Courtney Campbell Scenic Highway
Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC)
MINUTES
Regular Meeting at
URS Corporation
7th Floor Board Room
7650 West Courtney Campbell Causeway
Tampa, FL
August 18, 2010
10:00 a.m.
Attending:
Ron Gregory, Vice President, URS Corporation
Christine Commerce, Executive Director, Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful
Councilman Bill Jonson, Clearwater City Council
Linda Saul-Sena, Community Advocate, City of Tampa
Susan J. Miller, Bicycle/Pedestrian Planner, Pinellas County MPO
Councilman Jonson explained that Ms. Lunsford was unable to attend the meeting today because of
extremely heavy comprehensive plan reviews currently requiring her attention.
She suggested that, because of her involvement in comp plan reviews, the CAC requests an
extension for the completion of the Corridor Management Plan Update.
Ms. Saul-Sena made a motion for the CAC to request an extension for the completion of the
Corridor Management Plan Update until December of this year due to the volume of work involved in
comprehensive plan reviews. Mr. Gregory seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Ms. Saul-Sena commented on the item at the bottom of page 3, Community Participation, where
Councilman Jonson had remarked that the CAC had done much in this area. She recalled an event
around the Fourth of July, the opening of the Utility Corridor, which was a fairly big event and she felt
it should be included in the list in the future when the CMP Update is submitted.
Ms. Miller made a motion to approve the minutes of the July 7, 2010 meeting.
Ms. Saul-Sena seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Old Business:
1.
Corridor Management Plan Update
Councilman Jonson indicated a picture sent to Ms. Lunsford which he had copied to show
the group because he thought it would make a great cover for the finished document. He
also mentioned that he had made copies of the outline section from the CMP Guidance
Document that the group was working through at the July 7 meeting. He has been working
with the outline and adding information through the first four pages, and asked the CAC
members for comments.
Ms. Saul-Sena recommended clarification regarding Levels of Service (LOS) information
provided. Mr. Gregory remarked he did not understand why it went from C to F with only a
drop in traffic, not an increase. Ms. Miller stated she had inquired of county staff why that
was and she was told the methodology had changed in the way it was calculated.
Ms. Saul-Sena also suggested under Safety, 2, that the sentence start with AGuardrail
replacements continue as part of ongoing maintenance,@ which she felt was a stronger
sentence. On H. 3., rather than begin the sentence with Abecause,@ change it to read AThe
Clearwater Chamber=s Visitor Information Center closed because of the increasing use of
the Internet for tourism information.@ Also, G., Social and Economic Conditions, Positive
completion of the Westin. A stronger way to state this would be AThe Westin Tampa Bay
opened in 2008.@
Councilman Jonson noted that he did not include information sent in an e-mail from Mr.
Gregory regarding impact on seagrasses. AThe 2.23-acre permit seagrass impact was
mitigated by creation of a one-acre seagrass habitat.@
Ms. Saul-Sena referred to D. on the next page, rather than say AAnother significant project is
...,@ could be changed to say AThe Tampa Westshore Alliance=s Pedestrian Master Plan,
which will be implemented in stages, is very significant for the Courtney Campbell Scenic
Highway.@ She inquired whether there had been any discussion regarding birding as a
strong eco-tourism industry, and that the CCSH supports that view.
Mr. Gregory inquired about crash data and Councilman Jonson indicated he had it in an
Excel spreadsheet. Mr. Gregory asked that it be e-mailed to him and he would have their
traffic engineering people look at it.
Ms. Saul-Sena asked if the CAC should discuss water quality, if it is in the purview of the
CMP. Councilman Jonson stated that it was one of the questions the Scenic Highways
Advisory Committee (SHAC) asked about when they were going through the process, so he
believes it would be appropriate to talk about it. Mr. Gregory referred to the FDOT project
they have been padding on the multi modal aspects of the resurfacing job and stated it was
his understanding they have added either expansion of or development of stormwater pond
retention related to that and that the CAC could obtain that information from the project
manager FDOT. Ms. Saul-Sena thought that was a very good idea because they can say
the department is consciously investing public resources to make improvements. Mr.
Gregory reported that Lee Royal made a presentation about scenic highways in general and
specifically the Courtney Campbell at a technical meeting held at the Planning Commission
yesterday. In her presentation Ms. Royal had commented on the fact that the department
had spent a lot of time in finally getting on the same page as the advisory committee for the
Courtney Campbell.
Ms. Commerce mentioned water quality in connection with a project idea she had a while
ago dealing with animal waste, e.g., Pooches for the Planet, although she did not know if
this was a problem along the Courtney Campbell from people walking their dogs.
Mr. Gregory indicated that he drove the Causeway all the time and very rarely saw anyone
walking a dog. Ms. Commerce reported that Keep Manatee Beautiful used funding from the
Tampa Bay Estuary grant program to install pet stations and signage along their causeway.
