Northeast Regional Planning Organization
January 12, 2006
Santa Rosa High School Auditorium
717 3rd Street (NM 91)
Santa Rosa, NM 88435
Minutes
I. Meeting called to order by Chair Doug Powers at 10:28 am
a. Welcome was given on behalf of Santa Rosa Mayor Joseph Campos by Richard Chavez, County Commission Chairman for Guadalupe County.
II. Introductions of meeting attendees
Meeting Attendees:
Doug Powers, City of Tucumcari NERPO Chair
Carlos Ortiz Jr., City of Las Vegas NERPO Vice-Chair
Elmer Martinez, City of Las Vegas
Leo Pacheco, Village of San Jon
Renee Hayoz, Village of Roy
Robert L. Casados, Harding County
Barbara Shaw, Harding County
Joseph Trujillo, Harding County
Maria Atencio, Harding County
Chuck Howe, Village of Angel Fire
Hoot Gibson, Village of Angel Fire
Josephine Duran, Village of Cimarron
Elaine Valdez, Village of Cimarron
Russell Kear, Union County
Richard Arguello, Union County
Lesah Sedillo, Village of Pecos
Steven Steinberger, Colfax County
Rudy Tenorio, Guadalupe County
Michael Muniz, Guadalupe County
Yolanda Chavez, Guadalupe County
Andy Madrid, Guadalupe County
James Cordova, Guadalupe County
Richard Chavez, Guadalupe County
Manuel Baca, Guadalupe County
Pete Mileta, City of Raton
Fred Sparks, City of Raton
Larry Moore, Quay County
Terry Turner, Quay County
Harold Garcia, San Miguel County
Les Montoya, San Miguel County
Tim Dodge, City of Santa Rosa
Charles Garcia, City of Santa Rosa
Rudy Sanchez, City of Santa Rosa
Richard Gutierrez, City of Santa Rosa
Mark Micelli, City of Santa Rosa
Chris Pacheco, NERPO/EPCOG
Mariana Padilla, NERPO/NCNMEDD
Sandra Maes,
NPRPO/NCNMEDD
Victoria Baker, Clayton Golden Spread Coalition
Dennis Peralta, NMDOT D-4
Heather Sandoval, NMDOT D-4
Thomas Martinez, NMDOT D-4
Tom Wilson, NMDOT
Christina Romero, NMDOT D-4
III. Chair Doug Powers asked for approval of the meeting agenda. Motion for approval was made by Commissioner Bobby Casados from Harding County, and was seconded by Lesah Sedillo from the Village of Pecos. The motion passed unanimously.
IV. Chair Doug Powers asked for approval of the NERPO meeting minutes held in Clayton, New Mexico on November 9, 2005. Motion for approval was made by Carlos Ortiz from the City of Las Vegas and was seconded by Hoot Gibson from the Village of Angel Fire. The motion passed unanimously.
a. Discussion – Leo Pacheco from San Jon requested that NERPO develop a time limit for presentations at NERPO meetings, and that a “new business” agenda item be added to every meeting. He also requested that meetings begin with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Doug Powers stated that those items could be added to NERPO meetings if there were no objections.
V. Reports from RPO Planners
a. Mariana Padilla (NCNMEDD) –
i. Mariana stated that all NERPO entities should have received their letters from NERPO planners indicating the status of projects on the Regional Transportation Improvement Program Recommendations (RTIPR) including the NMDOT justification.
ii. North Central New Mexico Economic Development District will be hosting a Legislative Training and Capital Outlay Workshop on January 17th in Santa Fe at the Jerry Apodaca Education Building. All NERPO entities are invited and were informed of the training by mail and e-mail. Mariana passed out additional flyers.
iii. Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) – The LTAP training schedule was passed out and Mariana reminded members that they offer free technical assistance to local governments including training for heavy equipment. Mariana asked for NERPO members to inform her if they would like to set up trainings specifically addressing their needs. For further information members should contact the LTAP Director, Lee Cabeza de Vaca @ 505-827-5267 or 1-800-523-3028.
iv. NERPO Voting Member List – The NERPO voting members list was sent out by e-mail. Members should inform the planners as soon as possible who their voting member and alternate are for each entity. Doug pointed out that NERPO Planners have had difficulty with “plateautel.net” server, e-mails are often not deliverable. He asked that members provide alternate contact information for communication.
