MARTIN METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC)
COMMITTEE MEETING
MEETING MINUTES
Monday, September 12, 2011 - 5:00 P.M.
Martin County Administration Building
Growth Management Conference Room, 1st Floor
2401 SE Monterey Road
Stuart, FL 34996
(772) 221-1498
Members in Attendance:
Mr. Ken Natoli, Vice Chairman
Ms. Dee Spera
Mr. Edward Vossen
Mr. Rick Yost
Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene
Mr. John-Mark Palacios
Mr. John Fanticola (For Barbara Timmerman)
Excused Members
Ms. Joan Moore, Chairperson
Mr. Kevin B. Edwards
Mr. Hal Forslund (Gone until November)
Mr. Robert Taylor
Mr. Jim Hudson (Gone until October)
Mr. John Mildenberger
Officer Michael Pope
Members Not In Attendance:
Mr. Joseph DeFronzo
Officer James C. Brooks, (ex-Officio)
Mr. Eric Cerniglia
Staff in Attendance:
Ms. Beth Beltran, Transit Planning Manager
Ms. Margaret H. Brassard, Administrative Specialist II
Mr. Michael Malham, Planner II
Others in Attendance:
Mr. Kev Freeman, CRA
There was a quorum for the meeting.
BPAC Minutes
Page 1 of 8
September 12, 2011
1. APPROVE AGENDA
Ms. Beth Beltran stated that she would like to add an item to the agenda as Agenda
Item E; it will be the Martin County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Process. It contains information as to how the process works.
A motion was made by Ms. Dee Spera to approve the Agenda with the additional
item as noted. A second was made by Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene. The motion
passed unanimously.
2. APPROVE MINUTES
A motion to approve the regular minutes from the July 11, 2011, meeting, as well
as the Subcommittee summary of the August 8, 2011, meeting was made by Ms.
Dee Spera with a second by Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene. No objections were noted.
The motion passed unanimously.
3. FDOT COMMENTS
None.
4. AGENDA ITEMS
Mr. Natoli stated that the scheduled meeting for next month is a subcommittee
meeting, however, since there has been low attendance at the past couple of meetings,
and the Action Plan is in need of some input and work from the committee, it was
suggested that the October meeting be changed to be a regular meeting. Also, the
meeting in November will be a joint meeting with the Citizen’s Advisory Committee
(CAC) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). This committee will not be
able to work on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan at that time. It would be
beneficial to this committee if the meeting next month was a regular meeting in order
to work on this Plan.
Ms. Dee Spera made a motion to change the meeting on October 10, 2011, and
the November 16, 2011, to be regular meetings. This motion was seconded by
Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene. There were no objections to the motion. The motion
carried unanimously.
A. MARTIN COUNTY CRA TIGER III GRANT PROPOSAL –
STAFF PRESENTATION
MEMO: temp12BPACa02.01
Mr. Kev Freeman, who represents the Community Redevelopment Agency
(CRA) in Martin County, was introduced. Mr. Freeman stated that the U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT) has been authorized to dispose of $562
million in discretionary grants. They are seeking projects throughout the
nation which are innovative, involve multi-modal forms of transportation, and
BPAC Minutes
Page 2 of 8
September 12, 2011
are not entirely involved around transportation, even though the grant is
transportation related. The grant does offer more point scoring for
transportation items, however this grant will work closely with Housing
Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP), in accessing these grant applications. This is known as the
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) III
Grant. By reviewing previous winners of the TIGER II grants, the CRA has
learned what errors were made in their submission, and plan to submit a more
complete and thorough project for the TIGER III grant. Indiantown was
selected to apply for this grant as there is $140 million specifically set aside
for rural communities. Because Indiantown is a CRA area, fairly isolated, and
the results will be easily measured making it a good candidate for the grant.
Indiantown is divided by a five lane highway, Warfield Boulevard. Most
traffic, even the neighborhood traffic, is forced on to Warfield Boulevard.
This community is a multi-modal area, walking, bicycling, and golf carts are
major modes of transportation. The CRA held a workshop in Indiantown to
determine where the residents would like to be in the terms of linkage, and
have been able to glean valuable information. It was determined that
approximately 60% of the local traffic is on this road, which is why FDOT
wants to build a six lane highway through the town. It was learned that the
residences do not want the six lane highway when that could be avoided by
the utilization of better local links. The CRA is offering an alternative which
would remove trips from Warfield Boulevard. Some considerations were
where people want to go, and what mode of transportation will they be taking.
It was learned that Indiantown has the most heavily used bus route in the
entire county. A centralized hub area was envisioned to be a potential
bus/train station in the future. So the CRA has looked at circular routes which
could allow people to commute locally without having to get on to Warfield
Boulevard. The CRA is looking to incorporate roadways and trail ways which
would enable walkers, bicycles and golf carts to move about easily. One of
the CRA’s main aims is to keep Warfield Boulevard as a primary, passthrough route, and use the local network for local transportation in
Indiantown, while encouraging people to come into Indiantown and explore
the trail network that connects to the center.
The CRA anticipates applying for approximately $10 million of the grant.
