Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO)
Technical Committee Meeting  

Wednesday, September 10, 2008  

9:30 am

College Township Municipal Building
 

AGENDA  

1.                  Call to Order  

2.         Approval of Minutes:  July 9, 2008 Coordinating Committee meeting  

3.         Citizens’ Comments:  For items not on the agenda

4.         Member Reports:

Reports about a significant item(s) of interest from each member (limited to 1 minute)

No action required

            Status report from Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission consultant team

No action required

6.         Centre County Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP):

Discussion of topics and issues for next major update of the LRTP

Action:  Comments to Coordinating Committee

 7.         Federal Safe Routes to School (FSRTS) Program:

Comments about State College Borough application

Action:  Recommendation to Coordinating Committee

 8.         Announcements

 9.         Adjourn

ITEM 4  

MEMBER REPORTS  

About Significant Item(s) of Interest  

This agenda item provides an opportunity for voting and non-voting members to briefly report on an item(s) of significant interest within their organization, municipality, or planning region.  Items of interest may relate to transportation, other infrastructure, capital budgeting or land use.  

Members are asked to limit their reports to approximately one minute in length.  In the future, the Committee may assess how the member report item is structured on the agenda.  

Voting members of the Technical Committee include:  

Non-voting members of the Technical Committee include:  

*****

Presented by:   Committee members            

           No action required  

ITEM 5  

I-80 TOLL CONVERSION PROJECT

 Status Report from
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission Consultant Team  

In July 2007, Pennsylvania Act 44 was approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Ed Rendell.  Act 44 provided increased state funding for highways, bridges and mass transit, and also made fundamental changes to the way the mass transit funding is distributed in the Commonwealth.  

A portion of the new transportation funding authorized by Act 44 comes from revenue generated by the conversion of I-80 to a toll road, which would be operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) through a 50-year lease agreement with PennDOT.  The PTC and PennDOT submitted an application to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in October 2007 seeking approval to convert I-80 to a toll facility. In December 2007, FHWA requested additional information from the PTC and PennDOT.  Since that time, the PTC has been working on several elements of the project, and in July 2008, an amended application was submitted to FHWA.  

In July 2008, the PTC consultant team met with CCMPO staff to review the I-80 Capital Improvement Plan, and to provide information about the proposed method of toll collection.  The proposed method would use automated toll gantries that would utilize EZPass technology and license plate readers to bill users.  Vehicles would pass through the gantries at normal travel speeds.  Act 44 authorizes a maximum of ten toll gantry locations, and the PTC consultant team is currently studying nine areas for gantries.  

At the request of staff, a representative of the PTC’s consultant team will attend the meeting to provide a status report about the I-80 Capital Improvement Plan, the proposed method of toll collection, and the potential toll gantry locations.  The Technical Committee should receive the report, and provide comments and input to the consultant team and the Coordinating Committee.  

In late July, a large brochure prepared by the PTC that provided information about the I-80 Capital Improvement Plan was mailed to all CCMPO Technical and Coordinating Committees.  Members may wish to bring the brochure to the meeting.  

For more information about Act 44 and the I-80 toll conversion project, please visit the PTC’s project website at http://www.paturnpike.com/i80/  

            Presented by:   Tom Zilla, CRPA; Barry Schoch , PTC consultant team  

            No action required  

ITEM 6  

CENTRE COUNTY
LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN (LRTP) 2008 UPDATE  

Discussion of Topics and Issues for Next Major Update of the LRTP  

The CCMPO adopted the Centre County LRTP 2030 in September 2006.  The Plan was updated in June 2007 and July 2008 to address the requirements of the federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and new federal transportation planning regulations.  

The CCMPO staff will begin to prepare a new LRTP in Fall 2008, with a tentative schedule for adoption of a new Plan in September 2010.  

Several significant issues will affect the preparation of a new LRTP, including the rapid escalation of project costs, the shortfall of both federal and state funding, and other policies relative to climate change and energy.  Locally, the future of both small and large highway projects, PennDOT’s expanded bridge program, and the desire to expand the use of other modes of transportation will be important issues in the new LRTP.  

To kick-off the preparation of the new LRTP, a significant portion of time is being devoted at this meeting to a broad discussion of the various issues by the Technical Committee.  The list of questions below is provided to help frame the discussion.  

	What are some of the key objectives for the future of transportation in Centre County ?
	What elements should constitute the County’s transportation system in the next 20 to 40 years?
	What are some key land use and community development factors that should be considered when developing a new LRTP?
	How should climate change and energy policy be addressed in the new LRTP?
	How will fiscal constraint, Year of Expenditure (YOE), and transportation funding issues affect transportation investments?
	Should project ranking criteria be used again?
	Should performance measures be established to gauge the effectiveness of the LRTP?
	Who are key stakeholders that should be involved in the CCMPO’s planning process?

The Technical Committee should discuss the issues related to preparation of a new LRTP, and provide comments to staff and the Coordinating Committee.  