v. NERPO Website (http://nerpo.com) – The NERPO webpage is intended to be a method for NERPO members and the public to stay informed and access documents such as meeting minutes and agendas. Mariana asked that all entities return the NERPO Webpage Request Form to her as soon as possible.
vi. New Mexico Passenger Transportation Association (NMPTA) – The NMPTA is submitting a bill this legislative session for the creation of a permanent State Transit Fund which would be used for matching funds by local governments for federal funding. A post card pledging support of the bill was passed out.
vii. Public Notices – Planners asked members for input on the best local newspapers for listing the Public Notices. Members’ responses:
1. Las Vegas Optic
2. Raton Range
3. Sangre de Cristo Chronicle
4. Journal North
5. Mora Communicator
6. Santa Rosa News
7. Guadalupe Communicator
8. Quay County Sun
9. Union County Leader
10. Santa Rosa News
11. New Mexican – Village of Pecos Edition
viii. Additional items passed out – NMDOT maps, NMPTA Bumper Stickers, Wildfire Risk Grant Applications, City of Santa Rosa Tourism Packets.
ix. Doug Powers requested that NERPO members be notified on any pertinent transportation legislation that may be coming up during this Legislative Session. He also asked that NERPO sign-in sheets have member information preprinted so that they may initial information instead of filling it out.
VI. District Engineer Update (Dennis Peralta for Paul Grey, NMDOT D-4)
a. NMDOT has been working to prepare for the Legislative Session. Construction prices for projects are coming in very high. They are hoping for an increase in funding to off set this.
b. D-4 Engineers attended the UNM Paving Conference where new paving aggregate options were presented.
c. GRIP 2 funding limits have not been set yet and they still have not been informed on decisions for funding GRIP 2 or funding matches.
d. Christina Romero – NMDOT D-4 Public Relations – Christina writes for the “Que Pasa” and “No Boundaries” newsletters. She stated that she would be happy to highlight stories on local projects. The US 64/87 Project was just highlighted in the newsletters.
e. Doug Powers asked that one of our next meetings be located in Las Vegas so that NERPO members can tour the District 4 facilities. Doug stated that they have been hearing about the surplus of money this year at the State Legislature. He asked what Governor Richardson’s priorities were for the surplus. District 4 Responses:
i. Space Port
ii. GRIP 2
iii. District 4 priorities: D-4 has greatest number of bad bridges in NM.
f. Leo Pacheco of San Jon stated that NMDOT has many mandates for transportation funding he asked what additional assistance NMDOT can offer local governments such as millings. Dennis Peralta stated that there is a state procurement process for materials. NMDOT has also been given direction to pave dirt routes in NM. Mr. Pacheco asked about the project in San Jon that has been held up by NMDOT. Heather Sandoval of NMDOT stated that the hold up was due to a subdivision issue. If local governments need extensions on permits they should send a letter of request to the D-4 office requesting an extension. A letter is also required for requesting salvaged materials following procurement code.
g. Project Identification Forms (PIFs) – Heather Sandoval, NMDOT D-4
i. Most projects will be programmed in FY 2012
ii. NMDOT is reevaluating the FY 2006-2011 to adjust for increased costs.
iii. Funding for signals requires that a study be completed first.
iv. At the February NERPO meeting we will be rating and ranking the projects. The NERPO planners will create the Regional Transportation Improvement Program Recommendations (RTIPR) and NMDOT will make final selections of projects.
v. District 4 engineers will provide missing information needed for the PIFs such as Average Daily Traffic Counts, Bridge ratings, traffic studies and counts. The NERPO planners can also access information regarding bridge ratings, structure information and budgets for reconstruction using Desktop STIP.
vi. Project consultations with District 4 engineers – NERPO members discussed how they would like to receive feedback and assistance from D-4 engineers and the NERPO planners. Les Montoya from San Miguel County stated that the planners were hired primarily to assist with the STIP process especially to assist those communities that need to build their knowledge of the RPO process. NERPO members decided that entities that would like to have consultations with NERPO planners and D-4 engineers for individualized assistance could set up meetings through the NERPO planners.
vii. Further PIF discussion:
1. Leo Pacheco of San Jon asked about re-forming a NERPO technical committee. According to NERPO Chair Doug Powers, in the past NERPO has not had a technical committee and that members will need to determine if a committee should be formed.
