
UM, AND SO THE QUESTION THAT IS SORT OF IN MY SCRIBBLINGS HERE IS, UH, I'M CURIOUS WHAT REASONABLE AND FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVES WERE EXAMINED WITH REGARDS TO THE DEMOLITION OF THIS BRIDGE.
UM, AND IN PARTICULAR, UH, I'LL KIND OF REWIND AND GO SOME HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF FOUND IN 1954 EAST AVENUE, UH, PLOWED ITS WAY THROUGH THE WETLANDS.
UM, I'VE BEEN REALLY INTERESTED IN THESE LIKE RIVER RESTORATIONS.
UH, SO LIKE, WHAT IS THE COLORADO RIVER AND, UH, WHAT'S IT ITS FUTURE LOOK LIKE? UM, AND, UH, THERE WAS THIS COMPANY CALLED CAPITAL AGGREGATE THAT IN THE FIFTIES DURING THE DROUGHT, THEY MADE A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY TO DREDGE THE RIVER OVER THE NEXT 12 YEARS, UM, DOWN TO A DEPTH OF 18 FEET.
AND SO, UH, THERE WAS A, UH, AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN OF A 200 FOOT RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, AND IT CURRENTLY, IT'S NEARLY 350 FEET RIGHT OF WAY.
AND 82 2 ADDITIONAL BRIDGES WERE BUILT OVER I OVER TOWN LAKE.
UM, I WENT TO THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, OR NOT RECENTLY.
AND ONE OF THE PRESENTATIONS THAT WAS THERE WAS THIS, UH, LOW CARBON CONCRETE.
UM, IT WAS TALKING ABOUT, UH, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WAS A CARBON REDUCTION FUND FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
[00:15:01]
WHAT WAS IT GONNA TAKE TO UPDATE THE PLANTS FOR MANUFACTURING LOCALLY TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND AN INVESTMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT, SUCH AS THIS SCALE? UM, I BELIEVE THE PROJECT FROM, UH, BEN WHITE TO HOLLY, UH, CROSSING THE RIVER, INCLUDING THE BRIDGE IS $400 MILLION.UM, THERE'S A US ARMY CORPS ENGINEERS NATIONWIDE PERMIT 14, UM, DISCUSSES LIKE A ONE 10TH OF AN ACRE DREDGE AND FILL LIMIT, UM, IN THE, IN THE COLORADO.
UH, AND IT SEEMS TO BE NITPICKY IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING THIS AND WHETHER IT'S ACTUALLY DISTURBING MORE THAN THAT.
UM, AND SO JUST, I'M LOOKING AT LIKE, OVERSIGHT AND LIKE NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THE CONTROLS THAT THIS, UH, BODY HAS.
UM, FOR ENHANCEMENT IN MITIGATIONS.
UM, I'VE BEEN REALLY INTERESTED IN SPONGE CITIES, UH, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES AND HEARING THE PRESENTATION THE OTHER DAY, LOOKING AT LATENT DEMAND.
UH, REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT LIKE JD ABRAMS AND, UH, ALLEGATIONS OF BID RIGGING, BID RIGGING IN THE PAST, AND NOT REALLY SURE WHO'S CAPABLE OF DOING SIMILAR PROJECTS LIKE THIS SCALE.
UM, TEXT IS HAVING A GRANT WRITER AS PART OF THIS PROJECT.
I'VE BEEN, UH, UH, ACTING AS A, UH, LISTED CONSULTING PARTY OR WITHIN A CONSULTING PARTY.
UM, AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW, UM, WHERE, WHERE I CAN PLUG IN INTO THIS BODY AND WITHIN THE CITY TO HAVE BETTER VISIONS FOR, UM, RESPONSIBLE INNOVATIVE DESIGN.
JUST FOR CLARIFYING QUESTION, THIS IS SORT OF CONNECTED TO THE I 35 PROPOSALS.
WHAT YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BRIDGES AND THE, AND THE RIVER, THAT'S PART OF THAT, RIGHT? IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY.
FIGURING OUT HOW TO GA ENGAGE WITH THE I 35 PROCESS IN A, IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY IS A CHALLENGE THAT FACES ALL OF US
UM, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UH, HAVE ANYTHING TO, TO OFFER THERE.
UM, I WOULD SAY, UM, THERE'S A DIDN'T GET ON THE AGENDA.
WE, WE HAVE HAD, UM, THIS BODY HAS HAD A SERIES OF PRETTY VOCIFEROUS RESO RESOLUTIONS ABOUT THE I 35 PROCESS.
UM, ACTUALLY A LOT OF THESE WERE PASSED BEFORE.
WE HAD A LOT OF OUR NEW MEMBERS ON BOARD.
UM, IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO EMAIL ME AT MY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS EMAIL, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SHARE THOSE THREE OR FOUR RESOLUTIONS WITH YOU.
I THINK THEY'RE VERY, UM, THEY'RE VERY STRONGLY WORDED.
WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE EFFECTIVE IN THE PROCESS COULD BE DEBATED.
UM, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, THERE'S CERTAINLY A LOT GOING ON WITH CITIZEN ACTIVISM AND VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT.
UM, I DO THINK IT, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE MAY WANNA THINK ABOUT.
UM, I DO SEE THAT WE HAVE, UH, ON OUR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS UPCOMING, WE HAVE, UH, I 35 IS GONNA BE ON THERE, UH, FOR A FUTURE MEETING.
SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE SEEING ANOTHER ROUND OF THAT PRETTY SOON.
UM, AND WE MIGHT GET A SENSE LATER IN THE MEETING OF MAYBE EVEN WHICH MONTH.
UM, PLEASE, PLEASE STAY CONNECTED WITH US AND, YOU KNOW, WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ADVOCATING, I THINK THERE'S STRENGTH IN NUMBERS.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS? I POINT OUT THAT THE TEXAS TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION IS THE ONE, HAS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY OF RE TECH STOCK PROJECTS AND NOBODY SEEMS TO ATTEND THEIR MEETINGS.
AUDIO LEARNED ABOUT IT RECENTLY.
SO, UM, I DO NOT THINK WE HAVE ANY, UM, ADDITIONAL, UH, SPEAKERS ON PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Urban Transportation Commission REGULAR MEETING on December 5, 2023. ]
TAKE US TO OUR NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS GOING TO BE APPROVAL OF OUR MINUTES.SO THAT IS OF OUR DECEMBER MINUTES.
UM, SO, UM, THOSE MEETINGS ARE IN YOUR PACKET OR THEY WERE CIRCULATED BEFOREHAND.
UH, YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO REFLECT ON THOSE? DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? UH, I'LL MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
I'LL SECOND, SECOND BY, UH, COMMISSIONER ALVAREZ.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES ONE DISCUSSION POINT? 'CAUSE UH, WE WERE EMAILING BACK AND FORTH ABOUT THIS.
WE DID APPOINT YOU AS THE ALTERNATE MEMBER FOR JOINT SUSTAINABILITY, RIGHT? YES.
SO, COMMISSIONER WHEELER, I'M, I'M YOUR ALTERNATE.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, LET'S TAKE A VOTE ON THAT.
ALL APPROVE, UH, APPROVING THE MINUTES.
LOOKS LIKE, UH, COMMISSIONER ORTIZ, CAN YOU SAY AYE OR RAISE PUT YES.
THAT'S UNANIMOUS OF THOSE IN ATTENDANCE.
[00:20:01]
GONNA TAKE US NOW TO, UM, OUR, UH, DIS DISCUSSION ITEMS. UM, WE ACTUALLY, UM, ARE GOING TO GO A BIT OUT OF ORDER HERE, UM, TO TRY TO GET SOME OF OUR FOLKS WHO ARE, UM, SO KINDLY COMING OUT TO PRESENT TO US, UH, THROUGH SOONER.SO WE'RE GONNA, ACTUALLY, WE'RE GONNA SKIP ITEM TWO BECAUSE JIM IS GONNA BE OUR PRESENTER AND HE'S STUCK WITH US ANYWAY, SO, UM,
[3. Update on the Austin Light Rail project ]
GONNA TAKE UP, UH, ITEM THREE, WHICH IS THE UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL PROJECT FIRST, IF YOU ARE READY.THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US TONIGHT.
UH, WE'LL START BY INTRODUCING OURSELVES.
WE'RE ALL FROM AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
I'M OVER PLANNING COMMUNITY, UH, AND FEDERAL PROGRAMS. HELLO.
I AM LINDSEY WOOD WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION.
AND I'M JOCELYN VOS WITH PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT FOR AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
UH, SO I'LL START WITH JUST SORT OF AN OVERVIEW ON THE MAIN WORK STREAMS RELATED TO AUSTIN LIGHT RAIL RIGHT NOW.
UM, LET'S, UH, KIND OF GO BACK FOR A MINUTE TO JUNE, 2023.
THAT WAS A BIG MOMENT FOR US AT THAT TIME.
UM, THE CITY COUNCIL, THE A TP BOARD AND THE CAP METRO BOARD ALL APPROVED THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH, UM, DEFINED THE INITIAL PHASE FOR LIGHT RAIL THAT WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED.
AND SO SINCE THAT TIME, UH, WE'VE BEEN ADVANCING THE DESIGN WORK, UM, PARTICULARLY TO SUPPORT THE NEPA ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS AND THE STUDIES THAT WE ARE CONDUCTING.
UM, AND WE'RE CONDUCTING THOSE, UM, IT'S PART OF THE FEDERAL PROCESS.
UM, SINCE WE ARE PURSUING GRANT FUNDING FOR THE CAPITAL PROJECT, UM, NEPA IS ONE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, SO WE HAVE STARTED WITH A SERIES OF SCOPING PUBLIC MEETINGS, UM, REALLY THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL BE COMING BACK TO THE PUBLIC LATER IN THE YEAR WITH THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.
UH, AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE NEPA PROCESS TO CONCLUDE WITH THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IN 2025.
MEANWHILE, WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN OTHER ACTIVITIES AND COORDINATION WITH FTA REALLY ALL TOWARDS, UM, PURSUING THE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT.
SO THE MEETINGS I MENTIONED, THIS IS JUST A LIST OF WHAT WE'VE HAD ONE, UM, AT UT LAST WEEK.
UM, WE HAVE ONE ON SATURDAY, AND REALLY THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, UM, MOST ARE IN PERSON.
THERE IS ONE VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE ON THE 22ND.
UM, SO, AND ALL THIS INFORMATION IS ON THE A TP WEBSITE AS WELL.
SO THE PROJECT ITSELF, UM, SO THE PROPOSED PROJECT, UM, IS WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE SAME, UM, PHASE ONE PROJECT THAT WAS CONTEMPLATED IN JUNE.
UH, BUT WE HAVE ADVANCED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORK AND, AND TRIED TO BRING EVERYTHING TO A CONSISTENT LEVEL FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS THAT WE ARE BEGINNING TO CONDUCT.
SO THE PROJECT IS A 9.8 MILE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE, UM, IN STREET, UM, THROUGHOUT, UM, IT WOULD RUN, UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO MAKE THE COMPARISON TO THE RED LINE, AND YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THESE DIFFERENT MODES, RIGHT? BUT, UM, BUT IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IN THAT IT'S RUNNING IN STREET.
THE STATIONS ARE A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TOGETHER, UM, AND, UM, CAN PROVIDE A MORE FREQUENT, UH, STOPS.
SO WE DID IDENTIFY PRIORITY EXTENSIONS, UH, AS PART OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
UM, SO WE STILL HAVE THOSE ON THE MAP.
UM, WE ARE NOT INCLUDING THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS AS PART OF THE NEPA ANALYSIS.
UM, WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE FUNDED PART.
UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S INTEREST IN, IN BOTH OF THOSE EXTENSIONS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IF ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS IDENTIFIED, WE WOULD PIVOT TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE PROJECT.
SO AS PART OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE INTRODUCING AT THIS SET OF PUBLIC MEETINGS, UM, IS, UH, ABOUT A HALF DOZEN DESIGN OPTIONS THAT ARE, THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING.
UH, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO LINDSAY TO TALK A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THOSE.
SO SINCE JUNE, REALLY HAVING THE ADOPTION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, PROVIDING THAT CLARITY AROUND WHAT AND, AND WHERE WE'RE BUILDING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE WORK WE'VE BEEN ADVANCING, UH, THE, THE BASE DESIGN, AND I CALL IT THE BASE DESIGN BECAUSE IT BECOMES THE BASIS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS AS PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS.
AND IT ALSO IS, IS THE PHASE OF WORK WHERE WE ARE REALLY DEFINING THE PROJECT REQUIREMENTS AROUND THINGS LIKE, UH, THE STATIONS, THE, THE NEEDS ON HOW'RE GOING TO POWER
[00:25:01]
THIS ELECTRICALLY POWERED SYSTEM.AND REALLY ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS THAT INFORM WHAT THE PROJECT'S FOOTPRINT IS, IS OUR FOCUS IN THIS CURRENT PHASE OF WORK.
THROUGH THAT WORK, AS WELL AS THROUGH LISTENING TO COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND PRIOR PLANNING, WE'VE COME TO A SET OF, OF, UH, SIX DESIGN OPTIONS THAT ARE, ARE GENERALLY TARGETING OPTIMIZING THE USER EXPERIENCE OR MAXIMIZING THE USER EXPERIENCE OF THE SYSTEM.
AND THOSE FALL INTO TWO GENERAL CATEGORIES.
ONE IS THE STATIONS, UH, WHERE THE STATIONS MAY BE, UH, POTENTIALLY ADDING STATIONS TO THE SYSTEM AND, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE PLANNING THE STATIONS TO BE WOVEN INTO THE SURROUNDING URBAN FABRIC.
UH, THE, THE SECOND CATEGORY IS REALLY HOW DO TRAINS AND BUSES AND BIKES AND PEDESTRIANS ALL BEST INTERACT TOGETHER KNOWING THAT THE LIGHT RAIL DOES NOT, UM, OPERATE AS WELL AS IT CAN WHEN THOUGHT OF IN A VACUUM, BUT REALLY THINKING ABOUT HOW WE ARE MOVING PEOPLE MOST EFFECTIVELY IN ALL THEIR MODES OF TRAVEL.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT END OF LINE FACILITIES.
SO I MENTIONED THAT THIS IS THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE WANTING TO THINK ABOUT FUTURE PHASES AS WELL, AND, AND HOW DO WE BRING PEOPLE INTO THIS FIRST PHASE THAT MAY NOT LIVE OR, OR WORK OR, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE DIRECT CONNECTIONS RIGHT ALONG THE ALIGNMENT.
SO DIVING A LITTLE FURTHER INTO EACH OF THESE DESIGN OPTIONS, WE'LL WALK THROUGH SECTION BY SECTION OF THE ALIGNMENT.
UH, THE, STARTING FROM THE NORTH, THERE AREN'T REALLY DESIGN OPTIONS HERE, PER SE.
UH, THE, THE STATIONS REMAIN AS, AS PREVIOUSLY IMAGINED, UH, IN THEIR LOCATIONS.
BUT WE ARE LOOKING AT POTENTIAL PARK AND RIDE FACILITIES AT THE 38TH STREET STATION.
AND I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT, ALTHOUGH IT, IT'S NOT A, AN OPTION, UH, NOR HAS IT CHANGED SINCE PREVIOUS CONCEPTS IMAGINED AND, AND COMMUNICATED WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT WANT TO NOTE THAT THIS CONTINUES TO CARRY FORWARD, THE DESIGN ALONG GUADALUPE THAT HAS, UH, REALLY PRIORITIZES TRANSIT AND, AND THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND, AND PEDESTRIANS AS WELL IN THE AREA FROM ABOUT 22ND STREET TO 29TH, WHICH INCLUDES REROUTING VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TO, UM, ADJACENT STREETS AND OTHER NORTH SOUTH THOROUGHFARES.
UM, SO MOVING SOUTH FROM THE DRAG, UM, THE, THE PROPOSED PROJECT REMAINS ON GUADALUPE.
UM, AND THEN ONCE IT GETS DOWN TO ABOUT THIRD STREET WOULD TURN TO THE EAST.
UM, SO THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF DESIGN OPTIONS THAT, UH, WE'RE JUST CONSIDERING RIGHT NOW.
ONE IS TO ADD A STATION, UH, IN THE VICINITY OF WOOLRIDGE SQUARE.
THIS REALLY CAME OUT OF PUBLIC COMMENT, ESPECIALLY LAST SPRING.
UH, JUST GENERALLY COMMENTING MORE STATIONS, MORE ACCESS DOWNTOWN.
UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE TECHNICAL TEAM IS, IS EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY OF.
UM, ANOTHER OPTION IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS, UH, CLOSER TO THE CONVENTION CENTER.
UH, WE ALREADY HAVE A STATION PROPOSED AT CESAR CHAVEZ, UM, ON TRINITY.
AND SO WHAT THIS OPTION IS WOULD BE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A, A DEVELOPMENT THAT'S OCCURRING AT THE CORNER OF TRINITY AND THIRD, UM, WHERE WE MAY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CO-LOCATE THE STATION WITHIN THAT DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT, UH, WOULD HAVE THE EFFECT OF JUST INTEGRATING THE STATION, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE STREETSCAPE AND THE, THE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND IT WOULD, RIGHT NOW IT'S A 90 DEGREE TURN THERE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, ISN'T A PROBLEM FOR OPERATIONS NECESSARILY, BUT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT LESS DRAMATIC OF A TURN.
AND MOVING SOUTH ACROSS LADY BIRD LAKE, WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE HERE AT THE WATERFRONT STATION.
UH, THIS IS SORT OF A, A SPECIAL MOMENT IN THE SYSTEM IN THAT IT'S WHERE THE THREE BRANCHES COMING FROM NORTH, SOUTH AND EAST ARE ALL COME TOGETHER AND INTERSECT AT THIS JUNCTION.
IT'S ALSO UNIQUE IN THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THIS AREA.
UH, THE, THE WATERFRONT STATION IS, IS APPROACHED.
I'M ACTUALLY GONNA, I THINK, GO HERE TO HELP ILLUSTRATE THIS POINT.
THE WATERFRONT STATION HAS A NEW BRIDGE PLANNED COMING OVER LADY BIRD LAKE FROM THE NORTH.
AND IT ALSO HAS TWO HILLS THAT ARE COMING DOWN FROM SOUTH CONGRESS AND ALSO FROM RIVERSIDE.
[00:30:01]
SORT OF BECOMES IN THE LOW POINT OR THE MIDDLE OF A BOWL.AND SO THINKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO HANDLE THIS, UH, REALLY WHERE WE LAND THE BRIDGE OVER LADY BIRD LAKE, THE FIRST OPTION BEING TO BRING THAT BACK DOWN TO GROUND BEFORE THE WATERFRONT STATION, WHICH WOULD HAVE THE STATION AND THAT LIGHT RAIL JUNCTION THAT I MENTIONED BEING AT STREET LEVEL.
THE SECOND OPTION IS TO MAINTAIN THAT THE BRIDGE COMING OVER LADY BIRD LAKE AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE HILLS I MENTIONED, AND, AND HAVING THE STATION AS WELL AS THAT JUNCTION ELEVATED ON THE BRIDGE AND THEN TYING INTO THOSE HILLS.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO STUDY THOSE LANDING LOCATIONS AS PART OF OUR WORK IN THE COMING YEAR.
I'M SAYING THIS ON THIS IMAGE LEFT IS THE SOUTH AND RIGHT IS THE NORTH, IS THAT, UH, IT CAN BE, IT CAN ALSO, SO YES, UH, BUT IT ALSO APPLIES TO REALLY RIVERSIDE AS WELL.
SO YOU COULD THINK OF THE RIGHT IS ALWAYS NORTH.
THE LEFT COULD EITHER BE APPROACHING THE SOUTH TOWARDS SOUTH CONGRESS, BUT IT ALSO IS APPROACHING RIVERSIDE TO THE EAST DEPENDING ON WHICH WAY YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING.
UM, SO GOING BACK TO THIS SECTION, THE NEXT DESIGN OPTION, MOVING EASTWARD IS THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING CONSIDERING OPTIONS BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT A TRAVIS HEIGHT STATION, PARTICULARLY GIVEN, GIVEN THE UNIQUE SURROUNDINGS OF THAT STATION, UH, BEING, UH, REALLY IN BETWEEN A, A PARK, A HISTORIC DISTRICT, AS WELL AS THE PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS AT I 35.
SO ON THE EAST SECTION, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL IS PROPOSED TO OPERATE ALONG EAST RIVERSIDE FROM, YOU KNOW, ABOUT, THIS MAP IS SHOWING FROM ABOUT I 35, I'M SORRY,
THE EAST SECTION, UM, WOULD HAVE LIGHT RAIL OPERATING ON EAST RIVERSIDE, UM, FROM, AND THIS MAP IS SHOWING FROM ABOUT I 35 OUT TO YELLOW JACKET, UM, CLOSE TO THE AIRPORT.
SO ALONG THIS SECTION, UM, AGAIN, LIKE, UM, WELL ACTUALLY LET ME TACKLE THE STATION, UM, OPTION WE HAVE, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF DESIGN OPTIONS IN HERE.
SO IF THERE ARE STATIONS PROPOSED AT PHARAOH AND MONTOPOLIS, UM, AN OPTION THAT IS UNDER CONSIDERATION IS TO POTENTIALLY CON CONSOLIDATE THOSE INTO ONE STATION THAT WOULD BE LOCATED AT GROVE.
UM, AND, AND THE REASON FOR THIS SUGGESTION IS A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE IS TO, UH, POTENTIALLY BETTER CONNECT WITH, WITH THE BUS SERVICE, UM, THAT SERVES THE A CC RIVERSIDE CAMPUS.
UH, ALSO THERE IS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED AT GROVE AND RIVERSIDE THAT THIS, THAT LIGHT RAIL WOULD DIRECTLY SERVE POTENTIALLY.
UM, THE OTHER DESIGN OPTION REALLY PERTAINS TO THE CORRIDOR AND HOW, UM, ALL THE DIFFERENT MODES WOULD OPERATE HERE.
UM, OUR BASE DESIGN, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT WOULD BE CENTER RUNNING LIGHT RAIL.
UM, SO YOU WOULD HAVE LIGHT RAIL RUNNING IN, YOU KNOW, TWO LANES ESSENTIALLY IN THE CENTER, AND THE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES WOULD BE ON THE CURB.
UM, WITH TRAFFIC RUNNING IN BETWEEN, THAT WOULD BE A VERY TYPICAL CROSS SECTION.
UM, SO THE IDEA, THE OPTION THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION WOULD BASICALLY REARRANGE HOW THOSE MODES ARE OCCURRING ON THE STREET.
YOU WOULD STILL HAVE CENTER RUNNING LIGHT RAIL, BUT UM, IN THIS CONCEPT WOULD MOVE THE BIKE AND THE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES TO BE ALSO CENTER RUNNING NEXT TO THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, UM, AND TRAFFIC ON EITHER SIDE.
