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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/22/1986 - Workshop Minutes City Council MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 4:00 P.M. COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Halter, Councilmen Brown, McIlhaney, Runnels, Boughton, Tongco, Bond STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Cole, City Attorney Locke, Director of Capital Improvements Ash, Director of Planning Mayo, Deputy Finance Director Schroeder, Traffic Engineer Black, City Engineer Pullen, Personnel Director Dickson, Administrative Assistant Magoon, Planning Technician Volk, Council Coordinator Garrett. VISITORS PRESENT: See quest register. The meeting was called to order with Councilman Bond absent. Agenda Item No. 1 - Council Concerns: Councilman Runnels referred to a memorandum sent to the council from Van VanDever, Finance Director on the CIP Budget Process and Overall Budget Process. He suggested the council should establish its own budget and CIP policies. He pointed out the comprehensive plan predicts needs and funding policies. He noted the public should also have an input. Mayor Halter suggested these budgetary items be discussed at the retreat to be held on February 1-2, 1986. City Manager King Cole responded by saying these items will be discussed at a more broader scope and he had in mind to discuss the CIP Process and Budgetary Process. Mayor Halter requested the Staff to schedule a public hearing on next year's budget for the February 12, 1986 Workshop Meeting. Mayor Halter introduced Connie Garrett as Pam Jones' replacement for Council Coordinator. Also, Shirley Volk is assisting with the minutes while Dian Jones is away at Election Law School. Mayor Halter mentioned the memorandum he sent to Council as requested by Jim Gardner about revisions to the charter regarding recall elections. He noted the time was relatively short to pursue changes for this year's election and there could be other changes that may need to be made to the City Charter. Also, the city can only have a charter election every two years. He suggested having a charter revision committee made up of council WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 2 members and/or council and non-council citizens to review the charter and make changes before the April election, 1987. Pat Boughton requested the workshop meetings be held at 5:00 p.m. instead of 4:00 p.m. She stated that James Bond is usually not able to be at the first part of the meetings because of business responsibilities. The council concurred. Mayor Halter metioned the Special Meeting next week on January 29, 1986 concerning the McCaw BCS Communications, Inc. rate increase. Agenda Item No. 2 - Discussion of Current and Proposed Highway Projects within the City of College Station, Texas. City Manager Cole made preliminary comments regarding the presentation to be given by Elrey Ash and A1 Mayo. He referred to the issues that were presented to the City Council on Thursday, December 12, 1985. On that day, Mrs. Irene Barksdale presented two petitions regarding the SH6 and Ponderosa and East Bypass intersection and the Emerald Forest Parkway Overpass and Interchange. During the same meeting the council and staff agreed the Hwy. Dept. should be contacted to discuss the issues. Mr. Cole stated he had reviewed the issues that have been brought forth by the petitions and found more questions than answers. He referred to the petition regarding the Emerald Forest Parkway Overpass and Interchange and noted the petition states that funding has been approved for 5 years and the City of College Station has under contract at this time the extensions of Dartmouth St. and Holleman St. which will connect to this overpass. He said the statement was erroneous because Holleman and Dartmouth are not under contract to connect with this overpass and there is not sufficient funds at this time. The first issue presented by Elrey Ash, Director of Capital Improvements was the discussion of SH6-Ponderosa intersection. He passed a copy of the Comprehensive Plan map to the council members. He asked council members to review the memorandum from John Black, Traffic Engineer. This memorandum is in reference to the widening and upgrading SH6 from East Bypass interchange to Navasota. This project should begin in next 24 months. Hwy. Dept. plans to eliminate all at-grade crossings with Tx. Ave. S. except at specified interchanges. These interchanges included are Rock Prairie Rd., Greens Prairie Rd., and Peach Creek Rd. to Navasota. The elimination of the at-grade crossings would mean that Ponderosa Drive would be tied to the west service road and no further. Ponderosa would not have access to the main lanes of Tx. Ave. The same is true for Pinion Drive. WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 