IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF September 11, 2024

10:30 a.m.

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

STAFF PRESENT: David Aguirre, Cristi Lerma, Katie Luna, Esperanza Avila, Cesar Beltran

OTHERS PRESENT: Robin Owen, Bryan Ott, Rebecca Villarino: Caltrans, David Salgado: SCAG

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The following minutes are listed as they were acted upon by the Imperial County Transportation Commission Management Committee and as listed on the agenda for the meeting held Wednesday, September 11, 2024, together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Chair Nick Wells called the meeting to order at 10:34 a.m., roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

II.                  EMERGENCY ITEMS

There were none.

III.                PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were none.

IV.               CONSENT ITEMS

A.                 Approval of Management Committee Draft Minutes:    August 14, 2024

B.                 Received and Filed:

1.                  ICTC Commission Minutes:                                         August 28, 2024

A motion was made by Terrazas-Baxter seconded by Gutierrez to approve the consent calendar as presented; Roll call was taken:

Motion carried.

V.                 REPORTS

A.                 ICTC Executive Director

Mr. Aguirre had the following updates:

o   Active Transportation Program, Cycle 7: ICTC received correspondence indicating five (5) applications for the Imperial County Region. Applications were submitted by the City of El Centro, Imperial County Office of Education, Heber Public Utility District, City of Calipatria, and the City of Holtville.  As a result of the State of California’s budget deficit the ATP program overall funding was reduced significantly. Funding was anticipated to be $568 Million overall but was ultimately reduced to approximately $168 Million. Also, because of the budget deficit and associated cuts, the anticipated Imperial County Regional Share was reduced to approximately $300k. More information is to come pertaining to State and Regional Share awards.

o   2024 Local Partnership Program, Cycle 5: is scheduled to adopt the 2024 LPP Program Cycle 5 Guidelines on August 15-16, 2024. Upon adoption of the Cycle 5 Guidelines the Call for Projects will open. The LPP Grant funds require a one-to-one match. The Imperial County Region’s estimated allocation amount for FY 2025/26 is $524 million and $520 million for FY2026/27 for a total of $1,044 million. The Call for Projects for the CTC is anticipated to open on August 16, 2024, with a deadline of November 15, 2024.

o   ICTC/IVT Operations and Maintenance Facility: The preliminary site plan has been prepared and will be shared with the commission. ICTC was recently informed that it had received a funding commitment for the completion of the design/environmental phases of the project.

o   Imperial County EV Charging Infrastructure Feasibility Study: Staff is currently working on the development of the Scope of Work for the project to proceed to the issuance of a Request for Proposals.

o   Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening Project: The final project improvements which consisted of the reinstallation of new bolts under the existing bridge section was completed in early August 2024. The project is now in the closeout phase. 

o   Calexico Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC): It is anticipated that the project will start construction in November 2024. The final set of contract documents are being prepared in anticipation of the construction bidding phase.

o   Bus Stop Improvement Project: ICTC released the Request for Proposals for design services for the project. ICTC is looking to begin design services soon and have construction take place within FY23-24/FY24-25. The contract was awarded at the April Commission meeting. ICTC has already participated in a kickoff meeting with the consultant and all the affected agencies. The project design is ongoing and is anticipated to be completed in the new few months.

o   Transit Comprehensive Operational Analysis: Staff recently released the Request for Proposals to the public and are anticipated to work towards a contract award in September/October 2024. The analysis is anticipated to take a year to complete.

o   All ICTC Executive Directors updates can be found on page 17.

B.                 Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)  

Mr. Salgado had the following updates:

o   2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop Program Announced: Register today to join SCAG for the 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop on Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SCAG offices in downtown Los Angeles. Online attendance is also available. The program will gather local leaders, elected officials, and demographic experts to discuss how changing population growth affects regional planning—from accommodating development to improving quality of life and cultivating the economy. Registration is open until Sept. 20. For additional details about the event, visit the 2024 Southern California Demographic Workshop website. Please contact update@scag.ca.gov with any questions.

o   Sustainable Communities Program- Active Transportation and Safety Call for Applications Guidelines The deadline for applications is Sept. 27, and SCAG anticipates announcing application awards in December 2024. To support the application process for eligible applicants, SCAG held an application workshop on July 25, with a second application workshop scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7 (register online). In addition, office hours are available on Mondays and Thursdays during the application period. For more information about the call and to sign up for office hours, visit the Sustainable Communities Program page on the SCAG website.

o   SCAG Published a Report and Model Ordinance For Broadband Permit Streamlining: Insufficient broadband infrastructure and permitting challenges continue to complicate efforts to bridge the digital divide. Complex processes, high resource demands, and inconsistent fees impede infrastructure deployment. Lengthy permitting processes increase costs and lead to project delays, which pass costs onto consumers. To help resolve these challenges, SCAG, in collaboration with the San Diego Association of Governments and with funding from the California Emerging Technology Fund, developed a “Broadband Permit Streamlining Report” and “Broadband Permit Streamlining Model Ordinance.” The report outlines key challenges and complexities involved in both wireless and wireline broadband deployment. SCAG created a model ordinance based on the report’s findings to offer local jurisdictions options for accelerating permitting processes. Jurisdictions can use this ordinance as a template, either adopting it in full or selecting specific sections to streamline their existing broadband permit processes.

o   Federal Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Open for Funding: The Notice of Funding Opportunity is now open for the federal Reconnecting Communities (RCP) Pilot Program. The funding opportunity is a continuation of two previous rounds of RCP funding condensed into a combined allocation of fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026. No further funding is available beyond this cycle, and the application deadline is Sept. 30.

o   SCAG updates can be found on page 140.

C.                 Caltrans Department of Transportation – District 11

Mr. Owen had the following updates:

o   October 04, 2024, is the final deadline for the CTC meeting request.

o   Bridge Investment Program (BIP): The deadlines for Large Bridge Project Grant Applications to be submitted via Grants.gov are:

·         August 1, 2024, for consideration of FY 2025 funds.

·         August 1, 2025, for consideration of FY 2026 funds

o   Environment and Climate Justice Community Change Grants: Applications are now open, which the EPA is accepting on a rolling basis. Final deadline to apply is November 21, 2024.

o   Reconnecting Communities Program: The workshop is September, Friday 13, 2024 via Zoom.

o   All Caltrans updates can be found on page 144.

D.            There were no committee member reports.

VI.                ACTION CALENDAR

A.                 2024 Quality Assurance Program (QAP)

It was requested that the ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                  Approved the proposed 2024 Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

A motion was made by Figueroa seconded by Wells to approve Action A. Roll call was taken:

Motion carried.

B.                 Adjustments to IVT RIDE Paratransit System–Acquisition/Development of Rider Application

 It was requested that the ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Authorized the Executive Director to proceed with the acquisition and development of the IVT Ride Rider Application and Scheduling Software. 

A motion was made by Contreras seconded by Gutierrez to approve Action B. Roll call was taken:

Motion carried.

VII.              INFORMATION CALENDAR

A.                 Forrester Road Proposed Improvements – Project Study Report

Mr. Aguirre provided a presentation regarding a recent project study report in collaboration with Caltrans that evaluated Forrester Road for future improvements.

B.                  Overview of the Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening Project

Mr. Aguirre provided a presentation that provided an overview of the Calexico East Port of Entry Bridge Widening Project.

VIII.             The next meeting is scheduled for October 9, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at the ICTC Offices and via Zoom Meeting for non-voting members and the public.  

IX.                ADJOURNMENT

                The meeting was adjourned at 11:36 a.m.