SO ONE OF THE, THE REASONS THAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THIS IS JUST TO HAVE A MORE CONTINUOUS BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN WAY THROUGH THAT AREA, UM, WHICH IS, IT'S LESS CONTINUOUS THAN SOME OTHER PARTS OF THE CORRIDOR RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND ANOTHER THING ALONG EAST RIVERSIDE, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE RIGHT OF WAY AVAILABLE TO US, WHICH IS THE REASON WHY WE'RE CONSIDERING IT HERE AND NOT EVERYWHERE POTENTIALLY.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD ADD TO THAT? UH, IT ALSO MAY INTRODUCE THE OPPORTUNITY OF SORT OF BALANCING THE SOMETIMES COMPETING NEEDS OF UNDERGROUND UTILITIES AND A TREE SHADED, UH, PATHWAY FOR, FOR BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS AND, AND MOVING SOME OF THOSE ELEMENTS TO THE CENTER OF THE CORRIDOR, UH, MAY ALLOW FOR FEWER CONFLICTS WITH UNDERGROUND UTILITIES.
UH, BUT I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT APPLYING TO ALL OF THESE OPTIONS, WE ARE MAKING NO RECOMMENDATIONS TODAY.
WE ARE NOTING WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE STUDYING AND, AND GOING THROUGH A, A THOUGHTFUL PROCESS, INCLUDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY INPUT AND FEEDBACK.
UM, WE, WE ACKNOWLEDGE WE DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE ANSWERS ON THESE, THAT IS REALLY OUR WORK AHEAD.
[00:35:01]
GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE.UM, AGAIN, WE WERE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT TO BE RELEASED LATER IN THE YEAR, UM, AND IT WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
SO, UM, AN EISI MEAN, I KNOW YOU PROBABLY ARE FAMILIAR WITH THEM, BUT IT GENERALLY INCLUDES AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, A BUILD ALTERNATIVE AND A NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE THAT WOULD BE COMPARED AGAINST EACH OTHER.
UM, SO THE NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH BASICALLY YOU DON'T BUILD THE PROPOSED PROJECT.
UM, AND THE, THE PURPOSE OF DOING IT THAT WAY, WAY IS REALLY TO SET UP, UM, A DISCUSSION OF WHAT CHANGES OR IMPACTS ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THE PROPOSED LIGHT RAIL PROJECT IN THIS CASE, UM, AS OPPOSED TO JUST OTHER TRENDS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT ARE ONGOING.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY IT'LL BE STRUCTURED THAT WAY.
UH, AND THAT'S VERY TYPICAL IN NEPA.
UH, ANOTHER POINT WE WANNA MAKE IS THAT WE TALK ABOUT THEM BEING ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.
AND I, UM, BECAUSE SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE GET IS THAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT REALLY THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THAT, BUT THE ANALYSIS DOES ALSO CONTEMPLATE THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT, NEIGHBORHOODS, THE CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT, HISTORIC PROPERTIES WE'LL BE DOING, UM, AN ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL NOISE IMPACTS.
SO IT'S GONNA BE A FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE SET OF STUDIES, UM, TO JUST PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT THE PROPOSED PROJECT AND THIS SET OF DESIGN OPTIONS.
SO THE, WE ARE HAVING A SET OF MEETINGS RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS SCOPING, THIS IS THE TIME, UM, WHERE IT'S WOULD BE REALLY MEANINGFUL FOR PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND COMMENT ON.
UM, SO THE RANGE OF TOPICS AND ISSUES THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT, THE CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THE PROPOSED PROJECT OR THE DESIGN OPTIONS, BECAUSE WE CAN INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE STUDIES THAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
UM, WE WILL BE COMING BACK AGAIN IN THE FALL WITH THE DRAFT EIS, UM, AND THEN ALL OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE RECEIVE ON THE DRAFT DURING THAT PERIOD, UH, WE WOULD RESPOND TO AND THEN INCORPORATE INTO A FINAL EIS THAT WOULD BE RELEASED IN 2025.
WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I, I IMAGINE THERE'S GONNA BE QUITE A FEW
I'LL SPENCER, YOU WANNA GO FIRST, COMMISSIONER? YEAH, I'LL KNOW.
I HAVE LIKE A DOZEN QUESTIONS.
I'M GONNA ASSUME A LOT OF THEM ARE GONNA BE ASKED HERE.
SO I'LL ASK A A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT ONE ITEM AND THEN I'LL COME BACK AROUND SO I DON'T MONOPOLIZE TIME.
UM, SO MY QUESTION THOUGH, THE QUESTIONS I WANNA START OFF ON ARE ABOUT THE PARK AND RIDES.
UM, AND THOSE ARE TWO, THE, THE 38TH STREET ONE AND THE TRF ONE ARE TWO ITEMS THAT ARE WEREN'T PREVIOUSLY ON THE LIGHT RAIL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
SO I, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
I'M, I, I'M KIND OF REALLY STRUGGLING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE TWF ONE AND SPECIFICALLY THE 38TH STREET ONE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A PARK AND RIDE FACILITY AT THE TRIANGLE ALREADY THAT HAS 200 SPACES, RIGHT? AND IT DOESN'T GIVE ME A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CONFIDENCE ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO BUILD THOSE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS IF WE'RE ALREADY THINKING WE'RE GONNA NEED AN END OF LINE FACILITY AT 38TH STREET.
BUT ALSO MY KIND OF, MY OTHER PROBLEM IS I, I KNOW HOW WE EVALUATE WHETHER A STATION IS GOING TO HAVE RIDERSHIP.
I DON'T QUITE KNOW HOW WE EVALUATE PARK AND RIDES, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT THE PARK AND RIDE IS, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN A 20 MINUTE DRIVE FROM THE REST OF THE CORRIDOR.
SO MY QUESTION IS HERE, DOES THIS STUDY MEAN THAT WE ARE GOING TO BUILD END OF LINE, UM, FACILITIES AT OLTORF AND 38TH STREET, OR COULD A POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF THE STUDY BE THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD THE PARK AND RIDE? AND THEN SECONDLY, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH HOW YOU DO EVALUATE IF THE PARK AND RIDE WILL BRING THOSE INTENDED BENEFITS? SO LEMME START, THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A LOT TO UNPACK THERE.
SO, UM,
JUST, JUST TO REMIND, UH, LET ME KINDA START WITH THE KIND OF CONNECTION BETWEEN KIND OF RIDERSHIP AND PARK AND RIDES AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HOW THING, HOW WE'RE MAKING ASSESSMENTS AT THE END OF LINE.
UM, 'CAUSE AT, AT EACH OF THE END OF LINE LOCATIONS, SO THERE ARE THREE OF THEM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONTEMPLATING PARKING, UM, BUT ALSO OTHER END OF, END OF LINE OF FACILITIES LIKE MAKING SURE WE HAVE SEAMLESS BUS TRANSFERS.
UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING, WE DO MODEL, UM, AND LOOK AT HOW ARE PEOPLE ACCESSING THE SYSTEM.
UM, ARE THEY BEING DROPPED OFF BY A CAR, UM, OR ARE THEY RIDING A BIKE? UM, OR THEY TRANSFERRING FROM A BUS.
UM, SO WE DO THE BEST WE CAN TO KIND OF PROJECT, UH, THE, THOSE TYPES WHAT THE MODE OF ACCESS IS.
UM, AND SO THAT WILL BE PART OF THE EVALUATION IS WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE CONNECTION THERE.
UM, TO HAVE PARKING AT ENDS OF LINE TYPICALLY DOES DRIVE RIDERSHIP ACTUALLY, JUST AS A TYPICAL, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR TO WALK, BUT IT MAKES SENSE FOR THEM TO TAKE LIGHT RAIL OTHERWISE WOULD, WOULD DO THAT.
UM, BUT I DO TAKE YOUR POINT, UM, ABOUT,
[00:40:01]
UM, APPROPRIATE SIZING OF END OF LINE FACILITIES WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING TO EXTEND FURTHER MM-HMM.AND SO THAT ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE PART OF THE ANALYSIS, RIGHT? AND, AND FOR THAT REASON, WE'RE ALSO INVESTIGATING POTENTIAL LEASE OPTIONS FOR SOME OF THESE FACILITIES.
IT MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE BUILDING A, A PARK AND RIDE STRUCTURE.
WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK AT UNIQUE OPTIONS FOR EACH LOCATION, DEPENDING ON THE AVAILABILITY OF DIFFERENT SITES AND, AND PARKING CAPACITY IN THAT AREA.
AND SO, SO THE, THE ONE PART, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, I DID THROW LIKE FOUR QUESTIONS AT YOU, SO APOLOGIES.
UH, ONE PART YOU DIDN'T ANSWER IS NO BUILD AN OPTION.
THERE, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT OUT OF THIS ANALYSIS, IT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT THE DEMAND FOR THESE PARKING FACILITIES.
WE'LL ALSO BE GATHERING COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, AND IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE RESULTS OF THAT COULD SHOW THAT THEY'RE NOT WARRANTED MM-HMM.
SO, AND THEN MY, MY OTHER ISSUE, AND THEN I'LL, I'LL HOP OFF OF THIS IS, UH, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE 38TH STREET, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NORTH SEGMENT, THAT'S REALLY KIND OF OUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY FOR ETOD, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE REST OF THE NORTH FULMAR SEGMENT AND, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN SEGMENT IS PRETTY BUILT UP.
UM, SO HOW ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT WAYS THAT PARK AND RIDES CAN BE BUILT MAYBE ALONGSIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, USING OUR RESOURCES AND BUILDING RIDERSHIP AS BEST WE CAN? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, I, I'LL ANSWER THE QUESTION, BUT FIRST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WE ALSO DO SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ETOD AND, AND CONNECTIONS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING ALONG THE CORRIDOR AND OTHER LOCATIONS AS WELL.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, RIVERSIDE HAS A NUMBER OF AREAS THAT ARE NOT FULLY DEVELOPED.
AND THERE'S EVEN A CITY PLANNED AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ACTUALLY THAT JEN HIGHLIGHTED, UM, RIGHT THERE AT GROVE AND, AND POTENTIALLY A NUMBER OF OTHERS THAT MAY BE PLANNED AS WELL.
UH, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE DO ONE OF THE, THE PRINCIPLE DESIGN PRINCIPLES IS THAT WE, UM, TRY TO FOCUS THE USE OF RESOURCES AND DOLLARS ON BUILDING THE, THE ASPECTS THAT MAXIMIZE THE, THE USE OF THE SYSTEM.
AND SO MINIMIZING THE USE OF THOSE DOLLARS ON LAND ACQUISITION MM-HMM,
SO WHILE I THINK THAT'S A, A WONDERFUL, UM, ENDEAVOR TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WE, WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT ACQUIRING MORE LAND, THEN WE, WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO, TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF, OF THE DOLLAR.
SO IT'S, IT BECOMES A PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY OF WORKING WITH OTHERS AND, AND UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, PARTNERSHIPS THAT OTHERS MIGHT WANT TO CARRY FORWARD.
AND, AND THAT'S PART OF THE WORK WE DO NOW TO SIGNAL WHERE OUR ENDS OF LINE ARE AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UM, GARNER INTEREST IN SOME OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT ANSWER.
I'M ALSO GLAD TO HEAR YOU GUYS ARE, ARE LOOKING AT LEASING.
THAT DEFINITELY EASES SOME OF MY CONCERNS.
I'D ALSO BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT PLANNING DECISIONS THAT I CAN ALREADY SEE BEING MADE AND BEING CONSIDERED THROUGHOUT THIS.
UH, WE PROBABLY WON'T TOUCH ON THAT AS MUCH JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS AND WANT SO MANY OTHER THINGS, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB.
I'LL DEFINITELY YIELD THE REST OF MY COMMISSIONERS.
I SEE REEN COMMISSIONER BROOKS.
YEAH, JOHN, UH, JUST TO ADD SOME DATA TO THE CONVERSATION, THE HEAVIEST USE, THE HEAVIEST USED STOPS ON THE EIGHT OH CURRENT 8 0 1 ARE AT THE END OF THE LINES.
SO I WOULD JUST, ON THE BASIS OF THAT DATA ALONE, I WOULD EXPECT SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF RIDERS OF THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM TO WANT TO START THEIR JOURNEY AT WHATEVER THE END OF THE LINE HAPPENS TO BE.
THEY DO IT NOW, THEY'LL DO IT LATER, AND THERE'S A DANGER WITH NOT PROVIDING SOME KIND OF PLANNED PARKING FACILITIES, WHICH IS YOU GET HIDE AND RIDES AND, AND EXPRESSION, WHICH I LEARNED FROM AN EARLIER SPEAKER TO THIS COMMITTEE, WHICH IS THE PEOPLE WILL TRY AND FIND INFORMAL PARKING SPACES AND THIS OBVIOUSLY MOST NEIGHBORHOODS WOULD PROBABLY BE VERY UNHAPPY WITH THAT.
SO THERE IS, THERE IS A, A DOWNSIDE TO NOT PROVIDING THE FACILITIES.
[00:45:01]
AND THEN, UM, I WOULD NOT, I WOULD ALSO URGE NOT WORRYING TOO MUCH ABOUT THE EXISTING POTENTIAL FOR TODS, BECAUSE AT LEAST THE NUMBER THAT CAMPO USES FOR TURNOVER OF PROPERTY IS EVERY 50 YEARS.SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT APPEAR TO BE BUILT WELL BUILT UP NOW LONG BEFORE THE LIFETIME OF THE LIGHT RAIL IS REACHED, WILL BE COMING UP FOR REDEVELOPMENT AND HOPEFULLY THE CITY WILL HAVE APPROPRIATE ZONING TO ENCOURAGE ETO DEVELOPMENT EVEN ON THOSE EXISTING AREAS.
SO THAT'S, YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, ONE OF MY FIRST POINTS IS ACTUALLY I'M, I'M ABSOLUTELY NOT CONCEDING THE IDEA THAT THAT THAT THE PORTION OF THIS LINE NORTH OF CAMPUS HAS NO ETO TOD OPPORTUNITIES.
AND MAYBE THAT'S A INFLAMMATORY STATEMENT.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT I I'M NOT GONNA CONCEDE THAT.
THERE'S MORE AT 38TH STREET THAN THERE WOULD BE IN WEST CAMPUS MAYBE.
WELL I CAN DISCUSS THAT LATER.
SO I I, NOT TO HAMMER THE 38TH STREET TOO MUCH, I LIKE SPENCER.
I'M, I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THERE'S LEASING OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, I WORK AT UT AND I HAVE A NUMBER OF COLLEAGUES WHO LIVE, YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE STAFF AT UT DON'T LIVE IN CENTRAL AUSTIN.
AND SO, UM, THEY DRIVE FROM FARTHER OUT IN AUSTIN AND THEY PARK AT THE TRIANGLE AND THEN THEY TAKE THE BUS IN.
A LOT OF THAT IS CANDIDLY AVOIDING PARKING, PAYING FOR A UT PARKING PERMIT, BUT THAT'S KIND OF GOOD.
BUT SO I THINK THAT IT'S, UM, ONE THING THAT I THINK IS CAREFUL AND I THINK WE WANT TO COMPARE TO LIKE, TO LIKE, RIGHT? SO LIKE PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO DRIVE FROM FARTHER OUT OR MAYBE EVEN SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE CITY AND PARK AT A URBAN PARKING GARAGE VERSUS A EX-URBAN PARKING GARAGE LIKE AT TECH RIDGE OR SOMETHING.
I THINK THOSE ARE VERY DIFFERENT NEEDS AND DIFFERENT POPULATIONS.
SO I THINK WHEN YOU'RE STUDYING LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD PARK HERE, HOW MUCH DO WE WANNA INVEST? YOU REALLY WANNA COMPARE LIKE TO LIKE, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I DO THINK THERE'S ALSO SOME TRANSFORMATION POTENTIAL AT THAT, THAT SITE OVERALL.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE LIKE IN THAT AREA, LIKE PEOPLE LIKE CENTRAL MARKET.
BUT IT WAS ALSO TO ME, ONE OF THAT, THAT SITE WAS ONE OF THE LAST ONES PLANNED THAT WHERE WE BUILT BASICALLY A SUBURBAN STYLE SHOPPING CENTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY.
AND SO LIKE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WEAVING STATIONS INTO URBAN FABRIC, THERE'S A LOT OF LIKE, ACTUALLY EVEN THOSE ARE THINGS PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT THAT SITE.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT OF LIKE REMEDIATION OPPORTUNITIES THAT I THINK THAT WE COULD IMAGINE THERE.
UM, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME THERE WHEN I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL.
I HAD DATED SOMEONE WHO LIVED RIGHT IN THAT PLACE, SO I'M REALLY FAMILIAR WITH IT.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO, UM, COMMENT AND I ACTUALLY, I THINK I'VE SEEN THIS IMAGE BEFORE AND SOMEHOW I DIDN'T REALLY
AND, UM, I DON'T, UM, I'M ALWAYS BEEN ONE WHO'S A LITTLE BIT BEEN MORE OPEN TO ELEVATED OPTIONS.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ME SAY THAT DURING THE PROCESS WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THE IMPLE DECIDING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, BUT I DO THINK THAT I HEARD FROM A LOT OF FORUMS DURING THAT PERIOD THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF, UH, SKEPTICISM AROUND ELEVATED OPTIONS.
WE DIDN'T GO WITH THAT OPTION DOWNTOWN.
SO WHEN I SEE IT SORT OF REEMERGING HERE, I, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.
AND, AND IN PARTICULAR LIKE IF WE WANT TO DO THAT, LIKE WHY, WHY LIKE, IS IT SAVE US A LOT OF MONEY SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A PRIORITY EXTENSION SOONER? DOES IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHAT OTHER BENEFITS DO WE SEE ABOUT POTENTIALLY DOING AN ELEVATE? DOES IT MAKE THE, DOES IT SLOW US DOWN BY THREE MINUTES TO HAVE TO GO UP AND DOWN A HILL WITH THE LIGHT RAILS? SO LIKE, LIKE REALLY QUANTIFYING THAT TO PEOPLE.
WHAT THE, WHAT ARE THE TRADE OFFS? BECAUSE I DO FEEL LIKE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, AND I WASN'T NECESSARILY ON, I MEAN, I WAS KIND OF MORE NEUTRAL, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE PRETTY, MY, MY MEMORY WAS THERE WAS A LOT OF SORT OF AT PEOPLE OPPOSING THE IDEA OF MORE ELEVATED SOLUTIONS, PARTICULARLY IN THE CENTER CITY, WHICH ARGUABLY THIS, THIS IS.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING TO DEFINITELY KEEP IN MIND REGARDING.
UM, AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO JUST SAY TOO, WITH THE, THE RIVERSIDE SECTION, I THINK THIS IS VERY PROMISING WHEN I SEE THIS SORT OF THIS, UM, SCHEMATIC HERE.
I WAS LIKE, WELL, THERE WOULD STILL BE SIDEWALKS ON THE SIDES, RIGHT? AND OF COURSE RIVERSIDE IS CHANGING A LOT RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE SUBURBAN STYLE SHOPPING CENTERS, SO THERE'S THE SIDEWALK A LOT OF TIMES WITH A GIGANTIC ASPHALT PARKING LOT AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YARDS AND YARDS AND YARDS AWAY A A, A SHOPPING CENTER.
BUT I DO SEE WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN RID OF THE SIDEWALKS ON THE SIDE, SO THAT'S WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I WONDERED.
THOSE ARE STILL THERE, SO THAT'S GOOD.
AND I GUESS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE TOO IS, I KNOW THAT, UM, IN THE, THE 26 TEEN
[00:50:01]
MOBILITY BONDS, THERE WAS MONEY FOR REWORKING RIVERSIDE.AND THAT'S ALL SORT OF LIKE, I GUESS KIND OF ON HOLD AS WE ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS AS WELL.
HOW IS THE COORDINATION AS YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CENTER, CENTER RUNNING BIKE LANES AND THINGS LIKE THAT? HOW IS YOUR COORDINATION WITH THE CITY? I'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT YOUR COORDINATION WITH THE CITY ON OTHER THINGS, BUT IN TERMS OF THE LIKE BOND FUNDING THAT THEY MAY HAVE THAT COULD, UM, YOU KNOW, BE A REAL ASSET IN THIS PLANNING.
HOW IS THAT LOOKING FOR Y'ALL? UH, WE ARE VERY CLOSELY INTEGRATED WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS THROUGH, UH, NOT ONLY THE EVALUATION OF THIS DESIGN OPTION, BUT ACTUALLY THROUGH THE CREATION OF IT AND REALLY MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PERSPECTIVES AT THE TABLE, AS WELL AS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE SAFELY DESIGNING THE STREETSCAPE TO ACCOMMODATE, YOU KNOW, LEFT TURNS AND, AND HOW IT WOULD, UH, BE COORDINATED WITH THE, THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYSTEM.
AND HOW DO YOU GET INTO AND OUT OF THAT, THAT SORT OF URBAN TRAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF A STREET ESSENTIALLY? MM-HMM.
UH, SO WE'RE WORKING VERY, VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER ON THAT.
UH, I THINK IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WE SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTNERSHIP AND REALLY BRINGING THIS AS, UH, AN AMENITY A A COMMUNITY AMENITY IN A SENSE.
AND, AND SO I WOULD WOULD LOVE TO FIND ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AS WE CONTINUE TO EVALUATE IT.
UH, BUT I DO WANNA NOTE, WE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO US TOO, TO HEAR HOW PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT.
UH, YOU KNOW, WOULD, WOULD PEOPLE WANT TO USE IT IS, IS BEING IN THAT AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET SOMETHING THAT'S DESIRABLE, THAT FEELS SEPARATED AND, UH, MAYBE SAFER FROM BEING KIND OF ON THE EDGE AND ALONG THE CURB, OR, UH, DOES IT FEEL LESS SAFE BECAUSE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE AND YOU HAVE, UH, FAST MOVING CARS? SO I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A, A LOT OF PERSPECTIVES, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT, IS TO GATHER ALL OF THOSE TO, TO EVALUATE IT.
BUT WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY ON THAT ONE.
I, I, I HAD ONE MORE QUESTION AND IT IS ABOUT THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS STATION.
I DO THINK THERE'S, UM, AND YOU DESCRIBED THEM, THERE'S SOME, SOME CHALLENGES WITH THAT STATION IN TERMS OF JUST THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION.
IT'S SORT OF LIKE THERE'S THE RIVER AND A PARK AND THEN SORT OF ALMOST LIKE VIRTUALLY A CLIFF.
MAYBE NOT EXACTLY A CLIFF, BUT YOU KNOW, SOME DEFINITE GEOGRAPHIC, UM, THINGS, UH, WITH, AND I CERTAINLY COULD NOT, UM, IMAGINE NECESSARILY WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE WOULD THINK.
UM, I ASSUME THAT YOU'RE ENGAGING WITH THEM.
UM, WHAT, I KNOW IT'S VERY EARLY, LIKE DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE SAID ABOUT THAT? OR DID THEY WANT A STATION OR, YES,
UM, DEFINITELY, UM, A LOT MORE, YOU KNOW, SKEPTICISM AS TO WHO WILL USE IT BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE RIDERSHIP AT THE, OF THE NUMBER 20 CURRENTLY SERVING THE AREA.
