Document farmingtonnm_gov_doc_46d3968fe5

OCTOBER 8, 2014 Prepared by: Sites Southwest LLC In association with: MIG, Inc. and REGeneration Strategies Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Prepared for: Farmington MPO ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 1 Overview The Farmington Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is in the process of updating its transportation plan for the region—the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)—to be completed by April 2015. As part of the update, the MPO undertook an extensive public outreach effort to solicit citizen opinions about what mattered most to them about the transportation network and what transportation needs they would like to see addressed in the future. A series of public meetings were held in January and February 2014 to obtain public input. A second outreach effort was undertaken in July/August 2014 and included the following:  A series of six evening public meetings held around the county over a two- week period in Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield and Kirtland. These were publicized by flyers, email, post cards, newspaper ads and phone calls to County residents. They elicited in- depth responses from 20 attendees.  A series of eight one-hour stakeholder meetings held during the day over a two-week period in Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield, about which stakeholders were notified by email and phone calls. They elicited in-depth comments from 20 or more persons.  An on-line mapping exercise (Mapita), to which 306 persons responded.  A transportation survey, available on paper, which was filled out by 55 persons and entered and compiled on SurveyMonkey. During the course of holding the public meetings, the team accepted invitations to make presentations and collect input at three meetings of other organizations. These included:  Community Health Improvement Council (CHIC) meeting on Thursday, August 21, 2014 (25 attendees).  Farmington Rotary Club lunch meeting, Thursday, August 28, 2014 (about 25 attendees).  Place Matters Group, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 (about 15 attendees). Altogether, the second outreach effort received input from approximately 466 persons in the region. The following report summarizes comments from the public and specific stakeholders during the rounds of public and stakeholder meetings in August. It presents a summary of each week’s meetings, followed by recommendations and a table depicting key issues raised during each meeting. The extended notes from each meeting, sorted by question, are also included. The report also includes public input from the three meetings of other organizations listed above. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 2 Recommendations Based on Community Input The consultant team reviewed all the community input received from the paper survey available at the County Fair, the online mapping survey, and at the in-person stakeholder interviews and public workshops. We also reviewed the 2035 MTP (adopted 2010 amended 2011) and conducted several tours of the existing transportation conditions in the MPO region. We also kept in mind the Vision, Mission and Goals of the 2035 MTP, which are: Vision The Farmington Metropolitan Planning Organization vision is for a safe, efficient and reliable multi- modal transportation system that meets the needs of residents and visitors in the region. Mission Statement Provide a forum to develop an effective transportation system to move people and goods safely, economically and efficiently while maintaining a high quality of life. Goals Objectives  Support the economic vitality of the Farmington region by providing a balanced, multi-modal transportation system that moves people, goods and information safely, economically and efficiently. 1. Provide adequate land are and access for commercial opportunities to serve future population growth 2. Minimize congestion to improve delivery of goods and service  Foster regional coordination and transportation system continuity. 1. Maximize use of current transportation system 2. Involve local planners in the transportation planning process  Develop and connect transportation systems and associated facilities into a cohesive intermodal system. 1. Increased transit, bicycle and pedestrian connections  Minimize congestion on the transportation system. 1. Minimize congestion and minimize delay.  Provide reasonable access to services and jobs for all of the region's residents, regardless of age, income or disability. 1. Increased multi-modal accessibility  Minimize negative environmental impacts and enhance the environmental quality of the Farmington region. 1. Minimize air quality impacts 2. Minimize impacts to existing neighborhoods 3. Develop strategies to educate the public about how travel choices affect air quality  Identify and develop funding sources adequate to build, operate and maintain the metropolitan transportation system. 1. Minimize total transportation systems costs 2. Maximize transportation system performance per project cost  Identify and implement new technology for balanced multi-modal transportation. 1. Improve multi-modal street design for high activity areas 2. Increase mode split  Develop a transportation system that maintains and/or enhances the existing quality of life and works in concert with cultural and environmental resources and adopted local plans. 1. Minimize access to adjacent developments along key arterials to maximize capacity ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 3 Goals Objectives  Integrate transportation and land use planning to improve quality of life and to protect the natural environment 1. Encourage the local entities to integrate regional transportation policies into their adopted local plans  Ensure public safety for all modes 1. Improve system safety through improved levels of service and reduce congestion 2. Promote safety design practices for all modes 3. Minimize emergency vehicle response time  Coordinate with local agencies on security planning and strategies 1. Implement Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technologies for improving the safety and security of transportation modes Based on the assessment, we are recommending the following topics be addressed in the MTP 2040 Update. Suggested New Elements to Add o Transportation Demand Management (TDM). The 2035 MTP discusses Transportation System Management (TSM) but doesn’t talk about demand management programs in any detail. The transportation planning profession has discovered that sometimes the most cost-effective transportation program is to pay people not to drive (rather than accommodate their vehicle trip). The 2040 MTP Update should incorporate a separate element on TDM programs that would be feasible in the MPO region such as subsidized transit passes and parking cash-out programs in partnership with major institutions and employers. o Aesthetics. There is limited discussion of aesthetics of the transportation system in the 2035 MTP, but this was a frequent issue raised in the community outreach. The 2040 MTP Update should dedicate a separate element to this topic, especially lighting, landscaping and signage standards for different street types and land use contexts. The element should be coordinated with Complete Streets initiative currently being led by the MPO. o Public Health. The 2035 MTP doesn't discuss the impact of the transportation system on public health outcomes in any detail. Because of the significance of this issue in the MPO region, the 2040 MTP Update should dedicate a separate element to this topic. This element would be coordinated with bike and pedestrian elements within the MTP document as well as any standalone bike and pedestrian plans. o Safe Routes to School. The 2035 MTP discusses Safe Routes to School activities in the MPO region within the pedestrian and bicycle section. Based on community input articulating a need for expanded Safe Routes to School projects (especially in underserved areas such as Kirtland and surrounding areas). The 2040 MTP should include a separate element on this unique but effective program for protecting the region’s most vulnerable system users. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 4 o Implementation Plan. Certain sections of the 2035 MTP include an implementation discussion, but there is no cross-cutting implementation plan in the document. The 2040 MTP Update should incorporate a single implementation matrix with identified phasing (immediate, short, mid, and long-term), lead implementers, supporting partners, and next steps. o Performance Measures. The 2035 MTP has a limited set of performance measures, almost all of them focused on auto level of service. Economists tell us that what gets measured matters. The 2040 MTP should incorporate a broader set of performance measures to support implementation of its multimodal policy goals. Performance measures also provide a means to articulate MTP implementation progress on key system goals (e.g. increased multimodal connectivity) to MPO partners and system users. Suggested performance measures are described at the end of this section; these were developed in reference to key outcomes desired by the stakeholders as well as the goals and objectives of the 2035 MTP. Suggested Revisions to Existing Goals and Addition of New Goals Table 1-1 of the 2035 MTP (which is shown above) describes the MPO’s goals and objectives for the transportation system at the time that plan was developed and adopted. The consultant team is recommending that MPO staff revise some of the existing goals and objectives and add several new goals to the updated MTP.1 These include: Revisions to existing goals: 1) Existing Goal: “Support the economic vitality of the MPO region by providing a balanced, multi‐modal transportation system that moves people, goods and information safely, economically and efficiently. o Existing Objective 1: Provide adequate land area and access for commercial opportunities to serve future population growth.” Discussion: One of the economic functions of transportation systems is certainly to facilitate access to commercial goods and services. But there are a number of other ways that transportation contributes to economic vitality. Three examples include: 1) a robust transit system can reduce households’ expenditures on transportation, thereby increasing those households’ discretionary income available for them to spend on local goods and services; 2) the design of the transportation system itself (including complete streets designed for all users, a network of bike paths and trails, transit bus stops that are welcoming instead of utilitarian, and neighborhood sidewalks with trees, etc.) can create long-term economic value not only by increasing property values, but by helping the region retain and recruit talent that make locational decisions based on quality of life, and ; and 3) low density development patterns typically don’t generate the tax revenue necessary to cover the lifecycle costs of the required transportation infrastructure, and that can create a “structural deficit” for operations and maintenance 1 Objectives corresponding to revised and new goals should be developed based on additional staff and consultant discussion as well as additional input gathered later in the MTP planning process. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 5 costs that hinders economic growth (whereas nodes of higher densities can help generate greater return on infrastructure investment). Suggested revised goal: “Support the economic vitality of the MPO region by investing strategically in projects and programs create long-term, financially-sustainable economic value.” 2) “Existing Goal: Minimize congestion on the transportation system. o Existing Objective 1: Minimize congestion and minimize delay.” Discussion: The initiatives and investments required to minimize auto congestion and delay – such as road widening and intersection/street design that prioritizes vehicle travel speeds – often degrade the quality of service (QOS) for all other non-auto users of the transportation system. Implementing projects solely to minimize auto congestion and delay could therefore make it difficult for the MPO to achieve its other goals and objectives. Best practice is to acknowledge that auto congestion will occur (and is actually a good thing from an economic perspective) and should be managed. But efforts to reduce auto congestion should not come at the expense of other goals for the transportation system and should never significantly reduce QOS for other modes Suggested revised goal: “Manage congestion by prioritizing projects that enhance the Quality of Service (QOS) of capacity-efficient modes like carpooling, transit, biking, and walking and reduce overall person delay.” 