PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES
FEBRUARY 17, 2004
6:30 P.M.
SOUTH WINDSOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS
PURPOSE: TO RECEIVE CITIZEN INPUT ON A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE CAPITOL REGION COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS FOR A BUCKLAND HILLS CORRIDOR STUDY.
The Public Hearing was called to order at 6:35 p.m. by Mayor Havens. The Clerk of the Council read the Call of the Meeting (a copy of which is attached). The following Town Council members were present: Mayor Havens, Deputy Mayor Pelkey, and Councillors Delnicki, Fine, Paquin, Pendleton, Streeter and Yacavone. (Councillor Aman was absent.) Town Manager Matthew B. Galligan and Town Attorney Barry D. Guliano were also present.
There were approximately 20 people in the audience.
The following information was presented as an overview of the subject by Marcia Banach, Director of Planning.
The Federal Highway Administration has a transportation grant program (previously known as the “ISTEA Program”) currently awaiting a re-authorization from Congress, but that authorization is expected to come. The federal transportation programs are overseen at the State level by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Within that funding, each metropolitan planning region has its own pool of money which is dedicated to that region, and that part of the program is known as the Surface Transportation Program (“STP”). The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) oversees South Windsor’s share of those STP funds, and they solicit applications from member towns every few years. They are now soliciting proposals for the transportation projects to be funded under
that program and intend to award about $13,600,000 for federal projects within the capitol region. This amount is based upon CRCOG’s expectations that the future funding levels will be equal to past years’ funding levels.
Since funds are limited, the CRCOG Transportation Committee develops criteria for screening of applications, so that the most effective projects are funded. Ms. Banach has been the Town’s representative on the CRCOG Transportation Committee for about 18 years and, therefore, is involved in the development of criteria.
All submitted applications will be rated objectively by CRCOG, and the higher ranking projects will be funded, to the extent that funds are available. CRCOG solicits projects several years in advance of the funds being available so that there will always be projects ready to go. The Federal Highway Administration generally provides 80% of project funding, the State pays 10%, and the municipality pays the remaining 10%.
PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES
Re: Grant Application to the Capitol Region Council of Governments for a Buckland Hills Corridor Study
Page 2
February 17, 2004
While the majority of the $13 million will be applied to traditional road reconstruction projects, CRCOG is reserving up to $1 million to be awarded for non-traditional projects, such as this one.
The Town Staff is proposing that the Town of South Windsor, in partnership with the Town of Manchester, submit a request for grant funding for a Buckland Hills area transportation study. The Buckland Hills area has become a major center of regional importance for retail establishments and will soon include Evergreen Walk, with its 232 acres of mixed uses, including retail, office, hotel, and entertainment. The traffic will impact the highways and roadways in both towns and the traffic issues are broader than any one town can handle on its own.
To date, all of the traffic improvements have been made, for the most part by individual developers, and occasionally by the Towns, with a small amount of federal funding. The issues will not improve if they are addressed “in a piecemeal fashion as we have been doing to date.” A regional approach is necessary to identify transportation strategies which can improve traffic flow throughout the state, not just on the local transportation network. The Buckland Hills study would be the first step in addressing both Manchester’s and South Windsor’s transportation network. Both towns have been attempting to address the issues through the State legislators to obtain State funding for such a study, but neither town has been successful to date. State legislators have recommended
an application to CRCOG to obtain funding for this study.
She (Ms. Banach) and Town Engineer Jeff Doolittle have met with the Engineering and Planning Departments of Manchester to begin collaboration on this project. They are requesting that the Town Manager be authorized to submit a request for funding of the joint Buckland Hills area transportation study under the Surface Transportation Program.
The main goal of such a study would be to prepare a transportation master plan for the entire area—one which does not have a town boundary line going through the middle of it. The plan would identify desirable physical improvements, congestion management strategies and transit alternatives. The report would prioritize these improvements and identify potential funding mechanisms and time frames for implementing the improvements.
The study would be conducted by a professional transportation and engineering firm, guided by a steering committee of planning and engineering staff from Manchester and South Windsor, plus the CRCOG and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The study area would “roughly” include I-84, Exit 62 and 63, the Interstate ramp systems, relevant sections of I-291 in South Windsor and state and local roads that feed into the Buckland Hills area between those points.
PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES
Re: Grant Application to the Capitol Region Council of Governments for a Buckland Hills Corridor Study
Page 3
February 17, 2004
They would anticipate submitting a joint funding request with Manchester for $250,000, of which the federal share would be 80%, or $200,000. They also anticipate that the State Department of Transportation would fund the entire matching 20% share of $50,000. Ms. Banach has talked with the Transportation Director at CRCOG, and he suggested that the Council should be prepared for the possibility of having to contribute 10% ($25,000) of matching funds for the project. That amount would be split between Manchester and South Windsor, for a total of $12,500 each.
The deadline for submitting applications is March 15, and the program timeframe is not immediate. CRCOG is programming funds over the next several years. Chances are that if the project gets funded, it would be a few years before it would be completed.
A resolution appears on the Regular Meeting Agenda this evening for the approval of this item.
Following her presentation, Ms. Banach entertained questions.
Mayor Havens questioned the value of the study after everything is in place. Ms. Banach said that it would because they would “be looking at a bigger picture than anyone has been able to look at.” They would be looking at the interstate system, which has been out of bounds for any individual developer to be examining to date.
Deputy Mayor Pelkey asked when the spending of the $12,500 would probably take place, and Ms. Banach estimated that it would most likely not be this year. Mr. Galligan said that the funds would come out of the Capital Fund in the future.
Councillor Fine requested a synopsis of Ms. Banach’s report.
Regarding the time frame concerning the resolution, Mr. Galligan stated that the item was on tonight’s agenda, in part, because Manchester was addressing it this evening as well.
When asked if there were questions from the audience, the following individual came forward.
Robert Dickinson, 19 Birch Road, suggested that the Town’s Transportation Committee keep abreast of this study and have input.
Mayor Havens called for a Straw Vote, the results of which were as follows:
Those in favor of the grant application - 10
Those in opposition to the grant application - 0
PUBLIC HEARING MINUTES
Re: Grant Application to the Capitol Region Council of Governments for a Buckland Hills Corridor Study
Page 4
February 17, 2004
The Public Hearing was closed at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Merlyn P. Guild
Assistant to the Clerk of the Council
Attachment
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