August 7, 2019 Aspen Meadows Resort Pre-Retreat Packet
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Elected Officials Transportation Committee (EOTC) August 7, 2019 Aspen Meadows Resort Pre-Retreat Packet Table of Contents Part A: Retreat and EOTC Summary, Goals, and Background Page 2 Part B: Background Sections 1. Retreat Agenda Page 5 2. EOTC Formation and Structure Page 7 3. Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan Page 9 4. EOTC Funding and Budget Page 10 Part C: Background Data and Document Summaries 1. Regional Demographics Page 15 2. Traffic and Bus Ridership Trends Page 23 3. Projects in Progress within Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan Area Page 27 4. Highway 82 Records of Decision within Pitkin County Page 30 5. Accomplishments and Milestones Page 38 Part D: 1. 1993 Intergovernmental Agreement Attachment 1 Page 41 2. EOTC Budget – Updated Through June 2019 Attachment 2 Page 55 3. 1998 Entrance to Aspen Record of Decision Attachment 3 Page 57 1 Part A: Executive Summary and Retreat Information Summary (See Part B Section1, below, for retreat agenda) The EOTC allocated funds in 2019 for a planning retreat to bring all members of the EOTC together and discuss major themes affecting our collective communities. The purpose of the retreat is to develop strategic planning elements that will guide future EOTC efforts. The goals of the retreat are: 1) To establish a baseline understanding of the EOTC purpose, requirements, structure, funding and operations; 2) Identify the strengths, opportunities and challenges facing the EOTC today; and, 3) Create a priority list of themes, major topics, and/or projects to help guide the EOTC’s next steps and vision. Background (See Section 2, 3, and 4, below, for more detail) The EOTC was established after the voters approved a 0.5% County Transit Sales and Use Tax in November 1993 for the purpose of Financing, Constructing, Operating and Managing Mass Transportation System within the Roaring Fork Valley. The use for these funds is outlined by both State Statute and the ballot language. In addition to the ballot measure, Pitkin County, the Town of Snowmass Village and the City of Aspen adopted the 1993 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) establishing the structure of the EOTC and further define the allocations of the funds (See Section 4, below). The IGA expanded upon the enabling legislation and ballot language by adopting a Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan as a means to guide future allocations. The IGA includes: Structure: • Establishes a Committee (i.e. Elected Officials Transportation Committee or EOTC) comprised of all jurisdictions within the Transit Sales and Use Tax administration area, including Pitkin County, Town of Snowmass Village, and the City of Aspen. • The EOTC is a recommending body only for expenditure of 0.5% Transit Sales and Use Tax. • That, for any EOTC action, all jurisdictions must have a majority vote to progress a recommendation. • That the only actions that must be approved (rather than recommended) are annual and project budgets, and that approval requires a quorum within each of the member jurisdictions. EOTC Mission Statement (adopted 1992, updated 2014): “Work collectively to reduce and/or manage the volume of vehicles on the road system and continue to develop and support a comprehensive multi-modal, long-range strategy that will insure a convenient and efficient transportation system for the Roaring Fork Valley.” 2 Implement Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan: • Separated, Dedicated Transit-Way between Aspen and the Airport and between Aspen and Snowmass, and; • Operation of Park-n-Ride Lots at Brush Creek, Airport, and/or Buttermilk. Where We Are Today The EOTC has made significant progress in implementation of the Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan in the 25+ years of the Use and Sales tax including [For example, participation in Entrance to Aspen ROD, creation and continued support of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA), operation of the Brush Creek Park n’ Ride, acquisition of the Denver Rio Grande right-of-way, Highway 82 bus lanes, AABC pedestrian underpass, Basalt underpass, etc. (see full timeline at end of packet)]. With successful progress made toward implementing the Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan, the EOTC is uniquely situated to look to the next 10 to 15 years to address mobility in the Roaring Fork Valley. The EOTC has demonstrated significant commitment to upper valley mobility with the establishment of the Regional Transportation Administrator position in 2018. The Regional Transportation Administrator position consolidates the administrative functions of the EOTC and provides additional staff resources that were not previously available. And since this position does not represent any one entity, the Administrator is able to support the Committee with a unified voice and more regional approach. The EOTC currently has two significant projects underway that have been contemplated for many years: enhancements to the Brush Creek Park and Ride facility and the Town of Snowmass Transit Center. While these two projects are