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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation FY2013-2014 DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET CALL-BACKS 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 1 The departmental budget call-backs reconvened on April 16, 2013 at 2:32 p.m., and proceeded as follows: Housing Agency Honorable Tim Bynum Honorable Gary L. Hooser Honorable Nadine Nakamura Honorable JoAnn A. Yukimura Honorable Jay Furfaro, Council Chair Excused: Honorable Ross Kagawa Honorable Mel Rapozo Chair Furfaro: We are back from our break. We are now following up with Transportation. We are specifically talking about the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) portion of the Transportation budget. I would hope you have something to share with us first. KEITH SUGA, CIP Project Manager: Good afternoon Chair and Councilmember. I would like to start by giving a brief overview the project which can be found on my spreadsheet, page 17 at the top, Shelter Bus Stops: design and construction. This is a Holo Holo 2020 project and these funds here for this project item is being carried over from the previous fiscal year and what this entails is the designing and also construction of sheltered bus stops at various locations on Kaua`i. I have to give kudos to Transportation Agency, Celia and Kalawai here because they created a Committee to included include Public Works — Engineering, Transportation Planner, and myself to help them provide input to them as they go through this process with their design consultant to establish construction drawings and specifications. They received an estimate from their consultant of about twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per stop as a rough estimate that we will take to construct the shelter. So, with that number and what is budgeted, we have roughly maybe eight (8) or nine (9) or so stops that could be constructed with these moneys this upcoming fiscal year and I think the discussions that we have had internally is to try to identify the areas with the stops with the highest usage, the greatest needs for our shelters, and also evaluate existing conditions so that we can focus on those first eight (8)/ nine (9) areas and then as we get those constructed and completed we can certainly learn from them and then get the next set designed and constructed even better than the first set. That is kind of the brief overview I wanted to provide and I just want to open it up to you folks. Chair Furfaro: We have two hundred forty thousand dollars ($240,000), roughly eight (8) shelters, and may I ask if we could consider the following when we identify the locations. So, we look as objective as possible on fairness to the communities, I am going to rain equal on the North Shore equal to heat on the West Side. For the seniors it has equal value. As a Charter member of North Shore Lion's Club, we have a couple shelters in the most critical spots, thanks to the North Shore Lions. That is the request that I have as we start with the shelters that we are equal on the North, West, South, and Eastside and from there, establish the criteria. That is my only comment. 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 2 Anyone who would like to pursue any other discussion on that? Go ahead, Councilwoman Yukimura. Ms. Yukimura: Hi. Thank you for this work because everybody is just waiting for those shelters. It is very exciting to think that this is the year when we will see them coming up. It was taking this number, was it not, that brought you to the thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) average cost? If the Council wanted and could find more money to fund more than eight (8), is that what it is? Then we could put in an average of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) more per shelter. CELIA MAHIKOA, Executive of Transportation: That would be the estimate that we would ask for in projecting additional locations to be constructed. Ms. Yukimura: Have you identified the eight (8) sites yet? Ms. Mahikoa: No, not yet. Ms. Yukimura: The engineering study is coming in by the end of May, I think you said? The final engineering? Ms. Mahikoa: We have the original six (6) month contract is up at the end of this month. However, in order to address some additional items that have come up as we have been going through this work, we are going to be asking for an extension. In order to do that we are looking at having the plans in hand at some point during summer and by that time we should be able to address the locations. We do plan to go out to the communities as well to be asking for input on each community's ideas on the shelters and to also provide them with a status of where we are at with the project. Ms. Yukimura: Are you going to identify the site and then ask for community input or you are asking community input as to where the shelters should be and what the priorities should be for shelters? Ms. Mahikoa: As far as the locations that are selected, we are going to be ensuring that we are fairly distributing them among the island. Ridership will be a factor. If it is a well used stop, it will hold more weight. As far as the existing accessibility of the stop, if it is going to require excessive amounts of modifications in order to install a shelter there, it will not be ranked as high as one where it is pretty much install ready. Ms. Yukimura: You are going for the low hanging fruit so to speak? Ms. Mahikoa: Exactly. Ms. Yukimura: Where you can get it done fastest? 