IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MINUTES FOR APRIL 28, 2021

6:00 p.m.

_______________________________________________________________­­­­________________

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                                                City of Brawley                                       George Nava via zoom

                                                                City of Calipatria                                    Maria Nava-Froelich via zoom

                                                                City of Calexico                                      Rosie Arreola-Fernandez via zoom

                                                                City of El Centro                                    Cheryl Viegas-Walker via zoom

                                                                City of Imperial                                      Robert Amparano via zoom

                                                                City of Holtville                                       Michael Goodsell via zoom

                                                                City of Westmorland                           Ana Beltran via zoom

                                                                County of Imperial                                Luis Plancarte via zoom

                                                                County of Imperial                                Absent

                                                                Imperial Irrigation District                 Javier Gonzalez via zoom

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:          Caltrans District 11           Gustavo Dallarda via zoom

STAFF PRESENT:               Mark Baza, David Aguirre, Cristi Lerma, Virginia Mendoza, Michelle Bastidas, Audrie Tapia, Daveline Villasenor.

OTHERS PRESENT:            All via zoom – David Salgado: SCAG; Ann Fox, Rafael Reyes, Layla Sawari, Daniel Hernandez: Caltrans; Tony Hughes, Mauricio Salazar: First Transit; Carmen Vargas, Michael Fleishman: BARCLAYS; Tyler Salcido: City of Brawley; Erwin Gojuangco: County Council

The following action minutes are listed as they were acted upon by the Imperial County Transportation Commission and as listed on the agenda for the meeting held Wednesday, April 28, 2021 together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

Given public health directives limiting public gatherings due to the threat of COVID-19 and in compliance with the Governor’s Order N-29-20, the meeting will be held telephonically and electronically.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

Chair Viegas- Walker called the Commission meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

II.                  CLOSED SESSION

A.            Motion to convene to Closed Session - adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

B.            PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Government Code § 54957)         

                Title:  ICTC Executive Director

C.            Announcement of Closed Session Action(s) – at 6:00 p.m.: The ICTC Commission met in closed session to discuss a public employee performance evaluation. Direction was given and no reportable action was taken.

III.                 EMERGENCY ITEMS

                There were none.

IV.                PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments received.

V.                  CONSENT CALENDAR

A.            Approval of the ICTC Commission Draft Minutes:               March 24,2021

B.                  Receive and File:

1.                   ICTC Management Committee Draft Minutes:     March 24,2021

                                                                                                                April 14,2021

2.                   ICTC TAC Minutes:                                                           February 25,2021

3.                   ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                                       March 3, 2021                                                                                                                         

C.                   Application for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 Program Funds, FY 2020-21

1.       Authorized the Chairman to sign the resolution authorizing the Executive Director to sign the FTA 5311 FY 2020-21 grant application with all supporting documentation.

2.       Directed staff to submit the application to Caltrans.

D.                  Application for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 Program Funds FY 2020-21 – Coronavirus Relief and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act

1.       Authorized the Chairman to sign the resolution authorizing the Executive Director to sign the FTA 5311 CRRSAA FY 2020-21 grant application with all supporting documentation.

2.       Directed staff to submit the application to Caltrans.

A motion was made by Amparano and seconded by Nava to approve the consent calendar as presented, roll call:

                          Motion Passed.

VI.                REPORTS

A.                  ICTC Executive Director

-          Mr. Baza provided updates from the report on page 33 of the agenda with a focus on items 1, 2, 3, and 20 of the agenda. Mr. Baza informed the Commission Mr. Aguirre would be providing updates regarding the Calexico Mobility On-Demand Transit.

⁻          Mr. Aguirre shared the Calexico Mobility On-Demand Transit is a proposed demonstration of demand-responsive transit service, dynamically routed micro- transit service with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to bridge transportation gaps and provide connectivity between services and locations across the City of Calexico, California. The program has anticipated to have 3 vehicles and charging stations that will be located at the maintenance yard.

o   Mr. Aguirre announced the funding is for two years and the Imperial County Transportation Commission is required to fund the third and a fourth year is in the works.

o   Ms. Viegas-Walker expressed her excitement with the program and asked when a press release would roll out regarding the mobility service. Mr. Aguirre stated the program has a starting period of 6-12 months and there are marketing efforts that come along with it. Mr. Baza added he is willing to take suggestions on ways to release this information to the public.