Ms. Saul-Sena stated that if, at some point in the future, the City of Tampa were to redo the
beach and allow dogs there might be a need for such a project, but right now dogs are not
permitted on the beach. Mr. Gregory offered that most likely FDOT and/or the city is not
going to want to encourage pets on the beach area or anywhere near it. It was agreed that
water quality should be addressed and Councilman Jonson suggested they contact Holly
Greening at the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and ask for comments.
Ms. Saul-Sena apologized for the fact that she will be highly consumed with her campaign
for a county commission seat until after the November 2 elections, but that she will be
available to attend the meeting in November and/or December. Considering the time,
Councilman Jonson asked that anyone who could stay to please do so to go over the Goals,
Objectives and Strategies. He addressed the subject of when to schedule to the next CAC
meeting. Prior to Ms. Saul-Sena=s departure, Ms. Miller reported that in Pinellas County the
Transportation Enhancement applications have been submitted and are now being
prioritized. The county did submit one for the one section of the Courtney Campbell and the
state also has a statewide enhancement application. Related to that, Ms. Saul-Sena
reported she attended a Tampa Bay Estuary board meeting last week and learned there are
$5,000 grants available in the next couple of month to do small scale projects and she
wondered if there was anything the CAC should be requesting.
Councilman Jonson stated he would like the group to meet again in a month, whoever is
able to attend, to keep the updating of the CMP process going. The suggestion of Friday,
September 10, was made for the next meeting. Councilman Jonson suggested either the
30th or October 1, but felt they should check on Lori Snively=s availability and Ms. Lunsford=s,
also.
Mr. Gregory asked if Ms. Snively was the one actually tasked to put the CMP Update
together, and Ms. Miller commented she believed Ms. Snively had volunteered to assist Ms.
Lunsford in compiling the finished product. Mr. Gregory commented that FDOT most likely
intends to play a role in this process. Ms. Miller expressed her belief that when the
Friendship Trail closed it placed much more regional significance on the Courtney Campbell.
Mr. Gregory added that there really is not a viable alternative to this corridor in the
foreseeable future because, for a relatively low cost, they can turn this into the connection
that is needed. He feels FDOT will be seeking that money, and while they are not
committing to anything they are searching for some way to able to provide those bridge
crossings in a couple of years. Ms. Miller reported that at the Chairs Coordinating
Committee a few weeks ago, someone from either Sarasota or Manatee County suggested
the Friendship Trail bridge be placed back on the regional priority map, assuming that at
sometime in the future the Gandy Bridge will have to be replaced. When this occurs,
bicycle/pedestrian facilities will have to be provided. Mr. Gregory stated that topic came up
in the presentations for the replacement of the Howard Frankland Bridge when the question
was raised whether to place bike/pedestrian on the new bridge. Ms. Miller pointed out that
bicycle/pedestrian facilities are not permitted on the Interstate. Mr. Gregory noted that it is
easier to do it more inexpensively on the Courtney Campbell from that point north. He also
added that the problem that occurs when these bridges are rebuilt, because they are done
as cheaply as possible, they can almost never be added onto, therefore, a stand-alone
structure must be built. Ms. Miller also reported that there was discussion about whether this
trail, the Courtney Campbell, was going to be an exclusive, but it is not, it is shared. Mr.
Gregory stated that could be changed overnight. Ms. Miller inquired whether some type of
vehicular frontage road was needed. Mr. Gregory stated that if it becomes the main corridor,
for safety reasons they would have to and then it would probably be restricted to
maintenance vehicles. He added that there is no rule, they just want to avoid fighting with
the fishermen. Ms. Miller indicated that is a concern, also, and she has received some
phone calls regarding the Bayway Bridge that FDOT is seeking funding for. There is trail on
that bridge and there has been discussion about justifying bike/pedestrian facilities, but there
are no bike/pedestrian counts available for the street. FDOT must figure a way to justify the
expenditure of the trail. Mr. Gregory stated that it could be funded 100 percent with local or
state money. He also added that with not addressing the Gandy issue, like when Pinellas
County did not opt in with Hillsborough on this issue last year, there is a great deal of
pressure to refocus on the Courtney Campbell because it is clear they will not be able to use
the Howard Frankland.
Councilman Jonson stated he added to the Summary comments about the Clean-up, that
there have been two per year. Ms. Commerce indicated they actually do more than two per
year. He asked if she could report the quantities of trash collected. Ms. Commerce replied
she had given that information to Ms. Snively. She reported that she compiled the data from
the two major clean-ups done each year and for the Scenic Byways one and also statistics
from the one just conducted this past Saturday. She also indicated that to go back five years
to pull out the data from all the clean-ups would be rather labor intensive.
Mr. Gregory asked if the group should add an item about the tide gate crossing, and
Councilman Jonson thought that would be a part of B. Mr. Gregory stated there are three
impediments, the short ridge in Clearwater, the high level bridge in Hillsborough, and then
the tide gate. The remainder of those are not big issues. Councilman Jonson suggested
that as part of b. I. Strategy, the status is there is a grant application in for the pedestrian
bridge over the tidal gate. Mr. Gregory stated that is separate from what they are doing. Ms.