3) Existing Goal: “Integrate transportation and land use planning to improve quality of life and to protect the natural environment. o Existing Objective 1: Encourage the local entities to integrate regional transportation policies into their adopted local plans.” Discussion: Integration of transportation and land use planning is a critically-important function of the MPO and should be addressed in the MTP Update. However, the experience of other regions shows that in order to achieve that goal, an MPO must be more proactive to go beyond encouraging local jurisdictions to adopt regional policies into their local plans. Two examples include: 1) using incentives such as mini-grants to help local jurisdictions adopt land use regulations and street design standards that are more supportive of transit and other non-auto modes and 2) developing broad-based performance measures for the transportation system (as described below) and then using those metrics to evaluate all regional projects in the TIP so that those projects that best support regional goals are prioritized for funding. Suggested revised goal: “Integrate transportation and land use planning to improve quality of life and to protect the natural environment by using transportation investments to proactively shape land use patterns rather than react to growth.” Addition of new goals: 1) Cost efficiency. The 2035 MTP included as a goal the identification of additional funding sources. But even with aggressive pursuit of traditional funding sources, the MPO region will continue to have a ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 6 difficult time securing adequate funding to address existing needs. The consultant team recommends developing a new goal in the MTP 2040 Update describing how the transportation system can be designed, operated, and maintained as cost effectively as possible. Objectives associated with this goal should address triple bottom line cost-benefit analysis and how the transportation system can proactively shape land use patterns to support the most cost-effective modes (carpooling, transit, biking, and walking). 2) Strategic partnerships. Even with additional funding and increased cost efficiency, the MPO region will need partners to help implement some of priority projects. The consultant team recommends developing a new goal in the MTP 2040 Update describing how MPO will continue to identify new strategic partnerships, such as the community college, major employers, and developers as partners in expanding bus transit service in the region. 3) Public health. The MPO region, like many other parts of the US, is experiencing an increase in negative public health outcomes like obesity and cardiovascular disease that are partially attributable to sedentary lifestyles. The consultant team recommends developing a new goal in the MTP 2040 Update describing how the transportation system can help the region improve public health outcomes through increasing use of “active modes” like walking, biking, and taking transit. 4) Equity. The MPO region has significant populations of groups that are either too young, too old, or too poor to be able to drive. The existing transportation system as whole provides limited options and generally poor service for these users. The consultant team recommends developing a new goal in the MTP 2040 Update describing how the transportation system can become more equitable for non-auto system users, including Safe Routes to School programs and targeted transit service expansions in underserved areas and to support underserved markets. 5) Resiliency. The MPO region, like the Southwest as a whole, is particularly susceptible to environmental hazards such as fluctuating temperatures, water availability, and reduction in natural resources. The consultant team recommends developing a new goal in the MTP 2040 Update describing how the transportation system can help the region minimize its contribution to negative environmental impacts like climate change as well as prepare for, adapt to, evacuate, and recover from environmental hazards. Suggested Performance Measures and Benchmarks to Develop in the MTP 2040 Update2 1. Safety: Reduce overall collisions by and collisions involving injuries/fatalities by Y% , and collisions involving the most vulnerable transportation system users (pedestrians, bicyclists, minors, and the elderly) by 2 Performance measures and especially quantifiable benchmarks should be refined further based on additional staff and consultant discussion. The baseline for any quantifiable benchmarks would be the adoption year for the 2040 MTP. This is not a comprehensive list of potential performance measures; instead it is the list of what we believe to be the most important metrics to allow the MPO and its partners to measure progress on community identified priorities and recognizing MPO capacity constraints. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 7 2. Efficiency: Increase the mode share for non-auto modes (walking, biking, and taking transit) to X% for commute trips and Y% for non-commute trips. 3. Public health: Increase the mode share for active modes (walking and biking) to X% for commute trips and Y% for non-commute trips. 4. Equity: Reduce residents’ transportation expenditures to X% percent of household income for the average household and Y% for lower-income households. 5. Customer satisfaction: Achieve a letter grade of X or better for all modes and the system overall as determined by periodic customer satisfaction survey of transportation system users. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 8 Stakeholder and Public Meeting Summaries by Transportation Type: The following summarizes comments from stakeholders and the general public from the following meetings by theme. It is followed by the specific comments generated by each meeting, sorted by question. August 19 through August 21 2014 Meetings Summary  Tuesday evening, August 19, 2014, San Juan College, Farmington  Wednesday morning, August 20, 2014, MPO Office, Farmington  Wednesday afternoon, August 20, 2014, Aztec Commission Chambers, Aztec  Wednesday evening, August 20, 2014, San Juan College East  Thursday morning, August 21, 2014, MPO Office, Farmington  Thursday afternoon, August 21, 2014, MPO Office, Farmington  Thursday evening, August 21, 2014, Sycamore Park Community Center, Farmington Roadways: Farmington is well-engineered for roadways. There is good east-west access but not north- south access. Congestion is a problem on Main Street (largely trucks) on Saturday and around the Animas Mall on the weekends and during lunch. People are happy with new signal on Main Street, but trucks should be diverted to Broadway as a throughway. Many roads are narrow and hard to retrofit for complete streets: bike lanes, sidewalks, landscape strips, etc. Some still experience flooding (eg., 20th Street). Some collector systems put in by developers don’t work well. Some participants would like collectors to be a shared public responsibility. Impact fees could help more equitably distribute the cost of roadways. The highway between Farmington and Aztec lacks sufficiently bright, reflective white lane lines on the roadway, which makes them difficult to see at night or bad weather. There also are no streetlights between Farmington and Bloomfield. Some participants also would like to see wider shoulders and bikeways along the highways. Regional Access: It is costly and difficult to get in and out of the region. Farmington lost Greyhound bus service, planes have been curtailed, and there is no rail service. Transportation to Albuquerque is limited to one express bus Monday through Saturday (7 am to 5 pm), costs $80 to $90 round trip, and not all participants knew about it. Bicycle lanes, paths, routes: The biggest issue is the lack of connections: bike lanes peter out with no warning (eg., Dustin and Butler), which creates a safety hazard. Farmington needs safe, connected bikeways. Sidewalks: These are too narrow in places for wheelchairs or walking two abreast, have obstructions such as mailboxes, and lack connections. One example is on the east side of San Juan College, where school employees and students cross through dirt, bushes, and over a guardrail to reach the coffee shop ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 9 on the other side of College Boulevard. Off-street asphalt paths might be a cheaper solution than sidewalks and accommodate pedestrians as well as bicyclists. Bus Service: Participants are generally grateful that Red Apple bus exists, but say it needs to expand into a really good fixed-route and on-demand mass transit. Prospective riders say they can’t find the closest bus stop and that it should stop at facilities such as senior centers. Others want it to run up and down Main Street. Particular needs include buses to airport, to events, and past 6 pm for those who work later shifts or take evening classes at the college. Dial-a-Ride is only available for medical appointments—not grocery shopping or other errands—and people with disabilities have no access in Aztec and Bloomfield. An immediate need is bus service between Aztec and Bloomfield because the medical clinic in Bloomfield recently shut down. Service also is not with transit on the Navajo Reservation. DAV service run is by volunteers and is limited to VA Hospital trips. Not all bus stops are accessible to those with disabilities and none have routes or schedules available; potential riders need to have a cell phone available to call the number posted for route information. The City should standardize construction drawings of bus stops to ensure accessibility. They should also prioritize which stops to add shelters and other amenities such as seating and trash receptacles. The City acknowledges the bus system is short three routes due to lack of funds. Because the City lacks the funds to operate a second bus, the denial rate for the demand-response bus is too high, even though this service comes closest to paying for itself a trip). Administrators would like to run a second bus three days a week, but one route costs $80,000 a year to operate. Without matching funds, the City could lose federal dollars for this service within two years. The City also is exploring developing a van pool between Durango and Farmington, in which the regional medical center and school district are interested. The transit system is not politically popular with everyone; however, especially those who prefer to drive their cars. Minds are changing, however, as residents begin to age, lose their eyesight, or find it otherwise inconvenient to drive. System may have to pick up private funding and demonstrate use before expanding to the next level of publicly-funded service. San Juan College’s 13,000 students are very car-dependent. In a survey of transit needs, students requested two buses that would run every 30 minutes. They also said the existing transit service was too slow, some drivers were rude, and the bus was not available for night classes. The College is facing a need for more parking, however, and planning to build some student housing. Rail: Gaining a train station and rail line would improve economic development and community image. It would carry mostly freight with perhaps one passenger car. There is a rail spur from Grants/Thoreau ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 10 that could be brought north to Farmington. Use by the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) would be essential to success. They could fill 70 cars, leaving 30 available to other industries. Those knowledgeable said a plan is needed because it could happen quickly. Airport: Passenger flights out of Four Corners airport are minimal, expensive and often rescheduled. They will likely end soon. Many people fly out of Durango or Albuquerque already. Plans seem to be moving toward Durango becoming a regional airport