⁻          Mr. Baza provided updates regarding the HERO PACE Program with Western Riverside Council of Governments and shared the Imperial County Transportation Commission partnered with Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) to offer PACE services to the residents of the Imperial County for energy reduction projects. Mr. Baza announced the residential program was shut down due to the HERO program administrator Renovate America filed bankruptcy on December 23,2020, which led to termination of the agreement.

⁻          Mr. Baza provided a brief update regarding the Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening project. Mr. Baza shared the ICTC staff completed the procurement process and award action was taken on March 24, 2021. The next steps include issuing a notice to proceed to Hazard Construction to initiate the design of the project. ICTC has recently advertised a Request for Proposals for Construction Management services to provide engineering support on behalf of ICTC through design and construction.

⁻          Ms. Nava-Froelich inquired about the status of potential bus stops in Calipatria and Niland. Mr. Aguirre stated a meeting took place with the City Manager of Calipatria and evaluated the proposed location where the bus would serve the public. The proposed route has been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, however, is something they are working to bring back. Mr. Aguirre stated the Niland bust stop is currently unused and is looking into relocating the bus stop to the fire station. Mr. Aguirre stated he will follow up with Caltrans regarding the current location and provide updates once done.

⁻          Mr. Baza provided an update regarding the partnerships with IVEDC regarding the Southern Border Broadband Consortium (SBBS) and The Brawley Transit Corridor Browns Field Assessment.

o   SBBC completed the objectives of the 2017-2020 CPUC CASF Consortia Grant cycle, which ended in June 2020. SBBC applied for a second grant cycle in summer of 2020 and was approved in the Fall for a start date of December 1, 2020.

o   The 2020-2023 grant cycle is currently underway. Imperial County Transportation Commission is getting ready for the first report of the cycle, which is anticipated to be due at the end of May.

o   The Brawley Transit Corridor Brownfield Assessments have completed a lot of the reassessments.

o   The Finnell Property has 3 parcels. Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports have been finalized and 3 underground storage tanks have been excavated and disposed of. Currently assisting the property owner in identifying grant dollars to apply to the site cleanup that is being required after uncovering significant contamination.

o   The Chai, Lesicka, and Dek Properties have been completed and closed out.

o   The Pioneers Property has 3 parcels. It received DTSC approval on May 11, 2020. Phase 1’s was completed on all parcel, 1 parcel which is the site of a former Chevron station closed on 1975 which will require a phase 2. A resolution is expected by mid-May.

o   The Gibson property received DTSC approval on April 28, 2021. This is a former fueling station and will likely have a recommended Phase 2 site assessment.

⁻          Ms. Villasenor provided updates from the IVRMA report page 39 of the agenda.

o   Joint Powers Authority Agreement is to implement SB 1383 and delegate specified activities and responsibilities. The JPA Agreement includes compliance with SB 1383, AB 341 and/or AB 1826.

o   Three clean-up events were held in the month of April those which include the City of Imperial, El Centro, and Brawley all of which were successful. A variety of clean up events are expected to be hosted in the month of May.

o   The final draft for the FY 2018-2019 Audit will be provided at the next Commission meeting in the month of May along with a budget workshop for the IVRMA program.