Miller indicated the additional Strategy would be the connections to the main roadway on
either side. Mr. Gregory stated Hillsborough County and FDOT have regional trail system
that ends on the west side of the tide gate. Ms. Miller then indicated that Strategy ii. would
be connecting the tide gate to the regional trail system at either end. Mr. Gregory added that
north side of the roadway also has this issue, and they need to put a sidewalk or a trail from
Rocky Point back towards there. They made the Westin build a sidewalk in front of its
property line, so there is a sidewalk in front of Westin, but no sidewalk for another forty feet
to the sidewalk and trail that is there already, and there is no sidewalk from the Westin back
to Rocky Point. Ms. Miller reported that on the Pinellas side, even though right now there is
no connection from the main causeway to the existing trail systems, it is on the future plans.
Councilman Jonson asked if that was not the additional grant. She replied that the
additional grant is along the Causeway itself for one of the Pinellas sections, she was
referring to connecting the Causeway itself to some of the trail systems. Connections are
still needed to the Pinellas Trail, the Progress Energy Trail and to the Bayshore Trail. Mr.
Gregory asked if that grant money is to be used to get the bridge over that one low level area
along the Courtney Campbell and from the beach area in Clearwater up to connect to the
existing multi-use facility on the east side of that waterway. Ms. Miller stated this is one of
five segments and referred to the map, then confirmed Mr. Gregory=s assumption.
Mr. Gregory explained the reason for having that tidal gate solution in there as an item is that
it is entirely likely they may be able to accomplish that as part of the current project when
they receive the funding, independent of a long-term solution, which this is.
Councilman Jonson mentioned that the CAC has not accomplished very much with its
education goal, except for its events. Mr. Gregory commented that it was a big event and
Ms. Miller added that the website is a primary point of contact that constantly requires
updating. Mr. Gregory also suggested they contact the other key entities the CAC works
with and ask them to have a link on their websites that will take folks to the Courtney
Campbell website.
Ms. Commerce asked Councilman Jonson what he had in mind for the AKeep It Clean@
educational program for the Causeway, Objective d. under Education. She stated that Keep
Hillsborough County Beautiful does outreach programs quite often and she would be happy
to take some of the CCSH brochures to display on their table at those events. Councilman
Jonson suggested restructuring Objective d. to include partnering with Keep Hillsborough
County Beautiful and Keep Pinellas Beautiful. Regarding Objective c., Mr. Gregory stated
the CAC has the archival of historic records on the CCSH website, so this is completed.
Also, under Objective b., Councilman Jonson noted that the pamphlets have been finished,
but he thought the group should develop a better way to distribute them, perhaps through
the chamber and/or hotels. Mr. Gregory indicated the video is on the website, and they have
the scenic highway signs. He mentioned that at one time they were talking about having
encasement units installed that would list information on shore birds and other wildlife. Ms.
Miller indicated they had applied for a grant to do that project through the Estuary Program
but did not get it. Mr. Gregory suggested the keep applying for grant money each year.
Councilman Jonson stated he felt the CAC=s previous success has been through partnering
with FDOT, the MPOs and working with the volunteer groups.
Under Goal 5, Objective a., Mr. Gregory thought the service road concept is a major part of
the expanded effort by FDOT, so that objective has been achieved, at least on the
Hillsborough side. He also noted that FDOT indicated they will have a completely separate
contract for the Pinellas side. He stated that regarding Strategy I. one thing that could be
done is to work with FDOT for the Pinellas side of the Causeway which is not currently under
any kind of program. He felt this is where FDOT will encounter conflict with the fishermen
because it is so narrow and many people park along there while they fish. Mr. Gregory
stated the Pinellas side is going to require a lot of input from the CAC, because it is one
place where all the parties can be brought together conveniently because all the
governmental units on the Clearwater side are members of this committee. He made the
suggestion to add a Strategy relating to the Pinellas side of the Causeway. The continuation
of the service road concept for multiple recreational opportunities is good, and they would
continue to report the progress of the Tampa road and add a Strategy for the Pinellas side.
Mr. Gregory added that this would also include attempting to find some way to build the highlevel bridge across the waterway. Councilman Jonson thought this was included in the grant
application, but Mr. Gregory stated that it is not. The two bridges in the grant application are
the low-level bridge and the bridge at the tidal gate.
Councilman Jonson stated he would update what they have done so far and he told Mr.
Gregory he would send him the crash data. Ms. Miller has provided Level of Service
information. Mr. Gregory indicated that he will have their traffic engineering people take a
look at the data. Councilman Jonson asked Ms. Miller to compile any comments she may
have regarding Goal 6, which deals with bicycle/pedestrian issues.
The next meeting will be held whenever they can ensure that Ms. Snively will be able to
attend, possibly September 30 or October 1.
There being no further business, Councilman Jonson adjourned the meeting.
Next Meeting:
Tentatively, Thursday or Friday, September 30 or October 1, 2010 in
the URS conference room.