NERPO Meeting Minutes

Village of Pecos Municipal Meeting

54 South Main Street (HWY 63)

Pecos, NM 87552

February 23, 2006

 

Meeting Attendees:

NERPO Members

Carlos Ortiz, Jr.                                         City of Las Vegas

Commissioner Fred Sparks,                        City of Raton

Richard Gutierrez,                                      City of Santa Rosa

Councilman Rudy Sanchez,                         City of Santa Rosa

Douglas Powers,                                       City of Tucumcari

Commissioner Robert Casados                    Harding County

Larry Moore,                                             Quay County

Terry Turner,                                            Quay County

Harold Garcia,                                           San Miguel County

Commissioner Richard Arguello,                  Union County

Russell Kear,                                             Union County

Mayor William “Hoot” Gibson,                    Village of Angel Fire  

Mayor Josephine Duran,                             Village of Cimarron

Tom Garcia,                                              Colfax County

Mike Running,                                          Town of Clayton

NM DOT Staff

Dennis Peralta,                                          NMDOT D-4

Heather Sandoval,                                      NMDOT D-4

Jacob Trujillo,                                           NMDOT D-4

Janet Spivey,                                             NMDOT G.O.

Christina Romero,                                      NMDOT D-4

NERPO Planners

Chris Pacheco,                                          EPCOG

Mariana Padilla,                                         NCNMEDD

Guests

Sandra Maes,                                            NCNMEDD, NPRPO Planner

Deborah Sanders,                                      Village of Cimarron Chamber of Commerce

 

I.                 Call to Order   10:20am

 

II.              Pledge of Allegiance

 

III.            Welcome & Introductions

Welcome provided by Mayor Tony Roybal and Mayor Pro-tem and Village Trustee Modesto Benavidez. Mayor Roybal welcomed meeting attendees and stated that he is very happy to host the meeting in Pecos. Mayor Roybal recognized the other mayors and officials in the room.  Trustee Modesto Benavidez also welcomed NERPO members from around the state. He stated that he is a proud New Mexican, and that he grew up here in Pecos along with the Mayor. He has seen a lot of work take place as a result of these meetings and would like to see more. Mayor Roybal recognized Lesah Sedillo for all her hard work, as she organizes everything for the Village of Pecos.

IV.            Approval of Agenda 

a.      Agenda amendment: Dennis Peralta D-4 Engineer Support Manager will be providing the update for Paul Gray. Mr. Gray sent out a letter to all members apologizing for not attending the meeting today. Motion to approve the agenda with amendments was made by Carlos Ortiz, and was seconded by Commissioner Casados.

 

V.               Approval of Minutes

a.      Motion for approval was made by Carlos Ortiz and was seconded by Commissioner Fred Sparks.

 

VI.            Updates from RPO Planners

Mariana – Grip II did not pass in the Legislature. The Local Government Road Fund (LGRF) application deadline is March 15th. Entities should check and see of any of their STIP or GRIP II projects qualify for LGRF funding. The RPO planners and D-4 staff Heather and Thomas have attended meetings within communities to discuss their transportation projects and needs.  She stated that if any NERPO entities have any concerns or questions to please let Chris or Mariana know as they would be happy to meet within individual communities.  The Hardship Equipment Auction deadline is March 31st.  Local governments must submit a resolution and letter of intent to qualify for the hardship auction. The Entity auction is July 12 and the Public auction is Sept 30.  DOT will provide a list of available equipment to be auctioned by the end of May.  The FTA 5309, 5310, and 5311 grant state wide meeting will be held on March 9th located in Santa Fe at the DOT General Office. Public attendance at the meeting is encouraged.  Mariana will send out a follow up email restating the meeting information. Lee Cabeza de Vaca, the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Director will be making a presentation at a NERPO meeting in the near future. Mayor Quintana of Wagon Mound has voiced an interest for a regional training through LTAP. Commissioner Casados asked if fire departments qualify for the hardship auction. Mariana thought that local governments could apply for hardship on behalf of fire departments and that she would check into this.

 

Doug Powers asked how the DOT wanted the rating and ranking process to take place. He explained that last year they gave members a choice of three projects.  Each entity would select their number one priority project for each funding category (Roadway, TPE, Bride, and Safety) and then make a brief presentation of their project. Members would then rank and rate the top three overall projects from each category. Doug Powers asked for feedback from the group. He also stated that District 4 staff is knowledgeable of the projects and could probably provide useful input in ranking and rating them. For those projects submitted on the STIP that aren’t eligible we can identify other sources of funding immediately. 