They are still in the design phase of the project. They will continue to work
on the connectivity and the potential for a bus/train station in the future.
Mr. Freeman is requesting a recommendation to the MPO Board, from this
committee, to support the CRA applying for this grant. From there, the MPO
Board will recommend the project to the Board of County Commissioners
prior to applying for the grant. When the CRA applies for the grant they will
update each of the committees with more details, as this project is still in
process. There is a short timeline on this however, as the intention to apply
for this grant must go out at the end of this month.
BPAC Minutes
Page 3 of 8
September 12, 2011
Mr. John-Mark Palacios of FDOT asked which of the roadways will be new.
Mr. Freeman stated that some of the roads do currently exist but they are in
need of improvements in order to accommodate the different modes of
transportation. One of the priorities is that DOT wants these projects to be
scripted and almost shovel ready. The CRA plans to have most of the project
drawn out and there is lots of right-of-way so there will be fewer
environmental issues with which to deal. The primary aim is to upgrade
existing connections so that they can accommodate all the modes of
transportation from walkers to golf carts.
Mr. Palacios asked if the train service that currently ran through Indiantown
was Amtrak. Mr. Freeman stated yes, but that the train no longer stops there,
but the population in Indiantown would like the train to stop there again.
They too would use the train in order to get to work if it were available to
them.
Ms. Spera asked what the trail way would consist of, a soft surface or
concrete? Mr. Freeman stated that it will be a “green” transitional-type of
surface. It will be aimed toward pedestrians however, the length of some of
the trails will be long, so it must accommodate bicycles and golf carts. It may
not be concrete but it will be stable enough to accommodate bicycles.
Mr. Palacios asked what percentage of trips would be removed from Warfield
Boulevard. Mr. Freeman stated that at this point in time, it is unsure, but it
will be a major reduction in vehicle traffic. The CRA does plan to measure all
of the different forms of transportation as there needs to be a base line as well
as long term tracking. The grant requires the tracking to see what projects are
viable for doing again in the future, which work, which don’t and how well or
not. Mr. Freeman stated that the trails would also be a benefit to tourism as
people could come to Indiantown and bike along the trails.
Mr. Palacios asked if when the pedestrian and bike traffic was removed from
Warfield Boulevard, did the CRA consider that the DOT may increase the
speed limit on the roadway? Mr. Freeman stated that the DOT will allow for
local input. The CRA hopes to reduce the car traffic on the Boulevard. The
CRA has run collision reports for that area of Indiantown and the odds are one
in six of being involved in an accident on Warfield Boulevard. The people of
Indiantown want to slow the road down.
Mr. John-Mark Palacios stated that Martin County has one of the highest
bicycle fatalities and accidents in the state.
Ms. Beltran stated that the Citizen’s and Technical Advisory Committee’s
have made motions to recommend the MPO Board support the CRA in
applying for the TIGER III grant.
BPAC Minutes
Page 4 of 8
September 12, 2011
A motion was made by Cheryl Lenartiene to recommend to the MPO
Board to support the CRA in applying for the TIGER III grant as
presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ed Vossen. There were no
objections. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Freeman discussed the winners of the TIGER II projects. He stated that
measurability, and innovativeness were key factors to the projects which were
awarded.
Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene asked if we know if there are areas in Indiantown that
have a larger populous of non-drivers? Mr. Malham stated that they do not
have that type of information.
B. BICYCLE and PEDESTRIAN ACTION PLAN
MEMO: temp12BPACa02.02
Mr. Malham stated that as there are a lot of members absent tonight he was
not going into a great detail on the changes which have been made. He did
state that the committee needs to be reviewing the Action Plan as he would
like the committee to prioritize the projects at the October meeting. Mr.
Malham stated that during the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) that
there was a massive public involvement campaign, so he has extracted some
specific questions relating the Bicycle and Pedestrian issues from there, he’s
tallied up some of the recommendations and he’s gotten the information into
the Geographic Information System (GIS) to mention some of the changes.
(See handout.) Mr. Malham advised the members present how the projects
are being evaluated and scored.
Mr. Malham stated that the number one project was the bicycle lanes on
Willoughby Boulevard, from Cove Road to Monterey Road. Mr. Natoli
stated that Willoughby is proposed to go all the way to U. S. Highway One so
he felt that it should be included. Mr. Malham stated that it should be kept as
a separate project. Ms. Beltran remarked that you still must keep in mind that
Willoughby is not eligible for Federal funding. Mr. Natoli asked if Federal
funding was one of the criteria. Mr. Malham stated that it is hoped that
Federal funding will be used for many of these projects but this is excluded
from receiving Federal funding. Mr. Natoli noted that this committee can’t
allow the Federal funding to dictate the priorities. This is still an important
link, even if it needs to stand on its own merit. Mr. Malham stated that this
link could be incorporated at a later date so as not to over weigh another
project or jeopardize something much more important. Mr. Natoli stated that
regardless where on the plan it is, it is a plan and this portion needs to be
shown, regardless of the prioritizing. Mr. Malham stated that it could be listed
as an improvement project. The priorities are the top ten and the improvement
projects are the next steps. Mr. Natoli stated that there will be other projects
to include with this, but it’s not necessary to change the entire list for this
BPAC Minutes
Page 5 of 8
September 12, 2011
project. However, it needs to be on the list showing that it has been identified
and maybe at a later date, it will be picked up by way of a new project coming
nearby in which it could be incorporated. It has been noted that the BPAC
has already made known to the County that all roadways should have bike
lanes.
