HomeMy WebLinkAboutTBMinutes_2010_09_21S:\Cityhall\Bonnie\Citizen Advisory Boards\Transportation\TBMinutes_2010_09_21.doc 1
Transportation Board
Brookings, South Dakota
September 21, 2010
OFFICIAL MINUTES
The Brookings Transportation Board was called to order by Chairperson
Terrell Spence on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, at 2:00 PM in the City Hall Meeting
Room. Members present were Art Conners, Michael Forgy, Rob Jones, Dean
Kattelmann, Jerry Raabe, Robb Rasmussen, and Spence. Roger DeGroot, Jared
Ellefson, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Teresa McKnight, Deanna Santema, Jeff
Weldon were absent. Also present were Mike Mulaney – BATA and City Engineer
Jackie Lanning.
Item #2 – (Conners/Forgy) Motion to approve the minutes from the August 17,
2010, meeting. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED.
Item #3 – (Forgy/Raabe) Motion to approve the agenda. All present voted aye.
MOTION CARRIED.
Item #4 – Provider Updates –
BATA – Mulaney reported that BATA has received several calls regarding no
available accessible transportation after 6:00 PM. He said that BATA does not now
operate after that time because they can not compete with any local
transportation businesses. Mullaney said the BATA states on their answering
machine, when someone calls for a ride after 6:00 PM, that the caller should call a
local taxi because they don’t offer rides after 6:00. Messages are the left on the
BATA machine that state the taxi does not answer. Mullaney added that BATA has
called both taxi providers in Brookings and has met with Randy Peterson from Boji
Rides. No one from Brookings Taxi showed up for the meeting. Mulaney said they
are working with Peterson of Boji Rides on opportunities for coordination. Mullaney
said it might help if the cab service would have to establish their times of
operation when they get their license from the city. Spence asked about the
research the city clerk was going to do on the cab and limo section of the city
ordinance. Lanning said she would check on the progress.
Mulaney said Safe Ride has begun its fifth season. Conner asked what
impact this program has had on drunk driving convictions. Mulaney said the city,
county and highway patrol have seen a decline. Kattelmann said that many
students use the Safe Ride bus to go to Wal-Mart also.
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Mulaney stated that BATA has recently worked with Avera, McKennan, and
the American Cancer Society regarding the “On Track” transportation plan which
is set up for the purpose of getting cancer patients to and from their treatment
appointments for a nominal fee. Jones asked is there was an overlap between
BATA and the Volunteer Service Bank (VSB) when taking people to Sioux Falls for
treatments. Mullaney said there may be and possibly, the coordination could be
better. Jones said he serves on the Hospital Board, and although it has not come
up yet, he thought there may be a possibility that the Hospital Board could
provide funding dollars to the VSB for health care services. He thought this may be
a possibility since the city recommended no funding to VSB for the coming
budget year. Jones said this has not come to the Hospital Board yet, and he was
only stating a possibility.
BATA is still waiting to hear on the transportation bill which includes funds for
a future transportation building. Rasmussen asked if a site had been identified for
a new transportation building. Mullaney said no.
Mulaney said Brenda Schweitzer was honored by being selected to serve
on the Transportation Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), an International
Transit Studies Program which will travel to Turkey, Egypt, and South Africa during
November 2010. The knowledge Schweitzer gains will be brought back to the
local transit service and the community.
Item #5 – Lanning gave an update on the current city projects. She said the bike
path is all paved. The dirt work is completed and ready for seeding. It is open to
pedestrian traffic.
The 22nd Avenue South and Orchard Drive signal work should be completed
by the end of October. They are waiting on the poles, but they should arrive in
early October. Rasmussen asked about the gravel road going east at the corner.
Lanning said that road was privately owned. Rasmussen said the sidewalks on
22nd Avenue South are broken up by the large trucks that traveled there during
the railroad construction. The sidewalks are covered with dirt and sand making it
difficult for bicycles. Lanning said she will look at the sidewalks. She added that
the city has a rotating system the works through the city for sidewalk maintenance
and repair. Rasmussen said the sidewalks could be fixed on the Safe Routes to
School Program as they are within two miles of a school.
34th Avenue Project has begun installing the sanitary sewer. They will start at
the north end with the gravel, then curb and gutter, and then the pavement.
Raabe asked Lanning what the City Council approved in the budget for
transportation. Lanning said the budget has not yet been approved by the
Council. The budget will be discussed at the September 28th meeting. Lanning
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invited board members to attend the meeting and make whatever
recommendations they felt necessary. Conners said that the Transportation Board
had recommended that City Manager Jeff Weldon consider including $5,000 to
the VSB. Lanning said anyone can speak at the meeting to encourage funding
for any entity.
Lanning said the city and the county are working together on the Brookings
Area Master Transportation Plan (BAMTP). It is being coordinated with the
Department of Transportation. She added that the DOT has transportation
planning funds, and the city and the county received a grant. HDR is the
consultant with Banner Associates as a sub-consultant. They are doing traffic
counts now. Lanning said they plan to hone in on future road and traffic
improvement areas. She added that the consultant will present an update at the
next meeting.
Rasmussen asked about the Safe Routes to School Grant. He said there is a
new person at the DOT. Lanning explained that those grants are very hard to get
approved. Smaller towns seem to do better at receiving funds. Rasmussen asked
if there were plans to apply for Phase III of the grant. Lanning said it could possibly
be a winter project. Rasmussen said parents want to be involved and are
interested in helping in any area they can. He felt that Brookings should be
applying for the grants available and added that he heard that funds given to
Brookings were returned to the DOT because the city felt they were too hard to
use. He added that the bicycles that were purchased with Safe Routes to School
grant dollars aren’t even being used now. Rasmussen said that the City Traffic
Safety Committee killed many of the ideas such as one-way streets because
some people didn’t want them.
Kattelmann told the Board that there will be a meeting regarding the SDSU
Parking Study. The meeting will be held at the SDSU Student Union on Thursday at
2:00. Kattelmann suggested parking in the PAC lot and walking to the Student
Union. The public is invited to attend this meeting.
Item #6 – Priority ideas and discussion – Spence asked the Board for their priorities
in studying Brookings transportation issues. The Board suggested the following with
comments:
1. Emergency transportation planning
2. Fixed route delivery
- Spence - continuing support regardless of what form it takes
3. Large community event shuttles services
- Forgy - may need definition for “large”
- May also be organizer’s responsibility
4. Demand response services
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5. Working with SDSU when projects inter-weave
- Spence - accessibility
6. Support the promotion of alternative transportation
- Kattelmann - sharros are not effective
- Rasmussen - bicycles not riding safely, not following the laws, need
enforcement and there is none
- Raabe – education needed
- Rasmussen – city needs to go after Safe Routes to School grant dollars
and make it a priority
Information will be sent to board members regarding the BAMTP consultant
that will be at the next meeting to talk about the city/county master
transportation plan. Mike Struck will also report on the Safe Routes to School
Program if time allows.
The meeting was adjourned.
____________________________ __________________________
Diane M. Spencer, Secretary Terrell Spence, Chairperson