 

Hoot Gibson stated that he did not remember the procedure used last year.  Doug stated that last year’s rating and ranking process was completed in four to five hours and that it worked well last year. Mariana explained that the RTIPR is broken up by funding category. Projects will be ranked within each category of Roadway, TPE, Bridge, and Safety, in addition we have one Scenic Byways application which does not require ranking and rating, the RPO members will need to vote on approval of the application and then submit their approval to the State Scenic Byways Office.  Hoot stated that in previous years members tended to just vote for their own projects. Doug stated that if there are no objections he would like to hear a motion to use last year’s process.  Richard made the motion and Harold Garcia seconded the motion.

 

VII.          District Engineer’s Update – Dennis Peralta

Dennis introduced the attending DOT staff including Heather Sandoval TSE, Jacob Trujillo, Area Maintenance Superintendent, Christina Romero D4 Public Information Officer and Janet Spivey DOT Planning Government to Government Unit. Jacob Trujillo oversees the communities of Las Vegas, Pecos, Wagon Mound and Mora.  Heather is TSE for D4, and provides information and technical knowledge to entities and has a vast history and knowledge of the area.

Janet Spivey stated that the rating and ranking process is up to the members. She is new to the RPO process but has attended other RPO meetings and said that the RTIPR process used at each RPO varied. Updates – The deadline for LGRF application submittals is March 15th, and the District cannot stress enough the importance of meeting the deadline. D4 will be receiving additional funding which helps with projects that aren’t eligible for federal funding. NM 63 is applying for the national quality partnership award and Christina is assisting with the submittal procedure.  Upcoming projects include; STIP/GRIP project in Raton, a project in Romeroville soon to be let for bid, STIP project 518 in Mora which is a lighting and sidewalk project, paving on I-25, NM 63 in Pecos area is proceeding there will be a public information meeting on March 8th (Meeting was rescheduled for March 28th).

Dennis stated that for millings the Department has a priority for most of the roads, but they will entertain requests. GRIP projects will be utilizing STIP funding, which means that some of the STIP projects will not be funded until the following years. This will require that they balance GRIP and STIP, which may affect many projects. DOT is taking all the steps to best utilize the GRIP money in order to not be forced to use a lot of STIP money. Commissioner Fred Sparks said that Raton worked very hard over many years to get their project funded. He asked if it will still be completed. Dennis stated that they can modify things to reduce the costs like reducing the shoulder thickness. Mariana asked if STIP projects scheduled for this year will be affected.  Dennis stated that FY06 projects are setup to proceed as planned but that they are still unsure about FY07. Right now even D4 is having to review internal projects, and due to inflation and construction cost are increasing the price, having to accommodate the shortfall.  Commissioner Bobby Casados, asked how this would affect contracts already signed for Hwy 309 which is on the STIP.  Heather stated that DOT can move the contract back or re-negotiate it. Dennis added that they may need to reduce the length or size of the project or use Contract Maintenance money to supplement other projects.

Doug Powers asked Dennis if the Main Street project is back on line. Dennis stated that they have met with Quest and they indicated that they are identifying lines. They have gone through their legal departments and Qwest has agreed to move the line.

               

GRIP II

Janet Spivey answered a question regarding if there was going to be a special legislative session. She stated that there is talk about a special session. She said that DOT is asking the RPOs to call their legislators to encourage the funding of GRIP II and that entities could also call the Governor’s Office with their concerns. With the many legislative cuts to come it is difficult to say where funding for GRIP II will come from but it is up to communities to put on the pressure. As you know the Senate cut GRIP II funding from $250 million to $30 million. DOT feels that through the GRIP II process local governments were able to identify their priorities. DOT and the RPO planners have worked hard on this effort. She also stated that Secretary Faught and the planning department are very aware of the need to fund GRIP II. Mariana stated that we can add GRIP II projects to the STIP or find other funding sources like the Local Governments Road Fund.

Commissioner Richard Arguello made a motion that NERPO submit a resolution in support of a special session. There was discussion as to what phase of GRIP II NERPO wants to support, the $30 million version, the original HB 833 at $250 million or the $500 million. Tom Garcia and Commissioner Fred Sparks wanted to see full funding of all GRIP II projects. Harold Garcia stated that we could go back and look at the feasibility of individual projects. Commissioner Arguello thought we could look at matching funds as a factor. Mayor Pro-tem Hoot Gibson stated that if GRIP II is funded through the issuance of severance bonds then we shouldn’t consider going back to the $250 million. Dennis Peralta stated that he didn’t believe that they would use STIP money to pay for GRIP II. NERPO members passed a unanimous motion to submit a resolution in support of GRIP II. Mariana will draft the resolution and send it to members for approval.

