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Idaho Transportation Department
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REGULAR
MEETING AND DISTRICT FOUR TOUR
OF
THE
May 21-22, 2008
The Idaho Transportation Board met at 9:00 AM, on Wednesday,
May 21, 2008, in
Darrell V Manning, Chairman
Monte C. McClure, Vice Chairman–
District 3
Jim Coleman, Member – District 1
Bruce Sweeney, Member – District 2
Neil Miller, Member – District 5
Lee Gagner, Member – District 6
Sue S. Higgins, Secretary
Representatives Donna Pence and Bert Stevens were also present.
District 4 Tour. Jerome Airport Commissioner Breck
Glassinger welcomed the Board to the
Chris Pomeroy, a consultant with Toothman Orton, elaborated
on the land use planning efforts underway at the
Travis Rothweiler, Jerome City Administrator, elaborated on the City’s efforts to ensure the airport is able to grow unimpeded and remain functional. Administrator Rothweiler also stated that a traffic signal is warranted on SH-25 near the high school. The City is proposing paying for the signal now and asking the state to reimburse it for the traffic signal costs in a couple of years.
Due to a critical funding shortfall, the Board members expressed concern with committing future funds at this time.
The Board traveled south on US-93 to the Crossroads Point business center where it met a delegation of local officials and businessmen. Representative Maxine Bell was present. Arlen Crouch elaborated on the development plans in the area. He expressed concern with the postponement of the US-93 widening project. Due to increased traffic, safety concerns, and the poor condition of the pavement, he asked the Board to make the widening project a higher priority, or at a minimum, to widen US-93 from I-84 one mile north. Mr. Crouch also reported that he explored the feasibility of using the Sales Tax Anticipation Revenue funding mechanism, but the project appears not to be eligible because it is off the Interstate system.
Discussion followed on the transportation funding shortfall and the impacts development has on the state highway system. District Engineer (DE) Rigby said he has been working closely with Mr. Crouch on the development. He thanked the various officials for attending the meeting.
Representative Stevens left the tour at this time. The Board traveled south on US-93, west on I-84, and west on a local road to Hagerman.
At
DE Rigby elaborated on the rest area improvement plans scheduled in 2010. The project, estimated at $800,000, includes a new rest room, curb, gutter, and sidewalks.
DE Rigby said the Cotterell Port of Entry (POE) and Rest Area are located at the same site on I-84, which is not ideal. The rest area needs improvements, but he is reluctant to fund a major project at this time. Staff is reviewing the feasibility of moving the POE closer to Declo, where it would be more functional. He also mentioned that preliminary discussions on establishing an Oasis Rest Area have been held with representatives from a truck stop in the Declo area. DE Rigby said staff will continue to explore options for these two facilities.
After a brief stop at the Hagerman Rest Area, the Board
toured the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station at the National Fish
Hatchery. It traveled US-30 east and local routes following the basic alignment
of the US-93, Twin Falls Alternate Route Stage II project to
WHEREUPON the tour and meeting recessed at 4:50 PM.
May 22, 2008
The Board reconvened at 8:30 AM on Thursday, May 22, 2008, at the Idaho Transportation Department District 4 Office in Shoshone, Idaho. All members were present.
Board Minutes. Member Blick made a motion to approve the minutes of the regular Board meeting held on April 16-17, 2008 as submitted. Member Miller seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Board Meeting Dates. The following meeting dates and locations were scheduled:
June 17-19,
2008 –
July 9-10, 2008 – District 1
August 20-21, 2008 – District 6
Consent Calendar. Member Sweeney made a motion, seconded by Member Coleman, and passed unanimously, to approve the following resolution:
RES. NO. NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the
ITB08-20 FY09 out-of-state travel; US-95, Sandpoint North and South construction support agreement; FY07 Forest Highway Program changes; and FY08 delays in Statewide Safety Program; and has received and reviewed the Transportation Enhancement prioritization; FY11 recommendations Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality Technical Review Committee; the program and district obligation graphs and tables, monthly status report; contract award information; and the March financial statement.
1) FY09 Out of State Travel. The FY09 out of state travel budget was reduced $24,467, or 6%, from the preliminary FY09 request presented to the Board in June 2007. The request totals $386,000, including $3,000 anticipated to be reimbursed by a third party.
2) US-95, Sandpoint North and South Construction Support Agreement, Key #1729, District 1. The US-95, Sandpoint North and South project consists of reconstructing the highway and rerouting a portion of traffic from downtown Sandpoint. It will relieve congestion and create a safer, more convenient route for US-95 travelers. The project has been advertised for construction, with a 905 working day schedule. CH2MHill designed the large structures. District staff would like to utilize the consultant for construction support consisting of bridge submittal review and tasks relating to clarification of design intent. The firm would also provide engineering services for geotechnical monitoring during the roadway and bridge construction and environmental monitoring and archaeological items during construction. Staff requested approval to exceed the agreement limit with CH2MHill by $1,600,000 for this project.
