MPO Technical Committee Meeting   7/26/2022

You're seeing the full screen, correct?

Yes.

I'll turn it over to Lev to get us started.

Can everybody hear me OK?

Yes.

I thought that was a question.

My apologies.

I'm sorry, I keep hearing background noise.

I think you're just getting some feedback, Lev.

But we do know that the reviewers at USDOT, as it pertains to the discretionary programs, are holding this and climate change very high on the list of factors that go into awarding grants.

Next slide.

Bill, I don't know if you have any update on when that planning role is slated to come out, but with everything that's going on, it may not be something that we see until later in this year, even early next year.

We'll definitely keep everybody posted, but it sounds like we've got a little bit of time as they continue to kind of flesh all that out and shoot for early next year.

Next slide.

Bill, I don't know if you have anything to add onto that.

I think anecdotally throughout the membership, it seems as though the majority of MPOs are already meeting that 2.5% and there's not a heck of a lot of concern.

Next slide.

So just an FYI, and as soon as that's made available, we'll make sure to get it out to everybody.

Collaborate to be competitive.

So I was just curious if that conversation had started and how things are going, if that's something that has been on your radar.

You said SDBG grants, the service transportation block grants?

Correct.

No.

Is there anything you want to add to that?

Yeah, we can get some further information out.

OK, I'm sorry, Lev, so we can move on.

Next slide.

Lev, is there anything you want to add to that?

This will be something that they can take a look at.

Yes, I'll share this slide deck following the meeting.

Next slide.

Yeah, we expect September, October to be quite busy.

Those awards should be coming out in the next couple of weeks.

So I suspect we'll see them trying to accelerate that turnaround with some of the other programs as well.

I think it's $25 million cap on raise, but it'll be very interesting to see distribution and types of projects because it's a very broad program.

And that's a good segue into this slide.

So again, these are eligibility criteria, and these are going to be

Anything else you want to add?

But again, just things you need to consider.

Next slide.

IIJA includes additional provisions under Buy America that many people feel are escalating costs on projects.

So we'd love to certainly hear from everyone here on that, but stay tuned for some more resources and opportunities to kind of talk through some of that in the coming months.

Bill, I don't know if you want to add.

And, you know, if VAMPO decides that they'd like to put together a letter, you know, we'll make sure to exchange information and be supportive wherever and how we can.

that are made under this.

So stay tuned and we'll hopefully have some information in the next couple of months.

So any of the grant programs that are funded specifically and wholly through advanced appropriations, they should be able to stay on track regardless of what Congress does with the FY23 appropriations process.

So again, please let me know if for some reason you didn't receive it.

I think we have a slide that talks about what it may mean in the next Congress bill.

Yeah.

in the IIJA implementation or spending levels over the next couple of years.

I think we're right on time.

Yep.

So

Just again, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here and hopefully it was helpful information.

Does anybody have any questions in the room or can we see people online also?

Anybody online that has any questions for LaVon or Bill?

I want to pick through a lot of it because there was a lot of really interesting stuff that I saw in there.

Is there any way we will have access to the copy of that presentation?

I will send it to Ryan and the team.

Bill, let me just make a couple updates to it.

Thanks for being with us today.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

LaVon, can you include in the stuff that you send us information on the SDBG that you were taught that we're referring to?

We'll pull the language from statute and we'll send that along with just a short narrative sort of explaining the intent of the provision.

Appreciate that.

And we'll be in touch soon.

Thank you.

Have a good rest of your day.

Moving on to the next item, the RFP for the LRTP.

Are you seeing any tasks and deliverables in the new arrangement?

Yeah, let's see, I guess,

That's the other piece to this.

To establish a technical working group as well as to

Does anybody have any questions first about the RFP?

Yeah, I think that I want to better prioritize projects to make a clear connection between

how projects from the LRTP relates to the Transportation Improvement Program, incorporating environmental or content mitigation into the LRTP process and product selection process, and to better, to better, to have more competitive SMART SCALE applications

How are you helping to do that prioritization?

Obviously along with our our local team and our VDOT folks but you know this this will give us additional support that I think this the staff could use to go through this process for the first time together.

On that the like the public engagement

That's going to be your staff.

But we'll be coming back to you all in your meeting in two months with that recommended amendment.

Is that sort of what you were digging?

I think that's part of our innovation process, but it sounds like you guys would have to do that, so that's good.

Maybe I'm not entirely engaged in it, but I think that's a big step forward as to how we're looking at these projects.

that you all have.

Yes.

Anyone online have any comments on the RFP?

The foreign period, the 21st, I think it's almost two years to get through the adoption of land?

Yeah, I think it's for having them on with us along with the whole process.

Is that including the time for the modeling?

It's really long.

I believe so.

I feel fairly confident saying yes, but... And not as confident?

It was a six month enough time for them to integrate.

We reached our transmission plan to be completed no later than November 20th.

and it's 2022 with the governance study being completed.

That's a key category.

So we'll have that bullet, you know, and then that week.

If you want to add links in the RFP that some of the work that you already have, that way they make sure that the pool is really where you're at in terms of your study.

Appreciate it.

Yeah, you're talking about the... That's the problem with your leads.

I just wanted to clarify some questions about that.

I think we're done with the RFP.

I have a really good suggestion for all the citizens who are on that board, like a school board, a major issue we have right now, a school bus, a walk into school, and a couple other ones.

Brian, do you mind repeating what the recommendations were?

