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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-13-2021 Policy Board Meeting MinutesFranklin County Planning Department 218 North Second Street Chambersburg, PA 17201 Phone: 717-261-3855 Fax: 717-264-8667 Email: planning@franklincountypa.gov FRANKLIN COUNTY METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY BOARD MEETING May 13, 2021 – 10am Meeting Minutes I.Welcome and Introduction Sam Cressler called the meeting into motion at 10:04am. This is the first in person MPO meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual option was available as well. II.Meeting MinutesA motion to approve the meeting minutes from February 17, 2021 was made by Bob Ziobrowski and seconded by Beth Raves. III.New Businessa.Future Educational SessionsSteve Thomas asked the MPO to provide topics they would like to learn more about in future MPO meetings. Staff will coordinate with PennDOT and FHWA on educational materials. b.Urban Areas for the 2020 Proposed Census Changes The U.S. Census Bureau is changing how urban areas are created and defined. Currently, MPOs are formed when an area has a population of 50,000 or more. Penn State Data Center ran an algorithm which showed that Franklin County will not be impacted by the upcoming changes. Steve T. confirmed no other agency within the County will be impacted, just the MPO. Sam C. recommended staff research the long term impacts to the MPO. c.Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan Update Aarion Franklin from Michael Baker provided an update on the status of the Coordinated Plan. The plan was started on April 19, 2021 and will be completed by the end of July. Sam C. asked if transportation providers face issues with crossing County lines; he has heard of issues because the Shippensburg Area is in both Cumberland and Franklin County. Steve T. responded that county lines impact veterans heavily because of the VA hospital lines. He hopes this plan will help identify solutions to transportation issues. d.Long Range Transportation Plan Update – Steve Thomas Michael Baker is the consultant for the plan update and the project will kick-off in July. The MPO will be going through two different UPWPs and a change in PennDOT’s Master Agreement during the update. Steve mentioned to municipalities that there will be upcoming outreach efforts. e. Transit Report i. Commuter Services – Matt Boyer Please reference agenda packet for related documents. Commuter Services is currently hosting Motor-less May (Bike Month) and is doing outreach to companies like Volvo and Elwood Staffing. ii. rabbittransit – Beth Nidam Rabbittransit is hosting an I-81 Corridor Employer Transportation Forum on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. IV. Administrative Business a. Staff Report – Steve Thomas and Kenana Korkutovic The Franklin County Comprehensive Plan update will start in the next few weeks. Steve T. commended Chambersburg Borough for their current Comprehensive Plan update and their outreach with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) populations. Kenana Korkutovic mentioned TIP modifications and an FAQ on Personal Delivery Devices were included in the agenda packet. Commissioner Ziobrowski asked why the TIP Modification document showed Exit 12 cash flow modifications and if the let date changed. Michelle Tarquino said this is a change in the flavor of funding and the let date is still the same. PennDOT started resurfacing a 3.5 mile stretch on Rt. 16 the week of 5/10/2021. This project is funded by 409 Maintenance Funding and is not listed on the current TIP. There was a PennDOT Connects meeting in August/September 2019 with Antrim Township, Greencastle Borough, MPO staff, and PennDOT. There will be no bicycle or pedestrian improvements to Rt. 16. Greencastle Borough requested the speed be reduced from 35 MPH to 25 MPH; PennDOT granted this. The estimated completion for the resurfacing is September 2021. Greg Lambert from Greene Township noticed that SR 997 resurfacing has a new let date and Michelle T. will provide additional details once she looks further into it. She noted that COVID- 19 impacted several PennDOT projects. Steve T. said the MPO is trying to do more press releases on the County Facebook and website for PennDOT and municipal projects. Policy Board members agreed that this was helpful for residents and municipalities. Sam C. asked if Norfolk Southern notifies the County of closures or projects. Steve T. said they usually let municipalities know ahead of time, but school districts are usually left out. John Theirwechter said it is challenging to get Norfolk Southern to provide notifications, especially to the Department of Emergency Services (DES). Sam C. said it would be helpful to have notification from PennDOT on maintenance projects and would like to know the decision making process for maintenance funding. Michelle T. provided a link to District 8’s email subscription notifications - https://www.penndot.gov/RegionalOffices/district-8/Pages/default.aspx. In the next TIP update, there will be a section with 409 Maintenance Funding projects. Until then, please ask Michelle Tarquino and Beth Raves any questions on these projects. Commissioner Keller asked in MPO staff could start forwarding upcoming PennDOT projects and public comment periods to the Policy Board. Policy Board members agreed this would be helpful to their municipalities/organizations. V. Future Meetings July 15, 2021 – FCMPO TAC Meeting at 9:30 AM August 19, 2021 – FCMPO Policy Board Meeting at 10 AM Steve T. said there will always be virtual options in the TAC and Policy Board meetings from now on. VI. Public Comment Greg L. from Greene Township provided an update for two projects. The signal at the intersection of Kohler/Walker Road received intermodal transportation funding in 2019. Greene Township is coordinating with Chambersburg Borough on this project. The Borough recommended studying the Parkwood area growth to move forward with the project. Eric Kinard from PennDOT wants the MPO made aware of this project. The intersection of Rt. 997/ Rt. 433/Coffey Ave has been a consistent traffic issue for Greene Township. It is a 5-legged intersection and creates confusion. Greene Township has learned that Letterkenny Army Depot is closing the existing main gate on Coffey Ave and moving it to Rt. 997. This will heavily impact traffic on Rt. 997, but is a good opportunity to update the 5-legged intersection. The Army only wants to put a traffic signal with no further improvements. Turning lanes at the intersection would help the congestion. Greg L. would like the Army to involve Greene Township on their planning efforts. Sam C. asked what the zoning in this area was. Greg L. replied agricultural. David Mackley has been in talks with Letterkenny and mentioned they need to get PennDOT, Greene Township and the MPO involved in the decision-making process. Commissioner Keller asked if Mike Ross could put together a meeting with all parties. Commissioner Ziobrowski suggested an ad hoc committee to facilitate discussions with Letterkenny. Sam C. appointed Commissioner Keller, Greg Lambert, and David Mackley. Discussions will resume in the August 2021 MPO meeting. VII. Adjournment Sam Cressler made the motion to adjourn the meeting, Commissioner Ziobrowski seconded it. There were no objections.