TRANSPAC Committee Meeting Summary Minutes
MEETING DATE: December 9, 2021
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mark Ross, Martinez (Chair); Loella Haskew, Walnut Creek (Vice Chair); Peter Cloven, Clayton;
Carlyn Obringer, Concord; Karen Mitchoff, Contra
Costa County; Sue Noack, Pleasant Hill
PLANNING COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: John Mercurio, Concord; Diana Vavrek, Pleasant Hill; Bob Picket, Walnut Creek
STAFF PRESENT: Andy Smith, Walnut Creek; Robert Sarmiento, Contra Costa County; Ricki Wells, BART; Ruby
Horta, County Connection; Melody Reebs, County
Connection; Matt Todd, TRANSPAC Managing
Director; and Margaret Strubel, TRANSPAC Clerk
GUESTS/PRESENTERS: None
MINUTES PREPARED BY: Margaret Strubel, TRANSPAC Clerk
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SELF-INTRODUCTIONS.
Chair Ross called the meeting to order at 11:00 AM.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT.
There were no comments from the public.
3. CONSENT AGENDA.
a. Minutes of the November 10, 2021 Meeting.
b. CCTA Executive Director’s Report Regarding CCTA Actions /Discussion Items. c. Items Approved by the CCTA for Circulation to the Regional Transportation Planning Committees and Related Items of Interest.
d. Continue Use of Teleconferencing for Public Meetings by the TRANSPAC Board and Subcommittees Pursuant to the Provisions of AB 361.
On motion by Member Noack seconded by Member Obringer to approve the consent items by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
4. ELECTION OF TRANSPAC CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.
On motion by Member Obringer seconded by Member Noack to appoint Vice Chair Haskew as TRANSPAC Chair, commencing in February 2022, by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
On nomination by Member Mitchoff seconded by Member Noack to appoint Member Peter Cloven as TRANSPAC Vice Chairs, commencing in February 2022, by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
5. APPOINTMENT OF TRANSPAC REPRESENTATIVE TO THE CCTA.
Managing Director Matt Todd introduced the item. He said that an appointment is needed for the TRANSPAC representative to the CCTA as the term is ending in January 2022 for Member Sue Noack as the TRANSPAC representative and Member Peter Cloven as her alternate. He said that the term for the other TRANSPAC representative, Vice Chair Haskew, and her alternate, Member Obringer, ends in 2023.
Member Obringer asked about the history of city representation of the appointments, including the lack of Martinez and Concord representation. Mr. Todd referred to packet for the history.
Member Obringer asked if other RTPCs have a rotation. Member Mitchoff said that SWAT has rotation but is unaware of policies of other RTPCs. Member Noack said that projects that are discussed are complicated and long term which benefits from continuity of representatives, not rotation. Vice Chair Haskew and Member Mitchoff noted Member Noack’s good work on the CCTA APC. Member Obringer and Chair Ross said that representation by Concord or Martinez would be welcome in the future.
On nomination by Member Obringer seconded by Member Mitchoff to continue the appointment of Member Noack as TRANSPAC representative to the CCTA for the two-year period, commencing in February 2022, by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
On nomination by Member Mitchoff seconded by Vice Chair Haskew to continue the appointment of Member Cloven as alternate TRANSPAC representative to the CCTA for the two-year period, commencing in February 2022, by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
6. TRANSPAC COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS - CCTA CBPAC APPOINTMENTS FOR THE TERM JANUARY 1, 2022 TO DECEMBER 31, 2023.
On motion by Vice Chair Haskew seconded by Member Obringer to appoint TRANSPAC TAC members Ozzy Arce (City of Walnut Creek) as the primary representative and Lynne Filson
(City of Martinez) as the alternate to represent TRANSPAC on the CBPAC for the term January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023, by unanimous vote of the members present (Ross, Haskew, Cloven, Mitchoff, Noack, Obringer).
Member Noack asked about the appointment of the citizen representative on BCPAC. Mr. Todd said that there were no nominations before the meeting packet was distributed, so this item will be presented at the February meeting. Vice Chair Haskew has a recommendation that Mr.
Todd will contact. He said the non-staff appointment will be advertised on 511.org.
7. 2022 TRANSPAC MEETING CALENDAR.
Mr. Todd discussed issues around the AB361 legislation and the need for a reaffirmation of utilizing virtual remote meetings using modified Brown Act rules every 30 days. He referred to the packet and noted the times that have a longer than a 30-day period between meetings. He said that if there is a 30-day lapse, TRANSPAC would lose the exception and would need an official Brown Act virtual meeting with all official requirements (i.e., all remote meeting locations open to the public) to reinstate the AB361 allowed virtual meeting. He said that CCTA is having the same issue. He said that the special meeting would have no other items on the agenda. He said that there would need to be two meetings with this agenda item before the February 10th meeting.
Chair Ross and the Board indicated a special meeting on January 6 at 9:00 a.m. should work.
Mr. Todd said there will be a doodle poll for the other special meeting in late January.