3 The staff's recommendation for partially eliminating the problem at Ponderosa intersection is to close the intersection which the Hwy. Dept. is planning to do in the future. The motorists would be required to take the frontage road to Deacon or Rock Prairie Rd. He noted Deacon will be signalized at that time. Mr. Ash referred to page 3 of John Black's memorandum which surmmarizes the traffic accidents at Ponderosa (1980-1985). He stated 49% of accidents could be eliminated by the closing of Ponderosa. He also noted that if both intersections are closed, Ponderosa and Pinion, the patrons of the businesses in this area may have to find alternate routes to their place of business. Councilman Brown commented he did not feel comfortable seeing the businesses in this area threatened by the closing of both intersections. Mr. Ash noted the other suggestion would be to close only one intersection. Councilman Brown questioned the speed limit at the "dilemma zone". He suggested the idea of dropping the speed limit at the city limit sign to 45 mph. Mr. Ash explained how speed limits are set. He noted that the speed limits are established by the 85th percentile of speeds traveled on a section of roadway. The law states you can reduce speed by 5 mph or increase speed by 5 mph. Councilman McIlhaney questioned the need for the Emerald Forest Parkway overpass. She asked if there were any way to proceed quicker with the Hwy. Dept. Mr. Ash answered that A1 Mayo would discuss this project further. He pointed out that the Emerald Forest Parkway Overpass is in the plan for the SH 6 project. Councilman Brown noted that this project would not begin until 1989. Councilman Boughton questioned which road the motorists would use to get to the overpass. Councilman McIlhaney noted if motorists could use Deacon instead of Ponderosa, they are on the frontage road to geto the East Bypass and Emerald Parkway overpass. She also noted there are alternate ways to get to the overpass without Dartmouth being completed. City Manager Cole stated that A1 Mayo would concentratge on this issue in his presentation. He also commented that this segment of highway is in transition until 1989 and the potential number of acccidents is going to be higher. All traffic will be channeled toward this area and there is not a quick solution to reduce traffic congestion. Councilman James Bond arrived at the meeting. WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 4 Mayor Halter suggested the proposal to close Ponderosa Drive. summarized the earlier discussion, for Councilman Bond. He mentioned the staff's recommendations to close Ponderosa Drive and Pinion or just Ponderosa with the realization that Pinion would be closed within a few years. He Councilman Tongco questioned the effects of the traffic signal at Deacon and the speed of traffic at this intersection. Mr. Ash stated that the traffic will slow down on south-bound Tx. Ave. but will not slow the 55 mph traffic on the east bypass. Councilman Runnels also questioned what devices could be used to slow traffic down from SH6 to Tx. Ave. Mr. Ash answered there would be a preliminary signal flashing amber stating"signal ahead". Councilman Tongco suggested having a "caution" or "bad intersection" sign. Mr. Ash said he would present this idea to the Hwy. Dept. City Manager Cole commented that the staff feels a traffic signal at Ponderosa would worsen conditions and their suggestion is to close Ponderosa. He noted again the Hwy. Dept. will progress with these projects in the next 24 months. After further discussion on the option of closing Ponderosa, Councilman McIlhaney stated that she would like to see a more clearly designated area at the cross-over at Pinion Drive and also she suggested the area be marked and easily accessible. Councilman Tongco said there was no left turn lane from Tx. Ave. at Ponderosa. Councilman McIlhaney noted there was no other frontage road to reach the east bypass. Mr. Ash commented the staff feels strongly against signalization at this intersection and understood the council's comments to wait and close Ponderosa and/or Pinion. Councilman Brown suggested making Ponderosa one-way going west. Mr. Ash answered that one-way streets are not used in this manner. One-way streets should only be used in pairs to provide high speed access across an area from one point to another. Mayor Halter asked council if they agreed not to signalize Ponderosa. The council concurred. Councilman Bond commented on the urgency of the project which consists of the frontage road on the east side to Rock Prairie Road. Mayor Halter noted he would WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 5 raise the question at the MPO meeting, Fri. Jan. 24, 1986. Councilman Bond suggested the council present a resolution requesting