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NW OregonArea Commission on Transportation
Nov. 4, 2004
Oregon Employment Department
Astoria, OR
The meeting was called to order by Lylla Gaebel, Chair. The following members and guests attended:
Sam Ayash – ODOT Region 2
Robyn Bassett – City of Vernonia
Rita Bernhard – Columbia County Commissioner
Clark Berry – Washington County
Marta Eriksen – ODOT Region 2
Lylla Gaebel – Clatsop County Commission
Valerie Grigg Devis – ODOT Region 2
Erik Havig – ODOT Region 2
Betsy Johnson – State Representative
Rick Kuehn – CH2M Hill
Rosemary Loerke – Columbia County private sector
Don McDaniel – Port of Astoria
Charlotte Mendenhall – Sunset Empire Trans District
Mitch Mitchum – City of Astoria
Don Morden – City of Astoria
Jerry Olson – Mid-Willamette Senior Services Agency
Heather Ornelas – Tillamook Transit District
Shawn Reiersgaard – Tillamook County Creamery
Carole Richardson – ODOT Region 2
Charlie Sciscione – ODOT Region 1
Aaron Suko – Tillamook County Roads
Ed Wegner – Clatsop Public Works
Tim Wilson – ODOT Region 1
Janet Wright – Columbia County
Proxies: Don Larson, Mark Gervasi, Shirley Kalkhoven, Don Otterman, Michael Slocum, Jim Heikkila
1. Welcome and Introductions: Members introduced themselves.
2. NWACT Minutes/Public Comment/Legislative Comment
· Oct. 7, 2004 minutes. Add Shawn Reiersgaard. Unanimously approved. (Bernhard/McDaniel)
· Public comment – Jerry Olson, who works with a five-county area agency on aging, that has a primary concern getting seniors connected to medical facilities and services in Portland, particularly those who aren’t very mobile or who can no longer drive, at least not in inclement weather. Betsy Johnson asked how NWACT could facilitate addressing these issues. Both the Tillamook Transit District and the Sunset Empire District have some services available, but currently there is little connectivity between the counties or a region-wide approach to the problem. Heather agreed to bring together the transit providers (public transit, non-profit groups that provide transportation, etc) and brainstorm ideas and solutions, and report back to NWACT. John Helm, from Scappoose, is in Washington, D.C., collecting information about regional provision of services, will be included as well. This sub-committee will report back in January. Heather will let NWACT know of the sub-committee make-up at the December meeting. Regional transit connectivity is important for the general population within NW Oregon as well. Issues include liability for volunteer drivers, who are often used because professional drivers are typically way too costly.
· Legislative comment – Representative Johnson described the new Democratic-Republican ratios in the Legislature. Committee assignments and co-Chairs will be made in December. Johnson is hoping to get back onto Ways and Means, and added to the Transportation and Economic Development and Public Safety sub-committees. Once committee and committee chairs are decided, meetings on revenue will start, with the expectation the budget will fall between $700 million and $1 billion short. Looking at some kind of Connect Oregon transportation package in the Governor’s budget that will address multiple modes of transportation. Question – What planning is being done regarding Measure 37 and land use lawsuits? Will be expensive to implement, both in terms of legal costs and payments to property owners. here has been no formal plan, but lawmakers will be meeting.
- Tim handed out the preliminary list of Transportation Enhancement projects. Comments are due back from NWACT by December 15th. Tim will get to Mary the criteria/review guidelines used by the NW ERT. In December, NWACT will submit comments to the Transportation Enhancement Committee.
- Oregon Transportation Plan Update – Policy section has been drafted, but the funding section has not. Informational item for today’s meeting, but Jack Lee, from Region 2 will come out and talk to the ACT next Spring as the OTP continues to get updated.
- Section 115 Earmarks – List of the last earmarks to be approved in 2004 was handed out.
3. Charter and Bylaws
Approved one amendment to the Article 13 of the Charter (Berry/Reiersgaard). The motion to adopt the amended Charter and forward it to the Oregon for final approval was unanimously approved. (Ornelas, McDaniel). NWACT’s amended Bylaws were unanimously approved. (Bernhard/McDaniel)
4. NWACT Workplan
Will bring back at the December meeting. Get changes to Mary. Will be a flexible document, eg, add Senior Transit Connectivity sub-committee to report to NWACT in January, and have NWACT report back to the Transportation Enhancement Committee in December.
5. Public Involvement Plan
Aviation was inadvertently left off the list of stakeholders. NWACT will be approving the Plan at the December meeting, including any modifications suggested by members.
