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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_GTAB_08.10.2018Minutes of the Meeting of the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board and the Governing Body of the City of Georgetown, Texas August 10, 2018 The City of Georgetown is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require assistance in participation at a public meeting due to a disability, as defined under the ADA, reasonable assistance, adaptations, or accommodations will be provided upon request. Please contact the City at least three (3) days prior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512)930-3652 or City Hall at 113 East 81h Street for additional information: TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. Board Members Present: John Marler - Board Chair, Dan Jones, Robert Redoutey, Sheila Mills, Doug Noble, Troy Hellmann Board Members Absent: John Hesser, Ron Bindas - Vice Chair, Donna Courtney - Secretary Staff Present: Wes Wright, Russ Volk, Octavio Garza, Jim Briggs, Ed Polasek, Nat Waggoner, Emily Koontz Others Present: Gary Reed, Carl Norris, John Milford, Richard Valentine, Trae Sutton - KPA Engineering, Ross Hunter, Ross Scott, Josh Crawford, Wendy Dew, Terry Reed, Douglas Haegebarth, John Muchler-Aguirre and Fields, Brad Lamb-GTU Jet, Patrick Taylor -Kauffman Associates, Ashley McClain -Cox -McClain Environmental Regular Session A. Call to Order: Meeting called to order by John Marler at 10:OOam Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board may, at any time, recess the Regular Session to Convene an Executive Session at the request of the Chair, a Board Member, The City Manager, Assistant City Manager, General Manager of Utilities, City Council Member, or legal counsel for any purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Chapter 551, and are subject to action in the Regular Session that follows. B. Introduction of Visitors: All visitors and staff were introduced. C. Industry/CAMPO/TxDOT/Transit Updates: Ed Polasek gave updates. Next council meeting they will be taking an agreement with Southwestern University to allow students and faculty to use their Pirate cards as buses passes for GoGeo. The university will pay the city $2,500 for the first year and then the city will evaluate ridership and renegotiate that contract after the first year. This will make it easier for students and faculty to access the GoGeo program. The city has met with TxDot on the Leander Road project. The public meeting may be delayed because it looks like the schematic has not been finalized due to some concerns by Leander on the alignment. The city is working with them on how to move the project forward specifically so the city can get started on the bond and the Campo project for Leander Road. D. Airport Monthly Update: Russ Volk gave updates. Airport master plan now has all inputs from FAA and TxDOT Aviation incorporated into the latest version. Runway Rehabilitation project is out for bids. There is a bid out later this month for the new overlay of the runway itself. They have been focusing on several initiatives in the airport primarily some hangar upgrades and some door seals. Fuel price comparisons are included in the packet. Airport is running in the black for the fiscal year. Should wrap up the fiscal year with three straight years of operating in the black. Jim Briggs made a statement that Russ Volk is retiring. Marler presented Volk with a certificate of appreciation signed by all present board members. Citizens Wishing to Address the Board: The following people with the Airport Concerned Citizens (ACC) signed up to speak to the Board on Item G: Wendy Dew - 6 minutes E. June 2018 GTAB Updates: Wright gave updates. All updates included in the packet. Mills asks about possible improvements for DB Wood and Wright responds that there is nothing in the next year's fiscal budget, but there was a package for improvements in the 2015 road bond program and is set for 2020-2021. Hellmann asks about the intersection at DB Wood and 29. Wright responds that the county is working with Georgetown and the state to improve the intersection - looking at putting in a turn lane and widening the intersection. This is not a bond program project. Marler asks about repaving in the Sun City area and Wright responds that there will be golf cart transportation for people that need it. F. Presentation and discussion on the City's 2030 Comprehensive Plan Update Process - Nat Waggoner, AICP, Long Range Planning Manager. Comp Plan Schedule is included in packet. Legislative Regular Agenda G. Consideration and possible approval of the Minutes from the June 08, 2018 Meeting - Emily Koontz - Board Liaison. MOTION by Dan Jones, second by Sheila Mills to approve the minutes as presented. APPROVED 6-0-3 (Bindas, Courtney, Hesser - absent) H. Consideration and possible recommendation to renew the current contract with Avfuel Corporation to supply aviation fuel (Jet -A and 100LL/Avgas) and services to the Georgetown Municipal Airport, City of Georgetown, in the estimated annual amount of $2,600,000.00 - Russ Volk, C.M., Airport Manager. Avfuel won the initial bidding competition. Resulted in a two year contract with three one-year renewal options. The city is coming the end of the two year period and would like to renew for the first one- year option. Avfuel has been great to work with and they put in a lot of effort to make sure we keep in the fuel we need to supply our airport businesses and users. MOTION by Doug Noble, second by Troy Hellmann. APPROVED 6-0-3 (Bindas, Courtney, Hesser - absent) I. Consideration and possible recommendation to adopt the Draft Airport Master Plan. - Russ Volk, C.M., Airport Manager and Octavio A. Garza, P.E., C.P.M, Public Works Director. Multiple firms submitted proposals - Kauffman and Associates won the consulting proposal and have been exceptional to work with. This