2. PJ Mileta from City of Raton, stated that due to decreased funding it is difficult to fund all the projects that are submitted. He commented that submitting five PIFs per entity can become burdensome when allocating funds. He also asked if the City of Raton should be submitting a PIF for I-25 projects or if he should work with NMDOT to bring it to their attention so that it can be completed through a contract agreement? He stated that there is a need for a definitive process.
3. Richard Arguello, of Union County, also stated that it is discouraging when entities submit projects and don’t receive funding. He asked if entities should go through their legislators for funding projects. Doug Powers and Les Montoya stated that it is best to follow the RPO process. This is the recognized forum in which local governments provide input to NMDOT and that it is important to work within this process.
4. Ricahrd Arguello stated that Union County has 125 miles of unpaved roads many of which are school bus routes. There are situations when school buses can not access the roads due to poor conditions resulting in students not attending schools. This goes against the “No child left behind” legislation. Heather Sandoval stated that D-4 keeps track of all the STIP submittals and often pulls projects to be completed with DOT contracts as well as through other funding sources. Doug Powers suggested that entities collaborate to develop regional project submittals in order to take full advantage of the funding as well as spread out funding more effectively. This is the forum where entities can identify local and regional needs and then prioritize projects regionally using criteria that northeast entities create.
5. Hoot Gibson of the Village of Angel Fire, requested clarification on the PIF submittal process. Mariana explained that the PIFs are due to NERPO planners no later than the week prior to the February 23rd meeting where they will be rated and ranked. Mariana Padilla and Chris Pacheco are available to work with entities individually over the next month to complete the PIF project submittals. During this time D-4 engineers are also available for assistance.
6. Richard Arguello requested information on the best way to tailor the PIF to meet NMDOT eligibility requirements. It is difficult to effectively articulate the true importance of each project especially with the PIF which is limiting. Chris Pacheco stated that he will be giving a presentation later in the meeting to share options from other RPOs.
7. Projects that were submitted for the STIP and not accepted in previous years can be resubmitted the following year. The letters sent out by NERPO planners indicated which projects were approved and will eventually be added to the STIP, entities should refer to the letters as well as the RTIPR spread sheet that was sent out by email.
8. Sandra Maes the Northern Pueblos RPO planner was asked about how their RPO handles this process. Sandra stated that the NPRPO members submit their PIFs to her and she then forwards the information to the D-5 Engineer and the Assistant Engineer. She stated that this was the RPO process that entities submit proposed projects to the RPO planners, the planners then create the RTIPR and then the ranking and rating takes place within the RPO and a rated RTIPR gets forwarded to the DE. The DE then has his own RTIPR ranking and rating with the entities and the RPO planner and a final RTIPR is created and submitted as a final document for the statewide ranking and rating.
9. Les Montoya made the motion that those entities who would like additional assistance with completing their PIFs can work with the NERPO planners and D-4 engineers and those entities that are comfortable with the process can submit their PIFs to the planners following the RPO process. The motion was seconded by Carlos Ortiz the motion passed unanimously.
viii. Local Government Road Fund (LGRF) Update, Thomas Martinez, NMDOT D-4 LGRF Coordinator, 505-454-3662
1. Thomas sent out letters for the LGRF Program to all eligible entities including school districts asking for project submittals. The deadline for the LGRF is March 15, 2006. The projects submittals should be sent to Thomas Martinez at the District 4 office. Thomas will meet with individual entities to explain the LGRF Program on a request basis.
2. Municipal Arterial Program (MAP) funding is available for local roads within a municipality.
3. Cooperative Program (CO-OP) $250-$300K funding is available to Municipalities and Counties for county roads.
4. County Arterial Program (CAP) funding is available for major county arterials. There is a waiver program for the CAP for matching funds. In-kind labor can also be used as matching funds which have been reduced to 25/75 break down.
5. School Bus Route (SBR) – Available to schools, and counties for designated school bus routes.
6. LGRF money can no longer be rolled over to next fiscal year. Work must be completed and closed out by December 31st of each fiscal year.
