01/24/2007 - PSTA Site
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MEETING MINUTES
TOPIC - PST A SITE
CITY OF CLEARWATER
January 24, 2007
Present: Carlen Petersen
William C. Jonson
Vice-Mayor
Councilmember
Also present: William Horne
Rod Irwin
Paul Bertels
Himanshu Patni
Brenda Moses
City Manager - departed 4:45 p.m.
Assistant City Manager
Traffic Operations Manager
Engineering Specialist
Board Reporter
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Discussion ensued regarding the City Council's perspective on the PST A (Pinellas
Suncoast Transit Authority) agreement with Triangle Development to possibly relocate the
downtown PSTA transfer station to the northwest corner of Drew Street and Myrtle Avenue.
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Tomorrow, Vice-Mayor Petersen will present to the PSTA Board of Directors
Clearwater's recommendation that the Board rescind its previous action to proceed with the first
amendment to the agreement. Other City representatives also will attend. As the contract
distributed to the PST A Board did not include a gasoline station, it was anticipated that
additional specifics would be discussed tomorrow. It was reported that PST A staff supports the
Triangle Development agreement.
It was stated that the issue is compatibility. It was suggested that Vice-Mayor Petersen
request that the PSTA, City, and County work together and undertake a joint facility study that
will determine the best site for a transfer station within a multi modal configuration. It was
reported that the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) is conducting a study on transit
issues. Assistant City Manager Rod Irwin said that the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for a
joint facility study is completed. The City Manager said staff always has conveyed to PSTA's
Executive Director which Clearwater sites are problematic. Previous site alternatives offered by
the City were rejected by PST A, which indicated that they did not meet their requirements.
Clearwater prefers the station to remain in the Downtown core. Concern was expressed that a
larger station may not fit on the current Park Street site.
Traffic Operations Manager Paul Bertels reviewed bus ingress and egress at the
proposed Drew Street transfer station location. Concern was expressed that ridership may
decline if the transfer station's location is inconvenient and not pedestrian-friendly. Possible
multimodal station sites were discussed. It was suggested that the City and PSTA may have
different visions for a transfer station. As Council's vision for downtown is to be more
pedestrian-friendly, it was felt the station should be a multimodal destination. It was
recommended that Clearwater clearly state that the City wants to work with PST A, and that a
facility that serves ridership needs will help Clearwater to develop its downtown as a destination.
It was remarked that Clearwater is the only local government that has been willing to finance
transit options.
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Topic- PSTA Site 2007-01-24
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It was noted that PST A may consider the Drew Street location to be a multimodal site,
due to its location along a rail corridor. It was suggested that property south of the Municipal
Services Building and a block on Court Street could serve as a multi modal site. It was felt that
creating a multimodal facility at a destination would be valuable to PSTA, the City, and the
County.
The meeting adjourned at 5:22 p.m.
Topic - PSTA Site 2007-01-24
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