airport has undergone comprehensive review and created a master plan. FAA requires master plans. Master plan is included in the packet. Marler asks and Volk confirms that what the board is voting on is simply adopting the plan and the recommendations within. Briggs makes a statement that as a site plan comes into develop, it would have to comply with the master plan and that land use items of the plan were important not only for planes and hangars but for revenue to continue to support the operation as well. Hellmann asks and Volk confirms that this plan has been reviewed by TxDOT and the FAA to make sure it would meet all requirements and have all essential elements. MOTION by Troy Hellmann, second by Dan Jones. APPROVED 6-0-3 (Bindas, Courtney, Hesser - absent) Citizens Wishing to Address the Board: The following people with the Airport Concerned Citizens (ACC) signed up to speak to the Board on Item G: Hugh C. Norris Jr. - 6 minutes J. Consideration and possible recommendation on the Austin Avenue Bridges Environmental Clearance Process and selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative - Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Planning Coordinator. Polasek gave presentation. Presentation is included in the packet. Marler asks and Polasek responded that "no bill" means to leave it as it is. Briggs commented that "no bill' does not mean that they would not continue maintenance. Hellmann asked and Polasek responded that they like 6A better because impacts were less with new construction on the east side, the right of way needed on the west side would be greater, and the Blue Hole park would be impacted on the west side as well. MOTION by Doug Noble, second by Sheila Mills. APPROVED 6-0-3 (Bindas, Courtney, Hesser - absent) Citizens Wishing to Address the Board: The following people with the Airport Concerned Citizens (ACC) signed up to speak to the Board on Item G: Ross Hunter - 3 minutes GTAB STATEMENT AUGUST 10, 2018 AGENDA ITEM "D" AIRPORT MONTHLY REPORT Good morning Mr. Chairman, and members of the GTAB. My name is Wendy Dew. My residence is 30109 Spyglass Circle, Georgetown, Texas. I am a member of the Airport Concerned Citizen (ACC). This is the 84th presentation by ACC members to the city council and/or the GTAB. My statement this morning is a response to comments made by a board member at the last meeting on June 8, 2018. A board member expressed being personally offended by public statements inferring improper ethics, honesty and transparency issues with city officials. Other board members agreed. By board rules, a response by the public at that meeting was not allowed. It is perhaps appropriate that a board member made the comment because the ACC has been offended numerous times over the past five years by city officials and a public response is justified. On behalf of the ACC I will describe some, but not all issues which offend the general public, are related to this agenda item, and need to be addressed for the public record. They include, but are limited by time to : • Refusal of city officials to exchange dialog with public speakers and respond to their requests for staff information and justification for identified issues. Public officials can take time yucking it up and backslapping with themselves and staff, but will not address important issues when requested by the public who, by board rules, must remain gagged and silent. • Refusal of the city officials to meet with representative of the public in open public workshops for detailed information on important issues that impact the public's safety, health and property values and alternatives to proposed major airport construction grants. This board has a responsibility to the public and the city council to consider views of the public and staff prior to its decisions. You can't do that without engaging the public for its views. • An official public policy of lies regarding continued expansion of airport property and aviation operations to transform our once publicly acceptable airport to a current health and safety hazard and subject of public controversy. • Lies by public officials in a state hearing that a local public hearing was held for a pending federal funded project and that there is no expansion of aviation operations being planned or implemented at our public owned airport. In fact, there have been no federal structured NEPA level public hearings for a single federal or state funded airport grant in the past 38 years. AND, aviation expansion facilities funded by the over $25 Million total in project grants have provided accommodations for expansion of based aircraft from 48 to 405 and take off and landing operations from 85/day to 553/day. The new 20 year airport plan and its $60 Million construction PROGRAM supports operations up to 764/day. • Refusal of city officials to fund a feasibility study for a seamless transfer of the current landlocked airport in the heart of our city to a permanent, superior, safer site at no cost to the city taxpayers. • Refusal of city officials to work with FAA on behalf of the general public to establish airport flight rules to prevent low level, debilitating noise, dangerous take off and landing turning maneuvers over homes, schools, churches and businesses within the city established "noise sensitive areas" when ample non-developed areas are available for these maneuvers. • Refusal of public officials to justify the proposed doubling of strength of Runway 18-36 and offer less costly resurfacing treatments to protect the runway's current strength. • Collaboration of city officials with TxDOT and FAA to allow unelected bureaucrats to make and determine Categorical Exclusions from EIS's and the NEPA contrary to federal regulations that require airport Sponsors to submit proposed environmental clearances to SBGP or FAA officials for their rejection, modification, or approval. ■ Refusal of public officials to present in layman's terms documentation showing how airport revenues are paying for all cumulative city shares of grants, interest on those debts, and all cumulative airport maintenance and operations costs. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your willingness to try and educate yourself on airport issues, but what you were given to review is a product of numerous lies given to FAA by the City and TxDot officials. These are only a few issues of which the public is and has been offended and demonstrate a clear need for open and fair dialog between city officials and the public regarding airport issues. GTAB STATEMENT AUGUST 10, 2018 AGENDA ITEM "I" DRAFT AIRPORT MASTER PLAN Good morning Mr. Chairman, members of the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board. My name is Hugh C. Norris, Jr. My address is 4400 Luna Trail, Georgetown, Texas. I am a member of the Airport Concerned Citizens (ACC). My comments this morning address agenda item "I", the staff proposed recommendation to adopt the Draft Airport Master Plan. The ACC demands this item be postponed pending a full vetting of this plan by a special GTAB public meeting. The attached Staff Briefing Sheet portion titled "Item Summary" for this item is misleading and false. Examples include: 1. The second paragraph describing purpose of the plan infers that expansion of aviation operations by improved or new facilities to meet anticipated new demands is the only option for the citizens of the city who actually own the airport. That single option is wrong! The citizens are under no obligation to provide any improved or new facilities regardless of new potential projected demands. FAA regulations prevent the agency from making or forcing such intrusion on the rights of the airport owning citizens who may pref er to limit airport operations to current levels while maintaining facilities to meet FAA standards and/or relocate the airport to a safer, superior location or other options. 2. The third paragraph infers that the plan provided ample public input and participation in development. That inference is demonstrably wrong! Members appointed to the plan's Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) were limited to those devoted to continued expansion of aviation operations. Specifically excluded were members of the public who shared legitimate concerns of NEPA related adverse impacts to public health, safety, property detriment, and continued public controversy due to continued expansion of landlocked aviation operations. The general public could listen and observe PAC members focused only on continuing operations expansion communicating with the consultants, but were denied any dissenting or alternate view communications of their own. Such public concerns were prohibited and not included indevelopment of any portion of the plan or its 20 year, $60 Million PROGRAM of capital improvements intended for federal and state funding. Public Q & A's at the three "Workshops" for completed plan portions and written comments provided through the plan web site were quickly ignored without consultant comments and without notice and elimination justification by the PAC and the consultant. To this date no documented public plan commentaries and TxDOT and FAA review and responses have been made known to this board or the general public. Public input and participation in development of the plan and its PROGRAM were a cruel and demonstrable hoax. 3.The fourth paragraph states the plan was developed in accordance with FAA requirements. Not true! Documented comments to the consultant identify specific portions of six chapters of FAA AC 150/5070.6B, the primary regulation governing development of such plans, that were omitted from study and commentary making the final plan and its PROGRAM irredeemably defective. NEPA related adverse issues associated with the location of the airport in the very heart of our growing city and totally atop the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone were ignored. Documented past citizen opposition to adverse impacts arising by expanded aviation operations were ignored. Issues of debilitating noise, safety, health issues, and property damage of those on the ground under flight paths for take offs and landings were ignored. Mitigation measures to eliminate or reduce adverse impacts due to continuation and expansion of operations were ignored. Other airport expansion alternatives for a superior safer location that deserved review and recommendations were ignored. Appropriate NEPA level reviews for PROGRAM projects were ignored. The city's Public Information Office through its outreach with all community press, news media, TV, and social media is fully capable of providing full community awareness of documented public comments on this plan's development, FAA and TxDOT review and responses to such comments, and FAA's final comments to TxDOT for changes to this Draft Final Plan. With no such prior comprehensive public and GTAB information, it is entirely premature for the board to consider action on this item. Such action must be postponed. Mr. Chairman, faced with such irredeemable defects in the current Draft Airport Master Plan, lack of proper prior information for the public and the board, and fact that city staff has scheduled a request to the Planning and Zoning Commision to make this defective plan an update to the city's Comprehensive Plan, the ACC demands the GTAB establish a public meeting for full community input and participation on this plan and a detailed transcript based report on same for public record prior to any action recommendation on this plan to city council. Comments or questions from the board will be appreciated. Adjournment Motion by Troy Hellmann, second by Dan Jones. APPROVED 6-0-3 (Bindas, Courtney, Hesser — absent) Meeting was Adjourned at 11:50 AM Approved: Attested: Marler - Chair Emily K ntz — GTAB Boa aison