7. Mariana requested that Thomas send the information for LGRF to the NERPO planners so that they can help follow up on applications and provide local assistance. Les Montoya encouraged NERPO planners to assist with the LGRF program.
VII. NERPO Review of Project Criteria, Chris Pacheco EPCOG
a. Chris presented two forms that the Southeast RPO uses in conjunction with the PIF for additional project information that assists their RPO with rating and ranking the projects as well as gives the added benefit of providing more documentation to NMDOT when the RTIPR is “zipped” with projects statewide.
VIII. NERPO Bylaws
a. The NERPO bylaws were last revised in 1997. NMDOT is asking that RPOs stay up to date with their bylaws. Mariana asked for volunteers to form a subcommittee to work on revising the bylaws outside of regular NERPO meetings.
b. Bylaws Subcommittee Volunteers: Richard Gutierrez, City of Santa Rosa, Carlos Ortiz, City of Las Vegas, Doug Powers, City of Tucumcari
Lunch Provided by the City of Santa Rosa Lodgers Tax
IX. FTA 5311 Amended Applications
a. Village of Angel Fire, Hoot Gibson Mayor Pro-tem
i. FTA Grant 3037/5316 is now being eliminated which will stop necessary commuter transportation for workforce from Mora to Angel Fire. The amended application would allow for their route to be extended to Mora as a scheduled route 290 days a year.
ii. Hoot Gibson called for NERPO approval of the NERPO 2006-01 Resolution. He stated that the Village of Angel Fire also submitted a Resolution in support of 3037/5316 Program to Secretary Faught as well as their legislators.
iii. Motion to approve the NERPO 2006-01 Resolution by Hoot Gibson. Motion was seconded by Les Montoya of San Miguel County. Motion passed unanimously.
iv. Discussion – Leo Pacheco asked how the amended applications would affect the previous applications that were rated and ranked by NERPO. He asked if there is enough 5311 money available to ensure that these amended applications will not affect the other applicants. Mariana stated that the NMDOT Transit and Rail Bureau informed her that the funding was available and that approving the amended applications would not affect the original applications submitted. She further stated that the Transit and Rail Bureau will be working on improving this process for the next funding cycle.
v. Motion to approve the Village of Angel Fire Amended application was made by Leo Pacheco of San Jon and was seconded by Terry Turner of Quay County. The motion passed unanimously.
b. Clayton Golden Spread Coalition, Victoria Baker
i. Amended application is requesting an additional vehicle that will provide service for handicap clients that travel to Raton three times a week. Currently when they serve these clients it leaves other clients without any available vehicles for transportation.
ii. Richard Arguello stated that the Golden Spread Coalition service is well known and readily accepted by Union County residents.
iii. Motion to approve the Golden Spread Coalition amended application was made by Hoot Gibson of the Village of Angel Fire and was seconded by Les Montoya of San Miguel County. Motion passed unanimously.
X. NERPO Resolution 2006-01 Amendments, Mariana Padilla
a. The NMDOT has requested that NERPO change the wording on the NERPO 2006-01 Resolution located in the second paragraph from “collaborative” to “consultative” in order to reflect the wording in the Title 23 U.S.C. Section 135 - Statewide Planning. NERPO members discussed the meaning of the two words. The feedback sent by e-mail to Mariana by NERPO members overall preferred the collaborative wording as they felt that collaborative is a stronger term and it better reflects the relationship as outlined in NERPO bylaws. Carlos Ortiz suggested taking the word out entirely as it was not needed for the meaning of the resolution.
b. Hoot Gibson made a motion to remove the words entirely. Carlos Ortiz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
XI. Next NERPO meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 10am at the Village of Pecos. The bylaws subcommittee will be reviewing the need for monthly NERPO meetings.
XII. Meeting Adjourned at 2:16 pm.
XIII. Paper Work Handed Out
a. By RPO Planners include:
i. NERPO November 9, 2005 Meeting minutes
ii. January 12, 2006 meeting agenda
iii. NCNMEDD Legislative Training Postcard
iv. NERPO Webpage Request Form
v. Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Application
vi. State Transit Fund Legislation from the NM Passenger Transportation Association postcard and bumper sticker
vii. NMDOT maps
viii. SERPO PIF criteria forms