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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/09/2015 Minutes - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 9, 2015 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Carrera called the meeting to'order at 7:00 p.m. in the Diamond.Bar City Hall Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Pechy led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Ed Pechy, Manisha Sulakhe, Vice Chair Ken Mok, and Chair Ted Carre*ra Absent: Commissioner Surendra Mehta was excused. Also Present: David Liu, Public Works Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; John Beshay, Associate Engineer; Sterling Mosley, Assistant Engineer; and Marcy Hilario, Administrative Coordinator. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Minutes of the March 12, 2015 Regular Meeting. C/Pechy-moved, CiSulakhe seconded, to approve the Minutes of the March 12, 2015 regular meeting as presented. Motion carried by tKe*follo.wing Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: PUBLIC COMMENTS: Pechy, Sulakhe, VC/Mok, Chair/Carrera Nobe Mehta Chair/Carrera thanked Diamond Bar High School students for attending tonight's meeting. APRIL 9, 2015 ITEMS FROM STAFF: PAGE 2 T&T COMMISSION A. Receive and File Traffic Enforcement Updates for: 1 Citations: January, February and March 2015 2. Collisions: January, February and March 2015 3. Street Sweeping: January, February and March 2015 PWD/Liu stated that during the Commission's March meeting-, V.C/Mok asked about the street sweeping citation proceeds. According to the City's Finance Department, one hundred percent of the proceeds are directly deposited to the City's General Fund for discretionary use for public safety programs, road maintenance, and other services. During FY 2013-14, fines paid totaled about $222,000. For FY 2014-15, it is estimated that approximately $230,000 in fines will be collected. ' VC/Mok thanked staff for the response to his question. VC/Mok moved, C/Pechy seconded, to receive and file the Traffic Enforcement Update reports for January, February and March 2015. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: IV. OLD BUSINESS: 0 V11. M NEW BUSINESS: COMMISSIONERS: COMMISSIONERS: COMMISSIONERS: 1m None STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: Pechy, Sulakhe, VC/Mok, Chair/Carrera None Mehta None C/Pechy stated that he noticed a number of business signs that are written in a foreign language only and wanted to know the City's position. PWD/Liu said his understanding is that foreign language signs are permitted; however, the City strongly encourages that businesses provide signage in English as well. He said he would follow up with the City's Planning Department and provide a more complete response at the next meeting. C/Sulakhe reported that today it was a very smooth drive for her from south to north Diamond Bar, which was not the case on Monday. She realized after the fact if she had gone onto Diamond Bar Buzz, she would have known not to travel the area. APRIL 9, 2015 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION M] Chair/Carrera asked if the flashing red lights at the intersection of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Maple Hill Road was a result of a power failure or construction on Diamond Bar Boulevard. AE/Beshay reported that it was a result of an Edison planned power outage. Chair/Carrera said he thought Edison chose the worst time because it was still flashing red about 5:00 p.m. AE/Beshay indicated the work was supposed to be finished earlier; however, the crew ran late due to unforeseen conditions in the field. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. Edison Upgrades at Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue — AE/Beshay reported that all electrical work has been completed. There is a small amount of restoration work to be done around the last vault on Diamond Bar Boulevard as well as removal of the underground service alert markings along Diamond Bar Boulevard. C/Pechy asked if after the work is completed, the City sends someone out to inspect the patch job that has been done on the street. AE/Beshay responded "yes." C/Pechy said that he was at Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue today and he was not overly impressed with the work that was done by Edison and the contractor. SCENoung explained that the City gave permission for Edison to leave all of the trench work within the Grand Avenue Beautification Project limits as base paving because the City will grind the entire intersection during the beautification project as well as each leg of the intersection up to the first driveway. Everything outside of the beautification project limit had to be final paved. C/Sulakhe asked if there was a checklist. SCENoung replied that for all encroachment permit work by utility companies and private contractors, the Public Works Street Maintenance Superintendent is responsible for finalizing the permits and if there are any deficiencies and if the Superintendent is not happy with the paving, he will require that the issues be corrected to meet the quality of work expected by the City of Diamond Bar. AE/Beshay further explained that there is a punch list of items that is generated to address issues that must be corrected. B. Reagan/Peterson Park Parking Lot Construction Project — AE/Beshay reported that the project is still under design. Also, staff is in the process of obtaining a permit from L.A. County Flood Control to connect the proposed bio- filtration system into the L.A. County catch basin. The construction phase is scheduled to start at the end of June, after Father's Day. C/Pechy asked if the baseball fields at the end of Sunset Crossing Road were City -owned or private property. PWD/Liu responded that it is private property. APRIL 9, 2015 PAGE 4 T&T COMMISSION C. Morning Canyon Rehabilitation Project — AE/Mosley explained that this project is being redesigned. The redesign includes minimizing the roadway width by eight feet to widen the parkway to accommodate tree root growth. As a result, parking