Dennis Peralta stated that the City of Las Vegas submitted a PIF for Park and Ride facilities. DOT has paved the lot but still needs funding for lighting and side walks and asks that the project remain in the PIF submittals for consideration.

 

VIII.       PIF Presentations

a.      Doug Powers explained the rating and ranking process – He asked that each community use the RTIPR for scoring the PIFs and each entity will have one vote. Each entity will indicate their number one priority project for each category and entities will only provide presentations for their priority projects and then each voting member will rank and rate the projects. Mariana and Chris will collect the RTIPRs with the ranked projects and calculate the rankings for each category. Mariana explained this process several more times to the group to check for understanding of the process. Heather and Dennis will provide input on eligibility of projects as well as other information as needed. Hoot asked about a project that is not on the RTIPR, Mariana instructed NERPO members to add Angel Fire’s project to the RTIPR. NERPO members decided to use the process Doug Powers explained as it is the process they have used in previous years for rating and ranking projects.

b.     Doug went around the room to ask entities what their number one project was for each funding category. The presentations followed:

 

Chris stated that Guadalupe County requested to be taken off the RTIPR.

 

c.      Roadway Projects

                                                       i.     City of Las Vegas -  US 54 – Old State Road 329

Heather instructed Carlos that US 54 did not qualify for STIP funding because it was not a major collector. This project was removed from the ranking and rating process.

 

                                                     ii.     Village of Angel Fire - NM 434, intersection with Plaza del Sol

Hoot Gibson – Rapid growth and the expansion of infrastructure services have resulted in this project to accommodate planned municipal development. This intersection project will require north and south access lanes.

 

                                                    iii.     Harding County NM 120 (NM 420 which was the number one priority for Harding County did not qualify according to DOT staff. They instructed Commissioner Casados to submit a letter to D-4 Office requesting a Contract Maintenance Agreement)

 

                                                   iv.     City of Raton – NM 555

Fred Sparks – Rehabilitation of the road. NM 555 runs into Vermejo Park used for methane gas drilling, timber production and also by recreationalists. This road is a safety concern. The increased heavy traffic has made the pavement surface unsafe.

 

                                                     v.     City of Tucumcari – US 54

Tucumcari- US 54 – re-submittal from last year.  A lot of communities are using this area for a number of reasons this requires that the roadway be re-adjusted to 4-lanes. Other bordering states are starting work on their portions of Hwy 54.

Questions:  Dennis asked if Tucumcari would be willing to reduce the length due to the project cost.  Doug stated that they would and they reduced the project to 3 – 4 miles at $5 million.

 

                                                   vi.     City of Clayton - US 56 & Kitts Road;

Mike Running – US56, Lane enhancement adding excel and decel lanes.  This route is regularly used by big rigs.  This area has economic development potential and they anticipate that trucks will use the road as a bypass.  The speed limit is 55 mph and the east side is up to 60 mph. There is concern about the road not allowing for slow traffic creating an extreme safety concern. New development will employ about 250 employees, which will add to the problem.  D4 is familiar with the project, have met with Paul Gray to discuss the concerns.

Enhancement – curb gutter, sidewalks on US56.

 

                                                  vii.     Union County NM 421

Commissioner Arguello - From Sedan to Texas the highway does not have any shoulders.  Heavy agricultural equipment and big rigs travel this route daily. Five miles of the road is very narrow.   Definitely has a lot to do with Econ. Development and safety concerns.

Mayor Duran asked what the cost of the project would be. Answer, $1.7 million.

 

                                                viii.     San Miguel County – NM 94

Harold Garcia – Improvements SR94/CRA1.  2-lane from SR 518 to Mora.  A school is located at the intersection as well as a county solid waste site. A petition from residents to the County has been developed in support of this project.

Heather stated the project cost would be about $300,000.  Heather and Dennis recommended that San Miguel County also submit this project for Safety funding.

 

                                                   ix.     County Road A-I/Airport Road – Quay County

Quay – AI (Airport Road) is a 2-lane road that intersects with I-40.

Heather stated that this road would not qualify, and that they should submit under CAP/COOP or School Bus Routes and that they should break up the project into phases. Terri stated that there is a new development coming in and the lots are selling for $300k. In 3 yrs they hope to have the development completed and they need road infrastructure improvements to accommodate the development. 

