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02/12/2016 - Beach Transit City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 City of Clearwater City Hall 112 S. Osceola Avenue Clearwater, FL 33756 e d s w r' �mu Meeting Minutes Friday, February 12, 2016 1 :30 PM Special Council Meeting re: Beach Transit Council Chambers City Council Page 1 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 Roll CaII Present: 5 - Mayor George N. Cretekos, Councilmember Doreen Hock - DiPolito (Departed 4:04 p.m.), Councilmember Bill Jonson, Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton, and Vice Mayor Jay E. Polglaze Also Present: William B. Horne I I — City Manager, Jill Silverboard — Assistant City Manager, Pamela K. Akin - City Attorney, and Rosemarie Call - City Clerk and Nicole Sprague — Official Records and Legislative Services Coordinator To provide continuity for research, items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order. 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. 2. Citizens to be heard re items not on the agenda — None. 3. Presentations by Outside Groups 3.1 Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce - Don Ewing Clearwater Regional Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Zachary Thorn, Jolley Trolley Executive Director Rosemary Windsor, and Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce representatives Bob Clifford and Don Ewing provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding potential transit options for Clearwater Beach that can be implemented during Spring Break. The Trolley service would run from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. seven days a week, allowing patrons to utilize downtown parking lots, embark a trolley that would loop from downtown parking lots (down and around Coachman Park) to Pier 60. The loop would include a stop at the Clearwater Harbor Marina for individuals wishing to ride the water ferry at a discounted rate. The proposed cost is approximately $150,000 to $175,000 for the 2016 Spring Break season. In response to questions, Mr. Ewing said the proposal anticipates the City would subsidize the Trolley and water ferry fares. The Trolley would provide a dedicated service at an hourly rate at $60.75 per hour; the average cost for three trolleys is approximately $111,000. Mr. Ewing said the trolley fare would be free to riders. A discounted rate is anticipated for the water ferry; the city would reimburse the ferry operator for the difference of the actual fare. Trolleys would be cued on demand; if demand is low due to inclement weather, only one trolley will Page 2 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 demand, if demand is low due to inclement weather, only one trolley will be in service. Ms. Windsor said a transit system App for the Jolley Trolley is available via the App store. A maximum of four trolleys would be committed to the park and ride proposal. Mr. Ewing said he was unaware of other Florida communities with the same service. Ms. Windsor stated charters are booked frequently, if an agreement is made with the City, priority would be given to the City. Mr. Ewing said each trolley holds 35 individuals. Ms. Windsor said the trolley discounted rate for 65+ older is $1.10 per person. A concern was expressed that individuals on the trolley would be stuck in traffic since there is no dedicated lane for the trolleys. In response to a question, Ms. Windsor said the coastal trolley route runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, beginning in Island Estates (at the bottom of the hour). The coastal trolley route in Tarpon Springs begins at the top of the hour and crosses the Island Estates trolley at Dunedin. The proposed trolley loop would be a continuous loop that is estimated to take 15 minutes for each direction depending on traffic. Mr. Ewing said a maximum of four trolleys would be dispatched during peak traffic. 3.2 Ferry Service - Trisha Rodriguez, Clearwater Ferry Clearwater Ferry Representatives Trisha Rodriguez and Camille Hebting provided a PowerPoint presentation on the history of ferry service and future plans. In response to questions, Ms. Rodriguez said the ferry has seen increased ridership since it began in March 2015 (30,000 riders since its inception). Ridership is greater during special events. Ms. Hebting said the ferry has noticed some ridership from Clearwater Beach to Downtown by local visitors and beach employees. Ms. Rodriguez said the Caladesi route is run once daily, drop off at 10:00 a.m. and pick up just before sunset (5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.). The operating hours for the ferry service are 6:00 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. (Mondays through Thursdays) and 6:00 a.m. through 10:30 p.m. (Fridays and Saturdays) and 9:00 a.m. through 10:30 p.m. (Sundays). Last year, the ferry service ran through 1:30 a.m. in response to beach employer needs, currently discussing extended late hours with beach employers. Ms. Rodriguez said the normal ferry fare is $4 one-way or$8 all-day, beach employee fares are $3 one-way of$6 all-day. Most beach employers are participating in the beach employer ferry partner program. The cost for a ferry boat is approximately$120,000- $165,000. The average trip time is 8 to 11 minutes. The ferry service can accommodate 100-115 passengers per hour departing from Downtown. If an agreement is Page 3 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 made with the City, Clearwater Ferry would purchase a ferry boat to ensure the ridership expectations can be met. Ms. Rodriguez said the Clearwater Ferry could have another vessel in operation within 30-60 days. Clearwater Ferry proposes city participation in a reduced rate campaign, passengers pay a reduced rate and the City would reimburse the Ferry for the differential of the regular ferry rate and the reduced rate. 3.3 Becky Afonso, Florida Bicycle Association Florida Bicycle Association representative Becky Afonso provided a brief overview of the Complete Streets policy, which ensures roadways are designed for all transportation users (i.e., bicyclists, pedestrians, motorists, etc.). 