along the street would be impacted. The Community Services Department is reaching out to the condominium homeowner's association to receive input toward the project's design. With the elimination of street parking, staff wants to make sure the association is on board with the project. Staff is waiting to hear back from the association and hopes to have a meeting with the board members to discuss the design. Chair/Carrera asked how dependent the homeowners are on the street parking. AE/Mosley explained that part of the reason staff has reached out to the homeowners is to answer this and other questions and concerns. He. said he does not believe that any condo complex would be happy about losing parking. Staff has explored alternative parking between the northern and southern portion of Morning Canyon Road to include both condo association's along the project limits. VC/Mok asked if staff had the dates of both association meetings. AE/Mosley reiterated that the Community Services Department is dealing with the property management group and to date, staff has not heard back from the property management group or been made aware of any dates that are available for presenting the design information and receiving feedback. C/Sulakhe was unclear if it had already been explained and asked if parking spaces were being lost. AE/Mosley restated that the proposed design would extend the parkway eight feet so that the curb face would be moved inward eight feet. This would result in a loss of street parking. D. Area 3 Road Maintenance Project — AE/Mosley conveyed that, as part of the City's seven year Roadway Maintenance Program, this year includes the Area 3 Roadway Maintenance Project. The project lies within the boundary bordered by Pathfinder Road to the southern portion of the City limits on both sides of Diamond Bar Boulevard, excluding The Country Estates. The project is out to bid with a bid opening scheduled for April 20th. The goal is to begin construction in early June and have the work completed prior to the beginning of the school year (mid-August). E. Comprehensive Groundwater Drainage Study — AE/Mosley explained that the purpose of the study is to develop a comprehensive plan to address groundwater and surface area drainage at several locations through the City. Recently, there was a contract amendment with Tait & Associates to include geotechnical services at an additional location for a total of 11 locations throughout the City. Once this area is included in the study, staff will review the findings and use the study to continue to address groundwater at each location. APRIL 9, 2015 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION F. Gas Company Upgrades at Golden Springs Drive and Grand Avenue — AE/Mosley stated that this project is on hold. The Gas Company asked to. meet with staff to study the City's restoration requirements. No date has been set and since it is a Gas Company project, staff will wait for -their contact. G. Grand Avenue Beautification Project - SCENoung conveyed that the pre - construction meeting for this project is scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, April 16th. Staff anticipates construction will begin in mid to late. May and wanted to have the pre -construction meeting early enough to provide time to iron out details prior to the start date to avoid further postponements. Staff and the City's consultants met with Caltrans regarding construction oversight yesterday to review federal funding requirements that need to be met during construction. It is essential to ensure that the federal funding will not be jeopardized at any time during construction. The meeting was very productive and staff as well as the consultants are on board to move forward with construction. Chair/Carrera *asked about the percentage of federal funding. SCENoung responded that the City has just under $700,000 for SAFETEA-LU funds and just over $300,000 of STPL funds, which is about 50 percent funded via federal funds. H. Lemon Avenue Interchange Project — SCENoung indicated that staff continues to work on revisions that were requested by Caltrans. The latest revisions are to encase two existing waterlines along Lemon Avenue. Walnut Valley Water District is working on processing a change order to their contracts so that this can be addressed to resolve most of the utility issues. Once complete, staff can submit the plans to the Office of the Engineer by the end of April. Willow Heights Construction Update reported that progress is being made toward the Grand Opening, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th. Staff anticipates that the developer, Lennar, will have their Certificates of Occupancy for the model homes. There are three products in the community including the Viridian product, a single family home; the Sage product, which is a detached cluster home; and, the Olive Crest, which is attached condominiums. The Grand Opening will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All parking will be at Diamond Bar High School and shuttle service will be provided by Lennar to and from the parking lot. Refreshments will be served, a DJ will provide music, and a face painter will be present. Lennar will also provide shuttle service between the three products, since they are spaced out along the entire site. However unlikely, staff is hoping the traffic signal at Cherrydale Drive will be energized. Edison has additional paperwork that is required before the traffic signal can be energized. If .the signal is not energized, Lennar has been asked to prohibit left turns in and, out of the development. The left turn pocket has been constructed and it is coned off and by the end of today, "no -left -turn" signs will also be installed. On the day of the event, Lennar may reach out to the Sheriff's Department for traffic control. APRIL 9, 2015 PAGE 6 T&T COMMISSION The formal invitations have gone out to 2000 individuals on their interest list; therefore, a large crowd is anticipated. Final paving will take place tomorrow and once the traffic signal is energized, crosswalk striping will