Meeting Minutes of the
Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization
POLICY COMMITTEE

Tuesday, March 23, 2004, 2:30 p.m.
Honolulu City Council Committee Room, room 205
Honolulu Hale, 530 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii

Member(s) Absent: Representative Kirk Caldwell and Representative Joseph Souki

OMPO Staff Present: Gordon Lum (Executive Director), Laureen Brennan, Michelle Kurisu, and Pamela Toyooka

Chair Cal Kawamoto called the meeting to order at 2:39 p.m. A quorum was present.

I.    MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 18, 2003 MEETING

Councilmember Romy Cachola moved and Vice Chair Nestor Garcia seconded that the minutes of the December 18, 2003 meeting be approved as circulated. The motion was unanimously carried.

II.    CAC MEMBERSHIP REQUEST

Joe Magaldi, Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair, stated that the following four organizations have attended the required four meetings within a 12-month period and have requested CAC membership:
o    Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board (NB) No. 1
o    Waialae-Kahala NB No. 3
o    Diamond Head-Kapahulu-St. Louis Heights NB No. 5
o    Wahiawa NB No. 26

Representative Mark Moses moved and Councilmember Ann Kobayashi seconded that the four organizations (listed above) be appointed to the OMPO CAC. The motion was unanimously carried.

III.    LEGISLATIVE REQUEST FOR REGIONAL TRAFFIC STUDY
Handouts:
o    Letter to OMPO dated July 16, 2003 – Release of funds for Regional Traffic Study
o    Letter to OMPO Chair dated February 3, 2004 – Recommendations for scope and criteria for the Regional Traffic Study and the advocating of pooling of efforts between the State and the City & County of Honolulu
o    Draft Work Element (W.E.) 203.60-05 Lower Makiki/Ala Moana Regional Traffic Study

Gordon Lum stated that (in the first letter listed above) some State Legislative members and neighborhood board members had made a request for the timely release of $200,000 from last year’s Executive Budget for a regional traffic study. This study would address some of the traffic concerns for the area bounded by Ward Avenue, Lunalilo H-1 freeway, Kapahulu Avenue, Kalakaua Avenue, and Ala Moana Boulevard. The letter also cited the need for a City-State-OMPO coordinated effort to address these issues. The OMPO Chair and Executive Director have met with some of those who signed this letter. There was a follow-up letter to the OMPO Chair (second letter listed above). This letter asked for a pooling of efforts between the State and City in order to conduct this study, and requested that a single comprehensive study be done and specific guidelines be followed (as stated in letter).

Mr. Lum stated that he has met with City Department of Transportation Services (DTS) Director Cheryl Soon and State Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Rodney Haraga in order to respond to these requests. OMPO would be unable to do the study due to its obligation to do the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan (ORTP) (a 2-year major effort) and staffing constraints.

Although $200,000 was included in the State’s 2003 Executive Budget, these monies must be used primarily on State facilities. It was determined that most of the roadways within the area of concern were City streets.

Based upon these constraints and discussion between DOT, DTS, and OMPO, the following proposal is recommended to respond to the legislative requests:
o    OMPO will identify regional movements and major projects in the affected area as they relate to the ORTP ($850,000 consultant contract);
o    DOT will review and update selected improvement projects from past freeway studies ($200,000 consultant contract); and
o    DTS will conduct a lower Makiki/Ala Moana regional traffic study ($224,000 consultant contract).

For details of the DTS study, Mr. Lum referred the Policy Committee to draft W.E. 203.60-05 Lower Makiki/Ala Moana Regional Traffic Study.

Testimony – Charles Carole, Makiki NB No. 10 (a signer of the July 16, 2003 letter)
Mr. Carole requested that there be a deferment of action until the May OMPO Policy Committee meeting because of the following factors:
o    Major H-1 Freeway off/on-ramp changes
o    The Piikoi-Pensacola couplet study
o    The Kakaako Development Plan
Mr. Carole indicated that he would like to present more testimony on this at the May meeting.

Both Mr. Haraga and Ms. Soon stated that there were no problems with deferral of their studies. Chair Kawamoto asked Mr. Carole if he had any problems with the ORTP proceeding during the interim. Mr. Carole said no.

Councilmember Kobayashi moved and Councilmember Cachola seconded that: 1) OMPO go ahead with their portion of the proposed actions and 2) the DOT and DTS portions of the proposed actions be deferred until after the May Policy Committee meeting. The motion was unanimously carried.

[Councilmember Charles Djou arrived at 2:56 p.m.]