3.4 Sarah Ward, Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization Division Manager MPO Division Manager Sarah Ward provided a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed 2010 bus rapid transit study results and next steps. Any funding request to the MPO will require the City to state it is a funding priority. In response to questions, Ms. Ward said at the time the study was completed, there was no dedicated local funding source. The MPO prepared the submittal documents; staff anticipated the request still qualifies for the federal Small Starts grant program. The federal program provides up to a 50% match, with a 50% match of the federal match from the State, demonstrated local match commitment and operations funding is required. Ms. Ward said the study had a 3-year shelf life. A funding request would require updated ridership numbers and cost information. The $15.2 million estimated cost included the stations, the bridge across the Mandalay Channel, and transit way improvements. At the time, PSTA did not have funding for operations for the funding request to move forward. The ridership projections were based on the numbers taken from the regional travel demand model projections available at the time. The study did confirm there was space on the Causeway for the locally preferred option, some utility relocations would be required. Ms. Ward said the ridership estimates will be validated by using the models utilized to update the long range plan. Pinellas Planning Council (PPC) Executive Director Whit Blanton said the US Department of Transportation issued a Smart City Challenge to communities across the country that want to reduce their carbon emissions, improve safety, and develop alternative modes of transportation solutions. Up to $40 million will be awarded to a selected city. The application deadline was last Page 4 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 week, the cities of St. Petersburg, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale submitted applications. Historically the PPC has not been a grant oriented agency but can identify potential funding opportunities, such as congested corridor or service development grant programs, and match requirements to partner agencies. Mr. Blanton said to receive federal transit funding, the City would have to demonstrate need, updated ridership projections, cost benefit analysis to demonstrate the proposed project is feasible and worthwhile, demonstrate local funding commitment, and operations funding commitment. A city resolution requesting the MPO to prioritize funds to update the evaluation of the transit alternatives study from 2010 to address the need for enhanced multimodal access to Clearwater Beach would trigger the MPO to advocate on the City's behalf. Staff was directed to draft a resolution requesting the MPO to prioritize funds to update the evaluation of the transit alternatives study from 2010 to address the need for enhanced multimodal access to Clearwater Beach. One individual supported moving forward with the ferry proposal. One individual supported the Chamber proposal. The Council recessed from 3:28 p.m. to 3:36 p.m. 4. City Manager Verbal Reports 4.1 Long Term Issues - Paul Bertels, Traffic Engineering Staff will review the following and request direction on the following: 1) Developed a one way pair system for Coronado Drive southbound and Hamden Drive northbound. This proposal provides 3 lanes southbound on Coronado Drive while preserving 32 parking spaces on the east side and two lanes northbound on Hamden Drive. This disparity in numbers of lanes between the two corridors is proportional to the volumes as northbound traffic has S. Gulfview Boulevard as well as Hamden Drive to transit the beach. This was presented to the City Council after a public meeting and seemed to be received favorably. However this was in 2009 during the economic downturn worldwide and City Council decided to visit this again in the future. Staff is currently developing a model for the one way system. Not deployed due to economic issues as well as resident concerns. Considered in 2009. 2) Investigated the possibility of one way pairs on Poinsettia Avenue/East Shore Drive and even though it would work it did not make a significant Page 5 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 improvement in LOS. This should be looked at after the garage is completed and after the south beach one way pair is implemented. 