8. MEASURE J LINE 20A FUNDS PROGRAM POLICIES - FY 2022/2023 AND FY 2023/2024 PROGRAMMING CYCLE.
Mr. Todd said that he is seeking approval to release the call for projects for the Measure J Line 20A Funds. He discussed the program including a proposal to have a 2-year cycle. He referred to the funding projections in the packet and said that the actuals for last fiscal year were $60K more than projections for the last 2 years. He said upon approval, he will release the application next week which will have a due date of January 21, 2021. He said that the review process has been discussed and modifications based on these discussions to the application have been made. He indicated that through the discussion to date, we have struggled to find consensus on a set of quantitative measures.
Member Noack noted a need for rewording for the blurb statement on page 44. Chair Ross would like to have a cost per trip analysis and ancillary information that may not be measurable, as this could still be informative. Member Obringer would like end user feedback, and any commentary from third party about how service is working, not just how this is cost effective. Member Mitchoff suggested outcome measurements of how the organization met their goals. Member Noack requested that the COVID-19 question be elaborated to include
unused funds during lockdown. Mr. Todd said that we have been able to identify unused funds over the last two years to offset new funding requests.
Chair Ross asked if an organization serves an Equity Priority Community how their chances are affected or if this is only information for consideration. Mr. Todd said this is just one piece of information to be considered in the decision matrix.
This was passed by consensus, with the note to add the previously mentioned changes to the application that were requested by the members.
9. HIGHWAY 4 CORRIDOR – BICYCLE IMPROVEMENTS BETWEEN MARTINEZ AND HERCULES.
Chair Ross said that it is difficult to get anywhere west of Martinez by bike, it is a circuitous route, so improvements to the Highway 4 corridor would make things easier.
Mr. Todd discussed the westbound Highway 4 biking corridor issue including lack of proper signage in areas where the public is allowed to use bicycles. He reviewed his discussion with Caltrans regarding workable alternatives. He said the eastbound direction of Highway 4 is technically an expressway as there are no controlled onramps and there are driveways. He said this is a much more difficult issue with a pinchpoint at the railroad undercrossing where the shoulder is 1-2 feet for 1000-2000 feet in length. He said that there was a TDA call for projects, but this project is not a good fit with this funding source. However, he said that Caltrans has a statewide mandate for complete streets and has SHOPP funding which could be directed to this project. He said the railroad aspect of this area provides additional challenges for improving this area for bicycle travel. He said he will share this letter with the other RTPCs to join in this effort.
Chair Ross said it would be good to have options for this route, especially in light of eBikes for the steep hills. Discussion followed about solutions for this problem through the underpass including striping, flashing beacons, signage, or a combination of tactics.
There was consensus to transmit a letter to Caltrans District 4 regarding workable alternatives for safety improvements in this corridor.
10. SUMMARY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT.
Mr. Todd discussed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA and referred to the packet for a high-level summary focusing on California. He noted that California will receive $29B in formula funding over 5 years, which is 45% more than received in the FAST act 5 years ago. He discussed formula and competitive funding and amounts for different transportation sectors such as public transportation and rail. He discussed the funds that will pass through
CCTA, MTC, from FHWA through Caltrans. He said that TRANSPAC should look at regional projects that can garner all levels of government involvement, such as I-680/SR-4 Interchange.
He said the focus should be on working together for the larger funding opportunities.
Chair Ross indicated Martinez may be interested in funding that supports ferries. He asked about enhancing applications for funding to make these projects shine; he suggested creating a process to garner each city’s support.
Member Noack said that CCTA will be looking for matching funds for the larger projects and they may have to look to funds that are now provided to cities. She said this could impact local streets and roads improvement funds. Chair Ross said there needs to be communication from CCTA about the possibility of a reduction of the amount of local source funding returning to local jurisdictions so the cities can budget appropriately. Member Obringer asked about the timeline for an ask for the cities. Mr. Todd said this is all very new so there is no specific timeline at the moment, but he expects that this could be 3-6 months for CCTA to identify match amounts, build support, and identify application processing resources. Member Obringer said she would like to focus on Contra Costa County projects instead of mega-region projects. Member Noack said CCTA has garnered funds due to thoughtful planning, but even so, a potential bond measure may be needed; she said it is informative to listen to the lobbyists for CCTA. Vice Chair Haskew said there is a state surplus currently and noted that there is possible RM3 funding.
11. TRANSPAC CCTA REPRESENTATIVE REPORTS.
Member Noack said the I-680/SR-4 Interchange widening project was discussed at CCTA. She said there is expansion of the testing of the Glydways at Gomentum station and tours are on hold until March.
Vice Chair Haskew reported about the Planning Committee. She said the draft Congestion Management report is being sent to the Commission; and a discussion about the east county integrated study which may extend BART or buses from Brentwood to eBart.
12. TAC ORAL REPORTS BY JURISDICTION.
Mr. Sarmiento said that there is a rotation of county staff to RTPCs; he will be moving to TRANSPLAN and another member of staff will take his place. Member Noack and Chair Ross thanked him for his work.
13. BOARDMEMBER COMMENTS.
There were no comments aside from happy holidays from Chair Ross.
14. MANAGING DIRECTOR’S REPORT.
Mr. Todd commented that there will be a special TRANSPAC TAC meeting next Thursday to discuss the update of the Central County Action Plan. He thanked the Board for their work this year and wished them happy holidays.
15. ADJOURN / NEXT MEETING.
The meeting adjourned at 10:22 A.M. The next meeting is scheduled for January 6, 2022 at 9:00 A.M.