⁻          Ms. Viegas-Walker requested to bring back the completion timeline on where IVRMA is at with the 2019-2020 Audit and when the 2020-2021 would commence at the next Commission meeting.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

-          Mr. Salgado provided updates from the reports on page 75 to 78 of the agenda.

o   SCAG acted at the Regional Council Meeting in April to appoint the regional council board officers for the upcoming fiscal year. The appointments will be ratified at the SCAG General Assembly on May 6, 2021.

o   The annual convening of the SCAG General Assembly is scheduled for Thursday May 6th, 2021 at 10:15 am, the meeting will be held remotely. Those who were appointed as delegated should have received the complete agenda via email. A virtual open house will be held a day prior to the General Assembly, all elective officials are welcome to join.

o   SCAG has been coordinating with the clean cities coalition regarding Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) Permit Streamlining Training. Imperial County was identified through that group as an area with a lack of permit streamlining process and have been able to establish through the Technical Advisory Committee at ICTC that there is a need for further discussion around permit streamlining. 

o   SCAG has several different surveys being sent out those which include the COVID’s Local Government Fiscal Impacts Survey and The Broadband Survey. Mr. Salgado encouraged folks in the Imperial County to complete the surveys and provide a voice for Imperial County.

o   SCAG has been reaching out to cities promoting the Regional Data Platform (RDP) and the Local Information Services Team (LIST). SCAG has created the LIST in an effort to support the rollout of the RDP and other housing and data support needs. SCAG is focused to be a resource to the members moving forward.

o   Applications are open for the Community Safety Ambassador Training Program. The Ambassador Program is an interactive community engagement and leadership development opportunity for up to 60 community members in Imperial, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. Selected Ambassadors will be engaged by California Walks for this paid training opportunity, which consists of 6 training sessions (for a total of 30 hours) to educate and Ambassador Program participants will gain experience, learn alongside local community members. More information can be obtained from SCAG ROA David Salgado.

o   The 32nd Annual Demographic Workshop registration is currently open which is scheduled to be held in the month of June. The topic this year will be The Post Pandemic-City, more information can be found on https://scag.ca.gov/demographics.

C.                  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)- District 11   

-          Mr. Dallarda provided updates from the report on pages 82-88 of the agenda

o   Eastbound I-8/ Imperial Avenue Interchange is on schedule. Ramps will continue to be closed and are expected to be reopened summer 2021.

o   The SR-98 Widening Project has been delayed due to there being active nest that contains different species. The biologist is expected to return sometime this summer to reevaluate the area and start construction once the area is clear.

o   The extension of the original detour for the SR-111 Niland Geyser/ Mud Pot has been placed and was open to traffic on Friday April 16, 2021. The detour will remain in place as the mud pot moves beyond the original freeway.

o   Mr. Dallarda had several other announcements regarding Earth Day, Safety Awareness Week activities being held in the month of April.

D.                  Commission Member Reports 

-          Mr. Amparano inquired about the possibilities of having a second bust stop for Rogar Engineering. Mr. Aguirre advised Mr. Amaprano that Rogar give him a call to discuss the project furthermore.

-          Ms. Viegas-Walker shared the County Wide Remembrance will be held virtually on May 15, 2021 at 8:00 am.

-          Mr. Gonzales requested clarification on what agency is responsible for bus stops in the City of Calexico. He stated that shade structures are necessary for many of the current bus stops, or they will not be utilized in the summer.

-          Mr. Gonzalez stated that the IID public entity fund has about $350,000 available to non-profit organizations. To apply for funds, please send a letter of interest to IID, attention James Hanks. There is an opportunity to help many small organizations.

-          The IID passed a resolution for Arbor Day. Each Director will plant a tree. Mr. Gonzalez will plant his at the SDSU Imperial Valley Campus on Friday, April 30, 2021. Dippy Duck will be present with safety information.

VII.              LTA INFORMATION CALENDER

A.      Results of Sales Tax Revenue Bond Refunding of 2012 Series A,B,C,D,E

A presentation was made by Barclays staff regarding the final results of Sales Tax Revenue Bond    Refunding of 2012 Series A,B,C,D,E. Mr. Fleishman provided the forward tax-exempt results for each participating agency in Imperial County.

VIII.             NEXT MEETING DATE AND PLACE

A.                  Ms. Viegas -Walker requested the Commissioners complete a poll on whether they would like to continue to have the monthly meetings via Zoom or in person. The next meeting of the Imperial County Transportation Commission will be held on May 26, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., at the ICTC Offices, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243 via Zoom Meeting.

IX.                ADJOURNMENT