4) FY08 Delays in Statewide Safety Program. Staff requested
delaying three projects from FY08 to FY09 of the Statewide Safety Program. Two
projects in District 5, US-91,
5) Transportation Enhancement Prioritization. Last month, the Board voted to suspend soliciting new Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality and Enhancement projects in FY11-13 in addition to other funding decisions. The Enhancement Program’s annual application cycle was nearly complete and applications had been received by ITD. The Enhancement Advisory Committee reviewed and prioritized the proposed projects in the event funding is reinstated. There were 36 project submittals totaling $16.2 million in federal aid. The prioritized list includes funding eight bicycle/pedestrian projects, three scenic/environmental projects, and two historic projects plus the statewide Community Transportation Enhancement project.
6) FY11 Recommendations Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) Technical Review Committee. The application process for the CMAQ Program was also nearly complete before the funding decisions were made last month. There were 33 applications received for CMAQ funding, totaling $8.1 million. The Technical Review Committee recommends programming 14 projects in the amount of $4 million if funding for this Program is restored.
7) Program and District Obligation Graphs and Tables, Monthly Status Reports. As of April 30, $151.3 million had been obligated for highway projects in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, or 40% of the planned amount. The total amount obligated for construction projects was $248.8 million. Obligation information by program and district and project status reports for 2008 projects were also presented.
8) Contract Awards. Key #9246 – US-20,
Key #9385 and #9384 – SH-34,
Key #7811 – US-93,
Key #11020 – FY09 District 1 Districtwide Brooming. Low bidder: RSCI - $247,230.
The low bid on key #8719 – SH-33, Sugar City/Madison County Bike Path, District 6, was more than ten percent over the engineer’s estimate, requiring justification. The difference between the engineer’s estimate and low bid are in Conc CL 40-B, Pedestrian/Bicycle railing, Plantmix for Shared Use Path, and SP Bollards – Embedded items. Staff believes that inflation in fuel and asphalt, compounded by bidding the project late in the fiscal year, resulted in bids exceeding the engineer’s estimate. Given the trend of higher fuel and asphalt prices, it is unlikely that lower bids would be received if the project is re-advertised. This is the second time the project has been advertised. Staff recommends awarding the project. Low bidder: Eagle Rock Timber - $421,170.
Key #8826 – I-84B,
Key #10523 – SH-55,
9) July 2007 through March 2008 Financial Statement Analysis. Total federal aid was $54.9 million ahead of the year-to-date projections. Highway Distribution Account year-to-date revenue was $1.8 million ahead of the revised forecast. Expenditures for personnel were less than budgeted through the month. Non-construction operating expenditures reflected a 1.1% positive variance. In contract construction, the federal and state programs were ahead of projections by 34% and 2%, respectively.
Federal aid revenue to the State Aeronautics Fund was $164,000 below year-to-date projections. Aviation fuel tax revenue received through March was 14%, or $169,327, more than projections. Miscellaneous revenue was 2% below the year-to-date forecast. Overall expenditures were 14%, or $223,000, more than budgeted.
In the GARVEE Capital Projects Fund, expenditures in the amount of $63.8 million were made on authorized projects. Utilization of bond proceeds was $7.7 million less than the cash flow projected through the end of the month. During March, the $589,296 monthly payment of the state share of the debt service payment was made from the GARVEE Debt Service Fund.
Board Items. Chairman Manning said he attended meetings recently with the Governor’s Office to coordinate the upcoming transportation road shows that will be held throughout the state. He attended a meeting sponsored by Ada County Highway District to discuss a proposal to increase the local vehicle registration fee, and he met with the Office of Performance Evaluation regarding plans for the evaluation of the Department.
Member Gagner suggested developing a five-year budget tool to educate and inform legislators on the Department’s budget and related activities. He also talked about performance measures and suggested evaluating the Department on budget, schedule, quality, innovation, and communication. He requested a discussion at next month’s meeting on performance measures and a tool to provide to legislators.
Director’s Report. Director Lowe noted the reductions made to the FY09 out-of-state travel request. She encouraged staff to tie travel to the Department’s strategic focus areas.
At a recent American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ meeting, a resolution in opposition of suspending the federal fuel tax to provide relief to consumers was proposed, according to Director Lowe. A policy paper is being developed for the upcoming reauthorization of the transportation bill; however, Director Lowe did not have details on what the paper will include. She added that the 5-State Coalition is also developing principals for reauthorization with criteria such as less federal mandates and more flexibility for states.
Director Lowe reported that a federal technical corrections
bill changing the sliding scale match from 80/20 to 93/7 is being considered.
The bill would be beneficial to
In conclusion, Director Lowe said the Federal Aviation Administration is working on its reauthorization bill and the Administration is currently operating under a continuing resolution. Increases to the jet fuel tax and aviation gas tax are being considered.
Adopt-A-Highway. Member Blick thanked the Employees of Idaho Power for participating in the Adopt-A-Highway Program. He expressed appreciation for the valuable service to the state the group is providing and the cost savings to ITD. The group has been participating in the Program since 2003 when it adopted a portion of US-93 near Jerome.