6. Astoria-Warrenton Modeling
Been a history of working on transportation in North Clatsop County : a bypass route, an improved truck route to the Port of Astoria, removing most of the truck traffic through downtown Astoria and reducing overall traffic congestion in downtown Astoria. The 2001 and 2003 Clatsop County and Warrenton Transportation System Plans (TSPs) both consider bypass options and both indicate additional analysis is needed. In 2003, the Oregon Transportation Commission adopted a Bypass Policy that states that a bypass must be stated in local TSPs and must include an analysis of the percentage of local and through trips on a bypass over a 20 year period, percentage/volume/impact of freight truck traffic, average trips on proposed bypass based on build-out of local land uses, and crash data on all impacted facilities.
The Regional Refinement Plan/Bypass Model simulates activities of groups of individuals based on specific characteristics linked to travel patterns. The steps of model development include:
- Create Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZs) and collect socio-economic data. Concern was raised about data not being current, or basing future projections on current rather than future data. Response: Model actually does include forecasted data. Provides ability to run different scenarios based on different assumptions.
- Identify a road network with road attributes
- Generate trips – productions and attractions by TAZ
- Distribute trips among TAZs.
- Assign trips to the road network looking for the shortest paths for each trip, either in terms of mileage or time spent traveling
- Calibrate and validate model using actual data collected in model area, including pass through trips by visitor travel
Once data on the Astoria-Warrenton area is entered into the model, ODOT will come back to NWACT and make a presentation on what the data is showing, including locally supported alternatives, cost estimates, purpose/need for any major facility and updates for the Clatsop County, Astoria and Warrenton TSPs. Concern about new development projects that aren’t included in the model. Response: The model is dynamic and accommodate any new data at any time, and will recalculate the findings based on the new data. Question: Would this model be available for other communities to use as well? Response: Yes, although because of its complexity, the model is best used to address larger transportation problems.
7. Federal Earmarks
Requests need to be run through ACTs because of the project prioritization activity that ACTs already does. Action requested:
· Direct NWACT Chair to make contact with NW Oregon’s congressional delegates to introduce them to NWACT’s process and explain the ACT’s concern about the earmarking process, eg, importance of having earmarks run through ACTs first.
· Support a federal earmark request for the remaining funding needed on the US 101 Seaside project. A motion to forward the Pac-Dooley project to ODOT for submission on as an earmark project for federal 2006 appropriation, subject to a Seaside approving an IGA with ODOT on the project in was approved (Richardson/McDaniel). Berry abstained, because of concern that process may conflict with how his county handles earmarks. Mary will check on past NWACT policy on earmarks and get back to NWACT members.
Johnson added that the volume of letters also make a difference, individual support for a project or going through the ACT. For these letters, the message must be consistent. Will be important to also coordinate with ODOT’s federal lobbyist.
8. NWACT Response to Region 2 Strategy for Modernization Funding
The November 15th deadline has been moved out and NWACT will address at our December meeting.
9. Local Jurisdiction Transportation Updates
· Tillamook – Heather reported that Tillamook Transit has had an incredible increase in ridership, 21 – 35% increase per month over comparable months last year.
· Columbia County – Janet reported that it is more difficult to gauge increases in ridership, but the County already has a high percentage of transit commuters. She also reported that the County is close to completing Crown Zellerback property transfer to finish linear trail from Scappoose to Vernonia.
· Sunset Empire Transit– Charlotte noted that the District is taking a deep breath after the Lewis and Clark visitor traffic and planning for next year’s main event.
· Vernonia – Update will be added to the December project
· Washington County – Clark reported that the ODOT and local county improvements to the Glencoe Interchange will be coordinated and happen concurrently.
· Astoria – Don Morden reported that the city is gearing up for the 2005 Lewis and Clark travel, and expect it to be quite a season. This will also impact the Trolley which carried 40,000 passengers in 2004.
· Clatsop County – Marlin intersection light has been completed in Warrenton.
· Port of Astoria – Don McDaniel reported that airservice may happen by early Spring at the Astoria Airport. Will depend on the level of passenger screening required locally.
· The Oregon Transportation Commission meeting was held in Clatskanie on Oct 21, with one of the largest turnouts by the public ever.
· Clatsop County STIP Open House is from 4 – 7 pm tonight.
Members thanked Valerie and Don Morden for Trolley trip held earlier in the day.
10. Next Meeting Agenda
The December meeting will be in Tillamook. Agenda items will include: Finalizing NWACT’s 2005 Work Plan and Public Involvement Plan, forwarding NWACT’s Charter and accompanying information to the OTC for their January meeting, reviewing the Transportation Enhancement projects, responding to the Region 2 strategy for modernization funding, getting an update from the Transit Mobility Sub-Committee, and hearing from local jurisdictions on any new transportation activities.
Recorded: Mary McArthur, Staff
Lylla Gaebel, Chair
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