3) Another significant issue that impacts beach traffic flow is the high number of pedestrians and cyclists that are interfacing with automobile traffic. In order to provide a balance we use a combination of a number of traffic control devices such as fully operational pedestrian traffic signals (Mandalay Avenue/Hilton Hotel), rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB) such as the Mandalay Avenue connection to the Entryway Roundabout. The Entryway Roundabout during spring break will typically have 8K-10K pedestrians per day walking around and across the roundabout side street connections. At the same time there are 60K cars per day going through the roundabout and this obviously causes some conflicts between the cars and the pedestrians. There is no boilerplate solution to this issue as every location where pedestrians and vehicles conflict has different characteristics and issues. We take them on a case by case basis. Looking to the future after most of the build out is completed it is my opinion that the one way pair system for south beach be implemented. This would make the flow simpler in a tight confined space and make it safer for pedestrians and motorists to interface. Multimodal transportation is going to increase and we need to be able to accommodate this on a limited roadway system with the most efficiency possible. The one way pairs on south beach and possibly north beach is the most viable way to do that from a cost and logistical standpoint. In response to questions, Traffic Operations Manager Paul Bertels said the City never had a traffic safety planning department. The City has always had a Traffic Engineering division, which is mainly a traffic operations group that does the traffic implementation and maintenance, lending support to the Planning Department on projects with large traffic components. He suggested that a transportation planning component be added to the Planning Department's staff. Mr. Bertels said spring break traffic is almost year-round, a separate lane for BRT(Bus Rapid Transit) is needed to alleviate vehicular traffic heading to Clearwater Beach. In regards to the flashing lights/crosswalk on Mandalay Avenue, a study performed in 2015, in which the crosswalk was closed entirely, identified 76% of pedestrians jaywalked. Mr. Bertels said building a wall is the only way to eliminate the problem. The City owns four portable variable message boards. When evaluating funding requests, federal agencies consider if municipalities have done all that can be done within reason to solve the transit problem. Mr. Bertels recommended implementing the one-way pair system for Coronado Drive; it is a choke point at the end of the day on Clearwater Beach that can be addressed by having the metering signal on the Causeway be activated by the traffic on Page 6 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 Coronado Drive. Other choke points include Mandalay Avenue and Baymont Street during peak periods. In the last year, there has been one pedestrian fatality, due to an impaired driver, on Gulfview Boulevard near the miniature golf course. The pedestrian was legally crossing, no devise would have prevented the accident. Mr. Bertels said most of the hotels being developed on the beach will have valet service If the one-way pair system was implemented on Hamden Drive, the right-of-way permit would have to be reworked, signage could be used to caution individuals on the one-way street that there is back-out parking. The hotels being developed on Hamden Drive are required to eliminate back-out parking and replace with sidewalk. There is on-street parking on 5th Street but it is off the roadway. He said that the model used to analyze a one-way pair system on the south end of the beach showed that there was a level of improvement in both directions. The Smart City program was limited to mid-size cities with populations of 200,00 - 800,000, the County approached the City regarding a partnership opportunity but it was determined that the population requirement could not be met. Police Chief Dan Slaughter said there will be officers at the Mandalay Avenue and Coronado Drive crosswalks during Spring Break to help control the pedestrian traffic. Message boards will be used in downtown advising drivers not to block intersections. Discussion ensued with suggestions made that pedestrian safety on the beach be maintained by increasing police aide presence and that considerations be given to alternatives that can address traffic issues now. In response to a suggestion, Mr. Bertels said staff does not intend to implement the one-way pair system prior to Spring Break. The City Manager said business and residential feedback would be needed prior to further consideration. Support was expressed for an incremental traffic approach on the beach and that consideration be given to implement the metering signal on the Causeway that can be activated by the traffic on Coronado Drive. There was consensus for staff to work with the Jolley Trolley and Clearwater Ferry regarding implementation details and draft agreements for council consideration. 5. City Attorney Reports — None. Page 7 City of Clearwater City Council Meeting Minutes February 12, 2016 6. Closing comments by Councilmembers (limited to 3 minutes) - None. 7. Closing Comments by Mayor Mayor Cretekos thanked the Chamber and Ferry representatives for their efforts and thanked the MPO for their assistance in getting the BRT online. Council looks forward to continuing these discussions. 8. Adjourn Attest City Clerk The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m. City of Clearwater r,t^Cr' \ittA7j Mayor City of Clearwater Page 8