the urgency of this matter. Councilman Brown asked if entrance and exit ramps could be added to Emerald Parkway with the safety funds. Mr. Mayo stated the Emerald Parkway Overpass is included in the SH6 project and work is scheduled to begin February of next year. Mr. Ash pointed out the Hwy. Dept. would be hesitant to use safety money for the ramps at Emerald Parkway Overpass. Councilman McIlhaney asked if there is going to be a complete interchange at SW Parkway or a Overpass. Mr. Ash responded by saying there will be two interchanges, Southwest Parkway and Emerald Parkway. Councilman McIlhaney suggested putting a flashing yellow light cautioning motorists that a dangerous intersection lies ahead, in both directions at the SH6 and Ponderosa intersection. Mayor Halter suggested presenting a resolution to the Hwy. Dept. requesting a warning sign to be established both north and south of the dangerous intersection. A1 Mayo, Director of Planning, begins his presentation by referring to the memorandum he gave to the City Council. He mentioned the "Annual Element" which is a priority list of projects most needed by the Steering Committee. He mentioned that any projects can be added to the list at the MPO meeting. He noted that SW Parkway Overpass should be added to this list. He referred to the 2-page handout that lists the projects of the Transportation Improvement Program for Bryan and College Station since 1976. The College Station projects total $11,330,160.00. Mr. Mayo noted the safety projects are funded using the cost/benefit ratio. Decreasing the cost of a project improves the chance of funding. He noted that the District Engineer submitted to the State's office a project for Safety Funds to construct entrance and exit ramps at Southwest Parkway and the East Bypass. Mayor Halter noted that projects on the 86 Annual Element are more likely to happen than others. As funds become available, projects that are more critical will be allocated first. Mayor Halter explained how the MPO works. The MPO agrees on priority projects and these are funded first. Mr. Ash stated that it is probably not possible to get safety funds for either project and the reason being that safety funds are allocated for projects where there is an improvement for the safety of the motorists. If there is not an intersection then there is no safety in question. Councilman Brown noted that the entrance and exit ramps off of SW Parkway could alleviate the safety problem at Ponderosa. WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 6 Councilman Bond clarified Mr. Mayo's comments that the Hwy. Dept. request for on and off ramps at Southwest Parkway could be funded by safety money. Mr. Ash replied that the Hwy. Dept. cannot receive safety funds for a major interchange because this project includes building an entire interchange and not just entrance and exit ramps. Ramps could be constructed at the SW Parkway interchange but not at the Emerald Parkway interchange because the Emerald Parkway interchange is included in the SH6 project. City Manager Cole commented that no design has been done for the Emerald Parkway interchange. He noted that the extension of Hwy. 60 east of bypass was moved up considerably on the priority list by the Hwy. Dept. because of an incentive of land owners giving the state the right of way. Mayor Halter commented on the possibility of shifting the interchange money from Emerald Forest to SW Parkway. Mr. Ash noted that the staff has addressed this to the Hwy. Dept. The council should also consider seeking bonding authority to construct the rest of Dartmouth by next April. Mayor Halter asked the Council for their comments on the projects listed in the Annual Element. Councilman McIlhaney suggested the money for park and ride lots be spent elsewhere. Councilman Runnels questioned the lcoation of Loop 507 to Sta. 891 t 100. Mr. Ash replied that this is the SH6 project that includes the Emeral Parkway overpass. Councilman Runnels also questioned the location of SH6 to FM 158. Mr. Ash replied this project will go to the TI Plant with 4 lanes undivided. Mayor Halter asked Council to consider the items they felt were most important. Councilman Runnels referred to Fed Mart Dr. to SH 6. Mayor Halter stated this should be a 5 lane curb and Gutter. The council concurred. Mayor Halter mentioned the Intergovernmental Committee meeting which is about the progress of the north terminal area at Easterwood Airport. WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1986 PAGE 7 Agenda Item No. 3 - Adjourn. Mayor Halter adjourned the meeting at 5:50 p.m. ATTEST: Dian Jo~City Secretary Mayor GUEST REGISTER Workshop City Council Meeting Wednesday, January 22, 1986 4=00 P.M. 18. 19. e 20. 21. Se 22. e 23. 24. 25. e 26. 10. 27. 11. 28. 12. 29. 13. 30. 14. 31. 15. 32. 16. 33. 17. 34.