IV.    OWP AMENDMENT REQUEST
Handouts:
o    W.E. 201.01-01 Investigation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Technology for Use in Collecting Congestion Management Systems (CMS) Data
o    W.E. 201.30-03 Demonstration of ITS Technology for Use in Collecting CMS Data

Mr. Lum stated that DOT has requested that two of their Overall Work Program (OWP) work elements – W.E. 201.01-01 and W.E. 201.30-03 – be amended. The proposed amendment would delete the consultant contract and related tasks in W.E. 201.01-01 and add a consultant contract in W.E. 201.30 03 to assist DOT in implementing a demonstration of the ITS technology identified in W.E. 201.01-01. If the amendment is approved, it would result in approximately $130,000 being transferred from W.E. 201.01-01 to W.E. 201.30-03; no additional funds would be needed.

[Senator Gordon Trimble arrived at 3:02 p.m.]

Councilmember Gary Okino questioned the necessity of doing a demonstration project in Hawaii when it has already been done in other states (Oregon and Florida). Benson Chow, an engineer at DOT, responded that, even though this technology works in those states, conditions in Hawaii may be different.

Vice Chair Garcia and Councilmember Okino both voiced concerns regarding the privacy issue. They felt that the privacy issue should be addressed before the project is implemented. Mr. Chow indicated that DOT is aware of the privacy issue and plans to address it.

Mr. Lum noted that these two work elements have already been approved by the Policy Committee. If the amendment is not approved, then the work elements would go ahead as is. Mr. Lum added that, in the Oahu Metropolitan 2003 Certification Review report, the federal government had identified the need for OMPO to serve as a clearinghouse for CMS data collection. The proposed amendment would strengthen Oahu’s ability to collect travel time data.

Representative Moses moved and Councilmember Cachola seconded that the amendment be approved. The motion was unanimously carried.

V.    PROPOSED MODIFICATIONS TO THE TEP
Handouts:
o    Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) for Oahu Recommendations to the Policy Committee
o    Draft revised TEP for Oahu

Mr. Lum stated that modifications to the TEP were being proposed for the following reasons:
o    To reflect current federal transportation legislation;
o    To streamline the project selection process; and
o    To add a table to illustrate the connection of the project categories used in the TEP to the federal program’s categories.
The changes were proposed by the Transportation Enhancement Activity Evaluation Panel, which consisted of CAC representatives, Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) representatives, and Policy Committee staff. Both the TAC and the CAC have recommended the Policy Committee’s endorsement of the modifications. Mr. Lum referred the Policy Committee to the final draft version of the TEP.

Councilmember Cachola moved and Representative Moses seconded that the TEP be updated to include the proposed modifications (listed above). The motion was unanimously carried.

VI.    POSITION ON RAIL
Handout: City Council Resolution 03-289 Supporting the Development of a Work Plan for the Definition of a Grade-Separated Fixed-Rail System Alternative for Honolulu
[Written testimony submitted by Martha Townsend]

In his introduction of this agenda item, Chair Kawamoto noted City Council Resolution 03-289; House Bill 2956, which reserves a portion of the State fuel tax revenues (approximately $3.5 million annually) for a fixed guideway mass transit system; and the Governor’s Transportation Committee’s support for a light rail system. He asked that the Policy Committee also establish its position on this issue.

Mr. Lum stated that the Policy Committee will be asked to endorse a 2030 regional transportation plan (RTP) in two years and will have to decide whether rail is part of that plan. He asked that representatives from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) discuss how financial constraint plays a role in this decision.

FTA Region IX Director of the Office of Planning and Program Development Ray Sukys, said that, while it is true that funding for a project need only be reasonably available before it can be included into the RTP, FTA feels that, without some commitment, it is no longer reasonable to merely assume that local funding for a rail system will be in place given Oahu’s past history. Region IX Administrator Leslie Rogers added that FTA has consistently applied this position across the region.

Mr. Sukys stated that, if a rail project is not included in the RTP, Oahu could still go through an alternatives analysis and take a rail project up to preliminary engineering. However, it would be difficult for FTA to justify using federal funds for this phase given Oahu’s past efforts. Mr. Rogers added that, as a condition to entering into preliminary engineering, FTA would have to favorably rate the project. Such a rating would take local financing into consideration.

Mr. Rogers provided the following summary regarding funding:
o    Statutorily, current regulations allow major capital projects to be federally funded up to 80%.
o    The current directive from Congressional committees asks FTA not to federally fund any New Starts project beyond 60%.
o    The administration’s reauthorization proposal restricts federal funding from exceeding 50%.
o    A number of federal funding sources exist for a New Starts project that allow for a greater federal participation.
o    The major source of federal funding for a New Starts project will probably be FTA’s Section 5309 New Starts funding.
o    The administration’s position is that New Starts funding should not exceed 50% of the total capital cost of a major capital investment.
o    The annual New Starts budget is roughly $1 billion.
o    The FTA program office is looking to limit any New Starts funding to no more than $500 million per project.
o    FTA has at least 71 projects around the country that are either in planning, preliminary engineering, final design, or under a full funding grant agreement.
o    There are typically situations where areas with full funding grant agreements have had to front end the funding of their projects.