BUT THEN, UM, ALSO SOME EXCITEMENT BECAUSE THIS ISN'T JUST AN EAST WEST CONNECTION, BUT IT ALSO GOES NORTH AND SOUTH.
UM, SO IT'S BEEN VERY BALANCED, UM, FEEDBACK, UH, AND, AND NOW IT'S A MATTER OF, YOU KNOW, BALANCING LIKE, ARE, ARE WE GONNA TAKE A A LIGHT RAIL THROUGH THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT OFFER A STOP EXCEPT FOR AT WATERFRONT AND LAKE SHORE? SO THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO CONSIDER AND WE'RE JUST SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE THE ACTIVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION OF EVERYONE ON, ON BOTH SIDES.
I THINK, UH, IDEAS ABOUT MORE HOUSEBOATS ON LAKE LIKE THAT YOU COULDN'T CALL IT THE WALK SHE OF THE STATION ANYMORE.
MAYBE THE SKINNY, SHE, UM, YEAH, I'M, I'LL CALL ON YOU.
UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
THE, THIS TO ME, WITH THESE TWO HILLS WHERE YOU'RE LIKE GOING DOWN AND GOING BACK UP, I WAS A BIG ON STREET PERSON DURING THE WHOLE DECISION MAKING JUST, YOU KNOW, AESTHETICALLY AND JUST THE WAY THAT IT INTERACTS LIKE, OR WITH THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, I'D LIKE IT BETTER, BUT OVER HERE WHERE YOU'RE DIPPING DOWN AND CLIMBING UP, IT KINDA LOOKS GOOFY TO ME.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS ELEVATED HERE, LIKE MAYBE MIGHT CHANGE MY MIND.
BUT, UM, I WAS WONDERING IS THAT THIS AREA AT WHERE YOU CROSS THE RIVER WHERE THE BRIDGE IS GONNA BE IN AND HIT RIVERSIDE AND SOUTH CONGRESS, IT'S PART OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL WATERFRONT PLAN.
THERE'S LIKE SOME VERY, VERY LARGE PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING THERE.
I THINK THE STATESMAN PUTT IS LIKE FIVE TOWERS.
UH, ARE YOU WORKING WITH THE DEVELOPERS THERE AT ALL TO THINK ABOUT HOW THIS MIGHT INTERACT WITH THEIR DEVELOPMENTS THERE AND HOW YOU COULD MAYBE MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, REALLY COOL WITH COLLABORATION THERE?
[00:55:01]
THE SHORT ANSWER IS YES, ABSOLUTELY.UH, THE LONG ANSWER IS WE SEE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS AREA AS COMPARED TO SAY, ELEVATED DOWNTOWN.
UM, THEY'RE DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF THE OPPORTUNITY OF, UH, CO-CREATING AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENT.
THEY'RE DIFFERENT IN THE SENSE OF WHAT WOULD BE AT THE GROUND LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WHEREAS DOWNTOWN, AN ELEVATED LINE OR STATION WOULD'VE BEEN OVER A ROADWAY, AND HERE IT'S ACTUALLY OUT OF THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AND HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW TO ACTIVATE THAT SPACE.
UH, BUT YES, WE ARE ARE COORDINATING WITH THE SURROUNDING USES THAT ARE PLANNED FOR THAT STATION AREA.
UM, AND THEN WITH THE RIVERSIDE, UH, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE DIFFERENT DESIGN POSSIBILITIES WHERE YOU HAVE IT IN THE CENTER OR AT THE SIDE, I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA BE GOING TO A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO LIKE GATHER SOME FEEDBACK ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING THAT WAY.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
I'M LOOKING AT IT AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW, UM, BECAUSE I CAN'T PICTURE WHAT AN INTERSECTION WOULD LOOK LIKE, UM, LIKE AS A, UH, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION USER THROUGH THIS.
SO I THINK MAYBE GETTING A RENDERING OR LIKE SOME SORT OF SCHEMATIC OF WHAT AN INTERSECTION WITH BOTH OF THOSE OPTIONS WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
UH, SO PEOPLE CAN IMAGINE USING IT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT, I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE I'D FEEL SAFER ON.
I, 'CAUSE I, I, I CAN'T PICTURE IT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE WOULD USE IT EITHER WAY.
I THINK THE BIGGER PROBLEM ON RIVERSIDE IS OF COURSE THE SUBURBAN STYLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE, YOU KNOW, HUGE OCEANS OF ASPHALT THERE.
BUT, UH, I THINK THIS IS REALLY COOL AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUED WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS.
AND CAN I FOLLOW UP ON ONE THING ABOUT THE RIVERSIDE? OH, SURE.
YEAH, I RIGHT ON WHAT, WHAT HE JUST SAID.
WHEN I LOOK AT IT AS, AS, UH, SOMEBODY WHO PRIMARILY TRAVELS BY BICYCLE.
YEAH, I HAVE THAT EXACT SAME QUESTION ABOUT INTERSECTIONS, RIGHT? MY QUESTION WHEN I SEE OPTION TWO IS LIKE, I LIKE IT THAT I'M NOT GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH DRIVEWAYS, BUT ALSO HOW AM I TURNING RIGHT AND LEFT? AND THEN THAT ALSO HAS CONSIDERATIONS FOR, ARE WE SLOWING DOWN THE LIGHT RAIL IF WE HAVE TO PUT IN A BUNCH OF EXTRA INTERSECTIONS SO BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS CAN TURN? SO I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE ONE THING TO, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SHOW THE COMMUNITY SO WE CAN MAKE AN INFORMED, YOU KNOW, COMMENT ABOUT IT.
I JUST HAVE A GENERAL QUESTION.
UM, SO THE STUFF YOU PRESENTED HERE, IS THAT GONNA BE AT YOUR, UM, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS? OKAY.
SO THEN I WILL KEEP ALL MY QUESTIONS FOR, FOR THAT.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL, EVERY, EVERY COMMISSIONER HAS HAD A CHANCE TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND THOSE ONLINE AS WELL.
I DO HAVE, THIS IS DIANA WHEELER.
I JUST WONDERED WHERE WOULD WE GET THE LIST OF THE OPEN HOUSES? 'CAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO GO TO AN OPEN HOUSE.
THE LIST, IT'S ON THE WEBSITE.
IT IS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH IS A TP TX.ORG.
IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE BACKUP FOR THIS.
IT'S ONS ON PAGE, UH, SLIDE THREE OF THE DECK AS WELL.
SORRY, I DO HAVE MORE QUESTIONS.
SO ONE THING, UM, I I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF THE WOOLWORTH SQUARE THING, BUT, UM, WE'VE SWITCHED AROUND THE, THE STATIONS A LOT IN DOWNTOWN AND I THINK FOR GOOD REASON.
UM, BUT ONE THING I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT WAS DECIDED.
OBVIOUSLY RIGHT NOW A LOT OF BUSES TERMINATE AT REPUBLIC SQUARE.
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE MAIN AREA FOR PEOPLE TO GET BUS CONNECTIONS DOWNTOWN GIVEN THE OPTIONS RIGHT NOW? UH, WELL, WE'RE WORKING WITH CAP METRO RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING SOME ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL, UM, CHANGES TO THE BUS NETWORK TO, SO THAT LIGHT RAIL AND THE BUS SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER.
UM, SO THAT, THAT WORK IS ONGOING RIGHT NOW.
AND ACTUALLY WE'LL PROBABLY CONTINUE OVER TIME AS WELL.
AND A WHILE AGO, I REMEMBER THERE WAS TALK ABOUT, UM, SOME PROPERTY ACQUISITION TO CREATE KIND OF A, A TRANSIT CENTER, EITHER 12TH OR 15TH STREET.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S STILL ON THE TABLE, OR IS, I GUESS THAT'S REALLY A QUESTION FOR CAT METRO, BUT WHAT LOGAN SQUARE STATION, I, I, I REMEMBER THERE BEING TALK ABOUT A, A SPECIFIC BUS HUB EITHER AT 15TH AND LAVACCA OR 12TH AND LAVACA.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S NOT AS PART OF THE LIGHT RAIL PROJECT.
BUT I, I CAN'T, UM, COMMENT ON ANY PLANS
[01:00:01]
CAP METRO MAY BE CONSIDERING.UM, AND THEN ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD, SO GOING TO THE, THE BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN DESIGN.
SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS SOMETHING UNIQUE TO, UM, RIVERSIDE.
UM, ONE THING THE BICYCLE ADVISORY COUNCIL HAS BEEN ASKING FOR, FOR A WHILE IS THAT, UM, WE SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES ON THE LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT, NOT ON AN ADJOINING STREET.
SO IS IT SAFE TO ASSUME THE REST OF THE ALIGNMENT WILL LOOK LIKE OPTION A OR IS THERE ANY PLACE WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING AT RELOCATING BICYCLE FACILITIES ONTO ANOTHER STREET? THERE ARE SOME LOCATIONS THAT ARE SORT OF UNIQUE IN THEIR CONSTRAINTS, DOWNTOWN BEING ONE OF THEM.
SO THIRD STREET, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE WE ARE, ARE PROPOSING THE LIGHT RAIL ALIGNMENT TO BE, IS NOT WIDE ENOUGH TO HAVE THE LIGHT RAIL AND ACCOMMODATE, UH, VEHICULAR TRAFFIC NEEDS AS PART OF THE OVERALL DOWNTOWN GRID AS WELL AS THE CURRENT LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY RIGHT THROUGH THAT AREA.
SO WE WOULD BE PROPOSING TO RELOCATE THE BIKEWAY TO FOURTH STREET, WHICH IS, IT'S JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY.
AND ALSO ACTUALLY HELPS TO OPTIMIZE SOME OF THE, THE CURRENT ALIGNMENT OF THE BIKEWAY WHERE IT, IT KIND OF JOGS DOWN TO GET TO THIRD STREET, BUT WOULD ACTUALLY KEEP IT STRAIGHT FROM WHERE IT COMES THROUGH ON FOURTH TODAY, EAST OF, UH, GUESS IT WOULD BE TRINITY.
I, I GUESS I CAN SEE HOW THERE MIGHT BE BENEFITS IN THAT, BUT I GUESS HOW DID YOU GUYS COME TO THE DECISION THAT WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO PRIORITIZE ACCESS BY PRIVATE MOTOR VEHICLES THAN ACCESS BY BICYCLES? UH, IN DOWNTOWN, A LOT OF DRIVEWAYS ARE LOCATED OFF OF, OF THE STREET AND SO NEEDING TO MAINTAIN MM-HMM.
UH, THERE'S ALSO DOWNTOWN AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GRID NETWORK WHERE NOT EVERY STREET HAS TO BE EVERYTHING BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY OPERATE TOGETHER AND, AND AS A SYSTEM AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, RIVERSIDE IS QUITE DIFFERENT.
THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A GRID OF, UM, YOU KNOW, CLOSELY ADJACENT STREETS WHERE YOU CAN BALANCE THE, THE OVERALL MULTIMODAL NEEDS USING, UH, A, A NETWORK.
BUT DOWNTOWN DOES GIVE US THAT OPPORTUNITY.
SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH TPW AND ALSO COORDINATING WITH THEIR ACT PLAN.
I HAVE TO SAY I WISH THAT WAS A DECISION THAT WAS MADE.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT DECISION WAS MADE.
I WISH THAT WAS A DECISION THAT WAS MADE WITH SOME PUBLIC COMMENT BECAUSE I, I THINK THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO WOULD FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF BICYCLE ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT ON THIRD STREET.
'CAUSE IT'S BEEN THERE FOR SO LONG.
AND ALSO IT'S AN IMPORTANT CONNECTION POINT WITH THE THIRD STREET BRIDGE, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PUTTING MONEY INTO EXPAND THE BRIDGE OVER SHOUL CREEK.
AND I, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CONNECT VIA FOURTH STREET.
SO YEAH, IT MAY LINE UP BETTER WITH THE LANCE ARMSTRONG BIKEWAY AND DOWNTOWN STATION, BUT IT'S ALSO GONNA MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT ON THE WEST SIDE.
AND THAT FEELS LIKE A PRETTY MAJOR DECISION TO BE MADE WITHOUT REACHING OUT TO AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, THE BICYCLE COMMUNITY TO GET SOME IMPACT ON THAT.
I THINK THAT'S GREAT FEEDBACK.
AND WE CAN LOOK AT, AT KIND OF WHERE TO TIE IT BACK IN AND HOW TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION AS SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE.
SO THAT THAT'S, BUT THAT'S THE ONLY PART OF THE ALIGNMENT WHERE YOU'RE CONSIDERING MOVING BICYCLE FACILITIES? UM, NO, I I WOULD ALSO SAY ALONG GUADALUPE, WE NEED TO EVALUATE, AND THAT'S PART OF OUR, OUR WORK AHEAD OF US.
THERE, IT'S ANYWHERE DOWNTOWN IS VERY CONSTRAINED AND, UH, I MENTIONED EARLIER REALLY WANTING TO USE OUR DOLLARS FOR BUILDING THE, THE ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT THAT PEOPLE WILL USE AND, AND NOT USING IT FOR ADDITIONAL LAND AND, AND ACQUIRING BUILDINGS.
AND SO, UH, GUADALUPE IS ANOTHER LOCATION WHERE WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, MULTIMODAL NEEDS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
I MEAN, ONE THING I'LL POINT OUT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BALANCE LANGUAGE, IT TALKED ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS FOR BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND I FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU'RE RELOCATING A EXISTING VERY GOOD PROTECTIVE BIKE LANE TO ANOTHER STREET THAT'S NOT IMPROVEMENT.
UM, SO IT'S, THAT IS A LITTLE CONCERNING TO ME.
AND I THINK THERE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE SOME CONVERSATIONS IF THAT CAN BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE NEPA UH, FEEDBACK.
I THINK THAT WOULD GO A LONG WAY.
UM, I'LL MOVE AWAY FROM THAT SINCE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT FOR, UM, A LITTLE WHILE.
UM, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, THEIR ANSWER TO EVERYTHING, AT LEAST THIS WAS WHEN I DID THE ONLINE THING, MY ANSWER TO EVERYTHING WAS PICK WHATEVER'S CHEAPEST.
'CAUSE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.
SO A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THAT ONE.
I'M SURE THERE'S A GOOD REASON.
I JUST DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY IS IT THAT WE
[01:05:01]
CAN'T INCLUDE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS IN THE NEPA PROCESS? UM, WELL, I'LL TAKE 'EM ONE BY ONE TO NOT GIVE YOU A BUNCH OFSO LET'S, LET'S ANSWER THAT ONE.
SO WE'RE ONLY INCLUDING THE, INCLUDING THE FUNDED PART OF THE PROJECT IN NEPA.
IS IS THAT A FEDERAL MANDATE THAT WE CAN'T INCLUDE AN UNFUNDED PROJECT? RIGHT.
BECAUSE THE REASON I SAY IS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IN 2020, THE IDEA WAS TO DO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW FOR THE WHOLE SEGMENT.
AND NOW WE'RE JUST DOING IT FOR THIS SMALL PORTION.
WELL, AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE KNOW WE WE'RE ADVANCING THAT 9.8 MILES.
AND THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS, UM, WE WILL BE ADVANCING, WE CAN ACCELERATE THEM IF ADDITIONAL FUNDING COMES AVAILABLE SOONER.
UM, SO, UM, PRESUMING THAT THOSE WOULD BE FEDERAL PROJECTS OR GET SOME KIND OF FEDERAL FUNDING AS WELL, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH NEPA AGAIN.
SO IF, UM, THOSE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS MAY BE ACCELERATED IN THE NEARER TERM WHERE WE CAN FOLD IT INTO OUR CURRENT PROCESS, UH, FOR NEPA OR THE GRANT FUNDING, WE WOULD CERTAINLY DO THAT.
UH, BUT IF NOT, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO REDO NEPA, FOR EXAMPLE, POTENTIALLY LATER ANALYSIS.
I THINK A GUIDELINE, NOW YOU'RE TESTING MY MEMORY A LITTLE BIT, IS PROBABLY ON THE ORDER OF LIKE FIVE TO EIGHT YEARS.
SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT IF YOU DO IT TOO SOON ON THE EXTENSIONS, IT WILL BE COMING BACK.
AND THEN, UH, MY OTHER QUESTION IS, RIGHT, I I THINK, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DO THE BACK OF NAPKIN MATH OF LIKE, OKAY, $500, RIGHT? TECHNICALLY IF YOU JUST DIVIDE THE MILEAGE BY THE COST, IT'S 500 MILLION A MILE.
I, I'M GONNA GUESS THAT YOU'LL SAY THAT'S NOT YOUR, YOUR COST TARGET.
RIGHT? SO I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE GOING TO HAVE LEFT WHEN, AND I GET THAT YOU DON'T WANNA DO THIS 'CAUSE OF BID RIGGING RIGHT NOW, BUT WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET A ROUGH ESTIMATE FOR WHAT THE PER MILE TARGET IS NOT INCLUDING THINGS LIKE THE BRIDGE PARK AND RIDES OR, OR THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY PUBLISHED SOME OF THAT ALREADY.
SO LEADING UP TO THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ADOPTION, WHEN WE WERE CONSIDERING DIFFERENT, UM, ALTERNATIVES FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT, WE DID COMPARE THE COST PER MILE, UH, FOR, FOR SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES.
SO THERE ACTUALLY IS A, AN FAQ REPORT AVAILABLE STILL ON OUR, OUR WEBSITE TODAY.
THAT DOES BREAK DOWN SOME OF THOSE COSTS TO PULL OUT SOME OF THE STARTER SYSTEM ELEMENTS.
UM, SO, UH, THAT, THAT IS AVAILABLE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP AND, UM, PROVIDE A, A LINK TO THAT IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UH, AND WAS THE SECOND PART OF THE QUESTION I'VE, I FORGOTTEN
I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT THE SECOND PART OF MY QUESTION WAS ANYWAY.
UM, I THINK YOU ANSWERED THAT.
AND THEN THE, THE FINAL QUESTION I HAVE IS IF MAGICAL NEW FUNDING COMES AVAILABLE, I'M A RICH BILLIONAIRE AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN EXTRA $500 MILLION TO BUILD TOWARDS THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS.
HOW SOON WOULD YOU NEED THAT TO BE ABLE TO FOLD IT INTO THE CURRENT NEPA PROCESS VERSUS STARTING A NEW ONE? WELL, WE WOULD TAKE THAT MONEY LIKE
I'M SAYING WHEN I GET IT, I'M GIVING IT TO YOU.
UM, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE CAN FOLD IT IN RIGHT NOW.
IT DEPENDS ON, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
UM, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITH FTA ON THAT TOO.
I MEAN, NEPA IS REALLY THEIR PROCESS IN THEIR DOCUMENT MM-HMM.
I MEAN, IF IT'S WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF OUR KIND OF CURRENT NEPA WORK THAT IT MAKES SENSE THAT THERE'S FUNDING AVAILABLE TO KIND OF FOLD THIS IN AND IMPLEMENT IT AS ONE LARGER PROJECT.
UM, WE WOULD, THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU COULD DO IT.
AND EITHER JUST REALLY DEPENDING, YOU KNOW, ARE WE STILL IN ANALYSIS MODE? ARE WE RECEIVING COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT? IS IT LATER? UM, THERE, THERE'S MULTIPLE PATHWAYS IS THE GOOD NEWS.
UM, AND JUST WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE REALLY DEPENDS ON THE TIMING OF IT.
BUT, BUT SO LIKE LET'S SAY THE DRAFT EIS IS PUBLISHED AND THEN A FUNDING SOURCE BECOMES AVAILABLE AT THAT POINT.
IS IT TOO LATE OR COULD IT BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DRAFT? DIS UM, THAT, AND THAT'S A, A TOPIC WE'D REALLY HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WITH FTA.
I I CAN SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE A CERTAIN POINT AFTER WHICH IT'S PROBABLY JUST MAKES WAY MORE SENSE THAT YOU KIND OF CLEAR IT IN A SEPARATE PROCESS.
AND THAT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
UM, AS LONG AS YOU KNOW, IT IS EVALUATED, UM, APPROPRIATELY UNDER NEPA.
IF, IF I COULD HERE TOO, I, I TALKED TO, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO SOME OF THE UP AT OPEN HOUSES 'CAUSE I GO TO A LOT OF MEANS ABOUT TRANSIT AND I I WAS ACTUALLY GOT SOME ANSWERS OR SOME MORE CLARITY ON SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKING BY TALKING TO THE FOLKS AT THE BOARDS THERE.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS SHARED, AND Y'ALL CAN CORRECT ME WHEN I SCREW THINGS UP 'CAUSE I SCREW THINGS UP A LOT.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, NUMBER ONE THEY SAID THAT HAVING EXTENSIONS THAT AREN'T FUNDED AND WON'T BE THERE FOR A LONG TIME,
[01:10:01]
OR WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WILL BE THERE, CAN MUDDY, REALLY MUDDY THE PROCESS OF LIKE, WHAT IS THE RIDERSHIP? BECAUSE YOU CAN'T COUNT THE RIDERSHIP FROM THEM, BUT 'CAUSE YOU'RE NOT BUILDING IT.AND THAT CAN REALLY CREATE SOME, SOME SERIOUS CONFUSION OR SCRUTINY ON YOUR EIS, WHICH I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I I, I UNDERSTAND THAT NOW.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT WAS SAID WAS THAT FOR ADDING EXTENSIONS, THERE ARE PROCESSES TO, UH, LIKE JUST SHORTER ASSESSMENTS.
LIKE IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AS LONG OF A PROCESS TO ADD EXTENSIONS TO AN EXISTING APPROVED SYSTEM VERSUS SOMETHING THAT WHERE WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY LIGHT RAIL IN THE CITY BEFORE.
SO THOSE TWO THINGS WERE ENCOURAGING.
I MEAN, I'M, I'M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I HOPE THE, THE AIRPORT LEPRECHAUN WILL, YOU KNOW, THE END OF THE RAINBOW AND THEY'LL JUST GIVE US THE MONEY TO DO IT.
THAT'S THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE TO ME.
COME ON AIRPORT, WE CAN DO THIS.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, YES, I HOPE WE GET THE MONEY THIS SUMMER AND THEY CAN PUT IT IN THE ORIGINAL THING.
BUT, UM, THOSE, THOSE WERE HELPFUL TO ME IN UNDERSTANDING THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY IS, IS REALLY, UM, INVESTED IN THE LONG-TERM FUTURE OF THE FULL, THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS, UM, DOWN THE LINE.
SO I KNOW HERE THEY SEEM TO DO AN EXTENSION ROUGHLY EVERY YEAR, EVERY TWO YEARS.
YEAH, THEY'RE PRETTY GOOD AT IT.
AND I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY GOOD FOR US TO END UP BEING IN THE SAME, UH, SITUATION WHERE JUST ADDING MORE TO THE LIGHT RAIL LINE HAPPENS EVERY YEAR, IT'S NO BIG DEAL.
NORMALIZE THAT AND BUILD THAT CAPACITY FOR SURE.
COMMISSIONERS, WE, WE, IT IS SIX 20 AND I KNOW WE HAVE, UH, AND I LOVE THIS TOPIC, BUT I KNOW WE DO HAVE SOME MORE PRESENTATIONS.