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 3 Ms. Mahikoa: Right, and the most benefit to the community and then beyond that, if all else is equal we will certainly be taking into consideration preferences that come in. Ms. Yukimura: For the benefit of my colleagues I just want to use this as an example of what I was thinking of for Housing. They have not selected the sites. They are thinking of some objective criteria which they will apply to the sites to help them decide what their priorities are. That is what I had in mind for Housing projects, too. The engineering is for how many? How many sites are you doing engineering for? Ms. Mahikoa: It is forty-seven (47). JEREMY LEE, Program Specialist III: It was forty-seven (47) locations in the original contract and we are extending that to two (2) additional in the Lihu`e area that were identified as the high need area. Ms. Yukimura: Once the study is done, there is potential for forty-seven (47) shelters to be built? Mr. Lee: Sorry, forty-nine (49). Ms. Yukimura: Forty-nine (49). Thank you. Chair Furfaro: Any more questions? Any additional questions? Go right ahead. Ms. Nakamura: I think you mentioned in your presentation that the designs have been done for these bus shelters? Ms. Mahikoa: Actually, the designs were still in the works right now. We have been provided the preliminary draft designs of which we have our team together who have been reviewing them and will be doing on-site assessments of the designs. and then we will get the final in. Mr. Lee: Just to add, excuse me. We have the next submittal scheduled for May 1st. I just wanted to say that we are on budget and on schedule currently with the contract. SSFM was our engineering design contractor. We will be submitting the next round of design drawings to us which we will review as a team and as schedules permit, to do site visits to make sure that they are fitting for the geography of where they are being placed. Ms. Nakamura: Do you envision the need for any purchase or lease of land in order to accommodate the shelter or do you see it all happening on public right-of-way? Mr. Lee: There have been a couple of areas. I believe at this point there are five (5) areas that the engineering company has identified that would 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 4 have problematic right-of-way issues. We, as a team, decided that those would be kind of pushed down the scale based on that element of information. But still looking at what our options are in the area that are surrounding those bus stops, looking at the needs of the ridership, the community density, and all of the different factors that we are putting into the bus stops. Ms. Nakamura: In the future, that twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per bus stop might be higher because of the land acquisition issues? Mr. Lee: Yes. Ms. Nakamura: And getting the private right of entry to use. Mr. Lee: Potentially, yes, it is one of the things. Ms. Nakamura: Just wanted to give the Council's a head's up that I am working with Celia and our Transportation Planner on a Bill to look at not penalizing landowners who put bus shelters on their private lands that take up off-street parking requirements and to compensate and say you will not be penalized if you do not follow the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO). We are working on it and hopefully after budget we will get it on the Council floor. Chair Furfaro: I am going to throw out one question. You can answer when we come back from changing the tape. Do I assume that we have solar power for the evenings in the bus stops? We are going to take a break right now for your tape change. There being no objections, the Committee recessed at 2:55 p.m. There being no objections, the Committee reconvened at 2:59 p.m., and proceeded as follows: Chair Furfaro: We are back from our tape change. The question was posed about alternative power for lights in the bus stops? Ms. Mahikoa: Yes. Chair Furfaro: What do we have? Ms. Mahikoa: Yes, we are asking to have that as far as the primary option for lighting at each of the facilities. Chair Furfaro: Then may I ask, at what point with your final design, I am assuming that you submit your selection so that the Council can have a peak at what you finally settled on? Ms. Mahikoa: As far as the? 