Northeast Regional Planning Organization

November 9, 2005

Clayton Civic Center

Clayton, NM

 

Minutes

 

I.                    Meeting called to order by Chair Doug Powers at 10:20 am

II.                 Introductions of meeting attendees

Meeting Attendees:

Leo Pacheco, Village of San Jon

Jose Naranjo, Village of Roy

Robert L. Casados, Harding

Mark Rivera, Village of Angel Fire

Rudy Sanchez, City of Santa Rosa

Harold Garcia, San Miguel County

Richard Gutierrez, City of Santa Rosa

Hoot Gibson, Angel Fire

Doug Powers, City of Tucumcari

Shirley Brooks, Mayor of Village of Des Moines

Elmer Martinez, City of Las Vegas

Carlos A Ortiz, Jr. City of Las Vegas

Larry J. Moore, Quay County Tucumcari

Terry Turner, Quay County Tucumcari

Denise Abreu, City of Las Vegas Meadow City Express

Jesse Yeargain, Des Moines

Mike Running, Town of Clayton

Lev Parker, Colfax County, Road Superintendent

Steven Steinberger, Colfax County

Russell Kear, Union County Road

Richard Arguello, Union County Commission

Barbara L. Shaw, Harding County

Chris Pacheco, NERPO/Eastern Plains Council of Governments (EPCOG)

Mariana Padilla, NERPO/North Central NM Economic Development District (NCNMEDD)

Sandra Maes, NPRPO/NCNMEDD

Arturo Archuleta, NCNMEDD

Lee Tillman, EPCOG

Amber Smith, Golden Spread Coalition

Victoria Baker, Golden Spread Coalition

Dan Stover, NMDOT

Jill Reisz, NMDOT

Linda Trujillo, NMDOT

Dennis Peralta, NMDOT

Heather Sandoval, NMDOT

Paul Gray, NMDOT

 

 

 

III.               Chair Doug Powers asked for approval of the meeting agenda. Motion for approval was made and was seconded by Commissioner Robert Casados.  The motion passed unanimously by a show of hands.

IV.              Chair Doug Powers asked for NERPO members to review the NERPO Meeting held in Roy New Mexico on July 14, 2005.  Powers asked for a approval of the minutes.  The minutes were approved unanimously by a show of hands.

V.                 Welcome to Clayton/Union County – Lee Tillman, Executive Director of the Eastern Plains COG introduced representatives from Clayton and Union County and asked for them to speak briefly.

a.      Richard Arguello – Commissioner Arguello Welcomed attendees and Chris Pacheco, the new planner with EPCOG who will be servicing his four counties.  The Commissioner spoke about the needs of rural New Mexico and invited attendees to Fishing Derby held in May.

b.      Brian Moore, owner of Ranch Market Restaurant provided lunch for the NERPO meeting – Mr. Moore spoke about the importance of transportation in rural New Mexico.  He recommended that monies be put into the Co-op Road Fund.

c.      Mike Running, Clayton City Manager – Mr. Running invited attendees to visit the Historic Ekland Hotel.  Mr. Running has been pleased with the relationship Clayton has with NMDOT particularly Paul Gray and staff as well as with Eastern Plains COG.  Mr. Running extended a welcome on behalf of Andy Cordova, Mayor of Clayton.  Chamber of Commerce Packets were passed out to attendees.

VI.              Reports from RPO Planners

a.      Mariana Padilla (NCNMEDD) –

                                                               i.      Mariana spoke of her commitment to servicing the NERPO in a collaborative way and is looking forward to working with Chris Pacheco and EPCOG.  Mariana has s community and regional planning and water resources background and Chris is an engineer, the two form a well balanced team to serve the RPO. 

                                                             ii.      NERPO will be developing a website. Mariana requested input as to what information members would like to see.  She asked for members to visit the Northern Pueblos website to review for ideas (http://nprpo.com/). 

                                                            iii.      Scenic Byways Update – deadline for letter of intent was October 31st.  Application deadline is January 31st.  Laurie Frantz will be informing RPO planners of any NERPO applicants. 

                                                           iv.      Bylaws - Mariana asked members to review the bylaws and bring changes and suggestions to the January meeting.