UM, I DID WANNA, UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS.
IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS, I'LL MAKE A FINAL CALL AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO A DIFFERENT ITEM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TEAM FOR COMING OUT AND THANK YOU AND, UM, HAVING FUN WITH US TODAY ON THAT ITEM.
[4. Discussion on public engagement and strategic planning for Austin MetroBike ]
TO THE, UM, UH, I GUESS NUMBER FOUR, UH, DISCUSSION AND PUBLIC ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE AUSTIN METRO BIKE PROGRAM.JUST DOUBLE CHECKING THAT THE SLIDES WORK CHAIR SUMMERS VICE CHAIR BROOKS, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF AND COMMISSIONERS.
I'M A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR AT CAP METRO.
BEFORE WE START, I DO WANT TO ASK, DON'T YOU HATE IT WHEN YOUR CAR IS BROKEN DOWN OR YOUR LATE AND YOU MISS THE BUS? OR MAYBE JUST, MAYBE IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS AND YOU DON'T HAVE A BIKE.
I'M HERE TO TELL YOU TODAY THAT YOU DON'T ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE A BIKE TO OWN A BIKE TO USE ONE.
WE'RE TALKING TODAY ABOUT THE METRO BIKE STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.
TECHNICALLY, THIS IS THE SECOND ONE.
THE FIRST ONE WAS RELEASED IN OCTOBER OF 2021.
THAT WAS A THREE YEAR STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF THE PRESENTATION, I DO WANT TO ANSWER A QUESTION.
I THINK YOU MAY ALL BE SILENTLY ASKING IN YOUR HEADS, WHY AM I HERE? WE'VE LAUNCHED THE MAIN ENGAGEMENT OF THIS PROJECT, AND REALLY THE REASON I'M HERE IS BECAUSE WE WANT YOU TO KNOW MORE AND GET INVOLVED.
I'LL REFRESH YOU ON WHAT THE METRO BIKE SYSTEM CURRENTLY LOOKS LIKE TODAY THAN WHAT WE WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE, AND THEN HOW WE'RE GETTING THERE.
AFTER THAT, YOU CAN BESTOW UPON ME ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
I WILL ANSWER THOSE TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY.
OR I MAY TAG IN MY TWO METRO, UH, MY TWO TECHNICAL EXPERTS WE HAVE ONLINE, MR. DIEGO MARTINEZ, ADA, WHO IS THE MANAGER OF METRO BIKE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AND HE'S FROM CAP METRO.
AND THEN NEXT TO ME, WE HAVE IN PERSON MR. JACOB BARRETT.
I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE TDM PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I'M SURE YOU'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH HIM.
UH, ON THE CONSULTANT SIDE FOR THIS PROJECT, WE HAVE LIFELINE HERE IN AUSTIN WHO IS HELPING US WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WE HAVE FOURSQUARE ITP, HELPING US WITH OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS AND HALF HELPING US WITH THE STR UH, THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
UH, WE'VE WORKED WITH THESE PARTNERS BEFORE ON THE PREVIOUS EXPANSION PLAN, WHICH IS WHERE THIS NEXT GRAPHIC COMES FROM.
OUR CURRENT SYSTEM IS A DOCK BASED MODEL AND IT'S MAINLY LOCATED IN FIVE AREAS,
[01:15:01]
UT AND WEST CAMPUS, DOWNTOWN ALONG THE ANNE AND ROY BUTLER, HY AND BIKE TRAIL ALONG BARTON SPRINGS ROAD AND SOUTH FIRST STREET, AND SOME OF SOUTH FIRST STREET AND SOME PARTS OF CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN.YOU MAY HAVE SEEN OUR ELECTRIC BIKES.
THEY ARE THE MOST POPULAR, BUT YOU MAY HAVE ALSO SEEN WE HAVE ANOTHER TYPE OF BIKE, A CLASSIC OR ACOUSTIC, IF THAT'S YOUR PREFERRED TER TERMINOLOGY.
WE HAVE THOSE PEDAL POWER ONLY BIKES AS WELL.
OVERALL, OUR SYSTEM MAINLY SERVES TRIPS GOING TO FROM OR THROUGH DOWNTOWN UT WEST CAMPUS AREA.
OVERALL, OUR TRIP LENGTH OR AVERAGE TRIP LENGTH IS ABOUT TWO TO TWO AND A HALF MILES, WHICH IS ABOUT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN DEAN KEATON AND GUAD, WHICH I BELIEVE IS THAT WAY.
AND HERE AT CITY HALL, WHICH BRINGS US TO OUR NEXT POINT, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND CAP METRO PARTNERSHIP.
THIS IS A VERY BASIC, I PROMISE, A VERY BASIC OVERVIEW OF OUR PARTNERSHIP, BUT IT IS TRULY VITAL THAT WE ARE CONNECTED AND WE WORK CONSISTENTLY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN STAFF, INCLUDING JACOB NEXT TO ME, UH, TO ON THIS PROJECT AND ON OTHER PROJECTS SO THAT WE CAN BRING THE BEST SYSTEM POSSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY.
THIS PARTNERSHIP ENABLED THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO SUBMIT FOR AND BE AWARDED AN $11.3 MILLION TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE SETASIDE GRANT OR TOSSA GRANT, WHICH IS HELPING US FUND THE EQUIPMENT FOR THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN.
AND I HOPE SO FAR YOU'RE ENJOYING THE PRESENTATION.
I'VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE THESE TRANSITIONS AS SMOOTH AS THE RED LINE TRAIL.
SPEAKING OF THE RED LINE, I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THAT ONE.
SPEAKING OF THE RED LINE, COINCIDENTALLY, THAT IS RIGHT AROUND WHERE OUR EXPANSION AREA IS FOCUSED.
WE'RE LOOKING AT EXPANDING INTO THE, INTO MORE OF EAST AUSTIN, REALLY INSIDE AIRPORT PLEASANT VALLEY AND LADY BIRD LAKE THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AUSTIN.
SO, UH, BETWEEN LAMAR AND 35 UP TO THE HIGHLAND AREA, AND THEN FURTHER SOUTH ALONG RIVERSIDE AND SOUTH LAMAR, KIND OF LIKE LEGS, IF YOU WANT TO THINK OF IT THAT WAY.
THIS EXPANSION'S GONNA BRING ALONG A LOT OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS FOR THE COMMUNITY'S HEALTH, FOR THEIR OPTIONS TO CONNECT TO TRANSIT.
AND ESPECIALLY FOR, HOLD ON, I'M GETTING THERE.
THE BARRIER TO OWNING A BIKE, THE BARRIER TO ENTRY TO OWNING A BIKE, MAINTAINING A BIKE, STORING A BIKE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS ABOUT BEING ON THE PROJECT, AND IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF REINVESTING IN OUR HISTORICALLY DISINVESTED COMMUNITIES.
SPEAKING ABOUT EQUITY AND COMMUNITIES, I WANNA MENTION VERY QUICKLY THE EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
JUST LIKE THAT PROGRAM, THIS PROJECT AND THE WIDER METRO BIKE SERVICE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CAP METRO AND THE CITY.
ALSO, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES OF ETOD, WHICH IS COMMUNITY CONNECTORS.
OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTORS, NOT JUST THE, UH, EXPERIENCES THAT THEY HAVE IN THE NETWORKS THAT THEY HOLD, HELP US ATTEND EVENTS.
AND THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF BEING IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY HELP US WIDEN THE PROVERBIAL NET OF ENGAGEMENT.
THEY'RE HELPING US CONNECT AT EVENTS ACROSS THE EXPANSION AREA, AND THEY'RE DIRECTING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR SURVEY AND GATHERING MORE QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK AS WELL.
THAT WAY IT'S NOT JUST FILL OUT THE SURVEY, IT'S TELL US ABOUT METRO BIKE.
THAT SURVEY HAS A NUMBER OF NOTABLE CHARACTERISTICS.
IT'S SPLIT INTO TWO SECTIONS THAT HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE ARE OR AREN'T USING METRO BIKE TODAY, WHETHER THAT'S GOING TO WORK, RUNNING ERRANDS, OR JUST ENJOYING AUSTIN'S GREAT TRAILS.
AND THE SECOND SECTION IS STANDARD DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS.
NOW I WANNA POINT OUT THAT THESE ARE ACTUALLY CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH OUR AUSTIN STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLANS QUESTIONS.
THAT WAY WE CAN BETTER COORDINATE WITH THE CITY AND USE THAT DATA MORE EFFECTIVELY.
THE SURVEY IS ALREADY BEING PUBLICIZED THROUGH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE'VE POSTED SIGNS AT THE TOP 20 METRO BIKE STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY, AND WE'RE ALREADY ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY AT EVENTS ASKING FOR FEEDBACK.
OF COURSE, COLLECTING DATA ISN'T COMPLETE WITHOUT THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE CONSIDER SUCCESS.
AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE DEVELOPED BENCHMARKS FOR THE SURVEY TO IDENTIFY AREAS THAT MIGHT BE SEEING LESS SURVEY RESPONSE COMPARED TO THE POPULATION, WHICH WILL HELP US TARGET OUTREACH AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE DATA WE'RE COLLECTING AND THE INSIGHTS WE'RE DERIVING STACK UP TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
THAT SURVEY RUNS UNTIL MARCH 22ND, BUT IT ISN'T THE ONE AND ONLY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT EVEN AS THE SURVEY CLOSES, WE STILL HAVE A FEW MONTHS UNTIL THE END OF THE PROJECT.
WHAT IS LIKELY TO BE ONE OF OUR FINAL ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE A COMMUNITY BIKE RIDE.
WHILE IT'S EASY TO ASK YOU TO ATTEND AND SAY, WOO-HOO, JOIN US, I'M GONNA ASK MORE FROM YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL SPECIAL.
[01:20:01]
AND SIGN UP FOR MORE INFO.SECONDLY, PLEASE SHARE THE SURVEY AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS.
I'VE MADE IT EASY FOR YOU IN THAT QR CODE.
I KNOW YOU CAN SEE IT IN FRONT OF ME.
AND THEN LASTLY, PLEASE USE METRO BIKE, GET SOME EXPERIENCE WITH THE SYSTEM, AND THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH NEW VENDOR AND SO ON, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE NEW SYSTEM AND GET A FEEL FOR WHAT'S CHANGED WITH THAT.
THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.
WHEN I SAY WE HAVE FUN HERE, I'M REALLY NOT LYING.
UM, I, UM, SO THE MAP, WE HAVE THE MAP OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM.
IF I GO TO THE SITE, WILL I FIND THE MAP OF THE PROPOSED EXPANSIONS? I BELIEVE THAT THE MAP OF THE PROPOSED EXPANSIONS IS IN THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN, THE FIRST ONE.
AND THAT'S AVAILABLE ON THE CAP METRO WEBSITE.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO AN EXISTING ON, I BELIEVE ON THE METRO BIKE WEBSITE, YOU CAN FIND THE EXISTING STATION MAP AS WELL.
OTHER COMMISSIONERS QUESTIONS? YEAH, SPENCER.
HEY, UH, SO HAVE YOU GUYS LOOKED INTO, UH, A LOT OF OTHER CITIES HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH E-BIKE LIBRARIES WHERE YOU CAN RENT A RIDE SHARE BIKE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, USUALLY A MONTH OR THREE MONTHS.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS HAVE LOOKED INTO AS PART OF THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION? I WILL HAND THAT OFF TO MY TECHNICAL EXPERTS,
UM, NOT AS PART OF METRO BIKE, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS.
IT DEFINITELY IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO AS PART OF TDM, UM, THE EXTENDED BIKE RENTAL MARKET.
UM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BIKE SHOPS IN THE CITY THAT DO OFFER THOSE SERVICES.
SO IT WOULD BE, UM, PARTNERING WITH THOSE FOLKS AND YEAH.
WELL, AND I, I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A BENEFIT TO IT COMING FROM METRO BIKE BECAUSE I, THE, THE PROBLEM WITH THERE ARE BIKE SHOPS THAT DO IT, RIGHT, BUT THEY'RE GONNA CHARGE LIKE $70 A DAY.
AND I THINK THERE ARE ONE, I RIDE MY ELECTRIC BICYCLE EVERY DAY AND I HAVE THREE PEOPLE COME UP TO ME WHO ARE CURIOUS ABOUT IT.
RIGHT? A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE CURIOUS THAT IF THEY GOT TO TRY IT FOR A MONTH MIGHT INVEST IN THERE OR MIGHT START USING METRO BIKE MORE.
UH, BUT THEN TWO, I THINK THE PEOPLE WHO MOST OFTEN NEED A BICYCLE BUT WOULD BE ABLE TO AFFORD AN ELECTRIC BICYCLE ARE LOW INCOME TRANSIT USERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSIT DEPENDENT.
UH, SO THAT COULD BE A REALLY GOOD WAY TO IMPACT THEM.
YOU KNOW, THEY MAY CONTINUE TO RENT IT FOR MONTHS AND YEARS AT A TIME.
AND THAT'S DEFINITELY A BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY IF WE CAN PRIDE THEM WITH AN AFFORDABLE WAY TO USE A BIKE, EVEN IF THEY DON'T OWN IT.
SO I'LL ALSO SAY, UM, METRO BIKE, IT'S ABOUT AN $83 PER YEAR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP.
SO YOU HAVE UNLIMITED RIDES FOR $83 A YEAR, AND THAT IS A REALLY GOOD VALUE FOR THE SYSTEM.
SO ANY BIKE, ANY STATION, AND EVEN WITH THE EXPANSION, YOU'LL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF THAT.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, UM, DISCOUNTED RIDES, UM, AS WELL.
UM, SO I HEARD THAT WE'RE MOVING AWAY FROM B CYCLE INTO AN ACRONYM THAT I CAN'T REMEMBER RIGHT NOW, UH, AS THE NEW VENDOR, UM, THAT WAS NOT WHAT THIS PRESENTATION WAS ABOUT, BUT, UM, THAT WAS IN THE NEWS LIKE THE LAST LIKE THREE DAYS.
CAN YOU, DO YOU WANNA CHAT ABOUT THAT AND HOW IT, LIKE, HOW YOU'RE FITTING IT INTO THE EXPANSION AND, UM, LIKE IS THAT, ARE YOU SWITCHING, UM, WHERE THERE AREN'T CURRENT STATIONS FIRST, LIKE IN NEW INSTALLS? IS THAT WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE USING THERE? OR ARE WE UPGRADING ALL THEM AT ONCE? SO THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS GONNA BE UPGRADED.
UM, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH CAP METRO ON A TRANSITION PLAN, UM, AND THAT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING.
UM, THIS PRESENTATION IS MOSTLY FOR THE STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION AS IT COMES.
AND I'LL NOTE FROM THE CAP METRO SIDE, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING TO FINALIZE THE CONTRACT WITH OUR VENDOR MM-HMM.
UH, WE'LL SHARE MORE INFORMATION WITH YOU AS WE DETERMINE THE IMPACTS OF WHAT AND THE DETAILS OF THOSE IMPACTS.
UH, ONCE WE'VE GOTTEN A MOBILIZATION PLAN, IT'S PBSC URBAN SOLUTIONS.
I'VE HEARD THAT NAME MANY, MANY TIMES, SO IT'S STUCK UP IN HERE.
YEAH, I KNOW IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER.
I'LL ALSO NOTE WE'LL BE SHARING THAT MEMBER OR THAT INFORMATION WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND MEDIA PARTNERS.
SO IT WILL NOT BE A, HEY, BY THE WAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
[01:25:01]
ALL RIGHT.[5. Discussion on Transportation and Public Works grants outlooks for 2024]
WE'RE CHUGGING RIGHT ALONG HERE.UM, I THINK WE'RE GONNA TAKE, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TAKE THE, UM, GRANT OUTLOOKS.
SO, UM, DISCUSSION ON THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS GRANT OUTLOOKS FOR 2024.
I AM, UM, I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE FEDERAL GRANTS OUTLOOK FOR 2024 ON BEHALF OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AND I AM THE GRANTS AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS PROGRAM MANAGER.
UH, SO IF YOU'LL START THE PRESENTATION WITH THE NEXT SLIDE, THAT'D BE HELPFUL.
SO TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW, WHAT, WHAT THIS PRESENTATION DOES IS IT GIVES YOU A HIGH LEVEL O OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH GRANTS IN THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT THIS YEAR.
IT WILL BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE GRANTS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UM, SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND WHERE WE ARE ON IMPLEMENTATION FOR THOSE GRANTS.
AND THEN IT GOES THROUGH AND PROVIDES JUST A VERY HIGH LEVEL, UM, UH, DISCUSSION OF EACH GRANT PROGRAM THAT WE'RE APPLYING FOR THAT'S ON OUR RADAR THIS YEAR.
AND THEN I HAVE, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS AS WELL.
AND I'M NOT THE SUBJECT MATTER MATTER EXPERT ON ALL THESE GRANTS NECESSARILY, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
SO TO TO BEGIN, UM, THE THIS, OUR CURRENT GRANT STRATEGY IS INFORMED BY THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF GRANT AND, AND AMOUNT OF GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH RECENTLY ENACTED FEDERAL LEGISLATION, INCLUDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT, WHICH IS IIJA, MOST PEOPLE CALL IT THE BIL, THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW, OR BI BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE ACT AND THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT.
UM, THERE'S, THERE'S A REALLY GOOD, IT'S A REALLY GOOD TIMING FOR, FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, TO APPLY FOR THESE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE WE HAVE, UM, SIGNIFICANT FUNDING RESOURCES THAT WE CAN PROVIDE AS MATCH, UM, SPECIFICALLY THROUGH OUR BOND FUNDING PROGRAMS THAT WERE, UM, APPROVED IN 2018 AND 2020.
AND THAT PROVIDE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEVERAGE THOSE FUNDS WITH FEDERAL DOLLARS TO MAKE THOSE LOCAL BOND DOLLARS GO FURTHER.
UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE CHALLENGE THAT, THAT KIND OF GOES ALONG WITH THAT IS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE APPLYING FOR, UM, SATIS SATISFIED THE GRANTING CRITERIA, OF COURSE, BUT THEN ALSO THAT THE, THE CONSTRUCTION WINDOWS ALIGN WITH OUR LOCAL MOBILITY BOND FUNDING WINDOWS.
SO WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN LINE UP WITH THE GRANT TIMELINES THAT ARE, UM, IN PLAY AND THAT APPLY TO THE, TO THE GRANTING PROGRAMS. AND THEN ONE NOTE THAT, THAT I, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT WE GENERALLY, AS A DEPARTMENT, WE APPLY FOR LARGE SCALE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE THERE ARE COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPLEMENTING GRANT PROGRAMS, ADMINISTERING GRANT PROGRAMS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THE FEDERAL, UM, UH, AWARD THAT WE RECEIVE IS SUFFICIENT TO, TO MAKE UP FOR THE ADDITIONAL COSTS THAT GO INTO IMPLEMENTING THOSE PROJECTS.
SO, A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF, OF OUR RECENT GRANT WINS FROM THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THAT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING CURRENTLY WE HAVE, WE RECEIVED A RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT FOR, UH, ENVISIONING I 35 CAP ANDIT DESIGN EFFORTS.
THAT WAS IN A $1.1 MILLION GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED IN, UM, 2022.
WE RECEIVED A 20, ALMOST $23 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAFE STREETS FOR ALL PROGRAM, FOR VISION ZERO PROJECTS, UH, UM, SAFE CROSSINGS AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO, TO INCREASE SAFETY ON ROADS.
WE, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING THAT.
THAT WAS A 2022, UH, GRANT CYCLE AWARD, UH, LAST YEAR IN 2023.
I DON'T SEE THE DATE UP THERE.
SO, FILLING THAT IN NOW, UH, WE RECEIVED, UH, 11.3 MILLION AWARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CAP METRO FOR THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM, WHICH, UM, WHICH YOU JUST HEARD FROM, FROM THEM.
SO THAT KIND OF, UH, THIS, THIS IS PART OF THE CONTEXT THERE, THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT FUNDS FROM THAT ARE PASSED THROUGH FEDERAL FUNDS THROUGH TDOT FOR EXPANDING THE METRO BIKE FLEET AND TO FULLY ELECTRIFY IT.
[01:30:01]
AND SO THAT'S CURRENTLY AN IMPLEMENTATION.UH, AND THEN THE LAST GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED, WE RECEIVED A PLANNING GRANT FOR THE 2023 SAFE STREETS FOR ALL, UM, PROGRAM FOR 288,000 THAT, THAT IS FOR TRANSITION PLANNING FOR, FOR A DA TRANSITION PLANNING FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF STREET CROSSINGS AND FOR URBAN TRAILS.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE JUST RECEIVED IN DECEMBER AND WE'RE, UM, BEGINNING PROCESS FOR IMPLEMENTATION FOR THAT.
MOVING ON TO THE OUTLOOK FOR THIS YEAR, FOR 2024, UH, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A AND I I WILL JUST ON THIS SLIDE, I'LL JUST KIND OF LIST, LIST IT OFF LIST OFF THE GRANTS QUICKLY 'CAUSE I HAVE, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION OF SLIDES.
THE NEXT SLIDES, UH, WE ARE APPLYING FOR A RAISE GRANT THAT'S DUE VERY SOON.
UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM GRANT.
UH, WE HAVE A CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANT THAT'S THE GRANTING PROGRAM THROUGH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT.
WE'RE WORKING WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE TO HOPEFULLY ADVANCE A PROPOSAL.
WE, WE DON'T KNOW YET IF WE'LL BE ABLE TO SUBMIT THAT, UH, OUR CONCEPT, BUT WE ARE HOPING, WE'RE ALSO WAITING ON A, A GRANT AWARD NOTICE FROM, FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS AND EQUITY PROGRAM FOR THE CAP ANDIT GRANT THAT IT'S A LARGER, UM, GRANT THAT WE SUBMITTED LAST, LAST FALL.
THEN THERE'S A POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER AND FALL, WHICH ARE STILL A LITTLE BIT, UM, NOT FULLY DEFINED, BUT I WANTED TO JUST PUT OUT THERE FOR YOUR AWARENESS THAT THERE'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR SAFE STREETS FOR ALL.
THERE'S, UM, SOME LARGE INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS THAT COULD BE, UM, UH, POTENTIALS FOR CAP AND STITCH EFFORTS, UM, AND SAY, AND AS WELL AS THE RECONNECTING COMMUNITY GRANT.
AND THEN THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PASS THROUGH TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE FUNDING THROUGH THROUGH T.
SO A LITTLE BIT MORE ON OUR RAISE GRANT PROGRAM.
WE ARE APPLYING FOR A $25 MILLION FEDERAL $25 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR THE BERGSTROM SPUR, UH, TRAILS TO TRANSIT PROJECT.
SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THIS BEFORE AS THE SOUTHEAST CONNECTOR PROJECT.
UH, WE APPLIED FOR THAT PREVIOUSLY IN 2022.
UH, WE RECEIVED A POSITIVE REVIEW OF OUR APPLICATION AND WERE OCCURRED ENCOURAGED TO REAPPLY.
