Meramec Region Transportation Advisory Committee
MINUTES
February 11, 2010
Call to Order & Welcome:
Russell Scheulen, District 5, called the February 11, 2010 Transportation Advisory Committee meeting to order at 4:07 p.m. Russell opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Members Present:
Robert Schaffer, Ed Worley, Gary Brown, Darrell Skiles, Richard Huse, Lowell Tonding, Russell Scheulen, Jerry Wolfe, Candace Connell, John Petersen, Cecil Penland and T. R. Dudley
Members Absent:
Richard Martin, Donald Dodd, Matthew Penning, Ron Jost, Jim Decker, James Kleffner, Danny Foster, John Butz, Larry Stratman, Bruce Harrill, George Sanders, John Casey and Todd Moyers
Guests, MoDOT and Ex-Officio:
Tom Stehn (MoDOT), Michael Dusenberg (MoDOT), Willie Johnson (MoDOT), Alan Trampe (MoDOT) and Lyle Thomas (City of St. Robert)
Staff Present:
Richard Cavender, Bonnie Prigge, Connie Willman and Lisa Warnke
Approval of December 2009 TAC Minutes:
Lowell Tonding made a motion to approve the December 10, 2009 Transportation Advisory Committee minutes. Richard Huse seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Taking Care of System Priorities:
MoDOT asked TAC committee members to prioritize the “Taking Care of the System” projects in the Meramec Region.
Mike Dusenberg and Alan Trampe discussed the projects located in District 5. Mike and Alan explained that the eleven projects are all resurfacing, shoulder and /or rumble strip work.
Willie Johnson and Tom Stehn discussed the projects located in District 9. Tom said there are 13 minor routes projects in District 9 that need to be ranked. District 9 will hold a meeting on February 25 to finalize the priorities for the district.
The TAC members divided into two groups based on which District they represent to discuss and rank the projects. (See attached District 5 and District 9 tables)
Report of Missouri Transportation Alliance Meeting:
Richard Cavender reported on the Missouri Transportation Alliance meeting that was held on February 11, 2010 in Rolla. Richard said that the meeting was to inform the public on what MoDOT and the regional planning groups are trying to accomplish. About 70 people attended the meeting. Consensus of attendees was that the number one priority for the state is to improve the Highway 63 corridor from Iowa to Arkansas, with the most important stretch being between Jefferson City and Rolla. The Missouri Alliance is currently working on a plan to present to the public to help solve the funding short fall. Richard informed the committee that the Alliance would appreciate letters of support for the initiative from the counties and communities. The website for the Missouri Transportation Alliance is http://missouritransportation.org/ .
Statewide Priorities:
Bonnie Prigge presented video clips for the rural major projects that will be prioritized at a meeting on February 25, 2010. Bonnie encouraged the TAC committee to offer input on ranking the projects outside the region. Projects are located at the following website: ftp://ftp.modot.org/CRmedia/Investment%20Scenario%20Meeting%20-%20Feb%2025/
MoDOT Updates and Staff Reports:
Districts 5 and 9 Engineers updated the TAC members on local projects, as follows:
District 5
Mike Dusenberg and Alan Trampe discussed projects for District 5:
District 9
Willie Johnson provided information to the TAC members on the “800 Better Bridges” program. He informed the committee that there will be 19 bridges in District 5 that will be repaired in 2011.
Tom Stehn informed the committee that a second round of ARRA funding has been issued. MoDOT is preparing for an extra funds petition and a second possible stimulus plan. There are tentatively three big projects planned for the region which include:
Tom Stehn discussed that in December MoDOT held a Strategic Advance meeting with the directors to define the problems of funding. Typically funding comes from gas tax, new car tax and license registration fees, but the depressed economy has effected funding for transportation. The forecast for transportation funding looks dismal for 2011 and even worse for 2012. Tom stated that the Federal Highway Bill expired in September. There have been three extensions, but no decision has been made. If nothing has been decided by the end of February, then funding is locked in for the following year. All the funding for round one of the stimulus has been spent. The consumer surveys state that interest lies in taking care of the current road systems and to hold off on new construction.
Next Meeting:
The next Transportation Advisory Committee meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. on April 8, 2010
Adjournment:
Being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 5:53 p.m.
_____________________________________ _________________________
District 9, Co-Chair, Donald Dodd Date