                                                             v.      RPO training will be scheduled for February or mid March.  Training includes RPO process, LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program) and STIP.

b.      Chris Pacheco (EPCOG)

                                                               i.      Chris wanted to emphasize the need for opening the lines of communication within the RPO.  Chris is a civil engineer and was in charge of the LGRF for District 2.  He is originally from San Jon and now resides in Clovis.

VII.            District Engineer Update (Paul Gray, DPT district 4, DE)

a.      Paul has been working with District 4 for seven months and he is excited about the reorganization of staff.  He reiterated the importance of the RPO process.  He introduced DOT staff Dennis Peralta, Heather Sandoval and also Dan Stover.

b.      Updates –

                                                               i.      GRIP 1 – Paul passed out a handout on GRIP 1 and indicated that all projects are currently under development.  There are 26 construction projects totaling $333 million.  97% of projects were awarded to NM contractors, creating 1200 NM jobs, with 70 to be completed in house.  DOT received $134 K in royalty fees from the Sate Land Office and hired a public information officer specifically for GRIP.

                                                             ii.      GRIP 2 – All projects have gone through a prioritization process and have project readiness.  Initial review totals at $640 million and they are developing criteria for match requirements.

                                                            iii.      Safety Summit – Secretary Faught has switched the eligibility requirement for funding from 40% behavioral and 60% guard rails/signs/safety to 80% behavioral and 20% guard rails/signs/etc.  Statistics – NM is in the nation’s top 10 % for DWI related fatalities and leads the nation in pedestrian fatalities.

                                                           iv.      Ports to Plains Summit in Amarillo – The four lane highway from Junction I-25 to Texas is under construction right now.  The segment of US 64/87 from Raton east for 10 miles has been awarded.  Mile post 300 – 311 in Union County will be let in January.  (This has seen been changed to February).  US 64/87 is going to be constructed with a 2009 projected completion date.  The groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for December 9th.  (This has been changed.  We are waiting for guidance from the Governor’s office for a new date).

                                                             v.      Doug Powers stated that all projects are struggling due to increased fuel costs.  He asked how it is going to affect the NMDOT with completing projects. Paul stated that there is a request to increase project operating budgets but they have not yet heard from the FHWA.  As construction costs continue to grow, project funding will hopefully also grow.

                                                           vi.      Commissioner Casados asked when we will hear who received GRIP 2 funding.  Paul couldn’t say who or when will receive funding, there have not been any approvals yet.  Commissioner Casados said that his first priority project for GRIP 2 was also listed on his STIP and that DOT staff recommended that it be removed from GRIP 2.  Paul recommended that he submit one of his other proposed projects.

                                                          vii.      Paul suggested that the NERPO webpage have information regarding the process for acquiring salvaged items.

                                                        viii.      Hoot Gibson asked what was going to happen with Section 3037 Welfare to Work cuts.  He stated that loosing this funding was going to hurt rural communities. Paul stated that Linda Trujillo would comment on this later in the meeting.

                                                           ix.      Doug Powers asked if the LGRF will still flow through the District 4 engineer’s office or through the RPO planners. Paul said that it may flow through the planners.  He will clarify this with the planners and get back to the members.

VIII.         Dan Stover, NMDOT – STIP Process Update

a.      Dan Stover stated that he is pleased to be participating in this process and is pleased that the contracts are in place.  He stated that this process was created to give the RPO the ability to make recommendations for funding that will address their needs.

b.      Dan referred to handouts in meeting packets.  The STIP Protocols allows the NMDOT to follow Federal regulations.

c.      First Call for projects – The RPO will be accepting the proposals.  The PIF (Project Identification Form) needs to be completed to outline the proposed project.  Mariana had copies of the new draft PIF.  She will email the finalized PIF to members once it is available.

d.      STIP Administrative change to Village of Angel Fire Trails Project (Mark Rivera)– The Village has had difficulty acquiring an easement for their trail as a result they are making an amendment to change the route from north Angel Fire to Monte Verde Lake, to Olympic Park and back.