SO THAT'S WHAT THIS IS, THIS IS A REAPPLICATION OF THAT, UH, PRO PROJECT WITH, WITH SOME TWEAKS THAT ARE, UM, THAT WERE INITIATED AS A RESULT OF CHANGES IN PROJECT TIMING.
UH, SO THE, SO THE, THE, THE DUE DATE FOR THAT IS, UM, FEBRUARY 28TH.
THE COUNCIL ACTION IS SET FOR FEBRUARY 14TH, AND WE ARE WORKING WITH CAP METRO ON, ON DEVELOPING THAT GRANT APPLICATION, UM, FOR SPECIFIC WITH THE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS THAT ARE PLANNED.
MOVING ON TO THE, UH, BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM GRANT.
UM, WE ARE APPLYING FOR A BRIDGE INVESTMENT PROGRAM PLANNING AND BRIDGE PROJECT GRANT, UH, FOR $32 MILLION, UH, $32 MILLION ASK IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR RECONSTRUCTING FOR I, IT SAYS RECONSTRUCTION.
IT'S, IT SHOULD SAY REPLACEMENT OF THE BARTON SPRINGS ROAD BRIDGE, WHICH WAS RECENTLY, UH, AT COUNCIL RECEIVED COUNCIL, UM, DIRECTION ON IN DECEMBER.
SO THAT WOULD COME WITH AN $8 MILLION MATCH THAT IS AVAILABLE THROUGH LOCAL MOBILITY BONDS.
IT'S A PARTNERS PARTNERED GRANT WITH THE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND, AND TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS THAT AS THE PROJECT MANAGERS FOR THAT BRIDGE PROJECT, WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH, WITH CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES.
THE APPLICATION DATE FOR THIS GRANT IS, UH, MARCH 19TH, AND WE HAVE, UM, IS SCHEDULED FOR COUNCIL ACTION ON MARCH 7TH.
UH, MOVING ON TO THE PROPOSED CLIMATE POLLUTION REDUCTION GRANT PROGRAM.
THIS IS THROUGH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, SO IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER POSITIVE, UM, FUNDS THAT WE'VE PURSUED THROUGH THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW.
AND WHAT WE'VE ENVISIONED WITH THIS IS, UM, AN ENHANCEMENT TO THE CONSTRUCTION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
AND, UH, THIS, THIS WOULD, WOULD TAKE THE FORM OF INVESTMENTS IN, UM, A VARIETY OF INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING INCENTIVE PROGRAMS, AND SIMILAR EFFORTS TO, UH, REDUCE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MAJOR PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UM, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, INCLUDING THE
[01:35:01]
I 35 REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT CONNECT, UM, CONVENTION CENTER REDEVELOPMENT, AND ADDITIONAL, UM, MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE, IN THE, UM, AREA.AND SO THE FUNDING THAT WE'VE PROPOSED IS A 16.5 MILLION TOTAL, UH, REQUEST THAT WE, THAT WOULD BE DEVOTED TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE EDUCATION INCENTIVE TYPE STRATEGIES.
AND, UM, UH, THE DEADLINE FOR THAT IS APRIL 1ST, AND THAT WOULD BE THAT, THAT'S BEING COORDINATED WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE, AS I MENTIONED.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL END UP GOING FOR THAT, BUT IT'S A PROPOSAL WE'RE WORKING ON AS A DEPARTMENT.
THEN IN GENERAL, ONE OF THE LARGE POTS OF FUNDING THAT WE'RE PURSUING ARE RELATED TO THE I 35 CAP AND STITCH OPPORTUNITIES.
AS I MENTIONED, WE APPLIED FOR $105 MILLION GRANT FOR THE, UM, DOWNTOWN CAP BETWEEN CESAR CHAVEZ AND, AND FOURTH STREET IN, IN SEPTEMBER.
WE'RE WAITING TO HEAR FROM THAT.
WE'RE HOPING TO HEAR BACK ON THE, WHETHER WE WERE AWARDED FUNDS FOR THAT.
UM, LATE FEBRUARY IS WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING.
AND ONCE WE RECEIVE, WHETHER, ONCE WE KNOW WHETHER WE RECEIVE AWARD, UM, FUNDS FOR THAT PROJECT, THAT WILL INFORM OUR STRATEGY FOR CAP AND STITCH MOVING FORWARD.
UH, AND SO IT'S VERY DEPENDENT ON WHETHER OR NOT WE RECEIVE THOSE FUNDS.
BUT SOME OPTIONS WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR NEXT YEAR WOULD BE THE MEGAN INFRA GRANT PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE, UH, COME OUT THAT WOULD BE DUE THIS SUMMER, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ACCESS AND EQUITY PROGRAM, WHICH WE ALREADY APPLIED TO, BUT WE COULD REAPPLY FOR DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME OF THAT, UM, REVIEW PROCESS.
AND THAT WOULD BE AN EARLY FALL.
ONE OTHER POSSIBLE OPTION COULD BE ANOTHER TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE SETASIDE GRANT THAT WOULD BE, UM, THROUGH TXDOT.
AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M, I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THIS WOULD BE THE FOR ON THE HORIZON FOR THIS YEAR, BUT WOULD BE KIND OF THIS YEAR, LATE NEXT YEAR OR POTENTIALLY EARLY NEXT YEAR.
UM, PREVIOUS AND THE PREVIOUS ROUND OF APPLICATIONS, WE APPLIED FOR THE, UM, THE 360 SHARED USE PATH USE PATHS PROJECT.
UM, THAT WOULD BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE RECONSTRUCTION OF 360.
UM, AND WE ALSO APPLIED FOR A SAFER PATHWAYS PROJECT, WHICH WAS FILLING IN GAPS IN RIGHT OF WAY FOR SIDEWALKS IN TXDOT RIGHT OF WAY.
AND SO THOSE WOULD BE TWO POTENTIAL, UM, JUST OFF THE CUFF IDEAS FOR, FOR THE, A FUTURE, UM, CYCLE FOR, FOR THOSE FUNDS.
SO I'M, I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY.
SO YOU SAID THOSE WERE FOR THE TEXT DOT, UM, GRANTS, THOSE WERE APPLIED FOR BEFORE, BUT NOT AWARDED, BUT YOU MIGHT TRY AGAIN? IS THAT WHAT I UNDERSTOOD? CORRECT.
WE, WE, UH, WE SUBMITTED MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS LAST CYCLE.
WE WERE AWARDED THE METRO BIKE EXPANSION FUNDS, BUT, BUT WE HAD A COUPLE OTHER CONCEPTS WE ADVANCED THAT DID NOT GET FUNDING.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? JUST, JUST FOR MY KNOWLEDGE, UM, WHEN YOU APPLY FOR THESE GRANTS AND DO THEY AWARD EVERYTHING OR WILL THEY SAY, WE'LL AWARD THIS AMOUNT AND THEN YOU HAVE TO CHANGE? YEAH.
SO SOME, SOMETIMES THEY ARE FULL AWARDS FOR THE FULL AMOUNT REQUESTED, BUT THEN OFTENTIMES IT IS, IT IS COMMON TO GET A, A PARTIAL AWARD, UM, AND BE ASKED TO ADJUST THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT.
THAT'S, THAT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION.
THAT CAN DEFINITELY HAPPEN TOO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? I THINK I'M HAVING A LOT OF QUESTIONS AS I HEAR ABOUT THIS, ABOUT CAP AND STITCH, AND I KNOW THAT'S ON THE UPCOMING AGENDA FOR US, BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S NEEDS A LOT OF GRANTS
UM, SO ANYWAY, UM, YEAH, QUESTION.
UM, I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE KNOWS THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT I'VE BEEN A LITTLE CONFUSED.
IF THE TXDOT TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES FUND, CAN THOSE GRANTS ONLY BE USED FOR TXDOT RIGHT OF WAY? OR IS THAT TXDOT SAYING, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HERE FOR ALTERNATIVES, YOU KNOW, USE IT HOWEVER YOU WANT.
IT'S HERE FOR ALTERNATIVES AND THERE'S, THERE'S A PRETTY BROAD RANGE OF POTENTIAL USES FOR THAT.
UM, SO THEN IS THERE A REASON THAT BOTH OF THE PROJECTS WE'RE LOOKING AT TDOT FUNDING FOR OUR TDOT RIGHT AWAY? DID THEY PRIORITIZE THINGS OUTTA THE RIGHT OF WAY?
[01:40:01]
NO, I THINK, I THINK I WASN'T HERE WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING THOSE POTENTIALS.BUT I THINK PART OF THAT WAS THAT, UM, IT WOULD, IT WOULD MAYBE HELP US IMPROVE OUR SCORING AND POTENTIAL FOR RECEIVING THOSE FUNDS IF WE WERE PARTNERING WITH TXDOT, YOU KNOW, DOING SOME ON CON, UM, ON SYSTEM TYPE WORK WITH THEM.
BUT I, IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT OF THE, THE PROGRAM TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TOO LATE, BUT I THINK PROJECTS THAT ALSO MAY BE COMPETITIVE, AND THIS WILL GET TO ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM, BUT, UM, SOME OF THE CAMPO DEFERRED PROJECTS THAT WERE DEFERRED FOR I 35 FUNDING, I'M THINKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT LIKE THE, THE DITCH FOR THE RED LINE AT AIRPORT THAT AT ONE POINT CAMPO WAS LOOKING AT FUNDING.
I FEEL LIKE THOSE WOULD BE REALLY GOOD CANDIDATES FOR TDO FUNDING AS WELL.
AND I THINK THOSE ARE THINGS THAT THE CITY HASN'T REALLY LOOKED AT FUNDING IN ANY OTHER WAY.
I I, I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO SEE IF TEXDOT WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
WE CAN TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT AND, AND LOOK AT THAT.
'CAUSE THIS WOULD BE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF TIME FOR US TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CONCEPTS WOULD BE BEST FOR THAT PROGRAM.
IS THE, IS THE T TRANSPORTATION FUND, IS THAT LOADED ON A FOR THE WHOLE STATE OR IS IT, IT'S NOT BROKEN DOWN BY MPO? YEAH, IT'S FOR, IT'S FOR THE, UM, THE WHOLE STATE THERE.
THERE'S A SEPARATE CAMPO TRANSPORTATION, SETA ASIDES, UM, PROGRAM, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S BEEN A, UM, NOTICE FOR THAT FOR SEVERAL YEARS BECAUSE OF THE FUNDING DEFERMENTS.
UM, SO THE, THE STATE THERE IS A, THE, THE TECH, THE ONE THROUGH TDOT, THE TRANSPORTATION SET ASIDE THROUGH TXDOT IS STATEWIDE.
IT'S NOT BROKEN DOWN BY MPO, BUT I DO THINK THEY CONSIDER THE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION IN THEIR, UM, AWARD DECISIONS.
UM, I GUESS JUST VERY GENERALLY, DO YOU GUYS TRY TO APPLY FOR LIKE EVERY CATEGORY OF EVERY FEDERAL PROGRAM THAT SAY, HERE'S THIS BIG BUCKET OF MONEY THAT, YOU KNOW, IS OPEN TO MUNICIPALITIES TO APPLY FOR, UH, LIKE WITHIN YOUR STAFF CAPACITY, YOU REALLY JUST GO FOR ALL OF THEM AND TRY TO FIND DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT YOU CAN FIT IN? OR ARE YOU MORE SELECTIVE ABOUT WHAT YOU TRY TO GO FOR THAT? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
WE HAVE TURNED DOWN SOME OPPORTUNITIES JUST BASED ON KIND OF, IT DOES DO THE TIMELINES WORK, DO THE, DO WE HAVE THE STAFF CAPACITY TO, TO, UM, IMPLEMENT THE GRANT FUNDS IF WE RECEIVE THEM ON THAT TIMELINE, UH, IN THOSE SORTS OF CONSIDERATIONS.
BUT THERE'S A LOT, THERE'S A LOT OF FUNDING, UH, OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE OUT THERE FOREVER.
IT'S, IT'S KIND OF TIME LIMITED TO THE NEXT THREE YEARS OR SO, UM, OF THE, THAT BILL THAT THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO BE AS, UM, AMBITIOUS AS POSSIBLE IN, IN PURSUING AS MUCH FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WE AS WE CAN THROUGH, THROUGH THOSE DIFFERENT GRANT PROGRAMS AND TRYING TO MATCH UP WITH WHAT WE'VE, WITH OUR PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE ON, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO CONSTRUCTION READY TO BE ELIGIBLE.
I JUST HAVE TO ECHO SPENCER, THAT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF OPTIONS BEING EXPLORED FOR THIS, BUT GETTING THE RED LINE TRENCHED IS SEEMS LIKE A KEY LINCHPIN TO MAKING THE PRIORITY EXTENSIONS FOR PROJECT CONNECT WORK AND PENCIL OUT.
AND SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANY WAY WE CAN
AND I KNOW CAP METROS, LIKE EVERYBODY'S KIND OF LOOKING AT THAT SO THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S SUPER IMPORTANT.
AND I'LL, I'LL JUST KNOW, I THINK SOMETIMES SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE IS, SO MUCH OF OUR MOBILITY FUNDING IS BOND BASED, AND THAT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT'S IN ANY BONDS.
IT, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF A GRANT, I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE WE'RE GONNA FIND THE MONEY FOR THAT.
SO I I IF WE, IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN PRIORITIZE THAT GOING FORWARD, I THINK THAT'S THAT.
I MEAN IT HUGE TO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE.
I THINK WE MIGHT BE DONE WITH THAT ITEM.
[2. Discussion on the roles and responsibilities of each City department and office involved in the implementation of mobility-related projects and programs. ]
GONNA GO BACK TO DISCUSSION ITEM TWO, UM, SINCE, UH, JIM WAS SO, UH, KINDLY ALLOWED OTHERS TO GO AHEAD OF HIM.AND, UH, THIS IS GONNA BE A DISCUSSION ON THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH CITY, DEPARTMENT AND OFFICE INVOLVED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF MOBILITY RELATED PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS. SO, VERY WELL WRITTEN, UM, UH,
UM, JIM DALE, I'M INTERIM DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, RICHARD MENDOZA, OUR DIRECTOR, UM, HE WOULD'VE BEEN HERE TONIGHT, BUT HE'S AT AN AMERICAN PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION MEETING UP IN,
[01:45:01]
UM, WICHITA FALLS WHERE HE'S A BOARD MEMBER OF THEM.SO, UM, HE WISHES HE COULD BE HERE, BUT HE'S, HE'S NOT ABLE TO.
SO I'M READY TO STEP IN AND, AND GO THROUGH THIS AND, UM, TALK ABOUT HOW WE BROUGHT ALL THIS TOGETHER.
ALRIGHT, THESE ARE, AND THIS MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT WE WENT THROUGH AND HAVE BEEN WORKING ON FOR PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND, UM, THE MISSION STATEMENT IS REALLY TWO PARTS THERE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THAT FIRST PART BEING THAT HIGHLY RELIABLE ORGANIZATION.
WHEN YOU REACH OUT TO US AND HAVE A QUESTION FOR US, WE'RE GONNA GET AN ANSWER BACK TO YOU.
UM, IF WE'RE MAKING A PROMISE, WE'RE GONNA KEEP THAT.
OR FOR SOME REASON THAT PROMISE HAS TO CHANGE FOR WHATEVER REASON.
IT'S VERY DYNAMIC WITHIN THE CITY THAT WE'RE GONNA LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT CHANGE AND WHY WE HAD TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE STRIVING FOR ON THAT HIGHLY RELIABLE ORGANIZATION PIECE.
THE OTHER PART IS OUR BREAD AND BUTTER.
BUILD AND MAINTAIN THE MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD TO YOU HERE OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, REALLY FOCUS ON THAT AND WE'VE HEARD SOME OF THAT TONIGHT.
UM, WE REALLY WANNA BE THE MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND BE IN THAT PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A SAFE, RELIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
SAFETY BEING OUR, OUR TOP PRIORITY, NOT OUR ONLY PRIORITY, UM, BEING RELIABLE, TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, BUT SUSTAINABLE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT FROM A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
PROVIDING CHOICE TO MULTI, UM, MULTIPLE MODES, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO USE.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OUR BUILDING MATERIALS AND ONE OF THOSE, I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED EVEN TONIGHT, WAS, UM, SOME CARBON REDUCING CONCRETE, UM, TO HELP, UM, REDUCE THE CARBON EMISSIONS.
THAT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT COMES FROM CONCRETE.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING IN THAT AREA, BUT ALSO SUSTAINABLE FROM THE FUNDING SIDE.
THAT'S ONE THING WE GOTTA BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT IN TERMS OF MAKING, WE'VE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE THIS FUNDING FROM THE COMMUNITY GIVEN TO, UM, THEY'VE SUPPORTED US WITH MULTIPLE, UH, MOBILE MOBILITY INITIATIVES.
EVENTUALLY WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAINTAIN THINGS TOO THAT ARE BUILT.
SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO IT'S BRINGING TOGETHER A, A LOT OF PIECES AND I'M, I'M TEMPTED TO WRITE ON THE WHITEBOARD.
I THOUGHT OF A, TO TRY TO EXPLAIN SOME THINGS A LITTLE BIT BETTER, UM, ABOUT HOW WE WERE FORMED.
UM, ANYHOW, HERE, STARTING ON THE LEFT SIDE ARE MORE OF OUR SUPPORT SERVICES, UM, GROUPS UNDER OUR, UM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANTHONY SEGURA, WHO IS ACTUALLY TAKING A POSITION AS THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
SO HE'LL, HIS LAST DAY IS THIS FRIDAY.
UM, VERY SAD TO SEE HIM GO WORK WITH HIM FOR A LONG TIME.
ALSO, CARLA TAYLOR, OUR CHIEF OF STAFF, REALLY HELPS US ENGINEERS GET THAT POLITICAL LENS, UM, PUT IN FRONT OF US AND, UM, KEEPS US OUTTA TROUBLE.
UM, SHE DOES, DOES A GOOD JOB AT THAT.
NOW, OVER ON THE FAR RIGHT, UM, THAT IS OUR PLANNING GROUP, UM, WHO'S LED, UM, BY AN ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UM, PLE BARA.
AND SO WE HAVE, AND WE'LL GO OVER THESE HERE IN A LITTLE BIT.
AND THEN IN, IN THE MIDDLE, UH, NEW POSITION'S BEEN FORMED THAT WE'RE GONNA BE HIRING FOR.
I'M SERVING AS THE INTERIM, UM, FOR THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR POSITION, BUT WE REALLY HAVE OUR, OUR BREAD AND BUTTERS IN HERE, OUR ENGINEERING GROUPS, AND ALSO OUR FIELD OPERATIONS, WHICH WE'LL GO OVER, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE.
ABOUT THIS MERGER, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO DESCRIBE IT.
IT'S REALLY FOUR GROUPS THAT WERE REORGANIZED.
WE HAD THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, WE HAD THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO HAD THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM OFFICE, AND THE PROJECT CONNECT OFFICE ALL FOCUSED ON TRANSPORTATION ASPECTS.
AND SO OF THOSE FOUR GROUPS, THEY WERE COMBINED TO MAKE TWO GROUPS.
UM, OUR DEPARTMENT, THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, AND THEN THE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, WHICH GOT A LOT OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PIECES FROM THE PREVIOUS PUBLIC WORKS, UM, CORRIDOR PROGRAM OFFICE.
A LOT OF THE STAFF AND RESOURCES WENT TO, UM, THE CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DEPARTMENT LED BY JAMES SNOW.
UM, AND THEN PRO, UM, PROJECT CONNECT.
THAT OFFICE TOO MOVED INTO THAT GROUP.
SO THEY'RE ALL FOCUSED ON PROJECT DELIVERY, SO A TD OR, OR TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
NOW, IF YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE DISTINCTION, WE'RE THE PROJECT OWNERS, WE'RE THE ONES THAT'S GONNA BRING FORWARD PROJECTS, PRIORITIZE THEM, UM, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN THEM, BUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESIGN AND BUILD OF THEM, THAT'S GONNA BE FOCUSED AND LED BY CDS FOR THE MOST PART, FOR THE LARGER PROJECTS THAT WE DO.
SO I'M HOPING THAT KIND OF GIVES, UH, ALL THE BLENDS, BUT FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT ANY
[01:50:01]
TIME.CAN YOU SAY WHAT YOU JUST SAID ONE MORE TIME? UM, WHICH PART
THEY, THEY WILL HELP US WITH SOME OF THE LARGER PROJECTS AND LINING UP THE DESIGN WORK, HIRING THE CONSULTANTS, BRINGING THEM ON BOARD, MANAGING THE DESIGN PROCESS THROUGH, TYPICALLY THROUGH CONSULTANTS.
THEY HAVE SOME IN-HOUSE DESIGN STAFF TOO.
WE GO ON TO OUR, UM, NEXT SLIDE.
ALL RIGHT, THOSE FOUR GROUPS, UM, THAT CURRENTLY FALL UNDERNEATH ME, THERE'S THIS ENGINEERING AND PROJECT DELIVERY GROUP.
AND THAT IS REALLY, I WOULD LOOK AT THAT AS OUR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING FOLKS.
THE FOLKS THAT ARE HANDLING THE CSRS, UM, IS PRIMARILY WE'RE BROKEN UP INTO, UH, NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH AREAS.
KINDA ALIGNED WITH THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS TO, UM, FOCUS OUR STAFF ON SPECIFIC AREAS.
SO THEY BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH THAT AND WE LOOK AT THEM AS WE WANT THE REST OF THE DIVISIONS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE INFORMED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THEIR AREAS BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY THE FRONT LINES OF GETTING QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC GOING TO THE RIGHT.
THE CI, CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES, UM, THESE FOLKS ARE, UM, A GREAT GROUP.
WE HAVE THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER IN THIS GROUP REALLY WORKING ON THEIR HARD ASSETS.
UM, OUR ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IS IN THERE.
UM, THERE'S ALSO BRIDGES, UM, OUR PAVEMENT, UM, MAINTENANCE, UM, PLAN, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER ADDITIONAL, UM, GROUPS AND INCLUDING THE, THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM, NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM, AND, UH, A FEW OTHERS AS WE MOVE DOWN.
SO THOSE ARE KIND OF THE TWO ENGINEERING GROUPS.
THESE ARE MORE OF THE OPERATIONS GROUPS, STRATEGIC MOBILITY SERVICES.
THIS IS MORE THE TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS.
YOU WANNA THINK OF IT AS KINDA LIKE THE, THE THINGS THAT GO ON TOP OF THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE, THE PAVEMENT AND THE SIDEWALKS AND SO FORTH.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR VISION ZERO PROGRAM IN HERE RIGHT AWAY MANAGEMENT.
AND WE HAVE ABOUT 3,500, UM, PERMITS ACTIVE ON ANY DAY HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO LIVE OF CONSTRUCTION TO COORDINATE TO MAKE SURE FOLKS AREN'T ON TOP OF EACH OTHER AS WE MOVE TO THE RIGHT.
THIS OPERATION IS MAINLY FOCUSED ON THE MAINTENANCE OF THE PAVEMENT.
