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LET'S, WE'LL CALL THIS MEETING AT THE ORDER.THIS IS THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JOE THOMAS, AND I'M JOINED BY COUNCIL GARAWAY AND CITY MANAGER AND CITY STAFF.
OUR, UH, FIRST ORDER ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, THE CORRECTIONS TO THE MINUTES, YOUR HONOR, I'LL OBTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES MOTION, AND I'LL SECOND ANY OBJECTIONS.
UH, NUMBER TWO, PUBLIC COMMENTS.
PERSONS WHO DESIRE TO ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE ON ANY ITEMS ON THE AGENDA ARE ALLOWED.
SECRETARY, DO WE HAVE ANY ONE WITH FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO, SIR, WE DO NOT.
ITEM THREE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
ITEM THREE A IS RAILROAD CROSSING CONDITIONS IMPROVEMENT AND GRANT OPPORTUNITIES.
I'LL TURN THIS OVER TO PAUL LED KEY ON TRANSPORTATION.
UM, WE'VE GONE THROUGH AND WE'VE PUT TOGETHER A SHORT PRESENTATION ABOUT, ABOUT THE ONE 30 FUNDING AND KIND OF WHAT IT IS, AND, UM, I'LL GO THROUGH THAT.
UM, SECTION ONE 30 IS THE SAFETY PROGRAM FOR THE, UH, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, THE, THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY FUNDS THE, THE SECTION ONE 30 PROGRAM, UM, BUT IT IS LEFT UP TO THE STATES TO SELECT ADMINISTER, UH, THE PROJECTS.
UM, IT IS PRIMARILY A, IT IS A SAFETY PROGRAM.
IT IS NOT A, A MAINTENANCE PROGRAM.
SO, UM, THE, AND THE CRITERIA, WHICH WE'LL GO OVER HERE IN A SECOND, IS REALLY FOCUSED ON SAFETY.
UM, THE F THE FRA, WHICH IS THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION MAINTAINS A, A NATIONAL SAFETY CROSSING DATABASE.
THEY HAVE A DATABASE OF ALL OF THE CROSSINGS IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, TEXAS RECEIVES ABOUT $20 MILLION A YEAR, UH, FOR THE WHOLE STATE.
THAT'S NOT A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE WHOLE STATE.
UM, AND GARLAND CANNOT, WE CAN'T APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FEDERAL, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
THE, UM, THE WAY THAT WE WOULD, WE WOULD GET FUNDING FOR, UH, FROM THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE, UM, TO SUBMIT A CANDIDATE PROJECT TO TDOT.
THERE'S NOT A, THEY'RE REALLY NOT SET UP FOR, THEY DON'T SOLICIT, UH, PROJECTS FROM MUNICIPALITIES.
IT'S REALLY A TDOT PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY TDOT, AND THEY, THEY DO MOST OF THE WORK.
UH, THEY HAVE A RAILROAD DIVISION THAT DOES, UM, THE, UH, TXDOT SELECTS THE PROJECTS.
THEY, THEY COME UP WITH THEIR CRITERIA FOR HOW THEY SELECT THE PROJECTS.
UH, AND, AND AS YOU'LL SEE IN A SECOND HERE, UH, THERE'S, IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO EVEN GET THEIR PROCESS AND THEIR DATA AND EVERYTHING.
SO IT'S, IT'S VERY MUCH ALL WITHIN THE COG CAN ASSIST WITH THIS.
UM, I KNOW THEY'VE COORDINATED WITH THEM IN THE PAST ON SOME PROJECTS, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, HOW THE, HOW THE PROJECTS ARE SELECTED.
UM, THE, THIS, THE TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT THEY HAVE ARE, UM, CROSSING PAN THAT DOES INCLUDE CROSSING PANELS, PRIMARILY RELATED TO SAFETY.
UM, THE APPROACH, THE GRADES, I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S SEVERAL THAT IN THE PROJECTS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED.
UH, FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU'VE GOT A, A BIG, YOU KNOW, THE RAILROAD'S SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE ROAD ADJACENT TO IT, SO THERE'S SITE DISTANCE ISSUE THERE, SOMETHING LIKE DRAINAGE SIDEWALKS, S SIGNALS, GATES.
THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, CROSSING GATES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN THROUGH THIS PROGRAM ACROSS ACROSS TEXAS.
AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A SAFETY PROGRAM.
PRIORITY IS BASED BASED ON RISK.
IT'S BASED ON, UH, THE NUMBER OF CRASHES AND PREDICTED CRASHES, UH, ROADWAY, UH, TRAFFIC AND SPEED, ROADWAY, NUMBER OF TRACKS, TRAIN VOLUMES, TRAIN SPEED, UH, THE CROSSING GEOMETRY, AS I MENTIONED, THE HOW MANY, IF THERE'S INTERSECTIONS, NEARBY SIGNALS, QUEUING ACROSS THE TRACKS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THE, UH, FOUR PANELS, WHICH IS KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS, IS, UH, IT, IT CAN, IT CAN ADDRESS THOSE, BUT THAT'S USUALLY NOT WHAT DRIVES THE SELECTION.
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THERE ARE 42 CROSSINGS, GARLAND CROSSINGS THAT, THAT TXDOT HAS IN THEIR DATABASE.UM, I HAD TO, UH, SUBMIT A FOIA REQUEST TO GET, UM, THE DATA THAT I DID GET.
UM, I DID, I STILL DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE CRITERIA THAT THEY USED COME UP WITH THE RANKING.
THEY'LL HOLD THAT PRETTY CLOSE TO THE VEST.
UM, THERE ARE, THERE ARE OVER 10,000 CROSSINGS THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR TX DOT DATABASE JUST IN TEXAS.
UM, WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE IN THE TOP 1000.
SO I THINK ONE WAS, UH, TOP 101 WAS ABOUT NOT, OUR CROSSINGS ARE NOT RANKED REALLY VERY HIGH.
UM, SO THOSE RANKINGS, IS THAT FROM WORST IS NUMBER ONE? YEAH, THIS IS NUMBER 10,000.
UM, AND JUST LOOKING AT THEIR, THEY HAVE ANNUAL REPORTS THEY HAVE TO SUBMIT TO THE, THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION EVERY YEAR AND JUST LOOK, THEY HAVE THE, THE, THE PROJECTS THAT THEY LISTED AND THAT THEY HAVE DONE THAT YEAR LISTED IN THERE, AND THEY'VE DONE BETWEEN 30 AND 50 CROSSINGS.
I NOTICED ONE OF THE THINGS I DID KIND OF NOTICE IS A LOT OF THESE SAY THE MAJORITY, UH, RURAL AREAS KIND OF MAKES SENSE THAT THOSE WOULD PROBABLY, UM, SO, UM, WE WOULD STILL NEED, UH, CIP FUNDING.
THERE'S, THIS WOULDN'T REPLACE OUR FUNDING THAT WE HAVE.
WE WOULD NOT REPLACE ALL OF OUR CROSSINGS BY ANY MEANS.
UM, EVEN IF WE DO GET A PROJECT, IT, THERE'S STILL, IT ONLY COVERS CERTAIN, IT DOES COVER IT A HUNDRED PERCENT.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO MATCH IT, BUT IT ONLY COVERS CERTAIN ITEMS, UM, THAT ARE THE, ARE IN THE PROGRAM.
SO THERE'S OTHER ITEMS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO AS PART OF THE PROJECT.
UM, AGAIN, TEXTILE SELECTS BASED ON THE SAFETY, UH, THE, UH, SO THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD, IF WE COULD APPLY ALL THE FUNDS TO ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE CROSSINGS, THEN WE COULD SAY, OKAY, WE'RE, WE WOULDN'T NEED ANY, ANY CIP DOLLARS OR WE, WE THINK WE WOULD GET 80%, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, MILLION DOLLARS COULD BE COVER 20% OF THE WHOLE AMOUNT AND WE WOULD DISM MUCH SO, BUT THAT'S, SINCE IT'S, SINCE IT'S SELECTED BY TDOT AND, AND SELECTED, IT'S UM, WHAT, WHAT THIS IS KIND OF WHAT THEY'VE, YOU KNOW, WORN ER OR JUST IF IT'S JUST A WORN SURFACE, IT'S NOT GONNA QUALIFY LIKELY.