 

d.     Enhancement Projects

                                                       i.     City of Las Vegas – Park and Ride (PnR) facility

Carlos Ortiz – PnR, started about 6 months ago and they have seen great increase in rider ship. The original facility was in the old Rail Road district but with redevelopment merchants want another location. The City of Las Vegas is trying to work with the NMDOT to provide a hub for the riders.  They need to increase parking and put in lighting.  About 400 people using the PnR.  Currently PnR is on a fixed budget, and there is no additional money for lighting. Tom Garcia asked how many parking spaces will be added. Carlos stated that there are currently 72 and they will increase to 102.  Doug stated that as PnR continues to expand there needs to be adjustments made.  Sandra Maes added that this project may qualify for a FTA 5309 funding.

 

                                                     ii.     Village of Pecos – NM 63

Lesah Sedillo – NM 63 continuation project from State Park through the village.

Dennis asked that they remove the word “benches” as the funding will not cover them but that the benches could be used as part of the Village of Pecos’ match.

 

                                                    iii.     City of Tucumcari – NM 104

Doug Powers –. A previous State Hwy project left out the sidewalks for 2-3 blocks. Fred Sparks asked if $25K was enough for project.  Dennis Peralta stated that the difference in amount is minimal.

 

                                                   iv.     San Miguel County – NM 65 sidewalks

Harold Garcia – This 3 mile stretch of Hwy was improved in the mid 80’s and they left out the sidewalks. This highway leads to the World College and medical hospital in the area. 

Dennis Peralta asked if they wanted sidewalks on both sides of the street. Harold stated that one side would suffice for now.  Dennis suggested that this become a Phase 2 project to the current project scheduled on the STIP for FY 08.

 

                                                     v.     City of Clayton – Main Street

Mike Running – Dangerous breaks and concrete uplifting of nearly 4 inches are found along the curbs, gutters and sidewalks between 6th street and the railroad. This is a high pedestrian traffic area. They have many reports of pedestrians falling. There isn’t any ADA accessibility to the sidewalks.

 

                                                   vi.     Santa Rosa – River Road

Richard Gutierrez – US 66 River Road is narrow and goes through residential areas to a new middle school. There are school children in area, a hospital is planned to be developed, and a State Fish hatchery all utilizes this road.  A section of roadway has no cross walks or handicap ramps.  They would like to alleviate increased traffic by widening the road for large buses as well as provide a connector from River Road to NM 54.  There are also a number of issues with drainage, sidewalks and signage.  The actual distance is 0.3 of a mile.  New subdivisions and housing complexes have added to pedestrian activity.

Mariana stated that according to their PIF all Environmental and archeological clearances are complete. Richard stated that they were complete and that the City will also be starting a MAP grant on a certain portion of the road.

 

e.      Bridge Projects – NERPO members agreed to rate the bridge projects 1, 2, 3 to indicate priority.

                                                       i.     Colfax County – A-11

Tom Garcia – A-11-$407,000 – This bridge is 3 miles off I-25, it crosses Chicorico Creek, and is a School Bus route. This bridge has been recommended for closure by NMDOT in 2001.  If it was closed it would affect the School Bus Route, residents would have to travel to Maxwell to get to Raton. Chicorico Creek is one of the wettest riparian areas in the area. Heavy agricultural equipment, cattle trailers and large industrial trucks also cross this bridge. The project cost is $407K as determined by NMDOT.

Heather stated that the total BR funding for the year is about $2 million. Heather stated that D-4 has about 66 bridges that need to be addressed and that the $2 million does not begin to cover the need.

 

                                                     ii.     San Miguel County – County Road B-41E

Harold Garcia – San Miguel County was forced to remove the bridge due to flooding.  Conditions of the abutments were in such disrepair that they had to be removed. The bridge separates two communities from one another.  San Miguel County has used some gross receipt funds to install a low water crossing for temporary use.  Residents sometimes have to wait 2-3 hrs before they can cross during times of high runoff.  There are significant safety and emergency response concerns. There are approximately 100 households on other side of the bridge.

 

                                                    iii.     Quay County – QR AH

Quay – 8514 inspected in 2000/05.  DOT has made recommendations to repair abutments and asphalt for the full length of the deck.  45 – 60 million tons of grain goes through this area. There is an ethanol plant to move into the area soon, farmers use this bridge to transport agricultural products, and it is also for residential use.  $44K requested

Heather stated that $44K is not enough, how long is the bridge 44’. The project cost is more likely to be about $400K

 

f.      Safety Projects

                                                       i.     San Miguel County NM 63 guardrail installation

Harold Garcia - NM63 goes through the Village of Pecos to Cowles.  NM 63 is in serious need of repair and address the narrow road. There have been 3 fatalities over the past year.  The Village of Pecos, San Miguel County and the State Police all support this project and feel that it is a need and have approached NMDOT in the past to address this. Dennis stated that NMDOT addressed some of the areas along this highway.  Dennis stated that it is best to site the specific locations by mile post and prioritize the areas where accidents have occurred.  The Safety Program calculates a benefit cost ratio to determine their priorities statewide.