            Presented by:   Trish Meek, CRPA; Mike Bloom, CCPCDO

             No action required

ITEM 7  

FEDERAL SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM  

Comments about State College Borough Application  

In May 2008, the PennDOT Central Office announced the opening of an application cycle for funding from the Federal Safe Routes to School (FSRTS) Program.  The program provides a new source of federal funding for projects that enable and encourage children to walk or bike to school.  

The new program is not affiliated with Pennsylvania ’s Home Town Streets/Safe Routes to School Program, which was financed with federal Transportation Enhancements (TE) funding.  While the goals and overall project outcomes are similar, the new federal program has different funding requirements.  

            Applications were due to PennDOT on August 1, 2008 .  One application was received for a project within Centre County :

 ·         State College Borough – Easterly Parkway roundabouts ( Easterly Parkway Elementary School )

All applications submitted to PennDOT will be reviewed, evaluated, and ranked by a statewide committee.  MPOs and RPOs will not be involved in the approval of projects, but will have an opportunity to provide comments to the statewide committee.  

At its July 16, 2008 meeting, the CCMPO Coordinating Committee approved a process for providing comments, based on a review by a committee comprised of staff from the following agencies:  

·         PennDOT District 2-0 Office – Vickie Rusnak

·         PennDOT Central Office – Frank Hampton

·         Centre County Planning and Community Development Office – Mike Bloom

·         Centre Regional Planning Agency – Trish Meek

The staff committee reviewed the State College Borough application, and will present comments to the Technical and Coordinating Committees for approval and submission to the statewide committee.  

Attached is:  

State College Borough application

The Technical Committee should receive the comments from the review committee, and provide a recommendation to the Coordinating Committee about the approval of comments to be submitted to the statewide FSRTS review committee.  

            Presented by:   Trish Meek, CRPA  

            Action:            Recommendation to the Coordinating Committee about the approval and submission of comments relative to the State College Borough FSRTS to the statewide FSRTS review committee.

ITEM 8  

ANNOUNCEMENTS  

1.    Future Meeting Dates

            a.         Technical Committee: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 , 9:30 am; Location to be announced  

ð  Route 26 Pine Grove Mills project

ð  Route 322 Corridor Safety Improvements project

ð  2009-2012 Centre County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

ð  Centre Commute (regional rideshare) Program

ð  FY 2009-10 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

ð  Memorandum of Understanding for transportation planning between the CCMPO and CATA

            b.         Coordinating Committee: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 , 6:00 pm ; Location to be announced  

ð  Route 26 Pine Grove Mills project

ð  Route 322 Corridor Safety Improvements project

ð  2009-2012 Centre County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

ð  Centre Commute (regional rideshare) Program

ð  FY 2009-10 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

ð  Memorandum of Understanding for transportation planning
between the CCMPO and CATA

2.         At its July 16, 2008 meeting, the CCMPO Coordinating Committee adopted Bylaws for the CCMPO.  The new Bylaws will be circulated to municipalities and other organizations in September 2008.

3.         As noted in discussions at previous meetings, the CCMPO staff has been participating in meetings of a statewide task force working on a procedure to develop a database and project prioritization method for local (municipal and county) bridge projects.  Staff will provide an update about the discussions at the November 2008 or January 2009 CCMPO committee meetings.

4.         Effective on September 5, 2008 , Mr. Robert A. Crum, Jr. resigned as the Director of the CRPA to accept a new position as the Executive Director of the Richmond (VA) Regional Planning District Commission.  Bob served as a Senior Regional Planner, Senior Local Planner, and Director of the CRPA during his 20 years of employment at CRPA, and also served as a member of the CCMPO Technical Committee and was the Secretary of the Coordinating Committee.  Bob leaves behind an excellent record in the completion of many state and nationally-recognized planning projects.  He will be remembered for his success in consensus-building among local officials, and for his many contributions to maintaining and improving the quality of life for citizens in Centre County .  On behalf of the CCMPO staff and the members of the Technical and Coordinating Committees, we wish Bob the best of luck in his new position!

5.         CCMPO staff contact information

Centre Regional Planning Agency              Telephone:       814-231-3050 
2643 Gateway Drive                                     Fax:                 814-231-3083
State College , PA   16801

  Bob Crum , Director                             rcrum@crcog.net

   Tom Zilla , Transportation Planner       tzilla@crcog.net

   Trish Meek, Transportation Planner     tmeek@crcog.net

   Greg Kausch, Transportation Planner  gkausch@crcog.net  or  gkausch@catabus.com

   Lori Shingler, Administrative Asst.      lshingler@crcog.net  

Centre County Plng & Community Dev. Office    Telephone:       814-355-6791 
420 Holmes Street – Willowbank Office Bldg   Fax:                 814-355-8661 Bellefonte, PA  16823

Bob Jacobs , Director                           rbjacobs@co.centre.pa.us

Sue Hannegan , Assistant Director        shannegan@co.centre.pa.us

Mike Bloom , Transportation Planner   dmbloom@co.centre.pa.us