UM, CONSIDERABLE MAL WORK AND PLANNING THAT GOES INTO THERE.
THE PLANNING'S REALLY FED BY THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES ABOVE.
UM, BUT THESE FOLKS ARE WORKING, UM, EACH, EACH AND EVERY DAY AT UM, KEEPING ADDRESSING POTHOLES, UM, RECONSTRUCTING ROADWAYS THAT ARE, ARE FAILING OR NEAR THAT NEED SOME TYPE OF TREATMENT TO REHABILITATE THEM.
SO ENGINEERING AND, AND PROJECT DELIVERY.
THIS WAS THE GROUP WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER AND I REFER TO 'EM AS A TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING FOLKS 'CAUSE THEY DO A LOT IN THIS AREA.
UM, WE HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING, BUT WE ALSO HAVE OUR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION GROUP AND STREET DESIGN.
THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT HOW DO WE OPTIMIZE THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE THE MOST, THE MOST PEOPLE.
UM, AND ALSO LOOKING AT THE CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SERVE, UM, WITH OPTIMIZING THAT ROAD, THE, THE SPACE THERE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE, UM, A CAPITAL SERVICES AND PROJECT DELIVERY GROUP DIFFERENT FROM C-D-S-C-D-S TAKES ON SOME OF THOSE BIGGER PROJECTS.
THIS IS MORE AT THE PROGRAMMATIC LEVEL, SO LIKE AT VISION ZERO, OUR BIKE PROGRAM, OUR SIDEWALK PROGRAM, UM, SOME OF THOSE SMALLER PROJECTS THEY'RE HELPING DELIVER.
UM, OLTORF, UM, UH, IT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW WITH THE HEB, BUT THE, UM, OLTORF AT SOUTH CONGRESS WHEN THAT WAS, WHEN THAT WAS REBUILT.
THAT WAS DONE BY THIS GROUP HERE.
ALRIGHT, OUR STRATEGIC MOBILITY SERVICES.
AND I ALWAYS WANT, AND I WAS GIVEN THIS PRESENTATION, BUT I WAS STARTED WITH VISION ZERO.
WE ALWAYS WANNA START WITH SAFETY.
IT'S THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE A SMP AND IT'S, UM, WHAT OUR MAIN FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON.
AGAIN, NOT OUR ONLY FOCUS, BUT VISION ZERO IS IN THIS GROUP.
UM, ARTERIAL MANAGEMENT, THIS IS OUR SIGNAL SYSTEM.
WE HAVE ABOUT 1100 SIGNALS, UM, TODAY.
UH, NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS.
UH, I THINK RIGHT OVER A HUNDRED NOW.
AND THEN WE HAVE A, UM, THOSE 575 SCHOOL ZONE BEACONS OUT THERE HELPING, UM, CHILDREN AND THE PARENTS GET SAFELY TO SCHOOL, RIGHT? THERE'S TWO MORE GROUPS ON THIS NEXT SLIDE.
THERE ARE STILL IN THE SAME STRATEGIC MOBILITY SERVICES OR, UM, OFFICES, SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, THEY'RE MANAGING EVENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, UH, ACROSS TOWN.
THEY ALSO MANAGE THE NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTY AT THIS TIME.
THEY'RE COORDINATING YEAR ROUND FOR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST.
THAT PLANNING'S GOING ON CONTINUOUSLY ALSO ACL THE SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON AND THEN IN THE FALL OR THEIR BUSIER TIMES A YEAR, SUMMER, PRETTY HOT HERE IN TEXAS.
[01:55:01]
SO NOT AS MANY OF THOSE OUTDOOR EVENTS HAPPENING, UM, RIGHT AWAY.NOW THIS IS A GROUP I WAS MENTIONING.
THEY HAVE ABOUT 3,500 TO 4,000 ACTIVE PERMITS A DAY, UH, UM, THAT ARE ACTIVE ON ANY GIVEN DAY HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO IS, A FEW THINGS IS REALLY MAKE SURE THE ROADWAY IS SAFE FOR FOLKS.
TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS ARE, UM, CORRECT.
WE HAVE INSPECTORS OUT THERE LOOKING AT THEM.
WE ALSO HAVE THE PERMIT, UM, PIECE THAT ALLOWS FOLKS TO GET IN THE WORK RIGHT OF WAY TO WORK AND SET UP THAT TRAFFIC CONTROL.
SO THEY'RE REALLY COORDINATING ACROSS MAKING SURE THAT WHEN WE GIVE SOMEONE A PERMIT, WE'RE GIVING THEM A PROMISE THAT YOU'RE, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MOBILIZE RESOURCES AND START WORKING OUT THERE.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE RESOLVING CONFLICTS AND NOT TWO PEOPLE SHOWING UP AT THE SAME TIME TO WORK IN THE SAME SPACE.
ALRIGHT, NOW OVER TO OUR CIVIL, CIVIL ENGINEERING, UM, SERVICES.
THE OFFICE OF THE, UM, CITY ENGINEER.
THEY, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE HELPING WITH THE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS. I'M SETTING THOSE UP, PRIORITIZING AND ASSESSING WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AND, UM, INSPECTING OUR ASSETS LIKE OUR BRIDGES AND OUR PAVEMENT.
WE HAVE ABOUT 8,000 LANE MILES OF PAVEMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE, WE TRY TO, WITH OUR CURRENT FUNDING, WE TARGET ABOUT 10% OF THAT, GET SOME TYPE OF TREATMENT EACH YEAR, WHETHER IT'S A, A NEW OVERLAY, A NEW SURFACE, UM, WHETHER IT'S SOME CHIP SEAL WITH SOME ROCK AND SOME EMULSION AND UM, HELPS IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS EXPENSIVE.
UM, HELPS PRESERVE THE LIFE OF THE PAVEMENT LONGER.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH CRACK SEAL AND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE FILL IN THOSE CRACKS THAT YOU SEE IN THE PAVEMENT.
AVOID WATER GETTING IN THERE, THE EXPANSION OF THE SOILS.
WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THOSE AS WE MOVE MORE TO THE EAST SIDE.
UM, BUT AVOIDING WATER, GETTING IN THERE AND THAT EXPANSION, BUT ALSO THE FREEZING AND THAW THAT WE, WE'VE HAD TO.
AND WE HAVE, JUST FOR SOME STATISTICS, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, A LITTLE OVER 1,250 BRIDGES.
UM, 450 OF THOSE BRIDGES OR WHAT WE CALL, UM, MAJOR BRIDGES.
THEY'RE GREATER THAN 20 FEET IN LENGTH.
AND SO OF THOSE ONES THAT ARE GREATER THAN 20 FEET IN LENGTH, TXDOT DOES AN INSPECTION EVERY TWO YEARS AND GIVES US A REPORT.
AND THEN WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING THE OTHER SMALLER ONES ACROSS TOWN.
OUR SIDEWALK ON SPECIAL PROJECTS GROUP, UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON SIDEWALKS FOR, FOR THE MOST PART, THEY DO A CONSIDERABLE MILE WORK.
A NUMBER OF CREWS ARE WORKING, UM, EVERY DAY TO DELIVER, UM, MORE SIDEWALKS.
BUT WE HAVE, THERE'S ABOUT 2,800 MILES OF SIDEWALK THAT'S BEEN, UM, BUILT NOW AND ABOUT 1500 MORE MILES, UM, THAT ARE NEEDED THAT WE'RE WORKING ON, UM, DELIVERING THAT.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING TO DELIVER ALL OF THAT THIS TIME.
THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED OVER MULTIPLE BOND CYCLES.
COMMUNITY SERVICES, UM, WE HAVE OUR, UM, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM IN THERE AND WHERE WE PARTNER WITH THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UH, ACROSS TOWN AND WORKING WITH THEM TO ASSESS AROUND THEIR SCHOOL, WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS THAT CHILDREN COME TO SCHOOL, HOW CAN WE MAKE THOSE SAFER THROUGH SIGNS, SIGNALS, MARKINGS, AND OTHER TREATMENTS.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROGRAM WHERE ANY NEIGHBORHOOD WHO WANTS TO MAYBE LOOKING AT SOME TYPE OF IMPROVEMENT.
AND I THINK THE, THE ONE THAT COMES TO MIND RIGHT NOW IS, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THAT TACO DELI OVER THERE OFF OF SPY, UM, SPY GLASS AND BARTON SKYWAY.
WELL, RIGHT THERE IS THE TRAIL HEAD.
AND SO THAT WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERING PROJECT WHERE WORKING WITH THE, UM, WORKING WITH THE, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT ONE WAS.
BUT WORKING WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR SOME OF THE LABOR AND FOR US TO PROVIDE DOLLARS FOR SOME OF THE, UM, ASSETS THAT WERE PUT THERE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR LOGISTICS GROUP MAINLY FOCUSED ON THE FLEET THERE, AND A NEWLY FORMED GROUP THAT WE HAVEN'T YET CREATED, BUT IS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT JUST GIVEN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND ALL THE EMERGENCIES WE'VE HAD.
UM, UM, BETWEEN THE, UM, SIGNALS GOING ON, FLASH, THE, UM, THE DEBRIS IN THE ROADWAY AND SO FORTH, AND THE TREATMENT OF THE ROADWAY.
THAT'S OUR MAIN THING THAT WE COORDINATE WITH TXDOT AND TRAVIS COUNTY, IS WE JUST NEED SOME ADDITIONAL FOCUS ON THAT IN OUR GROUP.
UM, AND FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT ME AT ANY TIME.
THERE'S JUST, THERE'S A, A LOT OF INFORMATION HERE AND TRYING TO, JUST TO HIT SOME OF THE MAIN POINTS.
UM, STREET AND BRIDGE OPERATIONS.
AND BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE THROUGH HERE IS THERE'S THREE GROUPS.
THE DISTRICT MAINTENANCE, PAVEMENT, OPERATIONS, UTILITIES AND STRUCTURES.
THEY'RE DOING MA UM, MAINTENANCE ON THE ROADWAY AND ON SIDEWALKS.
UM, THE URBAN FORESTRY GROUP, THEY'RE
[02:00:01]
EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE.MAINTENANCE OF THE PUBLIC, UM, TREES AND VEGETATION THAT'S IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND THEN OUR STREET AND BRIDGE OPERATIONS.
I, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT THAT'S MORE OF OUR BUSINESS GROUP OF HAVING TO MAINTAIN ALL THIS WORK THAT'S BEING DONE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
THERE'S A GROUP THAT HAS TO TRACK THAT AND ALSO SCHEDULING AND SO FORTH.
AND RIGHT NOW THE PARKING ENTERPRISE IS LOCATED UNDER OUR FINANCIAL OR FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP OR, UM, SUPPORT SERVICES GROUP.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT AT THAT, IF THAT, YOU KNOW, IS THAT A GOOD, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT OUR ORGANIZATION AND SEEING WHERE THINGS, UM, MAY FIT THE, THE BEST.
UM, BUT WE HAVE A TREMENDOUS GROUP THERE OF FOLKS.
UM, IN THE, THE THREE AREAS YOU SEE THERE, THE MOBILITY SERVICES.
I WANT, IT'S NOT ON HERE, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF PROGRAMS THAT, UM, UM, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE AWARE OF THE SAFE RIDE HOME PROGRAM.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE HEARD OF THIS, BUT IT'S WHEN SOMEONE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE DOWNTOWN, UM, HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK UNDER, UNDER THE INFLUENCE THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE DRIVING.
THEY CAN LEAVE THEIR CAR PARKED, ADD A PARKING METER, IF THEY GET A TICKET, THEY CAN APPLY FOR A WAIVER TO GET THAT WAIVED.
THEY JUST HAVE TO SHOW, PROVIDE THE TICKET, UPLOAD THE TICKET, AND ALSO THE RECEIPT FOR THEIR, THE WAY THEY GOT HOME.
ANOTHER ONE IS OUR AFFORDABLE PARKING PROGRAM.
AND IT'S REALLY FOR THE SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKERS DOWNTOWN AND TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THEM WHO MAY LIVE FURTHER OUT, MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSIT AND OTHER ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION.
BUT FOR WHEN THEY DO DRIVE IN, IS TO HAVE THEM A PLACE TO PARK THAT'S AT A MORE AFFORDABLE RATE, UM, FOR THEM.
AND SO WE WORK OUT SOME, UM, IT'S MAINLY WITH THE CITY GARAGES, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. AND THE COST IS ANYWHERE BETWEEN 35 AND UH, $50 PER MONTH.
AND THERE'S SOME VERIFICATION STEPS THAT WE GO THROUGH IN THAT.
UM, THEN PARKING ENFORCEMENT, UM, SERVICES, NUMBER OF PEOPLE AND ENFORCING THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND INTO THE, UM, LATE NIGHT HOURS.
AND THEN OUR MOBILITY, MOBILITY DEMAND MANAGEMENT IS MORE ABOUT HOW WE MANAGE THE CURB SPACE WHERE YOU SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT ZONES, WHETHER IT'S, UM, PARKING SPACES, A, A LOADING ZONE, UM, A VALET, UM, LOCATION THAT'S ALL MANAGED THROUGH THAT GROUP.
OUR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, UM, ON THE LEFT HERE, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE DOING THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, UM, PROJECTS THAT COME IN.
THEY'RE REVIEWING THEM TO SEE WHAT THE TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS ARE GONNA BE AND WORKING WITH THE APPLICANTS ON MITIGATION.
THIS IS ALSO WHERE, UM, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE IN THIS GROUP.
UM, OUR, UM, STREET IMPACT FEE PROGRAM IS LOCATED AS WELL.
THIS IS A GROUP THAT CAME OVER THAT WAS PART OF PUBLIC WORKS, UM, PREVIOUSLY, AND YOU'VE SEEN, UH, MICHELLE SMITH HERE A NUMBER OF TIMES FOR RIGHT OF WAY VACATIONS.
THIS IS THE GROUP THAT MANAGES THOSE AS WELL AS EASEMENTS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS WHERE, UM, THEY WE'RE PROVIDING RIGHTS TO THE PUBLIC TO OWN OR OCCUPY, UM, UM, CITY SPACE, OUR CITY RIGHT OF WAY.
OUR SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT, THAT'S OUR MORE OF OUR LONG RANGE PLANNING.
THEY HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WORKING, UM, WITH CAMPO.
UM, AND, AND ALSO, UM, SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO BUILD UP IN THERE IS KIND OF THAT REPOSITORY OF WHAT ARE THE PROJECTS THAT THE NEXT TIME THE BOND COMES AROUND, WE WANT TO HAVE PROJECTS READY TO BE ABLE TO TEE UP FOR THAT BOND CYCLE AND SAY, HERE'S OUR MAIN NEEDS TO KEEP GOING.
UM, SO THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE'LL WE'LL FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE ON IN THE FUTURE.
BUT THAT'S, UM, UNDER SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT.
THIS IS JUST KIND OF SHOWING WHERE SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, LANDED.
UM, THE ONE THAT JUMPED OUT AT ME WAS THE ONE THAT SAID T ON, I WAS LIKE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THAT ONE ABOUT? BUT THAT'S JUST REALLY, WE HAVE A BOND.
UM, PART OF A BOND PRO PREVIOUS BOND PROGRAM WAS TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS ON SYSTEM.
SO LIKE AT AT SIX 20 AND 2222, A LONG LOOP 360.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY JUST A PASS THROUGH OF FUNDS TO TDOT TO HELP THEM SUPPORT, UM, BUILDING OUT SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS.
AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW SOME OF THOSE OTHER ONES ARE, ARE LAID OUT THERE.
AND THE, THE THE POINT ALSO BEING MADE THAT, UM, WE'RE FOCUSED ON VISION ZERO AND ALL OF OUR PROJECTS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE THINGS SAFER.
ALRIGHT, NOW I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, JAMES SNOW, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES.
UM, UM, US, UH, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS AND CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICE.
[02:05:01]
A GOOD RELATION.JAMES SNOW, UM, USED TO BE AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PREVIOUSLY UNDER PUBLIC WORKS, DID A GREAT JOB MANAGING FINANCES AND MANAGING A NUMBER OF ELEMENTS OF THE, OF THE, UM, DEPARTMENT.
AND THIS WAS ONE WHERE HE'S THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB THAT HE'S IN RIGHT NOW IS PUTTING TOGETHER ALL THE PROCESSES AND SO FORTH TO DELIVER PROJECTS ON A CITYWIDE BASIS, BUT ACCELERATE THAT TO AND LOOK AT WHERE WE CAN REALLY GAIN EFFICIENCIES TO, UM, I SAY SPEND THE MONEY, BUT IT'S REALLY LOOKING AT UNLOCKING THE VALUE FOR THE PUBLIC.
THE SOONER WE CAN SPEND THAT, THE PUBLIC GETS THE VALUE.
SO YOU CAN SEE A NUMBER OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ARE GOING TO THAT.
UM, THEY'RE WORKING WITH, UH, WATER AND WASTEWATER BEING A BIG ONE.
WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT WITH THE STORM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, ALSO A NUMBER OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UM, FIRE EMS, UM, CONVENTION CENTER AIRPORT.
WELL, AND THEN THE MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PIECES THAT YOU SEE LISTED THERE AS WELL.
AND THEN TO THE RIGHT, UM, THEY ALSO HELP MANAGE AND DELIVER THE, UM, NUMBER OF PROJECTS FOR THE PARKS AS WELL, JUST AS JUST, UH, SOME STATS ON THE NUMBER OF PROJECTS THEY HAVE AND, UM, THE A PORTFOLIO THAT THEY'RE WORKING TO DELIVER ON RIGHT NOW, UM, BEING, UM, INVESTMENTS OF $7 BILLION.
BUT WHEN I SUM UP THE THINGS THAT ARE COMING DOWN BELOW, THERE'S UM, 11 BILLION RIGHT THERE.
SO I THINK HAVING A DEPARTMENT THAT REALLY FOCUS ON FOCUSES ON THIS IS REALLY GONNA HELP US, I THINK, BUILD SOME MORE CREDIBILITY WITH THE COMMUNITY TOO AND DELIVERING THINGS FASTER.
ALRIGHT, THIS IS JUST TALKING ABOUT THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE TWO DEPARTMENTS.
AND I JUST WANNA REITERATE HERE IS THAT TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS, WE'RE, WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERATING THE PROJECTS IDEAS, UM, THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH THOSE TO HAVE THAT COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE AND THE FEEDBACK, UM, WE END UP, SO THAT'S AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND THEN WE'RE AT THE END WHERE WE'RE THE OWNER, WHERE WE OPERATE AND MAINTAIN IT.
UM, CDS IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE DOING THE DESIGN AND THE DELIVERY OF THOSE PROJECTS.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WE COVERED A LOT OF INFORMATION.
I WAS SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH WE HAVE GOING ON
WHERE IS TRAFFIC MODELING? TRAFFIC MODELING? WE DON'T DO ANY, THERE'S A COUPLE AREAS WHERE THERE'S TRAFFIC MODELING.
UM, I KNOW USUALLY, UM, COMMISSIONER BROOKS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT MODELING PIECE AND THAT RESIDES WITH CAMPO.
AND SO OUR SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT GROUP WORKS, WORKS WITH THEM ON MODELING AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK.
WE DON'T DO ANY SPECIFIC TDM OR TRA UH, OR TRAVEL DEMAND MODELING IN OUR GROUP.
WE DO HAVE A GROUP THAT DOES MODELING MORE AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL.
LIKE, ALRIGHT, IF WE'RE GOING TO PUT LIGHT RAIL IN TO GUADALUPE OR, OR SAY RIVER SIZE PRI BEAR EXAMPLE, WHERE THE IMPACT'S GONNA BE ON TRAFFIC, BUT ALSO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS GONNA BE TO TRANSIT.
WE ALSO DO THAT LEVEL OF ANALYSIS EITHER IN-HOUSE OR WITH A CONSULTANT.
WHAT ABOUT THINGS LIKE THE BLUETOOTH SENSORS THAT SO TRAFFIC IS MOVING? YES.
UM, WE, WE STARTED INSTALLING THOSE IN, UH, 20 12, 20 13, BUT WE NO LONGER ARE USING THOSE.
UM, WE HAVE A CONTRACT, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PRIVATE SECTOR DATA PROVIDERS NOW WHO HAVE, UM, A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION AND THAT WE'RE USING, IF YOU SEE THE TRAVEL TIMES THAT ARE UP ON SOME OF OUR DYNAMIC MESSAGE SIGNS IN THE CITY, UM, YOU'LL SEE THAT INFORMATION'S BEING DRIVEN BY THAT, BY THAT DATA THROUGH THE TOP TWO OR TOP ONE, THOSE CONTRACTORS.
UM, UM, ONE IS EN RX THAT WE USE.
WE ALSO GET SOME DATA FROM GOOGLE.
UM, BUT IT'S MORE THROUGH, UH, CONSULTANT THAT WE USE AND THEY'RE KIND OF ADD DOING SOME VALUE ADD TO THAT DATA TO GIVE US SOME TOOLS TO WORK WITH TO LOOK AT BEFORE AND AFTER TRAVEL TIMES.
LIKE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS USING THAT DATA TO HELP US ANALYZE ALONG BARTON SPRINGS ROAD WHERE WE'VE DONE THE UM, UH, FOR SAFETY PROJECT, BUT WE'VE DONE A, A LANE REDUCTION AND WE'VE HAD, UM, EXPANDED, UM, BIKE FACILITIES THERE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES GETTING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.
WE'RE USING THAT DATA TO LOOK AT, OKAY, HOW ARE THE TRAVEL TIMES CHANGING? UM, WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE MUCH IN TERMS OF TRAVEL TIME CHANGES AND THAT'S THE CASE OUT THERE.
UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO HAVING TO LOOK AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING, UM, THERE'S ANOTHER ASPECT TO IT, BUT VOLUMES SHIFTING.
MAYBE SOME OF THE TRAFFIC'S MOVED OVER TO FIFTH STREET, UM, OR IN SIXTH STREET.
SO, UM, IN THOSE CASES WHEN IT COMES
[02:10:01]
TO VOLUME DATA, WE'RE USUALLY COLLECTING THAT OURSELVES.UM, I'M STILL A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TPW AND CDS AND I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THIS.
SO I GET RIGHT, LIKE IF IT'S A CORRIDOR PROGRAM PROJECT, UM, RIGHT, OKAY.
TPW IDENTIFIES THE NEEDS AND THEN CDS TAKES IT THROUGH THE DEFINED PROJECT, THE DESIGN, THE BID, AND THE CONSTRUCTION.
IS WOULD THAT BE TRUE FOR LET'S SAY LIKE A BIKE WAYS PROJECT OR DOES THAT WHOLLY CONTAINED UNDER TPW? THAT THAT ONE'S OUR LOCAL MOBILITY PROGRAM.
AND SO TO DELIVER THOSE PROJECTS, WE KEEP THAT WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.
SO SIDEWALK PROGRAM, URBAN TRAILS PROGRAM, AND ALSO THE, THE BIKE WAYS.
UM, LET ME ALSO JUST SAY CREATING THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT.