still several years from completion, at this point they are both moving forward with funds allocated in 2020 and 2022, respectively. As these projects continue to progress, the EOTC is at a critical juncture on how it would like to proceed in the coming years. The collaborative discussions and direction amongst the EOTC members from the retreat will help create a framework to guide the Committee in future decision-making to achieve its mission and obligations established under the enabling legislation and voter approved ballot requirements. In summary, the EOTC currently has an opportunity to reevaluate how it is functioning, where it would like to go within the bounds of the enabling legislation and ballot language, and how it would like to get there. Key Discussion Considerations • The Committee is governed by an IGA and guided by the Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan that were adopted in 1993 and have not been amended since. Does this governing IGA and adopted Transportation Plan still adequately advance the purpose of the EOTC? 3 • Current funding allocations are guided by the Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan. Does the plan still represent the current vision? What could help facilitate Committee decision-making? • With some exceptions, the EOTC has been focused on upper valley infrastructure projects from Basalt to Aspen and Snowmass such as components of the Entrance to Aspen, Snowmass Transit Center, pedestrian underpasses and park and ride facilities while providing financial support to RFTA to plan valley-wide transit from Aspen to the Colorado River Valley. What type of efforts (e.g. tactical infrastructure / technology and operations, strategic planning, or combination) would you like to see the EOTC prioritize moving forward? 4 Part B: Background Sections 1. Retreat Agenda 2. EOTC Formation and Structure 3. Comprehensive Valley Transportation Plan 4. EOTC Budgeting and Funding Part B, Section 1 EOTC RETREAT AGENDA Time Topic Lead Outcome 8:15-8:30 Gathering, coffee, mingling Participants agree to process Introductions, Overview of Retreat 8:30-8:45 Stephanie Zaza and expected outputs of the agenda, Ground Rules day’s work Presentation: 1. Participants are familiar with the purpose, • EOTC History, Accomplishments requirements, structure, • Current Operating Procedures David funding and operations of 8:45-10:00 and Role of New Coordinator Pesnichak the EOTC • ETA ROD overview 2. Participants have an environmental scan to use • Environmental scan during the SOC analysis 10:00-10:15 Break Strengths/Opportunities/Challenges (SOC) Analysis • Individual work (10 minutes): 1. Main categories of strengths, Personal vision opportunities and challenges 10:15-12:30 • Small group work (30 minutes): SOC Stephanie Zaza 2. Specific strengths, opportunities, and • Full group (90 minutes): challenges within each category o Report out from small groups o Consolidate and prioritize within each SOC category 12:30-1:00 Lunch 5 The SOC will be well understood Review SOC and how to use it for the next as a tool for identifying a priority 1:00-1:15 Stephanie Zaza exercise goal and transportation projects to achieve that goal Identification of Transportation Projects and Themes 1. Participants produce a • Individual work (10 minutes): Write priority list of themes/major top 5 – 8 very specific transportation topics that can be used by projects on sticky notes staff to develop a strategic vision statement 1:15-3:45 • Small groups (30 minutes): sort and Stephanie Zaza group sticky notes into themes – give 2. Participants produce a each group a theme title; post themes priority list of projects that and projects around the room; can be used as a starting consolidate across groups point for EOTC future decision-making • Full group (105 minutes): prioritize themes and projects Facilitator will provide a summary of the day’s work and 3:45-4:00 Wrap-Up and Next Steps Stephanie Zaza outline of next steps to be executed by staff and EOTC members 6 Part B, Section 2 EOTC FORMATION AND STRUCTURE Enabling Legislation Detail C.R.S. 29-2-103.5 (Colorado Revised Statute) provides that the county is authorized to levy a sales and use tax "for the purpose of financing, constructing, operating, or maintaining a mass transportation system within the county." Local jurisdictions "may enter into intergovernmental agreements with any municipality or other county ... for the purpose of providing mass transportation services either within the county or in a county in which the county mass transportation system is permitted to operate." “Mass Transportation” is defined as “any system which transports the general public by bus, rail, or any other means of conveyance moving along prescribed routes, except any railroad subject to the federal "Railway Labor Act", 45 U.S.C. sec. 151 et seq” Ballot Detail 1993 - The sales and use tax ballot measure further defined the purpose of the tax. Most significantly it limits the purpose to “increasing and improving the public mass transportation system within the Roaring Fork Valley” and requires that such mass transportation system improvements “be approved by the City of Aspen, Pitkin County and the Town of Snowmass Village”.