Sure, it's the Albemarle County Office of Diversity and Inclusion, same county school boards, same county by confession funders, Regional Chamber of Commerce, and University of Pennsylvania.

I mean, Alex is still here, but especially if it's sort of tied in town.

And then say, here are additional recommendations by CTAC, and then any additional recommendations that you had, or if you wanted to support CTAC's recommendations, we would also bring that to the policy board.

And then can I clarify, were all of them recommended to be added to the supplemental?

Thank you.

Brilliant.

Yeah, I remember this conversation.

Believe it or not, Sandy drafted this before she left, so make sure that we had everybody that we've been talking about get on her.

I know their funding structure is different, but I think it fits better with the boardroom.

There was a discussion about that.

And I guess the LRTB as well.

As soon as we can get it approved.

And when we start appointing this, I guess I'm a little afraid that we're going to end up with all these committees and we don't know how they're supposed to be.

Did you talk to Sammy?

So like, if you all meet in July, they would meet in August.

We all meet once.

You point that are here, so.

Is it going to be like transportation planning or the RFP, after the RFP is done, their job is done or what?

We're thinking about the long range transportation plan comprehensively across all of these other departments.

So is it gonna be like a advisory group, advisory planning group?

Yeah, it's gonna be a technical group more so than an advisory group, but yes.

I think that was back in work.

The LRTP technical committee that may have the same people on it, but it is a little different.

and that is something we are always sensitive sensitive to this too big of a working group is unyielding I mean if you have one from each of these representatives I don't think that's going to be going to be too much and even if you add like

So I think that's going to, I mean, it's a good suggestion and we want to make sure that's incorporated

And if those positions get filled, they can be brought into the process?

Is this a

And then maybe if they have any questions, they can provide a feedback or ask questions or whatever.

Have those off-month meetings be of just the supplemental group and that your supplemental group should be bigger to meet all those additional recommendations.

So using the MBO tech meeting to go into the details of the LRTB rather than all, you know, any other updates from the MBO gets all that kind of stuff.

I mean, if the core group really represents the same people, do we need to get updates from them to offer them updates?

Do we know who or what is in the public works?

Yeah, I think that the goal is to keep it not specific but to keep it in some parts of the world so that the public can make the decisions about how to use it.

Your gates are a platform climate action one.

We also have public works division two that's starting to take on a lot of maintenance of roadways.

I like that because it also brings consistency to the group.

and like you said on the off months, the supplemental groups also attend.

Did you take the MPO tech meeting every month?

Well, I think it is needed for sure.

I mean, personally, it'd be great if it wasn't done in less than two years, but I understand how things work.

Is other items coming to the NPO tech would be the normal things that you all have on your agendas when an LRTP is not going on.

Thank you for your feedback.

They need like more school planning stuff.

Especially for the city, I'm thinking they have a sacred school coordinator, right?

So having a school district appoint somebody and it may not necessarily be a member of the school board on that supplemental committee?

I'm not sure what their role is with transportation.

Our school board doesn't get heavily into it, but we have a director of transportation.

I feel like a lot of times we make committees without really thinking through how that committee is gonna function and then you end up having to like recreate it and take way through or it doesn't seem worth

So what's the conclusion, the bottom line of the discussion?

I believe you have one on.

Six months?

That person would be in the NDS.

We do that in transportation planning.

It sounds like that's the way the city is moving now.

If the committee will start working right away until the transportation plan is higher.

They can be exact here.

Yes.

I guess we are a bit behind schedule now so you want to jump into the staff updates?

So the policy board should be approving the TIP amendment and of course there's three adjustments and Chuck will, Michael sort of may have loved but I think Chuck said he will be available tomorrow in case there are questions about the amendment.

Is there anything you need to know about the amendment?

And then there's another $2.7 million put on it subsequently.

So that's lottery 38.

Say that again.

It's hard hearing you guys from that meeting room.

I think it's pretty straightforward.

It's going to be taken care of one way or the other, you know, because we've got to get that bridge done.

All right, I think we're good on the amendments, just once.

The TJPDC RideShare, Sara?

a new bus for that and then additionally drivers for that before that schedule change and everything gets rolled out they will be celebrating their first anniversary on September 1 so we're looking to do some really fun promotions with that during the state's transit programming as well and yeah I kind of think that's it for now so

Anybody have questions on RideShare?

When is the application due again?

Yes sir.

There was something in SMART SCALE that I'm missing in finding, but it seems to be missing.

That's all I have to say.

There's pipeline projects, so near Jefferson Parkway, Wold Road, Route 22, Boonshon Road, and then I draw a line by then for the bus.

District Project in the County's Avon Project.

Yeah, they scrapped that project.

Baltimore County board members will be like, wait, why don't you have these projects that you might want to either not show any projects that the county is submitting or show all projects that are submitted.

Well, project B is the one that was scrapped, right?

For the county projects you either remove D&E and say we're only showing the TJPDC projects or

We can keep moving.

What do we got next?

It wasn't before the meeting.

So basically.

I think at some point we're going to get a bit of a humor.

Sandy was in vote, so there will be consistency when she gets back, but I was also about those two.

Some more to come.

I know I have been in a bunch of meetings and I've seen bits and pieces, but I am able to follow the whole, where we are, what the next steps are, and what the ultimate outcome is.

Maybe our next MPO tech committee meeting, actual specific presentation.

Just like it's the six, five materials that are...

I'll follow up with you, because I talked to Sandy about our conversation that we previously had.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I guess we need to vote on those amendments at the next meeting.