UH, SPEAKING OF SOMEONE WHO'S ON THE BAC AND THE UTC, HAVING NATALIE AND EVERYTHING HAS MADE ALL OF OUR LIVES SO MUCH EASIER.
UM, SO THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA THERE.
UM, I, I HAVE, I'VE ALWAYS HAD ONE CONCERN ABOUT THIS AND UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE READ, NATO HAD A GREAT REPORT, I THINK BACK IN 2022, STRUCTURED FOR SUCCESS.
AND IT TALKED ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT STRUCTURES CREATE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS AND WE MOVED FROM A TRANSPORTATION EXCLUSIVE DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY TALK ABOUT, UM, IS THOSE INCLUSIVE DEPARTMENTS TEND TO BE PROJECT DELIVERY POOR AND MAINTENANCE HEAVY.
AND I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS TOO.
I USED TO WORK FOR THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE AND THAT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, I MEAN IN A CITY THAT IS ACTUALLY ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS LOUISVILLE, THEY, THEY BUILT ONE PROTECTED BIKE LANE IN 10 YEARS.
THAT'S A HALF A MILE LONG, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO HAVING CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES IS CERTAINLY GOING TO HELP HELP THAT.
'CAUSE THEY'RE FOCUSED ON PROJECT DELIVERY.
BUT MY CONCERN IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION STREET DESIGNS, BIKEWAYS SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M KIND OF GLAD IT'S YOU WHO'S HERE, NOT SOMEONE ELSE.
HOW ARE YOU GONNA MAKE SURE THOSE GET THE SAME LEVEL OF ATTENTION AS, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE MAINTENANCE AND SOMETIMES EVEN A HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF ATTENTION.
BUT THAT'S, THOSE ARE THE CHANGES PEOPLE ARE REALLY HOPING TO SEE.
I I THINK WE HAVE THE, THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, IF, IF YOU WILL, WE HAVE THE CDS DOING THE DELIVERY OF THE BIGGER PROJECT.
SO WE'LL SPEND THE BOND DOLLARS ON LOCK THE, THOSE FUNDS FOR THE VALUE FOR THE PUBLIC.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE IS A SMALLER GROUP OF THAT WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT THAT'S FOCUSED ON THE LOCAL MOBILITY.
SO THE, UM, SIDEWALK PROGRAM, URBAN TRAILS, UM, ALSO, UM, BIKEWAY PROJECTS, UM, VISION ZERO PROJECTS.
THOSE ARE MANAGED AT THE PROGRAM.
'CAUSE THOSE ARE PROGRAMS, THEY'RE NOT REALLY PROJECTS.
THEY'RE ONGOING AND THEY NEED FUNDING TO CONTINUE THEM.
AND SO WE HAVE, UM, SOME OF THOSE GROUPS LIKE THE SIDEWALK PROGRAM, THEY MANAGE THEIR OWN CONTRACTORS TO DELIVER ON THE SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, THE, THE BIKEWAYS, THEY RELY ON OUR, IN-HOUSE STAFF AS WELL AS CONTRACTORS TO DELIVER THOSE PROJECTS THAT THEY DESIGN.
UM, WAY WE'RE SET UP RIGHT NOW IS, ALRIGHT, THERE WE GO TO AMIKA BOSE, HER GROUP, BUT IS THE PROJECT DELIVERY GROUP TO HELP MANAGE LIKE THOSE PROJECTS AT CONGRESS AND OLTORF SOME OF THOSE LARGER PROJECTS THAT NEED THAT FOCUS.
SO WE HAVE THAT, THOSE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ON DELIVERING THE PROJECTS, WHICH I THINK HELPS US REALLY ACCELERATE AND STAY AHEAD.
LIKE WE JUST WRAPPED UP SPENDING, UM, WAS IT THE 2016 BOND FUND FOR A SIDEWALK PROGRAM AHEAD OF SCALE A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
AND I THINK WITH HOW WE'RE STRUCTURED HAS HELPED US DO THAT.
SO I REALLY THINK RIGHT NOW, AND I'LL GET TO THE, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MAINTENANCE TOO.
UM, FOR THE DELIVERY OF THOSE LOCAL MOBILITY BOND PROGRAMS. I THINK WE'RE SET UP, WE HAVE A GOOD TEAM.
WE'VE SHOWN SUCCESS THERE DOING THAT.
UM, ON THE MAINTENANCE SIDE, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ONE WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING A LOT MORE ASSETS AS THESE BOND DOLLARS GET SPENT.
WE NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME MAINTAIN.
WE NEED TO, WE'RE LOOKING DOWNSTREAM OKAY.
WHERE OUR MAINTENANCE NEEDS GOING TO BE.
UM, ONE OF THE SHIFTS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO FOCUS MORE ON THE MAINTENANCE AND NOT FORGET ABOUT THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK WHAT I THINK WE'RE DOING A DISSERVICE TO THE PUBLIC IF WE BUILD SOMETHING, IF WE CAN'T MAINTAIN IT.
UM, WE SAID, THANK YOU FOR YOUR MONEY, BUT WE DIDN'T DELIVER.
WE'RE NOT BEING VERY RELIABLE, THAT HIGHLY RELIABLE ORGANIZATION IF WE CAN'T DELIVER ON KEEPING IT FUNCTIONING THE WAY IT'S INTENDED TO.
UM, AND SO WE NEED THE, WE NEED THE MAINTENANCE RESOURCES TO DO THAT.
AND SO WE'RE FOCUSING MORE OF OUR INTERNAL STAFF ON MAINTENANCE AND HAVING THESE BOND PROGRAMS GO TO USING MORE OF CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS TO DELIVER AS TO KIND OF SPLIT THAT
[02:15:01]
WORKLOAD UP BETWEEN THE TWO.AND UM, AND WE WERE TALKING EVEN TODAY THAT TO GET SOME OF THE MAINTENANCE DONE, WE'RE COMPETING WITH SOME OF THE LOCAL MOBILITY PROGRAMS. WE WERE USING THE SAME CONTRACTOR TO DELIVER ON SAY, SI ON MARKINGS, UM, TO DO MAINTENANCE.
SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THIS KIND OF, THIS INTERNAL COMPETITION GOING ON THAT WE'RE WORKING ON MANAGING.
SO I HOPE THAT ANSWERS OR MAYBE YEAH, IT DID, PUTS IT A LITTLE BIT AT RISK AND REASSURED ME FOR SURE.
AND TO BE CLEAR, I'M DEFINITELY NOT ADVOCATING THAT WE DON'T SPEND MORE ATTENTION ON MAINTENANCE.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THIS GREAT MOMENTUM WE HAVE ISN'T GONNA STALL.
AND I, I THINK I HAVE GOOD CONFIDENCE THAT IT WON'T, AND ONE OF THE THINGS ON THAT, JUST BECAUSE Y'ALL TALK WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TOO, IS IN TO KEEP SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS GOING ON, LIKE THE SIDEWALKS AND SO FORTH AND, AND OUR, OUR LEADERSHIP KNOWS THIS, IS THAT WE NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN THE FUTURE AND BOND CYCLES TO KEEP THAT SIDEWALK PROGRAM MM-HMM.
AND THE, THE LAST THING I'LL JUST NOTE, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS POSSIBLE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK AS, UH, COMMISSIONERS AND, AND AND COMMUNITY PEOPLE AND PEOPLE WHO ARE OFTEN EMAILING, UM, UH, CITY STAFF ABOUT QUESTIONS ABOUT PROJECTS MM-HMM.
IF, IF THERE WERE THE NAMES OF ALL THE PROGRAM MANAGERS ON THIS SHEET TOO.
SO WE KNEW WHO DIRECTLY TO REACH OUT TO 'EM.
WE'RE NOT COGGING THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S EMAILS.
I WOULD FIND THAT VERY HELPFUL.
ALRIGHT, WELL LET, LET ME SEE WHAT WE CAN GET FOR YOU AND GET, UM, I'LL WORK WITH NATALIE AND WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN GET PUT TOGETHER AND, AND SENT OUT TO Y'ALL.
UM, EACH OF THEM, UH, UM, EV EVERYONE, AND THAT'S THE ONE THING WE'VE, WITH ALL THE CONSTRUCTION THAT WE HAVE GOING ON, AS WELL AS THE COORDINATION EFFORTS THAT, UM, WITH PROJECT CONNECT AND ALSO WITH I 35, SO MUCH WORK GOING ON, EVERYONE'S REALLY BUSY AND WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO GET BACK TO EMAILS AS QUICKLY AS AS POSSIBLE.
WE'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO 'EM WITHIN 24 HOURS.
SO JUST FEEL FREE TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANOTHER EMAIL TO, UM, THE FOLKS IF THEY'RE, IF THEY DON'T GET BACK TO YOU IN A TIMELY MANNER.
UM, SO A LOT OF TIMES ON A STREET YOU'LL HAVE MULTIPLE PROJECTS GOING ON.
ARE THEY EACH DOING, IS THERE ANYBODY WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT LIKE THEY CAN ALL JUST BUNDLE OR DRAINAGE, YOU KNOW, STUDIES ALL TOGETHER OR LIKE THEY CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER TO LIKE, DEAL WITH UTILITY ISSUES ON THAT RIGHT.
OF LIKE, ARE YOU HAVING THAT? BECAUSE I KNOW DRAINAGE TENDS TO ADD HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO EACH TINY LITTLE PROJECT, BUT IF EVERYONE'S DOING, WORKING TOGETHER ON THE SAME, LIKE HOW DOES THAT WORK?
SO FOR, UM, FIRST, UM, FIRST, UM, WE, WE HAVE TO BALANCE AND MAKE SURE A TRANSPORTATION PROJECT DOESN'T BECOME A DRAINAGE PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, SO, SO THAT COMES INTO THE CONVERSATION TOO.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CONGRESS AVENUE IN, IN, IN THAT REGARD, UM, HERE LATELY.
UM, BUT THERE IS A LOCAL MOBILITY PLAN THAT GETS DEVELOPED EVERY YEAR BY THOSE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. AND THEY'RE ALL COORDINATING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE, ARE DONE IN A WAY THAT THEY'RE COORDINATED AND NOT DISJOINTED.
WHERE WE'RE GOING UP AND DIGGING IN THE STREET TWICE AND WE GET DONE WITH THIS ONE PROJECT ONLY TO COME BACK TWO MONTHS LATER AND DO A PROJECT, MAYBE ANOTHER BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD.
SO THAT COORDINATION IS GOING, IS GOING ON BETWEEN THE PROGRAMS. AND THAT WAS CALLED A, IT'S A LOCAL, LOCAL MOBILITY PLAN.
UM, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER WORD IN THERE I'M FORGETTING, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING, UM, THAT IS, UM, IF IT, IT IT SHOULD BE ONLINE NOW, UM, AND THAT YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO.
AND IF WE CAN'T, WE'LL WE'LL GO AHEAD AND NATALIE, IF WE COULD SEND THAT AROUND TO 'EM AS WELL, A LINK TO THAT.
UM, SO YOU'LL SEE ALL THE PROJECTS THAT ARE, ARE PLANNED FOR THE YEAR, THEN, THEN THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT, UM, THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME UP IN THE YEAR WHERE WE HAVE TO SHIFT A LITTLE BIT.
LIKE IF, UM, AND WE COORDINATE WITH AUSTIN WATER TOO, THEY'RE PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST FOLKS, OR, OR, UM, USERS OF THE RIGHT OF WAY IN CONSTRUCTION, UM, FOR REPLACING A LOT OF THE WATER LINES.
AND SO THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES, WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM AHEAD OF TIME, BUT IF THERE'S LIKE A REPAIR THAT THEY'RE FINDING, OH, EMERGENCY REPAIR IS SOMETHING THEY HAVE TO DO HERE AND MAYBE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO WORK WITH THEM, COORDINATE, WE MAY SHIFT AROUND OUR PRIORITIES, UM, TO HELP GET THAT PROJECT DONE.
AND MAYBE SOME THINGS THAT WERE ON THE LIST MOVE TO THE NEXT YEAR OR FUTURE YEAR.
DO ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT, THAT TAKES US TO OUR DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS. I AM, UH, REAL AWARE OF OUR TIME HERE.
UM, SO I THINK WE'LL TRY TO MOVE THROUGH THE REST OF OUR AGENDA
[02:20:01]
HOPEFULLY AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.[6. Discussion and possible action on the Commission’s 2024 meeting dates. ]
UM, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON OUR COMMISSION'S 2024 MEETING DATES.AND I JUST WANNA EXPRESS HERE, AND, AND NATALIE MAY WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS, I'M JUST EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT SHE'S DONE ON CHECKING ON OUR, OUR, OUR LOCATIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I COULD GO, I COULD TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF WHY WE MEET WHEN WE MEET AND WHETHER WE GET THIS ROOM OR WHETHER WE DON'T, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE LIKE REALLY NEED TO GET INTO ALL THAT TODAY HERE.
BUT, UM, BASICALLY, UM, WHAT SHE HAS, UM, WE HAD AN ISSUE WITH OUR JANUARY MEETING, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT WE HAD TO CANCEL IT.
AND IT WAS BECAUSE WE LITERALLY, THERE WAS NO SPACE.
UM, AND SO SHE WERE, YOU WERE LIKE EMAILING OR TEXTING ME AND I WAS LIKE, NOT IN THE USA AND I WAS LIKE, AH, LIKE, SO, UM, THAT IS WHY LIKE, THERE WAS LITERALLY NO SPACE THAT YOU COULD BOOK.
UM, I THINK, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE PRETTY MUCH HAVE THIS ROOM AT FIVE, ALL THE DATES EXCEPT AS INDICATED, WHICH IS THE JULY, AUGUST AND NOVEMBER MEETING, WHICH ARE IN PDC AND SPECIFICALLY WITH JULY 9TH IS, UM, ON, UM, UM, AT 6:00 PM AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO VOTE ON THIS.
I DON'T, I MEAN, THIS IS NOT, IT'S NOT A MEETING DATE CHANGE, IT'S JUST KIND OF A NOTIF NOTIFICATION OF THE COMMITTEE.
I WOULD SAY, UM, OF, OF THOSE TIMES.
QUICK CLARIFICATION, THE OTHER PDC MEETING STARTED AT FIVE IS THE ONE THAT STARTS AT SIX.
THE, THE, UM, THE JULY MEETING, THERE WAS ITEMS SCHEDULED EARLY AND FOR PREPARATION PURPOSES TO START AT SIX.
SO I THINK USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN WE HAVE TO DEVIATE FROM THE, UM, WHAT IS IT, FIRST TUESDAYS THAT WE DO, WE USUALLY RUN INTO A PROBLEM.
WE ALSO USUALLY RUN INTO A PROBLEM AND WE, WE LEGALLY HAVE TO DO THAT NOW FOR THE ELECTION DAY.
AND WE ALSO RUN INTO A PROBLEM DURING BUDGET CYCLE AS WELL.
UM, SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE LESSON HERE FOR US IS IF WE WANT THIS ROOM TO TRY TO NOT DEVIATE FROM OUR FIRST TUESDAY TIMING, BUT ALSO THAT THERE'S TIMES WHERE CITY COUNCIL, IF THEY NEED THIS SPACE, WE'RE, WE'RE JUST GONNA PLANE GET BUMPED.
YOU KNOW? SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WITH THIS NOTICE THAT DOES ALLOW US TO PLAN BECAUSE I KNOW IN SOME, SOME YEARS PAST, UM, THOSE OF YOU MAY REMEMBER THAT WE DIDN'T ALWAYS HAVE AS MUCH ADVANCED NOTICE ON THAT.
DO YOU WANNA OFFER ANYTHING ELSE ON, ON THE OVERALL SCHEDULE? UM, I WILL SAY THAT AT THE DECEMBER MEETING WE, WE SORT OF DISCUSSED THAT MAYBE NEEDING TO MOVE THE MARCH MEETING BECAUSE OF PRIMARIES.
I HAVE CONFIRMED WITH THE CLERK'S OFFICE THAT THAT'S NOT NECESSARY.
UM, SO WE ARE GOOD TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD FOR OUR NORMAL MEETING IN MARCH.
UM, AND YOU, YOU ALREADY SPOKE ON IT, THE, I KNOW AUGUST 6TH IS A NORMAL, IS OUR NORMAL TIME.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY IT'S DURING BUDGET SEASON AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHY WE DON'T HAVE THIS ROOM THAT DAY.
OTHERWISE IT'S BECAUSE WE DEVIATED FROM OUR, OUR FIRST TUESDAY.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? I THINK THIS IS, I DON'T THINK WE NEED AN ACTION ON THIS.
I THINK THIS IS JUST FOR THE NOTIFICATION OF COMMISSIONERS.
[7. Discussion and possible action on a recommendation relating to Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board ]
US TO ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS, UM, A CAMPO, UM, UH, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION, UM, PROPOSAL FROM A COUPLE COMMISSIONERS.WE HAD HAD THIS IN DECEMBER, WE WERE GONNA TAKE IT UP AGAIN IN JANUARY.
UM, THE ISSUE WE HAVE IN DECEMBER IS THAT WE DID HAVE TWO COMMISSIONERS WHO NEED TO RECUSE THEMSELVES, WHICH LEAVES US WITH FEWER THAN A QUORUM TO TAKE A VOTE.
I, UNLESS SOMETHING HAS CHANGED, I'M GONNA COUNT 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
IF THE TWO COMMISSIONERS WHO ORIGINALLY RECUSED ARE STILL RECUSING, WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM TO TAKE THIS ITEM.
CAN WE POSTPONE INSTEAD TABLE IT JUST SO IT'S ON THE AGENDA FOR MARCH? WELL, YES, POSTPONE.
SO CAN I MAKE A MOTION TO, UH, POSTPONE THIS AGENDA ITEM UNTIL OUR MARCH MEETING? YOU MAY.
AND SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF POSTPONING TO MARCH CAN VOTE IN FAVOR.
SO I MEAN, ESSENTIALLY RIGHT NOW, I JUST WANNA OFFER A COMMENT ON THIS IS THAT WITH OUR, IF WE HAVE TWO RECUSALS THAT ARE GOING TO STAY AS RECUSALS, WHICH I, YOU KNOW, I, WE, WE NEED EVERYONE THAT IS CURRENTLY APPOINTED TO BE HERE.
SO IF WE HAVE EVEN ONE PERSON ABSENT, UH, NOT, I GUESS NOT.
'CAUSE WE COULD HAVE ATHENA OR, UH, EDWARD SMITH WOULD BE HERE, RIGHT? AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE A SIX AND ATHENA AND DIANA ALMOST ALWAYS KIND.
AND SO, UM, SO WE, SO WE'RE STILL NOT THERE.
UM, WE WOULD ALSO BE HELPED OUT IF WE, IF DISTRICT ONE AND THE, THE OR THE MAYOR APPOINT SOMEONE THAT WOULD ALSO TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF OF, OFF OF US.
SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK WE HAVE A, WE HAVE AN ATTENDANCE ISSUE FROM OUR DISTRICT SIX COMMISSIONER.
I ASSUME THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS ON THAT, SO, OKAY.
THAT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO, TO TRACK THAT.
SO, AND NATALIE REPORTS, SO REEN DID BRING THAT UP AT THE MOBILITY COMMITTEE
[02:25:01]
AND THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS MOVING ON THAT.SO, YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT CHANGE.
THAT JUST MIGHT MEAN THERE'S ANOTHER VACANCY IN THE FUTURE THAT THAT IS LIKELY WHAT IT MEANS.
I WILL SAY THOUGH, UM, WE ALSO HAVE A COUNCIL LIAISON IN THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, UM, GROUP THAT IS, YOU KNOW, DOING A MONTHLY CHECK IN WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND, AND DISTRICT ONE TO SEE WHERE WE'RE AT ON, ON IDENTIFYING A NEW COMMISSIONER.
DISTRICT ONE IS, IS PRETTY NORMAL LEVEL OF VACANT.
BECAUSE, UH, EL ELLEN WAS HERE WITH US UNTIL VERY RECENTLY.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S NOT, THAT'S FINE.
UM, THE MAYOR'S VACANCY IS A LITTLE MORE CONCERNING AND I DO WANNA LET THE COMMISSION KNOW.
I DON'T, I DON'T REALLY, UM, USUALLY CALL UP CITY COUNCIL OFFICES TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT, BUT I'M, I'M BASICALLY AT THAT POINT, AND I MAY HAVE EVEN SAID THAT IN DECEMBER, BUT, UM, I'M JUST, IT'S BEEN A REALLY WILD COUPLE MONTHS, BUT I AM HAVE THAT ON MY DOCKET TO POTENTIALLY CALL THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND SPEAK WITH HIM OR HER STAFF GETTING CLOSE TO A YEAR NOW.
SO, UM, IT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING.
SO ANYWAY, UM, I THINK WE CAN MOVE ON FROM THAT.
WE HAVE POSTPONED THAT ITEM TILL MARCH AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE THE RIGHT NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO TAKE IT UP.
[8. Update from the Downtown Commission regarding actions from the January 17, 2024 Meeting: Commissioner Spencer Schumacher ]
SO I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, REALLY SORT OF, IF WE COULD TRY TO BLAST THROUGH THESE COMMITTEE UPDATES.ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WILL NOTICE IS THAT WE HAVE, IT HAS BEEN ADDED A LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY ON THE MEETINGS THAT WE ARE REPORTING ON HAS BEEN ADDED TO THIS, UH, DOCKET.
UM, THIS WAS A REQUEST, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, NELLY, THIS CAME FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE TO GET REALLY SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS.
SO, UM, THOSE WHO ARE REPORTING SHOULD LIMIT THEIR REMARKS TO THOSE, UH, STATED MEETINGS THAT ARE IN THE AGENDA.
WE'LL START WITH THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION UPDATE FROM COMM, UH, COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER.
UM, ONE ITEM THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO THE UTC, UH, WAS THE, UH, WE RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE SEA HOME TTS TSTS.
UM, A LOT OF INTERESTING UPDATES THERE.
UM, I MENTIONED IT, UM, EARLIER THAT, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO BE EXPANDING THE, UH, THIRD STREET BRIDGE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY VERY CONSTRAINED.
THERE'LL BE NUMEROUS UPDATES, UH, TO THE SHOAL CREEK TRAIL, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO POSSIBLY ACQUIRE AND DEVELOP THAT CURRENTLY VACANT TRESTLE OWNED BY, UH, THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.
SO, UH, THAT PRESENTATION MAY BE OF INTEREST TO SOME FOLKS.
[9. Update from the Joint Sustainability Committee regarding actions from the December 13, 2023 and January 24, 2024 Meetings: Commissioner Diana Wheeler ]
WHEELER, A REPORT FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.SO WE HAD, UM, A PRESENTATION OF, UH, UH, YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT SEVERAL TIMES HERE ON THE, UH, TRANSITION TO LOW CARBON, UM, CONCRETE, WHICH WAS INTERESTING IN WHICH THE CITY OFFICE OF ENGINEERS GAVE, AND THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, THEY'RE WORKING ON.
UM, THE, UH, JSC VOTED ON TWO RECOMMENDATIONS, BOTH AIMED AT UPDATES TO THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
ONE WAS RELATED TO, UM, UM, ZERO WASTE, WORKING TOWARDS ZERO WASTE FOR FOOD, UH, FOR FOOD WASTE.