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 5 Chair Furfaro: The shelter designs. Ms. Mahikoa: The final design of the shelters. Certainly, we can do that. Chair Furfaro: Thank you. Any other questions for Transportation on bus shelters? Go ahead, JoAnn. Ms. Yukimura: I missed it. But you said yes, right? So, there are going to be lights fueled by photo violation, there will be trash cans, benches, and have we given some thought to it being vandal resistant? They are going to be fabricated. They are not the kind where you can order from mainland and put in. They will be fabricated with wood or whatever? Ms. Mahikoa: We are looking at different options right now. We have not settled on exactly one method to go through like now. But we are leaning more towards pre-fabrication, just for the ease of assembly as well as when we are implementing the volunteer program as well. Ms. Yukimura: I see. It will be so exciting to see them come up. I know people will be so happy. Thank you very much. Chair Furfaro: I think the shelters are pretty much behind us now. I forget, staff, maybe can you help me? She was going to send us over an aging on the bus leases? So, there is no other CIP in your area. But can I ask, are you working with the Planning Department about the long-term suggestion of a base yard on the North Shore and a base yard for the West Side? Is that something that is going on now? Ms. Mahikoa: They are aware of it. We have not gotten into any formal discussion yet. But we are still so early in the process of identifying that need right now. We will be providing that way, yes. Chair Furfaro: Thank you. JoAnn. Ms. Yukimura: How were you planning on doing the maintenance of the bus shelters, like emptying the trash and so forth? It is something that has crossed my mind and I just wondered. Ms. Mahikoa: We have been just informally, just thinking through various creative options, that might be available within the County and outside of County. Ms. Yukimura: Good. Ms. Mahikoa: So there has been nothing formal up to this point. However, right now we have a utility worker on staff who services the occasionally 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 6 needs that come up at each of the bus shelters or the bus stops right now. That is another detail that we will be needing to work out Ms. Yukimura: Although you do have some somewhat of a model with sort of Adopt-A-Shelter and the fabulous North Shore Lion's Club. Ms. Mahikoa: Right. Ms. Yukimura: Because they protect it like it is their babies. Ms. Mahikoa: Right. Ms. Yukimura: We are so lucky for that. Chair Furfaro: It is like their den. Ms. Yukimura: Yes. They have just been wonderful. Ms. Mahikoa: Yes, they have. Ms. Yukimura: Thank you. Chair Furfaro: Well, if there are no more questions, we want to thanks for all your continued fine work. Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you. Chair Furfaro: And say keep us posted when you have your final selected bus stop. Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you. Chair Furfaro: Staff a couple of housekeeping notices here. I wanted to leave this afternoon to Parks and Recreation and Lenny will be coming up in a few minutes. But for the purposes of the rest of the areas that we wanted to cover today, I thought I would put Roads and Maintenance in Thursday's schedule. Ed and Larry are both out of town. The first available date we can have them is the unfilled day of April 23rd at 9:00 a.m. Can you put that in your schedules? Roads and Public Works. Ms. Yukimura: Chair? Chair Furfaro: Yes. Ms. Yukimura: What about Planning CIP? Chair Furfaro: What is that? 04-16-2013 Transportation Agency (aa) Page 7 Ms. Yukimura: Planning CIP. Chair Furfaro: Yes, Planning CIP, I am going to get to it next. Ms. Yukimura: Oh, okay. I am sorry. Chair Furfaro: I just want to make sure that the 23rd is available for you folks? Ms. Yukimura: Yes. Chair Furfaro: Then as you know, we have the Wailua Golf Course, particularly already scheduled for Thursday, April 18th. But we are going to put the Planning Department on at 1:00 p.m. and that is when we will start our day, 1:00 p.m. on April 18th for Planning CIP. Thursday we cannot fit Public Works in the morning so we have the Planning Department at 1:00 p.m. followed by Wailua Golf Course. Then Tuesday the 23rd I am asking you to block for Public Works and Road Maintenance starting at 9:00 a.m. Ms. Yukimura: Can I ask you to repeat? Mr. Bynum: Say that again. Chair Furfaro: April 23rd. Ms. Yukimura: It is April 18th Thursday Chair Furfaro: This Thursday afternoon. Ms. Yukimura: That we do? Chair Furfaro: 1:00 p.m. Planning CIP, followed by the Wailua Golf Course. Ms. Yukimura: Okay, thank you. Chair Furfaro: Scott, I believe we discussed this and we have that all in order now. Parks and recreation will be the last CIP item for today. There being no objections, the Committee recessed at 2:59 p.m.