be installed. Additional widening needs to be done over the channel and along Brea Canyon Road; therefore, with this additional street work, new striping may be required. Chair/Carrera asked if Lennar was ahead of schedule in construction. SCE/Young said she could not comment on their schedule. C/Sulakhe asked if the Open House would continue beyond April 18th. SCE/Young responded that she understood the models will be open for public viewing within their operating hours. C/Sulakhe then asked if construction would continue. SCE/Young replied that only the model homes have been constructed. Lennar continues to pull permits to build homes and they are currently on Phase 3 or Phase 4 of each product. The City is issuing finals and Certificates of Occupancy for the models only at this time. Phase 1 for each product has not yet been finalized. C/Pechy asked about the difference between an attached family home and condominium unit. SCE/Young explained that the detached cluster home is essentially a detached condo. If one purchases a detached cluster home, the air space is owned but not a parcel of land. The attached condo is a unit where only the air space is owned but each resident shares a wall with a neighbor. The only product which would include a land lot is the single family residential product (Viridian). J. City Council FY 2015-16 Goals and Objectives — PWD/Liu provided the Commissioners with a copy of the City Council's FY 2015-16 Goals and Objectives. At its March 3rd Study Session, the City Council reviewed the current FY 2014-15 Goals and Objectives. After consideration, the City Council reviewed the list and identified items that had been completed and then directed staff to provide an updated list for approval. Accomplishments for FY 2014-15 include securing national recognition for the SR -57/60 Confluence Project as part of an effort to secure future funding; completion of the right-of-way acquisition for the Lemon Avenue Interchange Project; acquiring the ownership of the Windmill and property on which it sits; and, commencement of the Grand Avenue Beautification Project. Also, in May/June, PWD/Liu will bring a report to the City Council and Commission entitled "Diamond. Bar Congestion Report Card" outlining the ongoing effectiveness of the City's Traffic Management System and traffic mitigation projects. PWD/Liu stated that going forward, the City Council Goals and Objectives for FY 2015-16 format has changed and a number of new goals and objectives have been stated. The list includes four sections: 1) Traffic Mitigation; 2) Financial Responsibility and Economic Development; 3) Communications; and, 4) General Items. He read and explained the goals and specific objectives. PAGE 7 T&T COMMISSION K. Advocacy Trip to Washington D.C. for the SR57/60 Confluence Project— PWD/Liu roject—PWD/Liu explained that this effort began in 2009. On an annual basis, Diamond Bar and City of Industry travel to Washington D.C. to meet with congressional members and staff to emphasize the importance of this project. At a local level, Diamond Bar and the City of Industry have worked closely together with Metro and' Caltrans to push this project forward in order to realize improvements to the confluence area. This project is identified in the County's long-range transportation plan; however, funding for the project does not kick in until 2029. The City of Industry has paid for the design and as part of the funding strategy determined that the best way to move forward within our means and resources is to break the project up into phases. The first three phases are fully funded (about $50 million); however, the remaining phases require about $200 million from other resources. Statistics and safety issues prove the seriousness of making these improvements as quickly as possible. The purpose of this year's meeting was very different in that the main purpose was to thank them for their support of the TIGER grant application for $10 million, which represents this project is of national significance. For Diamond Bar and Industry to be awarded this grant is a very big deal. If the USDOT agrees to fund this project, it means they agree that this project needs help. When City representatives visited Washington D.C. last year, we were encouraged by USDOT to give it a try. If the numbers and statistics are so good, there is a good chance that the grant will be awarded. Congressman Royce, Congresswoman Napolitano and Congresswoman Chu offered their support of our application. We presented them with the appreciation plaques along with a copy of the L.A. Times article announcing Diamond Bar and the City of Industry receiving the TIGER grant. Councilmember Jimmy Lin and Industry Mayor Tim Spohn presented the plaques to the three C ' ongressional members and the two California Senators, and staff at the USDOT office. Furthermore, we requested that Congress consider and fund a multi-year transportation legislation. The current transportation bill expires on May 31, 2015. A new bill should finance new freight or goods movement projects such as the Confluence Project. PWD/Liu went on to remind the Commission about the information packet he provided to the Commission for the SR -57/60 Confluence Project. That same information packet was provided to the Congressional members in Washington D.C. Chair/Carrera stated that, with elimination of the earmarks, it requires an extraordinary effort to secure the funding now. It will take a continued concerted effort by the City to secure the funding because otherwise, this project will fall off of their radar and any money that becomes available will go elsewhere. It is a vital project for this area. IX. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE CITY EVENTS: As stated in the agenda. APRIL 9, 2015 PAGE 8 T&T COMMISSION ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Traffic and Transportation Commission, Chair/Carrera adjourned the meeting at 7:53 p.m. -r4 The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this day of 2015. Respectfully Submitted, David G. Liu, Secretary Attest: Chair Ted Carrera