IX.              Linda Trujillo, NMDOT Transit Rail Bureau

a.      Section 3037 Welfare to Work, now changed to 5316.  This program will end in June 2006 due to a lack of funds.  The $600 K program allocates 60% to ABQ and 20% to Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Las Cruces, Farmington, and 20% for rural communities.  Linda stated that this is a very important program for rural communities.  She is hoping that something can be done through the State Legislature so that funding is still available.

b.      Hoot Gibson asked what the state was going to do to rectify the problem.  He stated that much of state money goes to Park and Ride for people who already have jobs when 5316 served people who needed jobs. Linda stated that most of the Park and Ride funds come from other grants and not state monies.  The issue is the “reauthorization” of money resulting in a current reduction in state money for matching funds.  Hoot Gibson stated that Rural New Mexico is greatly affected by poverty.  Angel Fire has jobs and needs Mora to provide the workers.  Linda stated that Angel Fire and Mora should apply for public transportation money through the 5311 in order to extend service to Mora.  Doug Powers asked the members if they would like for the NERPO to create a resolution in support of the 5316 program. Dan Stover asked what happened to HSS (Human Services).  A.) The state legislature decided that they didn’t want to give the money to NMDOT for the public transportation portion of HSS.  As an RPO we could appeal to Secretary Faught.  Hoot Gibson made a motion to create a resolution in support of 5316, Carlos Ortiz seconded the motion, motion passed unanimously.

X.                 Section 5311 – Rural Public Transportation Presentations

a.      Meadow City Express (MCE), City of Las Vegas (Elmer Martinez) – MCE is owned and operated by the City of Las Vegas. The Mayor and City Council are responsible for providing the public service.  MCE staff has a combined 52 years of commercial driving experience.  The staff receives regular safety training and vehicles receive regular maintenance.   Request: Administration - $62,800 Federal, Operating - $70,725, Capital – Two 15 passenger buses and two mobil radios, totaling $184,343 (Local match $9,9129.60).  Service Type: Demand response, Monday through Friday, 6 am to 5 pm.  Serves Las Vegas and parts of San Miguel County totaling 35 square miles.  Estimated service population is 16,507+.  Ridership: 20% elderly and handicap, college and school age students, non-drivers, low income, employees of major institutions in  area.  Ridership is 20,000 per year.  MCE has recently created a Community Transportation Advisory Board.  They are exploring part time fixed routes to downtown area and also recreational facilities for youth during summer months. Q.) Will MCE be retiring some of their vehicles? A.) They will be retiring one and will also be adding vehicles to expand services.  Q.) Are there defibulators in buses as a safety precaution for seniors? A.) They do not because it isn’t required.

 

12:20 Break for Lunch hosted by Market Ranch Restaurant

 

Evaluation Clarifications – Two NERPO entities (Quay and Colfax Counties) did not receive their packets containing 5311 applications early enough to review them and Des Moines did not receive their packet at all.  Copies will be sent to Des Moines next day air and their evaluation of the written portion of the applications will be sent to RPO planner next week.  All voting members will score the oral portion for each applicant today.  Mariana briefly overviewed the evaluation process for section 5311 applications and explained that the Park and Ride application was sent out separately because it was submitted after the deadline.

b.      Village of Angel Fire/Angel Fire Transit (Hoot Gibson) – Population of Angel Fire is 2800 and transportation peaks to 12K during the golfing and ski seasons.  Village of Angel Fire has an annual growth rate of 7% and produces a significant number of jobs over 500 seasonal, contributing $56 million to NM economy.  Angel Fire Transit is the only form of public transportation available in Angel Fire and provides transportation services for Moreno Valley, Eagle Nest, Mora, Moreno Valley High School, Angel Fire Resort, Angel Fire Airport.  The majority of funding comes from 5311 with some coming from 5316 only through June 2006 and has requested additional assistance from Jeff Bingaman’s Office.  They are requesting a total of $336,320.  Q.) Why is there a need for a full time administrative assistant located in Eagle Nest?  A.) He would like to transfer the $17,000 out of this line item and use it to supplement the 5316.