UH, IF IT'S A SAFETY FEATURE THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, GONNA HELP IF IT'S, UH, GEOMETRY OR SOME TYPE OF WARNING SIGNS, THOSE, THOSE ARE BETTER.
AND IF IT RANKS HIGHLY, IF IT'S A COMBINATION OF ALL THESE THINGS, UM, THE, THE OTHER PART OF THIS IS, IT IS IT'S FEDERAL MONEY, WHICH IS ALWAYS COMES WITH ALL KIND OF STRINGS AND MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT THAN ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OR, AND, AND TO DEAL ALL THIS.
AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH TDOT.
IT TAKES, IT TYPICALLY TAKES YEARS TO WORK THROUGH THE PAPER.
UM, THE TX DOT SENT, A LOT OF TIMES THEY WILL JUST PAY THE RAILROAD DIRECTLY TO, IT'S A CROSSING.
UH, ALTHOUGH WE USUALLY ARE, UM, WE COULD GET SOME OF OUR WORK REIMBURSED.
UM, IT'LL BE SUBJECT TO, TO FEDERAL RULES AND AUDITS AND WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH.
SO, UM, IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET SECTION ONE 30 FUNDING.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING INTO, AND I'M, I'M KIND OF MY NEXT STEP IS TO TRY TO GET SOME MORE OF THE DATA FROM, FROM TEXT OUT IF I CAN, AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT THEY'VE GOT IN THERE FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE, WE'RE GETTING FULL CREDIT FOR OUR CRITERIA, THAT WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE
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THAT OUR CROSSINGS ARE RANKING AS PIE AS THEY CAN.UM, BUT IT IS, IT IS A, IT'S A LEGITIMATE SOURCE OF, OF FUNDS THAT WE, WE COULD TOUCH POSSIBLY USE FOR SOME OF THE CROSSINGS.
UM, CERTAINLY NOT DEPENDABLE FUNDING, YOU KNOW, ONGOING FUNDING FOR, FOR, FOR FIXING SURFACE THAT WE'VE HAD, SURFACE ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD.
UM, IT'S A, IT'S A, OR I MEAN, WE'LL WE'LL STILL NEED OUR CIP PROGRAM.
AND JUST FOR YOUR BOW RAIL, THAT'S KIND OF REMOTE.
SOME OF THIS IS LAST FAULT USED FOR SOUNDS LIKE I NO, I YOU'RE AWARE THEY'RE
YEAH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, WHEN THEY WERE DANGLING FEDERAL MONEY, I THOUGHT, OKAY, WELL PROGRAM, AND, AND IF IT ISN'T WORTH THE SQUEEZE, I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT TOO.
WHERE ARE THE TWO THAT ARE, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
LIKE IT'S, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DIG FAR INTO THE DATA.
IT, THEY DON'T LIST THE LOCATIONS.
WE CAN, I THINK WE SHOULD IDENTIFY THE TWO THAT PROBLEM.
YEAH, THE ONE IN THE ONE HUNDREDS.
I, I I THINK IT'S, IT'S, I DON'T KNOW THAT I FOUND SOME INFORMATION THAT WOULD SEEM LIKE IT'S, IT'S EITHER MAIN STREET CROSSING RIGHT OUT HERE OR KNOW FOR SURE THAT THAT'S THE ONES WE'LL, WE'LL LOOK, AND, AND IT SAID THAT ONE OF 'EM IS BEING, IS IN A CURRENT PROJECT, MAY THE ONE THAT DOWN ON KING OR IT'S KINGSLEY, THAT MAY BE THE ONE THAT'S, YEAH.
AND THAT MAY BE WHY, 'CAUSE IT IS A, IT'S A PROBABLY THE ONLY ONE LIKE THAT.
WELL I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THE RESEARCH.