with passenger service and Farmington rebranding itself as a general aviation airport, serving private planes, corporate planes, and freight shipments. Its competitive advantages are its intersecting runways and its tower, which is essential for military flights. New FAA regulations make it difficult for Farmington to sustain passenger service, and the federal government will not support two regional airports in such close proximity to each other. Recreational paths and trails: The existing trails, especially the Riverwalk, are very popular and add value to the areas as a center for geo-tourism. All types of transportation need to be improved along the river corridors, which are a great asset. Participants were pleased that Aztec is improving its trail system by the river and has built two pedestrian bridges to service it. Economic Development: It is difficult for start-up businesses to produce a product and distribute it. The region lacks a good system for transporting goods. Trucks beat up the roads; rail would be better. Funding: The region is conservative regarding tax increases, and San Juan County is in a difficult financial position currently. Many stakeholders favor building the Pinion Hills bridge to access the south side of the river, but acknowledge that taxpayers are hesitant about the $19 million price tag. Aesthetics/ quality of life: The area has available jobs, but poor aesthetics discourage prospective employees and their families from relocating. Doctors and others often commute from Durango. Farmington needs more attractive gateways. Way-finding: This is difficult for visitors because street names change mid-way and numbered streets don’t always continue in a sequence, leaving tourists to wander around lost. Farmington needs more signage in languages besides English. There needs to be sufficient but not overwhelming signage. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 11 Week 1- Aug. 19-21 San Juan College MPO Office Aztec-SJC- East MPO Office- AM MPO Office- PM Sycamore Pk CC Missing Connections (roads, bikeways, paths) √ √ √ √ √ √ Limited Walkability √ √ √ √ √ √ Recreational Trails √ √ √ √ √ Regional Access √ √ √ √ √ Limited Transit √ √ √ √ √ Rail Service √ √ √ √ √ Funding √ √ √ √ √ Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety √ √ √ √ Aesthetics/Quality of Life √ √ √ √ Insufficient North-South roads √ √ √ Wayfinding √ √ √ Airport Service √ √ Hwy Lane Markings/ Streetlights √ √ Economic Development √ √ Pinon Hills Bridge √ √ Tourism East Main Street Congestion √ Bus Stop Amenities √ ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 12 August 26 through August 28 2014 Meetings Summary  Tuesday evening, August 26, 2014; McGee Park Multi-Use Center  Wednesday morning, August 27, 2014; Four Corners Economic Development  Wednesday afternoon, August 27, 2014; Bloomfield Cultural Complex  Wednesday evening, August 27, 2014; Bloomfield Cultural Complex  Thursday morning, August 28, 2014; Farmington Civic Center  Thursday afternoon, August 28, 2014; MPO Office, Farmington Roadways: Streets don’t connect well; Farmington needs more of a grid to distribute traffic better and keep it flowing, but the land use plan doesn’t really support this. Traffic is very congested during lunch and Saturdays, particularly on Main Street and farther east. Farmington needs more north-south connections. Existing land stops Hutton and Sullivan from continuing. Dustin is already loaded and slow due to schools in the area; it gets faster at 30th Street. Traffic light system on Broadway has too many stops. An east-west alternative to Main Street at 20th or Butler or College is also needed so drivers don’t have to go back to Main Street. Opinions are divided over whether to build the Pinon Hills extension and bridge due to the high cost and neighborhood disruption. Some participants dislike that named streets break up numbered streets, making it more difficult to navigate through the town (One person noted that Pinon Hills would really be 40th Street, not a by-pass.) No one uses the Riverwalk to commute because it is too out of the way. In bad weather it is difficult to see the lane markings on the highway between Bloomfield and Farmington and between Bloomfield and Aztec. Opinions about proposed changes to Main Street in Farmington ranged from narrowing it to two lanes with a center turn lane and moving trucks onto Broadway to doing away with all traffic lights. One person wanted to further widen the sidewalks. There was greater consensus for lessening the traffic on Main Street to make it more conducive to walking and sitting at sidewalk cafes. Diverting trucks to Broadway instead was favored. Everyone wanted to ease the congestion on E. Main Street near the mall and big box stores. Sidewalks: Participants said they would walk more if it were easier. Under current conditions, sidewalks sometimes end abruptly, parking lots are unconnected, crosswalks are lacking. Some gaps in sidewalks await more development to fill in. Farmington does not have a culture of walking; walking is considered “suspicious behavior.” If there were a safer passage to cross six lanes of highway, pedestrians might walk from Target to Wal-Mart, or Safeway to the Animas Mall, lessening vehicle congestion. Recreational Paths/Trails: Participants treasure the Riverwalk, Berg Park, access to outdoor activity, and open space. More trails are needed to connect parks and wildlife corridors. Off-road vehicles need to be better controlled, however, because they ruin the banks of arroyos and depreciate the quality of life. One participant favored nearby built paths, shade and a place to sit so that the outdoors could be enjoyed without having to go on a long hike. Geo-tourism: Some see an opportunity for the area to become the tourist hub of the Four Corners region, ranging from Flagstaff to Taos. The Glade, for example, is viewed as a “miniature Moab” (with ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 13 accompanying conflicts between mountain bikes and off-road vehicles. One group is researching the existing maps with the intent of consolidating them, finding out what is being maintained and where the gaps are. Others are mapping what destinations are within a day’s drive and what infrastructure would be needed to access them. Regional Access: Getting in and out of Farmington is hard—one express bus, no rail, and losing air service—although participants were pleased with the widening of Route 550, which has made vehicle access easier. One person likened it to living “on an island.” Bus Service: Participants were pleased to have the Red Apple bus service, especially for those without reliable transportation such as seniors and individuals with handicaps or other disabilities, and said it had improved over the years. Those qualified for Medicaid can call ahead and reserve appointments. Bike racks on the front extend the transit range and help riders to get physical exercise. The downside is that the bus often is not convenient to use: it offers no weekend or late night service and doesn’t necessarily run at the right times or stops. Government restrictions pose obstacles for mothers with children trying to reach a medical appointment. Participants called for buses to be available after each of three employment shifts and offer more stops, bike racks, routes, and shelters. Finding bus schedules can be difficult for those without internet access, and suggestions were made to distribute schedules to various non-profit and government agencies that serve potential transit riders, such as the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). Rail: Participants were aware that rail service is being considered, although it may only be available for freight, not passengers. A passenger car may be added at NAPI (Navajo Agricultural Products Industry). Some envision rail service bringing in new business. Airport: Participants miss their formerly frequent air service out of the Four Corners airport, but most now seem resigned to ceding passenger service to Durango Regional Airport, which is only 40 minutes away. It has a longer runway and more boardings, but it also sits on a mesa and has expansion constraints similar to Farmington’s. With good fuel prices, first-class FBO, Four Corners airport can build up a charter business to serve local businesses. Local policy should focus on developing a quick way to reach the Durango airport or provide parking spaces for cars. Recommendations:  Identify areas where business clusters might work. Offer the incentive that the City would build the sidewalk if developers would commit to a master planning process.  Try a pilot shopper shuttle in the mall area with coupons for businesses.  Restripe highway lanes more often or consider embedding reflectors in the lane lines to make them more visible to motorists. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 14 Thursday evening, August 28, 2014; Kirtland Youth Association Building, Kirtland The meeting in Kirtland is summarized separately because the concerns focused on issues specific to that area. Sidewalks/Pedestrian Pathways: The biggest issue in the area is the lack of sidewalks or any pedestrian paths along the major roads, which leaves many children walking to school in or along the edge of major highways, such as 64. Some have to walk in dirt or drainages and cross many lanes of heavy truck traffic without the aid of crossing guards. This situation occurs because state regulations prevent school buses from picking up students who live within the following distances from the schools: 1 mile for elementary school, 1.5 miles for middle school, and 2 miles for high school, although there are some provisions for picking up children who have to cross major highways. There also are no streetlights on the roads when it gets dark. While some parents drop their kids at school, others on the Reservation have to be at work by 7 am, leaving children to fend for themselves and creating potentially hazardous situations. Sidewalks have been an “afterthought” for school site planning. Multiple entities (the County, the State Department of Transportation, the School District, the Navajo Reservation) have jurisdiction over parts or all of the area, which demands complex coordination. Highway 64 lacks available right-of-way for sidewalks. Asphalt paths can be a less expensive solution and make it easier to remove snow and ice. Buses: Major bus stops need pull-off areas with shelters. There is only limited transit service to Kirtland. Participants requested that Red Apple stops be extended to Hogback. Roadways: Roadways on the Reservation need to be paved, because dirt roads “tear up” the buses, which are expensive to replace. There are traffic congestion and some accidents in the morning as parents in vehicles line up to drop their children at school or students drive themselves to school. Some drivers run stop lights and pass buses stopping to pick up students. Some students also “test” whether drivers will stop at crosswalks. Recreational Trails, Open Space: Another contingent in Kirtland—the San Juan Valley Trail Riders— are concerned about securing and maintaining places to ride their horses as well as creating networks of trails for all recreational users. They praised both NM DOT and the Bureau of Land Management from providing space for riders, such as along La Plata Highway to access the Glade and a camping area and trails south of Navajo Dam. Off-road vehicles and target shooting are issues for equestrians, so riders are calling for designated motorized and non-motorized areas, particularly on Pinon Mesa, so motorized vehicles don’t ruin it. They also would like closer places to ride, such as the powerline easement to Farmington Lake. They would like more of the Glade to be mapped for riding. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 15 Recommendations: - Inter-jurisdictional cooperation is key in the Kirtland area. Parent Advisory Committees should be involved in MPO meetings on a sustained basis so they can contribute to the planning process for projects. For example, NM DOT will be requesting competitive applications for trails, sidewalks, and Safe Routes to School in November and December. San Juan County could be the lead agency in coordinating applications for these funds, which have to be supported by data. The School District, which has available land, could donate necessary right- of-ways for pedestrian pathways. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 16 Week 2- August 26-28 McGee Park Four Corners ED Bloomfield Civic Center MPO Office Kirtland Limited Transit √ √ √ √ √ √ Missing Connections (roads, bikeways, paths) √ √ √ √ √ Limited Walkability √ √ √ √ √ Aesthetics/Quality of Life √ √ √ √ √ Recreational Trails √ √ √ √ Airport Service √ √ √ √ Rail Service √ √ √ √ Regional Access √ √ √ East Main Street Congestion √ √ √ Funding √ √ √ Economic Development √ √ √ Tourism √ √ √ Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety √ √ Main Street Congestion √ √ Pinon Hills Bridge √ √ Lane Markings √ North-South Roads √ East-West Road √ Wayfinding √ ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 17 Meetings of Other Organizations Community Health Improvement Council (CHIC) meeting on Thursday, August 21, 2014 (25 people) What transportation problem we have in the area should be solved by the plan? - More accessible transit - People can't afford bus system (fares) - Main Street Farmington, congestion around the mall - Increase public transportation - Availability of transit - Aztec to Bloomfield bus service - Passenger railroad - Timing of public transit at night and early morning - To be able to go anywhere on a bus - To be able to get to meetings outside the community if you don't drive (she doesn't drive outside Farmington, so if she needs to leave, she is "sunk") - On east side of US 64, US 550 and NM 173, there is no shoulder so bikes are in the road; 550 has potholes Farmington Rotary Club lunch meeting, Thursday, August 28, 2014 Why is the transportation system important to you? - Bisti Highway (371) is awful at 60 mph, or in the rain, leading to hydroplaning - r commerce and trade, we all pay the cost for the long time it takes to get goods, like for construction/ FedEx/ UPS— they end up costing more. - Truck traffic is on Main Street in Farmington - Transportation is to get you going places in a timely, safe manner. Farmington is a ten -minute town. - What's working well? - Roundabout would work well if we had them. - The bus system. - Beautiful Bloomfield Highway. - The fact that sidewalks are being built on Pinon Hills Boulevard, because attendee takes the bus and cars are so close to where he has to stand. What's not working well? - Traffic lights in Farmington ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 18 - Having traffic on 5500 (West Hammond), because of construction in Bloomfield. - Main Street Farmington is covered with cars. - Building sidewalks on Pinon Hills Boulevard— see no need for it. - Having the City re-surface the street for the first time in 20 years, and the slurry gets on your car - A need to complete Pinon Hills Boulevard extension. - There is cracking on asphalt on Pinon Hills Boulevard. - Need to have cooperation and consultation with Navajo DOT If you had a magic wand, what would you improve about the transportation system? - Construct the Pinon Hills Extension - Is railroad an option? How would it be funded? - So long talking about rail traffic; it would be wonderful to travel by train; do as both freight and passenger. - Not having rail has hurt industry and commerce. We need it and it could attract business. - Rail to have freight out for goods. - Have passenger rail. - Why not have 4 lanes all the way to Durango? (Other attendee responded that it was planned to be made 4 lanes but money was diverted elsewhere in the State of Colorado. This shows the relationship of regional priorities and competition within a state.) - We use the Durango airport. Why not make Durango the regional airport? - Have better air service out of the area. Place Matters Group, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014 (about 15 people attended) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - To move us from point A to point B - Transportation should be affordable to help us get to our employment centers - Self-sufficiency requires a consistent transportation mode(s) - Transportation help the economy - Allows for more independence for our youth Question 2: What’s working with our transportation system? - Medians (aesthetics) in Farmington - Trails - US 64 widening - River Reach & Trails expansion efforts - Red Apple Transit (need more education and available information) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 19 Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - US 64 (Bloomfield) guard rail placement is on illogical side of sidewalks as it currently exists; the railing protects private property rather than pedestrians. - San Juan College- Students need connections (Bike/Walk) from housing to the college (consider for all schools) - Lack of connectivity (bike/pedestrian/trails); put sidewalks everywhere - Lack of regional coordination (Navajo Nation/Durango) with our transit services - Bloomfield has limited walking/biking in most areas - Regionally there are limited bikeways/ bikes are unsafe to use on major roads due to this and “driver intolerance” - Red Apple Transit times are inconvenient, have no weekend/night runs. Need better marketing, radio spots, brochures, to schools & faith-based organizations. Question 4: What grade would you give for the following modes of transportation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Walking C C C D D D- B B D C D- C F Biking C D C D D F C B D C D- D F Transit - D C C B C+ C C D C C- C C- Motorists B A C B A C A B C B C- B C Airport D D D C - D B D D F D- F F Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Develop Piñon Hills Blvd for walking/biking (designated bike lanes) in both directions while opportunity still presents itself with right-of-way - Bike lanes on all major roads, Main St, 20th, 30th, Piñon Hills Blvd etc. - Widen 30th street east of Hutton to San Juan College Blvd. - Provide park and ride facilities that target hospital and San Juan College students - Need transit shelters with benches at more locations. - Provide aesthetic gateway treatments on US 64 heading from Arizona into New Mexico at Shiprock High School/Middle School (repaving of surface, sidewalks, signage) with pullouts to view the Shiprock monument similar to what has been done on the Arizona side. - Gateway treatments in Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington. - Change the regional culture to be health conscience and to enjoy our climate - Develop an awareness campaign for bikers/pedestrians/motorists (education) - Connect Red Apple Transit from low income neighborhoods & senior housing to medical services. - Ensure Red Apple Transit has stops at our attractions, visitor centers, recreational centers, children’s museums etc. - Expand airport- add jet service (move airport north to La Plata area) - Bring rail to area (freight/passenger) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 20 Comments from Stakeholder Meetings August 19 through 21, 2014 Tuesday evening, August 19, 2014, San Juan College (4 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Transportation is for new roads, drainage, getting out of community for goods and services, avoiding chaos. - Transportation is like arteries in the body. - Need a plan or would have chaos. Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Aztec walkway across bridge has barrier at pedestrian and roadway (Chaco?) - Existing bike paths—destination lanes - Trail system to BLM, Glade Recreational System, river system. Open space is well used. Have auto and bike access. Red Apple transit. - Red Apple Bus. Now have more routes. 33 yrs ago was no bus or taxi. - Stop sign with flashing lights around border (in Aztec) [solar-powered] Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Pavement too narrow on Browning Parkway. Can’t use electric wheelchairs. (Farmington) - Bike lanes go nowhere-not safe. No safe, connected bike paths. - Commuter bike system lacks connectivity. Is scary. - Sidewalk obstructions such as mailboxes. Not maintained. Too narrow for 2 pedestrians to walk side- by-side. Downtown needs wider streets. - Can’t find my closest bus stop (5 blocks?) Need stops at facilities like senior centers. - Convenience of using own vehicle trumps using the bus. - 20th street floods (Farmington) - Hwy between Farm and Bloomfield is not friendly. - Our collector system put in by developers. Not work well. - Roadways don’t have great north-south connections. Roads don’t connect. Have congestion. - Highway between Farmington and Aztec lacks bright, reflective white lines on the roads. Can’t tell where lanes are at night or bad weather. Need to consider different users. - Now fly out of ABQ or Durango; its expensive, planes rescheduled, minimum number of flights Farm, Aztec or Bloomfield. - Circuitous access from Farmington ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 21 Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Need paths for all types of transportation along the three river corridors. Link satellite cities. - Efficiency and accessibility - Improve river system with paths for all types of transportation along corridors. Link satellite cities along the river. - Need some kind of bicycle facilities on highways, wider shoulders - Would improve economic development and community image. - Need buses to airport, for events. - Aesthetics—don’t have great gateways into Farmington. Should be pleasing to the eye. - Roads serve drainage function. Should be marked, safe and organized. - Collectors should be a public responsibility—designed ahead of subdivisions. - Connectors are a public good. - What about reflectors in the road? - Should citizens pick up road tab the same for a person who owns 1 acre and a person who owns 2,500? - Rail Transportation; getting a train station would be a success. Need a plan because it will happen fast if it occurs. Parallel Visa Hwy-MPO like to see improvements (like 491). Plan could help move forward. - Would be mostly freight—maybe 1 passenger train. There Is a spur from Grants. What route would it take? Do we have industrial park for loading? Need to put pressure on BLM. - Improve economic development and community image. - Need to make Durango the regional airport. - Buses to airport; involve Durango in rail discussions. - There is a need for a crosswalk at Sammon's across 20th to the convenience store. (This would be a mid-block crossing.) General Information Imparted by MPO or consultants: - Traditionally local govt. put roads in, but with limited funds developers are now doing. - MPO Staff identified existing roadways in thoroughfare plan and indicated where new roads should go. - Many places use impact fees to help equitably distribute the cost of roadways, etc - Government could build and recoup costs as land develops. - Will be a NM DOT public hearing Sept 11, 2014 on rail. MPO commented on national rail plan. Econ Development folks are taking the lead. Was plan element in 2035. - Need Native Americans to join in rail use. Need 100 rail cars/day to be feasible. NAPI has 70. Need another 30. - Four Corners Airport has a new master plan. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 22 Wednesday morning, August 20, 2014, MPO Offices (3 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? No answers to this. Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Appreciate that the plan encompasses all 3 communities - Red Apple – connects Aztec & Bloomfield & Farmington. Lots of homeless have no cars. - See sidewalks on College & Pinon Hills. Hope for crosswalk (is one at light – but not where people cross in the middle) - Love the trails – value added. We have such potential as center for geo-tourism - Red Apple, too - Planning is happening - Completed routes around hospital [roads or sidewalk?] - Bus is always working on the schedules o New stop on campus - River trail system in Farmington & Aztec - Aztec is Improving trail system by river; two pedestrian bridges have been built - Pinon Hills is fast route to north part of city - Not much gridlock, but no direct routes anywhere - Hwy 64 expansion will be great when done - East-West connections are good in Farmington - 5500 bypass – 50 mph – to ABQ – not used. Nice to HAVE bypass to ABQ. After 64 done may be fine. - Red Apple good start but limited (ridership is below capacity) - Aztec bypass is good (or will be) Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Connectedness - Accessibility of stops – some don’t work o Mid park lot – Motorized wheel chairs could not get there - Connection with outside rail - Hard to provide product & send out, especially for start-up businesses - Everyone is on Main Street in Farmington; heavy truck traffic, safety is an issue, traffic also is hard on buildings. - Have Great Lakes Airline to Denver, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, but not dependable - Transportation to ABQ is limited – usually let riders off in parking lot. Now at Alvarado Center? - Way-finding is an issue - Streets change names in middle - Signage is important – should have more languages than English ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 23 - No way for non-drivers to get to ABQ; this is huge. Used to be able to fly or take bus [apparently is an express bus that not everyone knows about.] - Disabled American Veterans (DAV): Have to be a vet to get a rid; run by volunteers and limited to VA hospital trips o If not a vet nor Medicaid-eligible, you have no options o Albuquerque Express bus is very limited. - Aztec has too heavy truck traffic on Main St. o Need a by-pass (which is proceeding) - Freight service could make difference (rail) - Red Apple non-emergency (dial-a-ride) exists only in Farmington city limits. - Red Apple is good but limited. Getting from some neighborhoods is hard. o Elderly walkers have hard time getting to stops o Dial-a-ride is only for medical appointments – not grocery shopping, etc. o No access in Aztec & Bloomfield for people with disabilities – lower cost living o Red Apple ends 6 pm (student at class until Creates problems for San Juan College students. o Work schedules end at 6 too – drawback for 30-yr old single moms, etc. o Child care center at the college has a waiting list - Area was built for people who drive - Crosswalk at Scott & San Juan has a pedestrian button but not a light (City purview) - College/Technical trail will need a traffic sign soon – have to cross street to get to lunch; no sidewalk or path. Have to go through dirt, vegetation, and over guard rail. Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Rail is vital to the economic health of the area - Have grant now to asses rail line feasibility between Thoreau & Farmington o Need to decide location where want it to be - Aesthetics – (eye candy) - Safe bike trails – go places where cars can’t (such as paths along ABQ arroyos, ditches) - Use alleyways – perpendicular to 30th - Really good mass transit, fixed route and on-demand, handicap accessible - Good transportation out of Valley – rail, buses, planes to ABQ, Phoenix or Denver. Had before. - More recreational bike trails (like along Tramway) & connected bike trails; parallel to Pinon Hills, scenic arterials. - Bike system that connects and is safe from traffic - Be better at fixing sidewalks =Complete streets - Asphalt path could replace sidewalks – need to be separated from the roadway - Need turning arrow at Cliffside & Main Street to get people through intersection –left turn onto Main. - Need better North-South connections in Farmington ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 24 o Have Dustin & Butler- but traffic can be bad on those. Municipal small residential streets are backed up with traffic o Would have a better street grid system o Sullivan not go far enough - Farmington is growing to the north east - I work with start-up businesses. Connection with outside world is important. Rail is big. - Quality of life can help attract businesses o Aesthetics o Bike trails need to be safe; look at bike trails separated from road o Use alleyways? 30th St alley parallels - Need more funds/growing in last few years. - Need crosswalk at Scott and San Juan. Have a button, but no pedestrian light. - Will need a traffic signal soon at the college, with new housing and businesses coming in. Wednesday afternoon, August 20, 2014, Aztec Commission Chambers, Aztec [No attendees at this meeting, but spoke to a trails advocate outside the building) The plan needs to include a plan for a road across Crouch Mesa connecting the Pinon Hills Extension and running east-west to Aztec's East Arterial. As the area fills in, the opportunity is lost. Wednesday evening, August 20, 2014, San Juan College East, Aztec [Assisted the one attendee to fill out the on-line survey] As a runner, her primary concern was the lack of any kind of pedestrian pathway, trail, or even shoulder along what is considered the by-pass to Hwy. 64 from Hwy 550—County Road 5500. The by-pass is used frequently by cars and trucks and is dangerous for pedestrians. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 25 Thursday morning, August 21, 2014 MPO Office (2 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? (No responses to this) Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - It is a County-wide transportation plan - Aztec Plan - E-W routes – good plans - Going out 20 years is good; thinking ahead - Trying to make more connections will be key in the future - Continuing to review the transit situation and changing the schedule - Working with the State on getting rail service - New signal on Main Street Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Aesthetics: From ABQ into Farmington - Signage (wayfinding) - There are lots of E-W streets, but few N-S connections - LSC (Denver) did a Transit Study – Identified a grid system - We are 3 bus routes short due to lack of money o Could be more efficient o Demand-response : We don’t have enough money for 2nd bus to operate. Denial rate is too high (when have to turn people down for requested rides) o Like to try 2nd Demand-Response bus 3 days/ wk, but council reduced the funding o One route costs about $80,000. Maybe less. - 9/15 meeting coming up with the State DOT - We are in jeopardy of losing federal funding because we don’t have the matching amount (in 2 years) - Airport to get more visitors - FAA took 3 actions that affect regional airlines o Had 2-3 % cancellation rate. Was 70% one month – now 10-12%. Expect it to close. o We are short pilots o Pilot airtime limits/month have increased o Co-pilot experience level : Formerly required 250 hrs, now require 1,500 hrs. Navy pilot won’t even have this many hours when get out of the service. - Moab, Pueblo, Clovis lost service; 100 small airports across county lost service. - Durango is capped out - Farmington will lose passenger service in the future - We don’t have a good system for transporting goods – use trucks, but they beat up the highway. o Rail would be useful. - Bikes – the terrain is challenging here o Hard to find bike routes ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 26 o We don’t designate enough ROW , so it’s not safe to bike ride o Dustin & Butler – bike lanes peter out - Politicians are resistant –City Council is interested in oil & gas; they are not bicycle or bus people o Two members were initially opposed to transit (one is coming around because service is needed by a family member) o Durango had a huge increase in transit – now have 30-min bus headways - Farmington has 13,000 students at the college - Surveyed student about transit: They said it was too slow, drivers are rude, bus not available for night classes. They wanted 2 buses, to run every 30 minutes o If transit commits/the college could commit o Could run a 2nd bus – student ID would be the pass o Could charge $30 month – and offer a student pass: for $25 semester they could ride anywhere in the city - So far bus not in with the bus at the Navajo Reservation - Red Apple stops in Bloomfield & Aztec (8-9 stops)/Kirtland 1 dozen stops (5-6 now) - Now run 3 times day – Aztec needs 4 times – 7.10, 2, 5:30, and later? to run better - Bloomfield and Aztec – hospital wants service between the two. - Bloomfield to Aztec – Aztec & Bloomfield & County pay 40% of the transit costs. City of Farmington subsidizes the rest. - Demand-Response service is closer to paying for itself ; charges $2-$5 trip - S. Ute bus service has a run to Aztec . We’re discussing a van pool - ABQ bus stops 7:15 am at Navajo Trade Post - Express bus runs from Durango to Albuquerque, Mon-Sat. Needs to stop at centers; will take passengers to Alvarado Transportation Center. Also goes to to Santa Fe - $80-$90 round trip cost. - Red Apple: Lacks local match to leverage more federal dollars. Need 2 more routes, etc. (after September he could give dollar amounts & projects) o Starting to hire a transit person; exploring a van pool between Durango & Farmington o Hospital is interested, school district is interested (doctors and teachers commute from Durango) Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Regional commercial airport will be Durango - Farmington will be general aviation – we’ll have to rebrand ourselves. - Farmington will have the following services: o Private planes o Corporate planes o Freight (not passengers) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 27 - We have intersecting runways and a tower so will continue military flights. We are talking about running a shuttle to Durango. Durango needs an East-West runway – 2 planes recently were diverted here due to winds. - 2 representatives from Farmington are on the airport planning committee; We could take 1 of the routes - Military planes come to Farmington because they need the tower - Connections and multi-modal facilities promote economic development/provide for all users - Need better E-S/N-S routes - There is a lot of political support for complete streets and Riverwalk trails – these attract mountain bike people - One strategy is to frame the argument for (transit and bike lanes) as saving money on widening streets, etc. - Asphalt paths could work (instead of sidewalks) - Plans have to be implementable (can’t afford Pinon Hill Bridge) - In Unified Development Code or subdivision developments we want to be able to actually use the document; it can’t just be a wish list. - Not all bus stops are ADA-compatible. The new one at the College is not ADA – accessible. General Services did it. We have no standard construction drawings. o Should prioritize which stops to redo - Transit hub – Environmental Justice issues - Need a service plan for college - Bus Shelter issues: o Mall bus stop has – 1.5 – 2” lip o Cheap barebones shelters o No places for brochures - [Consultant] The population and demographics support a robust system & land use pattern. Transportation plan could do short list of projects, starting with the low-hanging fruit. Maybe pick up private funding and demonstrate the use. You want to take it to next level, but you haven’t shown the momentum yet . - City does not have an assigned person to transit, but should have one soon. The only planning is done by the assistant City Manager. City is hiring transit planner soon. - Red Apple bus is underutilized. It can increase access to jobs and economic development. Can get 80/20 match on transit planner cost. Waiting for state to bless – hope to hire by this fall. o 50% Federal o 30% other o 20% Farmington o 50/50 Farmington Routes - Medical Center closed in Bloomfield, but still operates in Aztec. Regional Center is in Farmington. So need a route between Aztec and Bloomfield. - Cross commuter traffic at Bloomfield & Aztec - Need curbside amenities for bus stops – shelter, trash, benches ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 28 Thursday, afternoon, August 21, 2014, MPO Office (2 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Moving people from point A to B - We are a car-dependent society. California has carpool lanes Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - The medians are like mini parks - Even Pinon St. is OK – although it needs a separate bike lane - Park meetings are well attended - Aztec redid its Main Street o Aztec has great planters, calming devices - N. Dustin, too (narrow lanes, medians) - Red Apple Transit – glad it’s there - Want a bus between Aztec & Bloomfield (clinic just shut in Bloomfield San Juan Health Partners is at S. end of Aztec . - Senior Center at the Riverwalk – Bloomfield - Some ride bikes to school - Senior & adult tricycles - Nice to walk to college, see the landscape. It’s clean. Could use solar- powered golf carts. - Safety at W. Boyd roadway has improved - Turn old road into trail – Old Aztec Hwy (memorial gardens) could meet through neighborhoods & avoid 516 - Aztec has 2 walking bridges, extending trail to ruins. Will not allow cars, but will have stores. Farmington has E & W bridges. Durango has a 14-mile cement trail to 32nd St. Like proximity to the river. Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Public transportation is lacking - There are way too many people on the road; mostly single drivers. Everything happens in Farmington, so you have to get there. - Don’t like 6 lanes through town (64 is ok). US 64 is dangerous for kids on sidewalk. Cars go 45 mph and faster. - People object to having 6 lanes to Aztec on 516 (6-7 yrs). Have 550 widened already. - Husband does not like the bus, Wild West independence. But more and more people have failing eyesight and need transit. - Red Apple goes to the college, but not to Shiprock in the evening - DUI and fatigue are problems in driving. - There is no lighting on US 64. - There are no lights between Farmington & Bloomfield ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 29 Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - What about pedestrian bridges? We have people on fixed incomes. Sales tax be less problematic than property tax for seniors; yet they use services. - We could group amenities together for a vote, or poll test projects and make sure the popular ones are included. - SJCC will need more parking soon. A lot of students drive in from the reservation. College is auto-dependent now. - Students live an average 20-mile distance from college; 150 miles at the most. College is talking about building dorms, park-and-rides. - Nice to have frontage roads. - Would like less congestion in the backup to the Animas mall, especially Friday & Saturday - How to solve? o Add lanes, roundabouts, lights o Public transportation, fewer cars - Railroad – start with freight - All conferences are held in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Be nice to be able take the train there. - Put light rail down the median - Some seniors have not been on a train - Need a real bus system: not so many fixed stops, but one that goes up and down Main Street - Durango has a lot of different options to serve the public (Can take the Buzz bus from the bars through dial-a-ride) o Money comes into Durango from grants & Texas tourists ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 30 Thursday evening, August 21, 2014, Sycamore Park Community Center (4 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Used to access resources, services (lower income) - Added value to neighborhoods - Roads get you from point A-B - Streets: provide access to property - Mobility: trucks go to Shiprock (through traffic) - Tourists go from ABQ to Durango; Farmington wants to capture some of those - Mainstreet offers access to business and residents - Transportation is a good part of the value of real estate - It’s an efficient way to move goods and provide services - Different modalities meet different needs - MPO has to balance all this - Moving people and things from point A-B and multiple points Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Red Apple Transit works well - Sidewalks are going in along Pinon Hills Rd. Helps move the community toward walking & biking. - Four lanes on Hwy 550 to Albuquerque - Need to maintain roads, keep safe - Sidewalks are good - Farmington is well engineered for vehicles. We are going in the right direction to incorporate other modalities. - We have good vehicle infrastructure and maintenance - Good east – west access/less so for north-south access - It’s a regional hub for shopping - There is an express bus to Albuquerque: 7 am – 5 pm - Median program on Main St., Farmington - After Sycamore Park Community Center was built, people started to improve their homes, chop weeds, and take pride in the area. Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Streets are too narrow; it’s tough to move bikes and pedestrians; hard to retrofit roads - Butler has a good bike lane, but it ends abruptly - Truck route congestion; there is no alternative for some trips. Rail could help. - Lack of trails and lanes. Connections are spotty – can’t ride to college; ok to ride in neighborhoods - Transit hours – no weekend services - Students in college (SJCC) don’t have reliable transportation; can’t make night classes ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 31 - Hard to get out of the region: We lost the Greyhound bus service, planes have been curtailed, we have no rail. Its costly to get in and out of the region. I’d rather work (say, on a train) during those hours traveling. - Poor presentation of and access to businesses along ROW – what impression does Farmington want to make? - Heard of people sleeping in cars. One father leaves at 4:30 am to get to college campus, drops kids. Dad drives around in car 12 hrs/day. Resources? Willingness to pay? - Area is conservative regarding tax increases - County is in bad shape financially; the hold harmless clause (which allowed governments to recoup funds lost from groceries no longer being taxed) is being phased out. - Took away $5 million from City of Farmington - Makes it harder for the City to raise taxes. Hurts their ability to raise revenue for transport & recreation. - Probably better to tax all residents - Could assess 3/8%. Quality of Life: it’s a different time. Need to look at priorities more closely. - Funding is in place for some projects - Will cost $19 mill for the Pinon Hills bridge. My constituents would probably vote no. So have ICIP, cause we don’t have the money locally for big ticket items. We want them done, but are there other financial sources? - A better scenario might be for residents to pay $1.0 out of $19 mill and try charging a toll? - People will pay, but will go a long way not to. - Public investment can spark private public investment =$10 private investment Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Red Apple should extend hours – there is no bus after 6 pm now - Wayfinding signage could make it easier for tourists to find their way around - Due to the rivers & topography, the street grid had to work around not having a one- mile by one- mile square grid. This can create opportunities. - Have to balance sufficient signage against not overloading - If put in student housing (college is considering), how will they get to downtown services? College is planning for 350 single units, later family units. - [Consultant] – Improve aesthetics of streets; look incomplete now ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 32 Stakeholder Meetings August 26 through 28, 2014 Tuesday evening, August 26, 2014, McGee Park (2 people) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Getting from one place to another - Beats walking - What if we don’t have a vehicle? How help get around better? [Consultant] – Implies that it should be for everyone - Can be medicine (exercise) Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Morning bus - Senior Center bus - For people without reliable transportation, it’s nice to have rides to Farmington (activities, Dr. appointments) - “We Care” cab service - If qualify for Medicaid o Can call and reserve a ride week or so ahead. It’s inconvenient if the time changes. - Bike racks on buses are great; they can extend the range of transit o People are more health-conscious; want to ride bike at least part way o Helps people get exercise o From Kirtland you can ride on the County road, get the bus to Bloomfield and ride on Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Senior center bus does not provide sufficient service - Red Apple bus: need rides to join in “Community conversations” o Glad to have bus, but not convenient o No weekend service [not sure this is true] o You have to leave half an hour ahead, ride for 45 minutes and another half hour to get to work. o People who work late at night or early morning can’t use o Not meet needs of people who need it most for 3 shifts Should be a surge of service during shift changes o Serves businesses – grocery stores, right places o Not right times, necessarily, or right stops o Bike racks on buses are often full; some attach their bikes to back ramp with a chain when the front is full o Is there a place for vets with portable wheelchairs to store their wheelchairs during transport? (fold-up on bus) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 33 o Institutions that get federal funds must comply o Buses have a place to load and room for wheelchairs o No rack inside to fold up and store wheelchairs. o Bus stops need shelter o Good but lots of room for improvements – bus would get more business if it were more accessible o Where can you get the bus schedules? o Each bus stop has a phone number (to call for info), but you need to have a cell phone with you to call. o Not look like “real bus”  People accustomed to red bus; kids like it. o Inebriates are a problem. They stand out because there are too few riders. o Mom on Medicaid can’t take kids on bus; or if a kid patient, mom can go but can’t take other siblings. o Those with greatest need have least options - Red Apple offers para-transit - Call a day before (up to 2 weeks ahead) - Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has van service run by volunteers that picks up vets around town and takes to VA Hospital in ABQ, but not VA clinic in Farmington. They would like to have brochures and bus schedules for clients. Also helpful would be options for large print for the visually impaired and some type of telecommunications relay service to allow people who have hearing or speech impairments to place calls to standard telephone users via a keyboard or other assistive device. - The City could distribute to brochures/schedules to agencies who work with populations with disabilities. - Trip planning software would also be helpful –(eg. Google transit) - Vets have little access from Crouch Mesa to mid-point Farmington; No roads or transit - 90% accidents with semi-trucks happen because on right side and have to move over to turn or exit - In bad weather you can’t tell where the lanes are on 64 ( stripes are too faint) between Bloomfield & Farmington and Bloomfield & Aztec - Can take 5500 shortcut to HWY. 64. From McGee Park to mid-Farmington, go to Flora Vista & over to Browning & up. - Need Pinon Hills Bridge connection - Could use a diagonal route across town (Farmington) - Berg Park has safety issues (homeless etc.) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 34 Question 4: What grade would you give for the following modes of transportation? WALK A C Places with no sidewalk (patch? 50’) near Animas BIKE C Love Riverwalk No lane on 64 Need lanes on main transportation routes. On 64 people ride in breakdown lane Nice to have designated bike lane C Need more connections – ends on 30th Need to drive to Riverwalk Designated lanes are nice DRIVE C Sloped shoulder, no guardrail between Farmington & Aztec B+ Heavy traffic weekends & lunch hour 40% of time don’t notice traffic Of other 60%, 30% is unbearable Rte.173 =no shoulders Us 64= potholes BUS B (Red Apple) More stops, bike access More frequent service in higher traffic areas Not all have internet to look at schedules Need more info placed around town B/C At least we have one Not quite meet needs of constituents PARA- TRANSIT/TAXI F 4 corners access DAV has limited service Shuttle not go to VA clinic here – especially in wheelchairs, locations - long time frames – can’t get in taxi OK AIR F No local flight to ABQ VA hospital in ABQ Only clinic in Farmington (can get permission for hospital here) F Feels like live on an island FREIGHT B VA ships meds UPS to our door C Access to businesses – 64 to Broadway – streets narrow for turning – semi-trucks C Not affordable TOTAL C C Congestion – 516 weekends – Lowes Browning Parkway Not having stores on South Side (except Dollar Store) Poor access for lower income people Lunch (30th to E. Main to Walmart) ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 35 Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Need more access to bus service o Generalized stops, routes, access more people & places o More bus routes, more often o Service on weekends, late nights (it’s well under-capacity in ridership) o Try to be more convenient; previous tweaking improved ridership o Preference for cutaways for buses to pull into o Bus schedules posted in shelters - Freight passenger trains would be ideal Wednesday, 9 AM, August 27, 2014, Four Corners Economic Development Executive Committee - Quality of life is key: outdoors, bike trails - Downtown is key - Rail is #1 priority - Main Street should be non-stop, like in Florida—no traffic lights - Airport: Mesa Airlines was great; flights used to be every 45 minutes. Now Farmington is losing passengers to Durango Regional Airport. A study showed there needs to be a few million people in the region before you can have a true regional airport. o The market should determine, but it has to do with runway length - Farmington has a tower and good weather; Durango has a longer runway and more boardings, but also sits on mesa and has similar constraints. Durango can extend north, but doesn’t have room for aviation expansion. It’s less than half the size you need to deplane- only one carousel— So takes a long time to get luggage. - Need to focus on Farmington airport as a major general aviation stop (not passenger service); We have good fuel prices and first-class FBO in Farmington. We should build a Charter service to serve businesses in town. - It’s only 40 minutes to Durango airport - Need a better road up and transit to Durango airport. - Durango gets groceries from over the mountains, the rest comes from ABQ. - Farmington GRT is twice the size of Durango’s - Population and industry is in Aztec, Farmington, and Bloomfield - Tourism: need signage, trails mapped, determine what’s out there, what maps exist, where gaps are. o Want to consolidate all map sources, find out what is still maintained? - The Glade is a miniature Moab; but there are conflicts between mountain bikes and ORVs - Geotourism: Opportunity for us to become the hub of the 4 Corners region, Flagstaff to Taos. Look at points on maps, infrastructure, to link these as the center of adventure. o Circle project—figure out what is within a day’s drive. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 36 Wednesday, 10 AM August 27, 2014 Four Corners Economic Development Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Transportation facilitates everything – not much walkability to work, school, shopping, etc. here. - Underpins getting from A to B - Trying to connect trails - Arterials are overloaded – need network of streets - Not just vehicle traffic - Help us enjoy beautiful area – Quality of Life – exposes us to surroundings - Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? Red Apple takes care of people without a car - Centrally located to go Downtown - Like that we look at arterials; Put commercial on - Not a lot of driveways on arterials - Building Dept. is good - Want to keep traffic flowing - Amount of traffic makes a difference - Awful traffic at noon - Congestion is good for businesses, but we have impatient people - Farmington is land locked N, S, E so expanding to the west - More MRA (Metropolitan Redevelopment Area) projects are getting up & running; more projects are coming - Farmington is getting the connection to river – but people don’t know it yet - Southside industrial is fading away. We want more housing there. o Been more multi-housing duplexes, but even at $185,000 a house, people can’t qualify. - 516 commute is great, but I only come to college from Aztec. It is faster than going from Farmington to the College. - All communities are planning more, but not all have implemented their plans yet o Safety, connections, aesthetics - I have more connection to Aztec – like smallness – similar to Boston where I had no car. I also lived in San Antonio; there are pieces I miss of each. - Economic Development is more place-based; transportation can help create ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 37 Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Don’t have bikeability yet - Don’t have a train o Won’t give passenger service, just freight o May add a car at NAPPI; need to get people there - Can’t use the bus to go shopping on west side or east here - North-south street access: Existing land stops Hutton & Sullivan from going through – could get through a subdivision? o Sullivan down Butler – N. Ridge Development – City owns golf course o Only major block o Dustin is loaded – slow to school districts; at 30th gets faster - Land use patterns don’t support future plan; have created these issues - Traffic light system is not good for Broadway (east) – might have to stop 3 times - We are Retail Center for the Region but congestion is potential constraint for new development. - Also a brain drain here for college grads; they are not a priority to employ o How to work on connections? Need a hook. - Built environment is under-invested in. - Aztec & Farmington downtowns are under-maintained - So much traffic on Main Street that it is not conducive to sidewalk cafes, working on the internet, etc. - Nice facilities, but difficult to get to them o Aesthetics are lacking - Hate unconnected parking lots on Main St. Even walking is an issue o Why have curbs to delineate? - People drive from business center to the café (at College) because there is no crosswalk or sidewalk and they have to cross bushes and guard rail. Bad site planning. o Some walk across College despite these obstacles. - College could to something; Just adding a path or walkway would help o Could be good shared walking space - Lack of late night transport – no cab or bus, etc. - Walking is suspicious behavior here - Lack of zoning in County; this is really important to economic development - Farmington Young Professionals (under 40) could be a constituency for the 2040 MPO Plan. - We have 1,000 jobs in mid-management, but not have quality of life for wives & families o These are not rough neck jobs o Doctors live in Durango and commute o People not realize jobs are there; businesses advertise on signs in front of facilities Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Need gridded network to accommodate traffic - We should distribute traffic better ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 38 - Need E-W alternative to Main Street at 20th or Butler or College. You have to go back to Main St. now to cross town. - Give us tools to keep development going - Some sort of grid to stay out of Downtown - Avenues to get to Main St. - Better to have multi-housing/lot of women with kids - Work with people’s credit - “We make a lot of plans; implementation is something else.” - Be Active/Not reactive - It’s difficult to enjoy outdoors here o Would like not having to go on huge hike to enjoy surroundings o It would be nice to have a built path and shade & some place to sit nearby - Need extra space for walkways & roads - Landscaped medians are nice - [Consultant suggests incentives:] o Have gaps in sidewalk where you wait for developers to fill in; roads don’t work well that way o Find places where business clusters might work; do a master plan o Give an Incentive to developers, eg. if they would commit to a master planning process, the City would build the sidewalks. - Best transportation is a good land use plan - Make downtowns more walkable & destinations & aesthetics – revitalize to become heart of the City o Use Broadway as arterial o Widen sidewalks on Main Street - Need to complete arterial in Aztec - Farmington could be a little more like Durango in the downtown area o We only have one hotspot – 3 Rivers Brewery and that block. Wednesday afternoon, August 27, 2014; Bloomfield Cultural Complex [No attendees at this meeting] Wednesday evening, August 27, 2014 Bloomfield Cultural Complex (One person) - The medical clinic shut in Bloomfield and people can’t get to the one in Aztec. - The County is strapped for funds. Bloomfield annexed southwest gas plants but no people are there. - We are laissez faire here, so the area looks like an industrial park o One of the prime locations on Main St is occupied by the Baptist Church - Beautification is what the manager and council want ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 39 - Why need 6 lanes between here and Farmington? o Could have done a parkway on Hwy 64 instead - Bloomfield wants to create its own electricity with solar panels; Aztec does it. - Pete Rahn got 550 widened to four lanes - There is an opportunity for trails between Aztec and Bloomfield. Asked BLM to designate on a map but so far they’ve said no. - Three rivers resources here are a huge asset, but have a lot of single-wide trailers along the rivers, where could have nice houses. - County has no zoning. - Ray Hagerman said need to clean up the county. We have great weather, but need to make businesses look better for economic development. - Natural environment is beautiful, but the built environment not so much - Sidewalks are too narrow to walk two abreast. - Community Center is an oasis but it’s falling apart. - Safety for kids and seniors is a priority. - Having a railroad would open up a lot. Lot of trucks drop loads off here and leave empty. - People here won’t tax themselves for bikeways, etc. Don’t want to raise taxes, even though property taxes are quite low. - Aztec has a great skate park; we have a great pool. o Why would people fund world class facilities but not sidewalks? - Four Corners Business Group is the key to success. - If MPO has a good product, people will jump on it. People who made money here want to help their grandkids. Additional email concerning area between Bloomfield and Navajo Lake “ Several times in the past two weeks I have had the experience on Road 4599 of young people standing on the paved road at the white line (the one on the side of the road not the middle dividing stripe) waiting for the school bus. The speed limit is 45, of course when I see them I slow down to about 20 – 25 and move into the oncoming lane (assured that no one is coming), but even that does not feel safe. I believe this is worth mentioning as I have not heard this one noted at the various meetings. There is often a vehicle that brings the youth to the bus stop (bus stop is in front of each home or at the lane that goes to their home) and there is little room for the vehicle so the kiddos stand on the pavement (remember there are no shoulders). Many times the vehicle that meets the bus waits on the opposite side of the road and the young cross the road to board the bus when it arrives. While this is safe as the bus has stopped and it has the flashing lights on, it is not ideal. With the oil and gas industry picking up the travel on this road has increased. “ ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 40 Thursday morning, August 28, 2014 Farmington Civic Center (3 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Transportation provides safe and fairly easy movement throughout County - Pinon Hills is really 40th Street – not a bypass - Gets us from point A to Point B, safely & timely - Highway widening helps economic development . Love [expanded] 550. Will enjoy getting all the way to Durango. - Transportation system doesn’t help or hinder econ development Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - I know they are increasing bike lanes here - N. Butler intersection been improved - Bus gives access to seniors - Need to get to medical appointment and to and from homes – Get on list. Is hospital bus; takes 1 to 2 people at time - Senior Center tries to provide access in vans - Red Apple cover large area; has improved over the years. – drivers largely customer-oriented. - Trails have improved - Love timers on lights. Hate yellow lights that surprise you; like pedestrian countdown. - One person I know parks downtown and takes bus right to Wal-Mart Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Negative image of some of bus passengers - Incidents with passengers; need cameras on buses - Traffic congestion on Saturday, Xmas - Sidewalks are important; Can’t walk from Safeway to the [Animas] mall - Congestion – 516 Browning to E-Aztec; plans to widen to 6 lanes= buckshot approach - Getting in & out of Farmington is hard - Inconsistent bus service - Flights variable & unaffordable - Easier to go to Durango to fly o Fares & timing are better - Streets don’t connect well - W. on E Main (from Safeway, Home Depot) know lose lane, sign: “right lane work” – but nothing is going on – or not prepared for construction (traffic management) - Image unsafe at Berg Park o More people going there will help clean up ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 41 - Red Apple bus to Smiths – some passengers get intoxicated and can’t get back on the bus (not frequent) - Don’t like how street names break up