Mr. Malham has indicated that the MPO Board will take the lead on some of
these projects. It has been discussed having a consultant review these
projects, and have Martin County maintain it.
The next project is the Safe Route to Schools non-infrastructure project, which
has partnered with the Commit 2 be Fit Organization, will begin in October in
all of the elementary schools in Martin County. Mr. Malham met with people
from the Parks and Recreation Department and they advised when the BPAC
is suggesting projects to add landscaping as it makes the project more
appealing.
Another route that should be added to the bike lane list is Ocean Boulevard,
from Downtown to Palm Beach Road.
Mr. Palacious suggested that Mr. Malham should change the color of I-95 and
the Turnpike to differentiate the roads from the bike lanes on the maps that he
distributed showing roads and bike lanes.
Ms. Beltran stated that it is very important that this committee review the
maps and have them finalized at the next meeting. The November meeting is
a joint meeting with the CAC and TAC. BPAC will need to have a strong
presence at this meeting to support their desires using these maps and to be
able to answer any questions presented to them by the other two committees.
Mr. Natoli commended Mr. Malham on his efforts in compiling all the
information and the maps. He also suggested that when Mr. Malham reminds
the committee of the next meeting, that if members cannot attend the meeting
that they should forward any input and prioritizing to Mr. Malham so that the
information can be added at the meeting, for presentation at the November
meeting. Mr. Natoli also suggested that the greenway planning should be
shown on the map.
Mr. Malham discussed the categories and the ranking and gave a brief
overview as to what is expected of the members in scoring the different
projects and how their score will affect the outcome. Ms. Beltran stated that
based on the criteria Walmart is way down on the list, however, it’s a high
traffic area for people whether by auto, bike, bus or walking. She stated that it
is projects like this that should be reviewed by committee members to decide
whether it should be rated as a higher priority.
BPAC Minutes
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September 12, 2011
Mr. Natoli believes that the order of the Bicycle Action Plan should be
changed around. He believes that the committees’ vision and goals should be
first, followed by the tables, the priorities, the improvement projects, the maps
with the project lists then everything else. That way if someone looks at the
plan, they will see the important information and maybe they will continue to
read on.
C. FY 2011/12 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN UPDATE
MEMO: temp12BPACa02.03
Ms. Beltran stated that the PIP was approved by the MPO Board in December,
2009. Some modifications are being recommended in order to use the 2010
figures and to reference the 2035 Plan instead of the 2030 Plan as in the
previously approved PIP. There is a list of modifications planned in the
agenda package followed by the actual PIP that was approved. Staff is
requesting approval from this committee to take these changes to the MPO
board at their next meeting. Both the CAC and TAC have already seen the
PIP and have given their approval.
Ms. Cheryl Lenartiene made a motion to approve the PIP as presented by
staff and recommend it to the MPO Board. The motion was seconded by
Ms. Dee Spera. There were no objections. The motion was passed
unanimously.
D. SEABRANCH PROJECT UPDATE
MEMO: temp12BPACa02.04
Mr. Michael Malham stated a Public Workshop was held to review the
background of this project and to solicit approval for the project. There were
18 comments made in favor of the alignment and four opposing. The
Seabranch Advisory Group was initiated by the Board of County
Commissioners to review the proposed pathway alignment currently going
through Seabranch State Park to explore additional alternatives.
Commissioner Heard was appointed to the advisory group as it is in her
district. The project is moving forward. They are trying to move the
alignment a bit further into the park.
E. MARTIN MPO PROCESS
MEMO:temp12BPACa02.05
Ms. Beltran stated that this is a description and history of the Martin MPO
Board, who is on the Board, the advisory committees, how they came about
and what the responsibilities are for the members. This will be given to each
of the new members so they will have a better idea as to what will be expected
of them and why.
BPAC Minutes
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September 12, 2011
5. COMMENTS FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS
None.
6. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
None.
7. NEXT MEETINGS
Mr. Natoli stated that the next two meetings will be regular meetings and they will be
held on October 10, 2011 and November 16, 2011. The November 16, 2011 will be a
joint meeting with the CAC and the TAC and it will be held at the Blake Library at
1:30 PM. This meeting will be in lieu of the November meeting.
8. ADJOURN
A motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Dee Spera and seconded by Ms. Cheryl
Lenartiene. There were no objections. The motion passed unanimously. The
meeting was adjourned at 6:44 PM
Recorded and Prepared by:
_________________________________________
Margaret H. Brassard, Administrative Specialist, II
________________________
Date
Approved by:
______________________________________
Ken Natoli, Vice-Chair
BPAC Minutes
Page 8 of 8
_________________________
Date
September 12, 2011