AND THERE WAS A STATISTIC THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE.
UM, RIGHT NOW THERE ARE, UM, THE A RR HOUSEHOLDS, UM, MAKE GENERATE ABOUT FOUR POUNDS OF WASTE PER DAY.
AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT, MAINTAIN IT AT THAT LEVEL, UM, AND ALSO TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S RECOMMENDATION THAT, UM, 25% OF, UH, AUSTIN RESIDENTS CAN BE WORK FROM HOME BY 2039.
[10. Update from the Pedestrian Advisory Council regarding actions from the January 16, 2024 and February 5, 2024 Meetings: Commissioner Daniel Kavelman]
PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL.UM, AND THIS IS THE, UH, TWO SETS OF MEETINGS ACTUALLY, UM, FROM DANIEL, UH, COMMISSIONER KAMAN, UH, YEAH, A MOVABILITY BRIEFING.
UM, AN OVERVIEW OF SOME LOCAL AND REGIONAL MOBILITY ORGANIZATIONS.
UM, SO IT WAS A BACKPACK MEETING IN JANUARY.
UH, MOVABILITY CAME IN, UH, AND GAVE A PRESENTATION.
WE HAD A LITTLE, UH, OVERVIEW OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL MOBILITY ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, WE HAD A TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS GRANT OPPORTUNITIES BRIEFING, UM, AND THEN AT THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL, UH, YESTERDAY, IT WAS THE SAME LIGHT RAIL UPDATE.
UM, AND ALSO ETOD BRIEFING, UM, AND METRO BIKE
[02:30:01]
STRATEGIC EXPANSION PLAN UPDATE AS WELL.SO LOTS OF THE SIMILAR STUFF FROM HERE.
[11. Update from the City Council Mobility Committee regarding actions from the January 25, 2024, Meeting: Commissioner Susan Somers ]
MOBILITY COMMITTEE, I WAS NOT, UM, ABLE TO GO BECAUSE THAT MEETING CHANGED AND SO MY CALENDAR DID YOU YOU WENT? I WENT, YEAH.CAN YOU REPORT, UM, THE MAIN ITEM IN INTEREST WAS THEY GOT A VERY NICE UPDATE ON THE LIVING STREETS PROGRAM, WHICH, UM, WAS RELEVANT EARLIER TODAY.
'CAUSE WE WERE HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHEN IS A PERMIT REQUIRED AND NOT REQUIRED.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE HAVE THE, UH, SAME PRESENTATION REPEATED FOR OUR GROUP, IF THAT YEAH, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HEARD A COUPLE, A COUPLE BEATS SINCE WE HEARD FROM THEM.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT IN FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, AND THEN I THINK, IS THAT IT FOR MOBILITY COMMITTEE? YES.
[12. Update from the Community Advisory Committee for Austin Transit Partnership Board regarding actions from the December 14, 2023 and January 11, 2024 Meetings: Commissioner Susan Somers ]
UM, AT THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP BOARD, UM, OUR BIG THING WAS WE SEATED OUR NEW BOARD, UM, IN JANUARY.UM, AND, UH, WELCOME RUBEN IS NOW JOINING ME AS A DOUBLE DUTY MEMBER OF BOTH BODIES.
UM, AND WE JUST KIND OF GOT AN OVERVIEW OF THE OVERALL, UM, PROJECT CONNECT PROJECT STATUS DEPARTMENTS, KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE GOT WITH TPW TODAY, A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW LIKE OF EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH AND DO, WHICH WAS HELPFUL.
UM, AND SO, AND THEN OUR DECEMBER MEETING WAS ACTUALLY QUITE A LOT ABOUT TRANSIT SAFETY AND TRANSIT POLICE STUFF, WHICH IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING STUFF.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
US TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. WE DO HAVE ACTUALLY A VERY HELPFUL LIST THAT HAS BEEN PROVIDED HERE FOR US.WE HAVE CORRIDOR PROGRAM UPDATE, UM, I 35 CAP ANDIT TRANSPORTATION, CRIME MATERIAL MANUAL UPDATE, UM, PARKING ENTERPRISE INCLUDING CURB MANAGEMENT, PARKING, PARKING PROGRAMS, PARKING BENEFIT DISTRICT PARKING, TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT DISTRICT.
UM, WE NEED OFFICER ELECTIONS.
WE, WE HAVE NOT DONE THE CO GREAT JOB THE PAST COUPLE YEARS ENGAGING WITH THE BUDGET CYCLE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE COULD, OR IF PEOPLE HAVE THE ENERGY TO DO THAT TAKES, I THINK IT TAKES SOME WORK IN OUR PART TO DO THAT.
BUT, UM, IF WE ARE WILLING TO DO THE WORK, I THINK IT'S VERY HELPFUL.
AND THEN, UM, CAMPO E TODD, WE ALSO HAD, UM, SOME NOTE OF POSSIBLY ZILKER TRANSPORTATION OR THE REOPENING OF THE ZILKER DISCUSSION.
SO I'LL JUST KIND OF DOCKET THAT.
I DO THINK WE PROBABLY HAVE TO TAKE THAT UP THIS YEAR AT SOME POINT.
UM, I, WE DID SEE THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM UPDATE, WHICH WAS CDS IN NOVEMBER.
AND THEN ALSO E TODD ALSO WAS IN NOVEMBER.
SO IF I CAN, BUT ON THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM OR, UM, WHEN WE ASKED, SORRY.
SO ACTUALLY I THINK THIS ONE IS SPECIFICALLY, UM, TALKING MORE ABOUT THE DESIGN OF THE CORRIDOR PROGRAM FROM LIKE IN AIRPORT BOULEVARD STANDPOINT.
BUT I THINK THAT THE BAC AND PAC WILL PROBABLY TAKE THAT UP AND IT MAY MAKE SENSE FOR US TO ADDRESS IT LATER.
SO MAY MAKE SENSE TO TAKE IT OFF NOW, BUT I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY COME BACK TO US.
SO LESS ABOUT THE SPENDING AND MORE ABOUT THE DESIGN QUARTER PROGRAM AND SPECIFICALLY ON AIRPORT OR JUST GENERAL, GENERAL PURCHASE.
THE FIRST ONE TO HAVE MADE TO BE FULLY CLOSE TO COMPLETION, RIGHT.
WHERE IT'S THE WHOLE CORRIDOR IS BEING ACTIVATED.
UM, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY SOMETHING TO KEEP OFF THE AGENDA FOR NOW AND, AND THEN WE'LL COME FAIRLY SOON.
MM-HMM,
ALSO, IF I CAN INTERJECT, UM, QUARTER PROGRAM UPDATE COULD BE TO KIND OF MORE THE CDS, UM, HOW JAMES OFFERED TO COME IN QUARTERLY AND IF WE TELL HIM WHAT HE WE WANT UPDATES ON.
SO, UM, IF THERE ARE PARTICULAR THINGS FROM CAPITAL DELIVERY THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE UPDATES ON, I THINK WE HAVE A OPPORTUNITY TO SCHEDULE THAT, AT LEAST QUARTERLY SENSITIVE POINTS, PUBLIC HEARING AND HOW MUCH RESPONSIBILITY, UH, DELIVERY SERVICES TAKES FOR ENSURING THAT PUBLIC INPUT HAPPENS.
ARE YOU, IS THAT MORE LIKE C COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OR PUBLIC HEARINGS HERE AT CITY HALL WITH COUNCIL? UH, UM, MOSTLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT TAKES PLACE EARLIER.
I THINK I'M, AND, AND MY EDITORIAL THERE IS THAT, THAT A LOT OF THIS CORRIDOR PROGRAM, THERE WAS A LOT OF, THERE WAS A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT DONE, BUT IT'S TAKING A WHILE TO START BUILDING IT.
SO PEOPLE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN THE ENGAGEMENT HAPPENED.
I
[02:35:01]
ISSUES OF LIKE, IF IT'S BEEN THAT LONG, YOU PROBABLY SHOULD DO MORE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.BUT TWO, WE HAVE A TCM UPDATE SINCE THEN.
SO YEAH, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SUBSTANDARD DESIGN THAT IS JUST, WELL, AND THAT BOND WAS, THAT WAS 2016 BOND WAS, YOU KNOW, LIKE SOME THINGS ALREADY HAD APPROVED CORRIDOR PLANS WHEN 2016.
SOME THINGS WROTE CORRIDOR PLANS AFTER THAT POINT, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK THAT IT'S, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE FROM ALL DIFFERENT ERAS.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TIME, BUT TIMELY UPDATE.
YEAH, MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD, MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD IF HE'S COMING FOR A QUARTERLY UPDATE TO SAY WE REALLY WANNA HEAR ABOUT HOW AIRPORT'S GOING AND HOW YOU'RE CONTINUING TO ENGAGE ON THE RES SCOPING ON, ON RES SCOPINGS, BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA JUST BE NATURAL WITH WHERE WE ARE.
UH, WENDY TODD FROM THE AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION EMAILED ME.
I DON'T KNOW IF SHE, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF SHE SENT IT OUT TO EVERYBODY.
SHE WANTS OUR SUPPORT ON AN ITEM.
UM, I'LL SEND THAT OUT TO EVERYBODY.
UH, SHE SAID SHE MIGHT COME HERE TODAY TO GIVE COMMUNICATION, BUT, UM, SO I'LL SEND THAT OUT.
BUT, UH, THEY'RE DOING A RECOMMENDATION AT AIRPORT ADVISORY AND THEY ALSO WANT US, IT'S LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE ON THE STRAINS AROUND THE AIRPORT.
SO SAFETY ISSUE ON THE STREETS AROUND THE AIRPORT, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? YEAH.
I HOPE THAT ONE WILL BE JUST LIKE A QUICK, UH, ACTION ITEM FROM US AND SAY, YES, WE AGREE.
AND I, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A ONE AND DONE QUICK THING.
SO WE COULD GET THAT ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT MONTH AS A QUICK ITEM, HOPEFULLY.
UM, UH, ANY OTHER FUTURE ITEMS? YEAH, I GET TWO ACTION ITEMS. YEAH.
UM, ONE IS, I, I DIDN'T THINK THIS NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT TO THE UTC, BUT, UM, IN NOVEMBER, THE BAC AND PAC JOINTLY AUTHORED A RECOMMENDATION STATING THAT A TP SHOULD PRIORITIZE RIGHT OF WAY FOR PEDESTRIANS, BICYCLISTS TRANSIT, UM, OVER SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES.
UH, GIVEN WHAT I HEARD TODAY, I, I THINK THAT MAY BE SOMETHING IF THE UTC AGREES WITH WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO COME FROM THE UTC.
UM, I'LL SEND THAT OUT AND IF THERE'S SIGNIFICANT, IF THERE'S OPPOSITION TO IT, LET ME KNOW.
I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, CREATE ANY PROBLEMS. BUT IF PEOPLE ARE OPEN TO IT, I THINK THAT COULD BE A QUICK THING TO SEND UP.
SO BASICALLY JUST SIGNING ONTO THE BACKPACK.
UM, AND THEN THE, UM, OTHER THING WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED ON THE TOPIC THAT YOU SAID ON, ON BUDGET, UM, THERE ARE TWO THINGS, RIGHT? ONE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS FRUSTRATED ME FROM THE BACKPACK FROM THE BAC SIDE IS WE ALWAYS RECEIVE THOSE, UM, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORK, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATIONS AFTER THEY'VE BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE, THE BUDGET OFFICE.
AND I, THERE'S BEEN NO WAY TO COMBAT THAT.
BUT I WAS WATCHING A, UM, THE PARKS BOARD, UH, 'CAUSE I WANTED TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR, UH, ZILKER THING.
UH, AND ONE THING THEY ACTUALLY HAVE, WHICH I, I WOULD LIKE TO IMPLEMENT IF WE CAN, IS THEY HAVE A WORKING GROUP THAT WORKS IN ADVANCE OF THAT AND ACTUALLY TALKS TO SOME STAFF, UM, TO HEAR WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET, AND THEN BE ABLE TO, UM, TALK ABOUT PRIORITIES.
SO I WOULD LIKE A WORKING GROUP FOR THAT.
BUT THEN ALSO, I DUNNO IF ANYONE, UH, SAW THIS, BUT, UM, THERE'S CURRENTLY, UH, A, UM, ITEM UP FOR COUNCIL VOTE AT THIS NEXT UPCOMING MEETING, UM, THAT WOULD ASK THE JOINT SUSTAIN ABILITY COMMITTEE TO START LOOKING AT ITEMS FOR CLIMATE INVESTMENTS.
AND SPECIFICALLY IT MENTIONS A CLIMATE BOND, UM, GIVEN THAT TRANSPORTATION EMISSIONS ARE THE, UH, BIGGEST SOURCE OF, UH, CARBON EMISSIONS HERE.
I, I THINK IF WE CAN MAKE IT A, A BUDGET AND BOND WORKING GROUP THAT PERHAPS, UH, HAS A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FOR US IN MARCH, AND THEN A BOND RECOMMENDATION FOR US IN APRIL, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE.
UM, THE DEADLINE FOR OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS IS MARCH 31ST, AND I BELIEVE THE DEADLINE FOR COMMENT IF THIS PASSES AT CITY COUNCIL NEXT WEEK, WHICH I BET IT WILL IS MAY 1ST.
SO YOU'RE SUGGESTING AT THE MARCH, MEANING WE SHOULD STRIKE A WORKING GROUP THAT CAN HELP GET SOMETHING TOGETHER FROM UTC FOR THE APRIL MEETING.
I'M SUGGESTING WE MAYBE CREATE A WORKING GROUP TO DO BOTH IN MARCH, WE HAVE BUDGET IN APRIL, WE HAVE THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN OR WHATEVER THEY'RE CALLING IT.
AND WE DO THAT AT OUR MA MARCH MEETING.
WELL, I, I SAY WE START THE WORKING GROUP NOW SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THAT, THAT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA.
DO WE? DOES IT NEED TO BE AGENDA TO HAVE A WORKING GROUP? IT'S JUST INFORMAL.
WE DID THAT ON THE PARKING MEMOS.
LET'S JUST DO IT AND THEN WE, OKAY.
SO, UM, YEAH, PERHAPS IT'S AN OFFICIAL WORKING GROUP, BUT IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON IT, I'VE GOTTEN NERV.
I, YOU KNOW WHAT, AND THEY'RE EVEN, THEY'RE MORE FORMAL AT COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAN WE ARE.
AND SO I THINK I'VE GOTTEN A LITTLE BIT USED TO THAT NOW TOO.
'CAUSE WE'RE HAVING A WHOLE AGENDA ITEM ABOUT WORKING, WORKING GROUPS THIS AT OUR MEETING
[02:40:01]
ON THURSDAY.BUT THOSE ARE PERMANENT WORKING GROUPS.
SO JUST AN AD HOC FOR MARCH AND APRIL, IF THERE'S ANY.
SO OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT.
ARE THERE, IS THERE OTHER PEOPLE INTERESTED IN JOINING THE WORKING GROUP WITH SPENCER? I'LL HELP OUT.
I DON'T KNOW IF COMMISSIONER WHEELER'S ON, BUT SINCE YOU'RE THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY REP, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE YOU FOR, UM, AT LEAST THE LATTER PART OF IT.
I WAS GONNA SAY, THAT'D BE PERFECT BECAUSE I'M ON A TRANSPORTATION WORKING GROUP AS PART OF THE JSC PERFECT.
TRYING TO WORK WITH THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
SO, UH, YES, I CAN WRANGLE, UH, US TOGETHER WITH THAT WORKING GROUP WHO ALREADY HAS BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE, I THINK WE CAN HAVE UP TO FIVE, I THINK.
IS IT BUDGET FOR THE, SO IT'D BE THE TPW BUDGET FOR THE NEXT UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR, AND THEN WE'D WORK ON A PLAN FOR THE CLIMATE EQUITY.
ARE THEY NOT ON THE SAME BUDGET CYCLE AS THE REST OF THE CITY? 'CAUSE ISN'T BUDGET FALL PROCESS ISN'T THAT WHEN THEY PASS NOW AND RUNS FINALLY APPROVED? THE PLANNING STARTS NOW, BUT IT GETS APPROVED IN LIKE OCTOBER.
AND THE AUGUST, AUGUST, AUGUST, AUGUST, THE DEADLINE FOR US TO SUBMIT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BUDGET PERFORMANCE OFFICE FOR THE FORMATION OF THE, UH, TPW BUDGET IS MARCH 31ST.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON IT AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
I'M WILLING TO DO THE FIRST PART.
SO WE HAVE, UM, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A, A WORKING GROUP OF COMMISSIONERS, WHEELER, BROOKS, SCHUMACHER, AND ALVAREZ, WHO MAY ONLY JOIN FOR PART OF IT, WHICH IS TOTALLY FINE,
SO MARCH WOULD BE THE BUDGET, MEANING, AND APRIL WOULD BE THE, UM, UH, CLIMATE STUFF.
IS THAT RIGHT? DO I HAVE, RIGHT.
AND I GUESS COMMISSIONER WHEELER, IF YOU COULD HELP US, WOULD, WOULD APRIL BE APPROPRIATE OR DO YOU THINK WE NEED BOTH OF THEM IN MARCH? I THINK WE NEED BOTH IN MARCH.
THEN WE WILL HAVE A, A I THINK THEY'RE BOTH IMPORTANT.
SO IF WE CAN BUSY BUSY FEBRUARY FOR THE THOSE ON THE, IN THE GROUP.
SO I'M, UM, CAN YOU, LET ME ASK THIS TOO, NATALIE, DO YOU HAVE, WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE FOR SQD IN MARCH? SO I WAS GONNA SEE FROM, FROM THIS LIST WHAT THE MOST INTEREST WAS.
UM, I KNOW, SO, AND I WANTED TO SAY TOO, THE ETOD WAS MORE OF A FUTURE ITEM AFTER, AFTER, UH, THE CODE CHANGES GO THROUGH YES.
YOU KNOW, THEY, I THINK THEY HAD A PRETTY, THE, THE LAST FEW SLIDES AT, UH, PAC YESTERDAY WAS UPDATES AND, AND MORE INFORMATION ALONG THAT LINES.
UM, BUT WHAT, I GUESS WHAT WOULD BE YOUR MOST INTEREST? EXCUSE ME.
SO YEAH, I THINK WE SHOULD DO, UM, THE, UM, AIRPORT RECOMMENDATION FROM THAT WILL BE FAST.
WE THINK MAYBE THE, UH, BACK THE BACKPACK, UH, WRECK ON PRIORITIZING ACTIVE MODES IN, UH, PROJECT CONNECT.
SO WE'RE JUST GONNA SIGN ONTO THOSE POTENTIALLY.
AND THEN, UM, WE WILL TAKE, WE WILL NEED TO TAKE UP THE BUDGET WRECKS FROM THE WORKING GROUP IN MARCH.
AND ALSO IDEALLY THE CLIMATE BOND WRECKS.
UM, AND SOME OF THOSE, THOSE MIGHT ALL BE FAST.
I MEAN, LIKE SOME OF THOSE THINGS LIKE THE AIRPORT, IF WE ALL AGREE, WE'RE JUST GONNA VOTE ON IT UNDER ACTION ITEMS AT THE END AND WE'RE GONNA BE HAPPY.
BUT, UM, WHEN IS, WHEN IS, AND SEE THIS IS WHERE I'M A LITTLE OUT OF IT.
WHAT, WHAT IS CAP AND STITCH? WHEN ARE THEY, ARE THEY MAKING THE ROUNDS RIGHT NOW? THEY ARE.
I I DON'T EXPECT CAP AND STITCH TO PRESENT ANYWHERE UNTIL MAY AT THE EARLIEST.
UM, I, WHAT I'LL ALSO DO FOR THAT BACKPACK RECOMMENDATION, I'LL HAVE NATALIE SEND IT OUT AND THEN IF ANYONE HAS AN OBJECTION TO IT, IF THEY COULD JUST EMAIL NATALIE AND THEN I JUST WON'T OFFER IT.
IF THERE'S AN OBJECTION, JUST BASICALLY OFFERING IT FOR CONSENT.
IF EVERYONE'S OKAY WITH IT, WE CAN DO IT.
IF ANYONE HAS A PROBLEM WITH IT, WE'LL EITHER POSTPONE IT OR NOT DO IT.
WELL, BECAUSE YOU PROBABLY WON'T.
WELL, YEAH, WELL THAT, BUT ALSO, I JUST DON'T WANNA TAKE IT TOO MUCH TIME.
CAMPOS ON NEXT MEETING AND CAMPOS ON NEXT MEETING TOO.
YEAH, BUT THOSE ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE PRESENTATIONS.
I MEAN, IT COULD BE PARKING ENTERPRISE, IT COULD BE TRANSPORTATION CRITERIA, MANUAL.
I MEAN, WE OFTEN HAVE DONE OFFICER ELECTIONS USUALLY, YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS HAPPEN AND THEN WE START TO SEE PEOPLE GET APPOINTED
[02:45:01]
IN FEBRUARY, USUALLY TO THE COMMISSION.WE'RE NOT IN A, A YEAR WHERE WE JUST HAD AN ELECTION, BUT LIKE, I WOULD SAY, I DON'T KNOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHEN WE DID IT LAST YEAR.
I'D HAVE TO GO LOOK AT OUR AGENDAS, BUT PERHAPS APRIL FOR THAT, MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
KNOW WHEN BONDS HAVE TO BE DECIDED ON NOVEMBER ELECTION.
IT'S A, WE'RE MOVING QUICK AUGUST, AUGUST IF WE WANNA PUT A 22 4 BOND TOGETHER AUGUST, AUGUST.
BUT USUALLY YOU HAVE TO HAVE IN ON SOME AGENDAS BY JUNE WITH A FINAL VOTE IN AUGUST.
AND THIS, THIS, UH, CITY COUNCIL ITEM DOES NOT SPECIFY THAT IT'S SPEC.
LIKE IT IS NOT A 100% MOVING FORWARD WITH A BOND.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT FISCAL STRATEGIES.
SO, BUT IT DOES MENTION BONDS IS ONE OF THE OPTIONS.
I, THE DEADLINES IN IT IS, IT SAYS THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE SHOULD HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING EITHER MARCH OR APRIL TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL BY MAY 1ST.
SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF THINGS THAT REQUIRE WORK ON OUR PART OR VOTES.
MAYBE, MAYBE ME AND I NATALIE CAN CONNECT ABOUT PRESENTATIONS.
'CAUSE SOME OF THESE MAY BE SHORT.
SOME OF THEM MIGHT NOT BE TOO.
BUT, UM, LET'S, LET'S CONNECT MORE ON WHAT, WHAT OTHER PRESENTERS, OUTSIDE PRESENTERS WE CAN GET THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND READY FOR US.
UM, IS THERE, I I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE TIME.
UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER VERY QUICK ADDITIONS TO THIS? OKAY.
THAT TAKES US TO THE END OF OUR AGENDA.
UM, AND WITH THAT, AND IF I SEE NO OBJECTION, I'M GONNA CLOSE THIS MEETING OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.