numbered streets - [Consultant] The built environment does not match the natural in aesthetics. What to do to get visitors to linger longer & spend more? - No restrooms (public) downtown Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Cut traffic on Saturday to south side River Rd - Between Flora Vista Browning Parkway (Plan – Pinon Hills extension & bridge 1st phase between neighborhoods is funded (some neighbors don’t want) - Timely is important. Got money to redo lights on east Main - Need better lights, sidewalks on E. Main or way to bike over - Holidays : We could walk from Target to Wal-Mart across Main St. but it’s not inviting enough, so we drive across. If there were safer passage we might walk across (6 lanes) - [Consultant] What about a shopper shuttle – especially Saturday & X-mas? o Pilot shopper shuttle? Would retail help subsidize (front door stop? – Flyers? Marketing?, Coupons?) o It’s done in Phoenix o Could go from Wal-Mart to Target o Coupon booklet in beach parking lot worked well (gave coupons to businesses to those who parked in the lot) - Could designate park & ride shuttle to the ballpark - Stop investing in the Farmington airport. Give me a parking space & shuttle to Durango. I hardly ever fly out of ABQ now. o it’s a hurdle to retirement - Wish we had a different type of tourism o Aztec Ruins – mostly foreigners come here o Why want to look at rocks? o Don’t have orchards anymore - Natural environment draws people - Mainstreet: talking about narrowing to 2 lanes with a center turn lane; move trucks onto Broadway - Aztec – trying to do also - Eliminate E. Main St. congestion on Saturday - Everyone travels Main St. to get to Aztec etc. o Need another road? - Main St.: lessen congestion on East Main - Love art walks. Why not do all day? (Quarterly now) o Merchants could be open later o More walker-friendly; like an event fair, social, edibles, lights o Love X-mas Downtown ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 42 Thursday afternoon, August 28, 2014, MPO Offices (4 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? - Get to destination in timely safe manner – part of the quality of life - Rail system would bring more business - Enhance quality of living in the area - Walking/biking trails - Preserve wildlife corridors - Facilitates us not being Third World - Don’t see people hanging off trains, huge potholes - Have own vehicle = independence, freedom Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Emphasis on planning when resources scarce o New surfacing plan being adopted soon o More scientific – less complaint driven - Pino Hills Blvd works well - Light on Dustin - Coming soon= adaptive signal management & signals on E. Main - Love roundabouts – we are building one at Foothills Dr. & Rinconada - Good intro to roundabouts - Wonderful parks – like Berg Park, trails. Want to connect more. Connect to Durango. - Trust for Public Land & Rails-to-Trails have funding - Need technical assistance - Envision through foothills - City just got $100,000 for trails Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Crestwood Dr. : People go 50-70 mph – speeding - Help to slow things down - People run red lights here o Hearing this more & more - System maintenance o Poor funding – regulatory pressures divert $ o Now have to plan well. Find the optimum time to pave, find personnel to fill potholes. Money is being diverted to police (crime & report writing) and parks o State is paying for less o Pot of money not growing/but demands are increasing o Used to build roads for 1/10 of cost (Environmental Regs raise cost) o Construction inflations is higher than general ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 43 o Re-damage to potholes – contractor not do good job first time o 3 sources to fix pothole depending on cause– general contractor, utility, city - Shared turn lane (fast-food places – no median) 2103 W. Main. Will be worse when Taco Bell comes in 4-lane highway. - Along trails by the river there is a lot of junk. Near Miller St. bridge. Need to clean up area south of downtown. Will be a new center. - People don’t commute on Riverwalk. Too out of way Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Is region willing to tax itself? o Maybe small increase for a good cause - People not had salaries increase for 3 years - Garbage trucks beat up roads – maybe money should go to that – costs allocated to sources - People are less accepting of taxes going into a general fund - Never index fuel in other places – dime-a-day for 3 years - If a choice between trails or bus? What is the cost-benefit? - Subsidy= take from people in give to another sources - Promote & enhance safe access - Need more places to cross Main St. - Support recreational activity - More wayfinding signs to river trails - Need better air service to Farmington o Now have cancelled flights, mechanical issue, missed connections o People have trouble getting in & out of Durango o ABQ is the best airport - If we can’t get Farmington better, then three options: o give up & help Durango o build own airport o keep status quo - Regional cooperation names Durango by default o It’s already designated a regional airport – so FAA will not fund a new location o Hwy. 550 provides access to Durango o Dream – monorail to Durango (husband) o Need quick way to get there o Bus – if had a regular schedule to the airport, it could work. o Need better signage ( Airport next right” sign is wrong) - If had $20 million – probably spend on Pinon Hills extension & bridge - Promote & enhance access, safety, and quality outdoor activity - Walk/car/bike/bus - User-friendly to get to outdoor activity - Preserve open space, wildlife corridors. Work with Trust for Public Land. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 44 - Need control of off-road vehicles. ATVs go in & out of washes & ruins banks. Clobbers Quality of Life - Supposed to have written permission for private land - Trails to connect parks, wildlife corridors Thursday evening, August 28, 2014, Kirtland Youth Assn. Building (7 attendees) Question 1: What is the purpose of a transportation system? (No one addressed this directly) Question 2: What’s working well with our transportation system? - Pinon Mesa & Badlands are where equestrians ride, competitive ride. o have asked BLM for bike/hike/horse place - Have enough space along La Plata Hwy to ride; can access the Glade - Like the Berg Park Trails - NMDOT has been good about providing space for riders - BLM provided camping area & trails south of Navajo Dam designated non-motorized - No trails near Navajo Lake itself – close to lake - Have transit but limited from 7 am on – not back till late evening o Extension of Red Apple stops go to Hogback - Navajo DOT is proactive Question 3: What’s not working with our transportation system? - Motorized vehicles – ORVs (off-road vehicles) are a problem; don’t want it like the Glade - Target shooting – glass, cans – is a mess - No pedestrian facilities are on the roadways - Can’t let kids walk with trucks – 18 wheelers - Schools buses are restricted by State law from picking up students close enough to walk to school (as defined by the state) unless kids have to cross an arterial. o Elementary – Within a 1-mile radius o MS—within 1.5-mile radius o HS—within 2-mile radius - What percentage of kids walks to school? o About 5 percent walks 0 .8 miles o 10 % at Kirtland Middle School o At Mesa, 55 walkers out of 400 kids - How do kids cross the road if miss bus? o Kids can be marooned - Central School District transports kids from school to Kirtland and Youth Center o Kirtland elementary – considered hazardous, but most streets don’t have sidewalks ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 45 - MPO boundary over laps at Central Consolidated School District; RTPO covers the rest - 50% of kids may be dropped off by parents o Big traffic congestion – especially in morning o Students driving to school o Some accidents - Have to cross 4 lanes between Farmington & Shiprock o US 64 Shiprock – no sidewalk, no lights, kids walk in drainage. - 4,000 attend ball games/ 1 entrance & exit o takes 1.5 hour to clear traffic - Parents meeting at Mesa o School set flashing lights – but have no crossing guards to enforce - 491 north – 2 schools trying to cross – have flashing lights - Access road has no sidewalk , bad pavement - 4 subdivisions feed into – have photos of students in mid road - Trying to get “know your speed” sign on 64 West. - Need traffic Study at intersection of Fire Station & 64 & 6475? - Have no crossing guards, few Safe Routes to School (Ojo?) o Teachers walk kids across - On reservation parents have to be at work at 7 am. They drop kids at school and wait alone. o Little ones left at home who walk in the dark - Drivers who don’t know rules run stop lights, pass stopped buses - Question 5: If you had a magic wand, what would you want the plan to address to make it successful? - Want place to ride (horses) where don’t have to drive too far to get to - Power line easement to Farmington Lake and East side of town; talking to Silver Estates about keeping easement open - Sheriff’s Posse off E. Main has facilities and grounds/ perhaps use that? - The Glade BLM: some is mapped/ want it more for riding - Want designated motorized & non-motorized areas - Need networks of trails for all recreational users - Keep motorized vehicles from ruining Pinon Mesa – BLM & City of Farmington has big block - Want safe passage for students no matter what mode!! - Need Traffic Study of intersection Fire Station & 64 & 6475? - Add rumble strips to roadways. - Get parent advisory comments to tribal roundtable also Complete Streets group at state level - We are caught between jurisdictions - Want nice things for our kids - [Consultant] – plan could identify how to tap into state & federal funding? o Transport people could help? o [Consultant] – What would be most politically acceptable? - Crossing guards – people don’t care. Need law enforcement. ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 46 o Kirtland has armed resource officer. Helps if increase engagement with the community. o Kids test to see whether drivers will stop at crosswalk, etc. o Need to teach all the rules of the road - High school & Middle school have cross country training on 6575. Run 4 abreast in traffic & curb cuts . Need sidewalks - Asphalt makes good sidewalk o Clear snow & ice faster o Durable if maintained o 6’ width of asphalt is much cheaper to build - 6575 widened, chip sealed - 6400 mud puddles (seal edges) help - At major bus stops, need paved pull-offs with shelters - Sidewalks or asphalt paths - Shuttle system to Shiprock to Aztec & Bloomfield o Work, shop visit to Newcomb (355 of Shiprock), golf - Need better links between Navajo DOT and rest of jurisdictions (NMDOT want to redefine boundaries to market-based districts) - Have $89,000 to pave road to school on the reservation, 0.8 mile. Navajo DOT promised but can take it away. Federal Excise tax pays for - Need to pave roads on reservation to pick up kids – dirt roads tear up buses - Need inter-jurisdictional cooperation - Can’t repair Rosa Road / it is in Rio Arriba County - [Consultants/ MPO] What does the Community need to do? o Set priorities for different areas o Parent advisory committees – get them to MPO meetings in a sustained way o Connect to decision-making process; plan for projects o Support applications with data o SJ Co could be the lead agency – COG on MPO  Dave Keck – work out details - Community needs to know funding is possible - Nov/Dec – DOT will ask for applications for trails, SRFS, sidewalks, these are competitive – work with Nick, Duane will help – but through SJ Co – covers design, phases - Sidewalks have been an after-thought for school site planning - Hwy. 64 has not ROW for sidewalks. School is willing to give up ROW for that. - [Consultant] Have school district plan for safe passages . Then you can say: “We’ve done what can, we need money for our jurisdiction” - State tribal infrastructure fund o Funds planning/design for trails & pedestrian facilities ---PAGE BREAK--- Farmington MPO 2040 MTP Outreach Page 47 Letter Grades by Participants CAR B B B B B B WALKING F F F F F F TRANSIT C C B C C B BIKING F F F F F F / - Shoulders wide on 64 - One bicyclist said drivers try to run her down - One rode bus 2-10 in front of school - No bus here to Shiprock OK