c.      Park and Ride (PnR) Linda Trujillo, Transit Rail Bureau NMDOT – 2003 was the inception of PnR.  This program has positive impacts on air quality and reduced congestion on roads.  Espanola to Los Alamos is one of NM’s most dangerous routes.  This application was submitted late because NMDOT needed clarification from FTA regarding their qualification for 5311funds.  Routes from ABQ to Santa Fe will not use the 5311 monies.  The $1.6 million they are requesting comes from the $6.8 M reauthorization increase money.  They also receive funding from FTA Section 5309 funds, Los Alamos National Laboratories, NMDOT Road Fund revenue, and NMDOT has allocated $4 million.  This is a one time request of 5311 monies. Q.) Why should NERPO fund PnR if it only serves Las Vegas and not the rest of the RPO? A.) Every RPO boundary that PnR enters must review the application. Q.) Northeast NM is made up of poor communities, would it be possible for our entities to piggy back the PnR? Could the state pay NERPO’s portion of the matching funds?  A.) There is a need for legislation that allows for this to happen.  NMDOT has proposed this in the past and the State Legislature has not passed it.  This year NMDOT is proposing that RPOs only pay half of the required matching funds.  Q.) On page two there is a discrepancy - description of communities has non-urbanized/rural (50,000 people or less) and the demographic description shows a total of 176,085 people.  A.) The communities that are being served using 5311 funding are rural communities of 50,000 or fewer people.  The service area includes Las Vegas, Pueblo of Pojoaque, Santa Fe, Los Alamos County, San Miguel County, Santa Fe County, Tesuque Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, San Idelfonso Pueblo.  Q.)  There is no public transportation currently in Harding County and they can not apply for funding because they do not have matching funds.  Until PnR connects to our communities it does not affect us.  A.) PnR will eventually be extended.  It is a necessity not a luxury service.  There will be three buses within the NERPO boundary.  Q.) Why is money not listed within the administration and operating budgets, and why there is not a vehicle break down? A.)  The bus service is contracted out to All Aboard America, the NMDOT does not purchase vehicles.  Q.) At the Northern Pueblos RPO meeting David Harris said that PnR would apply annually for 5311 monies and Linda Trujillo stated that this was a one time request, please clarify.  A.) Since the November 2nd NPRPO meeting the Transit and Rail Bureau has decided in order to be fair this will be a one time request of 5311 monies.

d.      Golden Spread Rural/Frontier Coalition, Victoria Baker – Golden Spread provides services to all types of clientele reaching many rural and isolated people beginning in 1997.  Their management staff has over 25 years of experience and bus drivers have 45 years of experience.  They use local marketing such as newspapers and radio.  Their services are on a demand response bases but would like to create fixed routes in the future.  They are working on coordination with other entities.  Doug Powers commented on how he is please to see this service come into the area.  Ms. Baker said that they work to be open-minded in order to address community needs.  Commissioner Casados thanked her for serving the Mosquero area.  Q.) Golden Spread serves very rural areas, because of this have they looked into purchasing a smaller vehicle that is better on gas, especially for a single occupant rides? A.) Yes we would like to purchase a company car in the future. Q.) Will services be extended soon? A.) They are planning on assessing the needs of other communities so that they know how to best serve them.  Dan Stover suggested that communities look into forming an RTD (Regional Transportation District) so that they can plan and request for funding together and ultimately better serve their areas.

e.      Tucumcari Housing Authority, Doug Powers – There was not a representative from the Tucumcari Housing Authority present to make the presentation.  Linda Trujillo from NMDOT stated that the oral presentation was a requirement and that if they did not fulfill the requirement their application would be thrown out of the process. Doug Powers volunteered to present on their behalf.  Q.)  It was asked if the Tucumcari Housing Authority currently has their matching funds identified and available. A.) Doug Powers did not know.

XI.              Scheduling January meeting – Arturo Archuleta from NCNMEDD stated that we would like to alternate meetings between the counties being served by NCNMEDD and EPCOG.  Richard Gutierrez from Santa Rosa volunteered to host the next meeting and will work with RPO planners on meeting arrangements.  The next meeting will be held on January 12, 2006 in Santa Rosa, location to be announced.

XII.            Other Announcements – Commissioner Casados invited NERPO members to the ground breaking ceremony for the Solano Manufacturing Company in Harding County on November 30th.  An email invitation will be sent out by RPO planners.

XIII.         Meeting Adjourned at 3:00 pm.

XIV.         Paper Work Handed Out

a.      By RPO Planners

                                                               i.      STIP Schedule

                                                             ii.      Revised Project Identification Form

                                                            iii.      NERPO Bylaws

                                                           iv.      NERPO meeting minutes from July 14th Roy meeting

b.      Dan Stover

                                                               i.      STIP protocol

c.      By District Engineer Paul Gray and TSE Heather Sandoval

                                                               i.      NERPO RTIP for NMDOT District 4, 2005

                                                             ii.      GRIP 1 handout