Presentation by
Chairman Manning thanked Administrator Hartman for the trophy and expressed support for the fitness challenge.
Public Transportation Advisory Council (PTAC) Annual
Report. PTAC Chairman Joe Herring thanked the board for the opportunity to
participate in the tour yesterday. He said PTAC’s strategic plan resulted in
the development of
Chairman Manning thanked PTAC Chairman Herring for the report and expressed appreciation for PTAC’s service.
Relationship with INSIDE
INSIDE
Chairman Manning thanked PSM Sanderson for the report.
Board Policy B-01-01, Public Convenience. Budget,
Policy, and Intergovernmental Relations Manager (BPIRM)
The Board concurred with the recommendation to delay action on B-01-01, Public Convenience, until the Customer Service Focus Team completes its initial work. Chairman Manning thanked BPIRM Pipal for the review of the policy.
Right of Way Costs. Right of Way Manager Bill Smith outlined
the right-of-way acquisition process. Deputy Attorney General Scot Campbell elaborated
on the condemnation process. District 2 Right of Way Supervisor
Discussion followed on a number of topics, including concerns that planned highway projects influence the value of the needed right-of-way; the recognition of property owners’ rights; and the ability to re-design a project to avoid high right-of-way costs.
A number of recommendations were proposed to address the concerns with escalating right-of-way costs, including revising the board policy on administrative settlements. Some of the legislative remedies include revising existing Code to require that property valuation for purposes of eminent domain is to be based upon appraisals by qualified appraisers and that interest does not begin to accrue until either possession is obtained or the property is obtained by judgment. New language to address the equitable fee limit in small cases was also suggested.
The consensus of the Board was for staff to proceed with the legislative proposals. It thanked staff for the informative presentation and its efforts to address this issue.
Professional Services Agreements and Term Agreement Work
Task Report. Chief Engineer
Highway Safety
Chairman Manning
thanked HSM Hunter for the report on this important issue.
Executive
Session on Legal and Personnel Issues, Section 67-2345(a), (b), (d), and (f),
A discussion was held on legal matters related
to the US-95, Bellgrove to Mica Environmental Protection Agency settlement; the
US-95, Sandpoint North and South project; and matters exempt from public
disclosure related to contract negotiations.
A discussion was held on personnel issues
related to the filling and evaluation of a public office.
The Board came out of executive session at 1:35 PM. No decisions were made.
Old/New Business. DDIR Stokes summarized the Connecting Idaho Program, funded through Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle or GARVEE bonds, and the Connecting Idaho Partners’ (CIP) role as program manager. The initial agreement with CIP was for oversight of the first $200 million authorized by the legislature. A supplemental contract was negotiated with CIP to provide management and oversight for the additional $250 million authorized by the legislature in 2007. The contract includes incentives for cost savings, successful delivery of projects, and exceptional performance in areas such as innovation and quality.
Vice Chairman McClure made a motion, seconded by Member Coleman, to approve the following resolution
RES. NO. WHEREAS, the 2007 Legislature passed and the Governor signed House Bill 336 GARVEE
ITB08-21 bonding authorization in order to provide funds to finance the Connecting Idaho Program; and
WHEREAS, in August 2006, the Idaho Transportation Board selected the Connecting Idaho Partners (URS/Washington Group Internal/CH2MHill) to act as the Connecting Idaho Program Manager; and
WHEREAS, the Board has directed staff to negotiate with the selected team; and
WHEREAS, Board Policy B-06-08, Professional Services Agreements, requires Board approval for agreements exceeding $1,000,000 and Board Policy B-01-09, Authority to Sign Contracts, authorizes the Idaho Transportation Department Director to sign all contracts; and
WHEREAS, the Board has reviewed the scope, terms, and conditions, and compensation proposal in Funding Authorization #2 for the Connecting Idaho Program Manager.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board approves and authorizes the Director to execute the Connecting Idaho Program Manager Funding Authorization #2 contract documents.
In response to Member Miller’s question on the Department’s ability to meet the deadlines, particularly related to payments, DDIR Stokes acknowledged that the Program got off to a slow start. He is optimistic about the current schedule and although he realizes there are still challenges, believes the various schedules will be met.
The motion passed 5-1 with Member Sweeney opposing.
Member Blick expressed concern with the
Member Blick made a motion directing staff to fund the US-2,
Member McClure asked if the structure has a new sufficiency rating since the deck was rehabilitated last year. Director Lowe said that staff is planning to discuss this project next month, including a report on the current sufficiency rating.
Member Coleman said the District 1 tour plans in July
include visiting the
Member Coleman made a substitute motion to postpone a
decision on the US-2,
WHEREUPON, the Idaho Transportation Board’s regular monthly meeting officially adjourned at 2:10 PM.
______________signed________________
DARRELL V MANNING, Chairman
Read and Approved
June 19, 2008