Agenda 06-18-19 Item 8-a - Minutes

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21 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the $500,000 for the study, and asked if this is 1 comparable to what was paid last time, and if it will go out to bid. 2 Travis Myren said in 2010 GoTriangle had this in its budget, but this year it would go 3 through a competitive RFP process. He said $500,000 is an estimate. 4 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the idea is that the consultant would be hired in the fall 5 and have a year to complete the work. 6 Travis Myren said a year to 18 months is the estimated timeframe, and the Board would 7 be provided updates and information sessions. 8 Commissioner Dorosin asked if, in the interim, the existing transit plan would continue, 9 just without the light rail. 10 Travis Myren said yes. He said some existing projects have been expedited, and the 11 plan can always be amended should new opportunities arise in the meantime. 12 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the roughly $3.87 million will be banked, or used, in the 13 meantime. 14 Travis Myren said any of those options could be done, or the funds could wait for the 15 new proposed investment in the new plan. 16 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the bus rapid transit (BRT), and said there are 17 deadlines coming up this fall. He asked if this local commitment needs to be in place by 18 November. 19 Travis Myren said the non-federal share will need to be demonstrated sometime in 20 August, but since this can be over multiple years in the plan, staff thought a better vehicle would 21 be to use a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chapel Hill to lay out how the money 22 would flow, and for which years. 23 Commissioner Dorosin referred to the commuter rail idea, and said it would be helpful to 24 understand what this vision might be. 25 Travis Myren said multiple trains would run at peak times. 26 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Orange County stop would be in Hillsborough. 27 Commissioner Marcoplos said the study would find out this information. 28 Commissioner Dorosin said he understands commuter rail to get people to and from 29 work at the beginning and end of the day. 30 Commissioner Marcoplos said a schedule designed to serve the short route, which 31 would share tracks with the trains running from Raleigh to Charlotte. 32 Chair Rich said sometimes freight trains can delay passenger trains, and asked if the 33 study would take those questions into account. 34 Commissioner Marcoplos said he hoped so. 35 Commissioner Dorosin asked if it would be same train running from Raleigh to 36 Charlotte, just with additional stops. 37 Commissioner Marcoplos said the train would be on the same track but would be a 38 different train. He said there is an $850,000 study, and Orange County is asked to put in 39 $75,000 as is Alamance and Johnston counties. He said Wake and Durham as well as the NC 40 railroad have also been asked to put in money. He said the NC Railroad caused some 41 problems with the light rail, but has voiced strong commitment to this project. He said the study 42 will provide much needed information. 43 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the study will be done by an outside consultant or 44 GoTriangle. 45 Commissioner Marcoplos said an outside consultant. 46 Commissioner Marcoplos said there is a notion going around that this is the transit plan 47 that they have been waiting for, and this is not that, but rather is just business as usual. He 48 said the actual transit plan will evolve out of this process. He said there is another notion that 49 Orange County will be subsumed by a regional transit plan. He said it would be crazy for 50