Minutes 11-17-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 Mayor Lavelle said the voters voted for light rail, and having a few more months to feel more grounded is reasonable. Commissioner Pelissier said there have been suggestions made of scrapping the light rail and doing a bus rapid transit system instead. She said it is her understanding that stopping now would require a total re-start, a loss of funds spent thus far, would take five to seven years, and would end up costing the same amount of money as the light rail system. Danny Rogers added that the money spent so far would not be eligible. Mayor Hemminger said the need and the desire for this project is out there, and more information is being received, and she wants it to work. She said Chapel Hill has a vested interest in the bus transit to get to the light rail stops. She said Orange County has a huge decision to make as it does not get that much benefit out of it, with the stations outside of the Gateway Station, and that one is still in Durham County. She said having Orange County commit to 23% of this gap scares her. Mayor Hemminger said she was unaware of the BRT in Chapel Hill being a part of this equation. She said she hoped the sales tax will go up. She said there is a lot more to be discovered, and there are a lot of opportunities and holes. She said if there is a commitment to funding these numbers, then they need to figure out how. She asked if the UNC Council Estate has been asked for permission for the right of ways. Danny Rogers said UNC said it would pursue the issue. He said this is the plan, and he said there is precedent in North Carolina for that Right of Way donation with UNC- Charlotte. Mayor Hemminger said it is important to understand what resources will be needed to be able to fund these extra figures. Danny Rogers said these numbers are included in the financial plan. Council Member Ed Harrison said for any Bus Rapid Transit project to even approach the effectiveness of the Light Rail project, it would have to be about the same alignment, which would be complicated. Commissioner Pelissier said assuming the Orange County Board of County Commissioners will work with GoTriangle to find the funding, there are still not many opportunities for benefits for Orange County as compared to Durham County. She said the percentage distribution between Orange and Durham counties is a placeholder, and there could be negotiations with Durham County. Danny Rogers said he failed to point out, on the timeline, that this is a complimentary concurrent updating for the BRT for Orange County and Durham County. Council Member Parker asked if the parties that will be making the decision in April, could be identified. Danny Rogers said the final responsibility rests with the Board of Trustees for GoTriangle. He said that Board will want to know the intentions of the governmental entities and what they are going to do. He said the signatories are Orange County, Durham County, MPO, and GoTriangle, Jeff Mann said an updated Orange County Bus and Rail Investment plan will be presented in the spring. He said the Orange County BOCC can approve it, or not. Town Council Member Cianciolo said he wanted to understand the issues of cost reimbursements. He said assuming all is completed successfully by 2028, and the FTA sends reimbursement funds, he asked if GoTriangle then writes a check to Orange County. Danny Rogers said the reimbursements are for money they have spent, to pay off the debt. Town Council Member Cianciolo said it has to be a decision that focuses on the costs going forward, as money spent to date is gone, for all intents and purposes. He said it must be decided if this project is deemed to be beneficial.