AND MAYBE IF, IF WE COME BACK IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AND SAY, WELL, ONE IN THE TOP, ONE HUNDREDS IN THE TOP 50 NOW 'CAUSE THEY'VE FIXED THE WORST ONE OR HAVE MOVED UP RIGHT THEN MAYBE IN A COUPLE OF YEARS SAY, HEY, WE'RE IN THE TOP 50.
MAYBE WE SHOULD PURSUE THIS FOR NOW.
JUST KNOW, DO INTERSECTIONS THERE ANY SPECIAL ACCESS TO DO THAT.
SOMEONE WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF, UH, LIKE I SAID, I HAD TO SUBMIT A FOIA REQUEST TO GET WHAT I GOT.
SO IT'S, IT'S, I DID LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THEIR WEBSITES AND EVERYTHING.
I, I, I MEAN, I FOUND SOME THINGS, BUT NOT, NOT THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL.
DO APPRECIATE THE DOLLARS OUT THERE
AND, UH, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM THREE B, RANGE STREET
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BETWEEN STREET AND FOWLER STREET FOR PARKING SIGN AND MR. OT IS, SO ON THIS ONE WE WENT OUT AND WE SURVEYED ALL OF THE BUSINESSES ALONG RANGE.AND REALLY, EXCEPT WITH A COUPLE OF EXCEPTIONS, UH, NO ONE WAS IN FAVOR OF PARKING RESTRICTIONS.
THE, UM, WHICH IN, IN OUR, OUR, OUR, ONE OF OUR PARKING RESTRICTION PRINCIPLES IS WE DON'T, WE DON'T RESTRICT PARKING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE'S PROPERTY UNLESS THEY REQUEST IT.
SO BASED ON THAT, THE ONLY RESTRICTIONS WE WOULD HAVE WOULD BE SEEING RED THERE IMPOSED.
AND SO THOSE ONES IN RED, WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING FOR THEM OR LONG ENOUGH STRETCH TO BOTHER WITH THAT? YEAH, I MEAN, BECAUSE THEY WERE FOR IT.
I MEAN, WE CAN, WE WILL, WE WILL GO AND, AND ACTUALLY, AND SO IF IT'S, IF, IF IT'S LESS THAN A HUNDRED FEET, THE CITY MANAGER CAN JUST DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO TAKE IT TO COUNCIL.
SO WE CAN JUST DO THAT ADMINISTRATE OF THE CITY.
UR YOU GET A HUNDRED FEET, YOU CAN JUST NO PARK.
IT'S LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE SOMEONE.
AND SO THE TWO, UH, TWO RED LINES OR THERE THREE, I SEE THREE RED LINES THERE ON THE SEA OF THOSE, UH, A HUNDRED FEET OR MORE OR LESS? THEY'RE LESS THAN A HUNDRED FEET.
WE'LL JUST, WE'LL JUST DO THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY ACTION THAT I SEE.
WILL YOU SEND THAT SLIDE TO OT, NOT JAB HIM WITH A STICK, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
WE'VE, WE'VE, WE, WE WERE OVER ON MARQUEE AND MM-HMM
WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE INDUSTRIAL AREA AND, AND DOING THE SAME THING KIND OF STREET BY STREET AND GOING THROUGH IT.
AND THEN WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE NEXT WEEKS WE'LL WITH OUR PERCEPTIONS.
OKAY, WHEN DO WE DO THAT? THROUGH GO SURVEY EVERY BUSINESS.
ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THEM SAID YEAH, IF THERE WAS CAR, YEAH, IT MAKES VISIBILITY.
UM, IS THERE AN EXPECT, IS THERE AN EXPECTATION THAT THIS WILL BE REPORTED OUT TO COUNCIL OR ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH US JUST SENDING AN EMAIL BASICALLY STATING THAT UM, THESE, THIS WAS THE RESULT OF, UM, THE STUDY ON RANGE? YEAH, I, THIS IS TRIVIAL ENOUGH.
IS THAT, THAT WHAT YOU, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE HOPING I'D SAY THAT WORKS FOR ME, MIGHT NOT BE A BIG DEAL TO YOU.
MIKE THATM FROM THE RESPECT WHAT WE TRUST YOU FOR.