 

                                                     ii.     Village of Angel Fire – NM 434 intersection with Plaza del Sol

Hoot Gibson made the presentation for this project in the Roadway category.

 

                                                    iii.     City of Clayton – US 56 and Kitt Road

Mike Running made the presentation for this project in the Roadway category.

 

g.     Scenic Byways

                                                       i.     Cimarron Chamber of Commerce – US 64

Deborah Sanders, Village of Cimarron Chamber of Commerce – Streetscape project in Cimarron on US 64 is proposed to be located in the center of town. The project would include 4 blocks of roadway that has a lot of history but currently looks very bad.  They are proposing a rest stop area with facilities which they feel is a good strategy for getting people to linger a little bit longer in the Village. The project would also include traffic landscaping with signage to tell the story of the Santa Fe Trail. They are trying to make this very welcoming to the travelers.

Dennis asked if this project is within the Village of Cimarron’s Right Of Way or NMDOT’s?  Mayor Duran stated that it is within the state’s ROW.  Dennis stated that they will need to work out how the maintenance of facilities will be addressed. Mayor Duran stated that there is a high water table in the area and that during storms it creates a mushy/muddy area.  Mayor Duran requested that NMDOT also address an area north of here which is a state owned frontage that needs improvements. Mariana stated that she will set up a meeting with DOT and Cimarron to address the concern.

Richard Arguello asked if it was too late to submit a scenic byways project for the Dry Cimarron in Union County. Mariana stated that it was too late to submit for this year but that she and Chris will help them with apply for next year’s funding. NERPO members approved the Village of Cimarron Chamber of Commerce Scenic Byways application unanimously.

 

IX.           New Business –

a.      Commissioner Fred Sparks stated that in listening to the presentations today it is obvious that the Northeast region of the state will be going through many changes and economic development opportunities that are going to affect the transportation system. He stated that we really need to keep an eye on Economic Development and focus on every penny that we can get out of the state to address increased population and traffic.  Mariana stated that NERPO has a long range transportation plan, written about 10yrs or so ago. By updating our plan and incorporating all of the projected growth and development we can better plan as a region to make sure infrastructure is in place and can accommodate the growth as it comes in. In addition by developing the long range plan local governments have better access to funding that is available. Mariana stated that she will send out the NERPO Long Range Transportation Plan by email as well as post it on our webpage. Terry Turner stated that for every 1-4 homes there will be an increase in employment and service areas. Richard Gutierrez stated that there is a need to look at working with impact fees. It looks good when you’re helping yourself, and not having to rely so heavily on the state for infrastructure as well as have developers contribute funding towards infrastructure expansion and maintenance.  These are all things that could be addressed and adopted through NERPO in a Long Range plan.  Fred Sparks stated that it is better to re-vamp the language and set plans in place, due to continued increase in growth. He can’t believe the way real estate is moving, and NERPO may want to devote one of our meetings to planning out 10-15 years.

 

 

b.     Bylaws Subcommittee –

Mariana stated that the bylaws subcommittee has been formed and that she has sent out the NERPO bylaws a couple of times by email and that they can also be accessed on our website nerpo.com. If any other NERPO members would like to be on the bylaws subcommittee they should inform Mariana or Chris. Members can submit their comments or changes to her so that she can incorporate the proposed changes. Carlos Ortiz suggested that the bylaws subcommittee meet in Santa Rosa on March 22nd. 

 

c.     GRIP II Resolution – Mariana stated that she would draft the GRIP II Resolution and send it out to NERPO members for approval.

 

X.              Next meeting – NERPO members discussed the best date for NERPO meetings and decided that the last Thursday of the month would be best.  March 30th is the tentative date for the next meeting. Doug Powers would like to have the bylaw subcommittee to bring their update to the next meeting.  Fred Sparks asked that they hold a NERPO meeting in Raton soon. Upcoming meeting agendas will include; RTIPR, DOT RPO training, overview of the LTAP Program, bylaws and create opportunities to build capacity and understanding of what funding is out there.

 

XI.            Meeting Adjournment - Doug Powers thanked everyone for attending the meeting. NERPO members thanked Lesah Sedillo and the Village of Pecos for hosting the meeting. Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Richard Arguello and was seconded by Carlos Ortiz, passed unanimously.