Minutes 02-21-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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He said it is time for the implementation of the master plan and Orange County has a tri- party agreement with the Durham/Chapel Hill/ Carrboro MPO and Triangle Transit on how to implement this. He said there are criteria set forth about how much revenue is expected and cost and expenditures. He said that Orange County staff has begun meetings with Triangle Transit knowing that money for the half cent tax will be assessed beginning April 1. He said there is a lot of work to be done before you initialize a new route. He said that one of the most important routes is the proposed east/west route between Mebane, Efland, Hillsborough and Duke Hospital. He said he is not sure if a full cross county route can be implemented or if it will start in Hillsborough and go to Durham. He said Triangle Transit has suggested that they are able to do the route but studies are ongoing to see if it can be done more economically by Orange Public Transportation. He said that the route between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, the 420 route, was started by OPT, then taken over by Triangle Transit, who hired Chapel Hill Transit to run the lines. There are ongoing talks with the Hillsborough community to figure the best way to potentially intersect the new east/west route mentioned earlier with the 420 route and the circulator route to create a bus hub in Hillsborough to service multiple purposes. He said they are also looking at the addition of other rural services, and possible funding of an Amtrak Rail Station in Hillsborough. He said that the rail system is still in the planning and funding stages to see if Federal Transit Administration will approve the application of 1.4 billion dollars in funds to be shared between Orange and Durham County. He noted that this project is still 3-4 years from a next step. Chair Jacobs asked if the Board could expect periodic updates on this project. Craig Benedict said yes. He said that Triangle Transit is required to put forth yearly updates on revenues, expenditures and costs. He noted another part of the investment plan is the Martin Luther King Boulevard area, which is suggested for a Bus Rapid Transit route. He said the funding data for this has to be reported on an annual basis and this discussion is had in November of each year. He said that this year is a formative year and there is ongoing development of new routes, expanded hours, and weekend service. He noted the increased demand and need for the east/west cross county public transit. Commissioner Pelissier asked who the lead would be in making the Hillsborough Rail Station happen and what Orange County's role would be in this project. Craig Benedict said there should be resolution from all local governments as they move forward and Triangle Transit, as the implementer, should be involved. He said that it will be important to make assessments and establish good ridership numbers and route descriptions in the formative stages of finding the strongest route. He said the train station is at 80% funding. Margaret Hauth said there are a number of different grants under different programs as they work on funding. Commissioner McKee said during most of the Board of County Commissioners' discussion the Mebane to Durham route was presented as a unified route. He said the Hillsborough Rail Station was a late entrant into the plan and he hoped that it would not be an early exit out of the plan. He said that whether federal and state money comes through or not, there will be an amount of money generated by the half cent sales tax and there will be intense competition for that money due to a high number of public transportation needs throughout the county. He said that for the five priorities listed in the plan, it is important to look out for all of the county, but especially the areas that do not have other funding sources. He said that town has its own transportation needs and the connection between the 420 route and a Mebane/Durham route would create an ideal interconnectivity. He said that it will be important to stay on top of things and not let the train station have an early exit, and to insist that the Mebane to Durham route not become a Hillsborough to Durham route. He said that the rural parts of the county are a priority in terms of receiving these promised services earlier, rather than later. Town Commissioner Lowen asked if the Mebane to Durham route would run along Highway 70.