In response to a question from Chair Kawamoto, Mr. Rogers indicated that the inclusion of a rail project to a reauthorization bill is an ongoing process. However, he noted that adding a project to a reauthorization list is not the most difficult part, as 276 projects were identified as candidates for New Starts projects at the start of TEA21. That is only one preliminary step in a long road.

Mr. Rogers noted that the transit operator was a State entity in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Maryland.

In noting that the alternatives analysis could recommend against a rail project, Mr. Sukys agreed that having the Policy Committee take a position on rail would not necessarily bias the alternatives analysis.

Councilmember Okino stated that the Policy Committee’s position on rail should clearly specify a grade-separated fixed-rail system.

Chair Kawamoto expressed his opinion that a fixed-rail system was important to Oahu’s future, that the Policy Committee should endorse the City Council’s resolution, and that the Policy Committee go on record in support of a fixed-rail system.

Councilmember Cachola moved and Councilmember Okino seconded that the Policy Committee support a grade-separated fixed-rail system for Oahu. The motion was carried, with ten members voting in favor of and one member voting against the motion.

VII.    OAHU METROPOLITAN AREA 2003 CERTIFICATION REVIEW REPORT
Handouts:
o    Letter to FHWA/FTA from OMPO dated March 11, 2004
o    Letter to OMPO from DTS dated March 11, 2004

Abraham Wong, Administrator for the Hawaii Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), started off by introducing the other members of the federal review team (Bruce Turner, Jonathan Young, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Sukys, and Donna Turchie) involved in the triennial certification review of the metropolitan planning process. Mr. Wong stated that Honolulu was certified as there were no corrective actions to satisfy either statutes or regulations relating to transportation planning. He added that the report offered some recommendations in the spirit of continuous improvement for OMPO’s discussion and consideration.

Mr. Sukys identified five areas of recommendations: financial constraint, project prioritization process, CMS, public involvement, and participation in FTA/FHWA’s transportation planning capacity building program. Of the five areas, he highlighted financial constraint. Mr. Sukys identified project implementation as an issue and stressed the important role that OMPO’s transportation partners played in this area. The difficulty in implementing projects was related to project prioritization; having selection criteria that would help produce doable plans rather than the reconsideration of plans. Also related to this was the CMS that is still not fully developed and requires contributions from the local transportation partners. The CMS is a source for identifying projects.

Mr. Turner noted that the recommendations on public involvement contained in the report were not requirements but examples to develop a closer relationship between the CAC and the Policy Committee. He commended the OMPO staff in doing an outstanding job of serving the transportation community on Oahu.

In response to a question from Vice Chair Garcia, Mr. Rogers stated that the federal review team would respond to Mr. Lum’s comments on the certification report within a month.

Ms. Soon noted that she had also sent a letter documenting her concerns with the certification report regarding financial constraint. She questioned the ability of OMPO to do a long-range plan that addresses existing and future congestion and Oahu’s transportation needs if it is limited to funding sources in place.

Mr. Turner said that the requirement for a regional transportation plan has always been that the financial resources be reasonably available. However, for those large projects that have had difficulty in securing local funding in the past, it may not be reasonable to assume its availability unless it is firmly established. Mr. Rogers suggested placing rail in a second tier of the regional transportation plan if local funding was not available.

Mr. Lum noted that the format for the 2003 certification report differed from the prior 2001 certification report in that the 2001 report identified OMPO’s accomplishments and commendations; the 2003 report has eliminated these areas and may now give the erroneous impression that OMPO is not doing as well as before.

Mr. Lum also noted that the second tier of projects refers to a provision in the federal rules which allows for “illustrative projects” to be identified in the regional plan. The Waianae second access road is such an example contained in OMPO’s 2025 regional transportation plan. It is not really part of the plan until funding is available and the Policy Committee places it into the plan.

VIII.    STATUS OF SENATE BILL 1404

Chair Kawamoto explained that the previous impact fees bill, House Bill 2703, was gutted and Senate Bill 1404 was submitted in its place. The bill would be retroactive to July 1, 2002.

IX.    OTHER BUSINESS

Representative Moses brought up the issue of a second access road to Makakilo. Mr. Lum stated that there was an editorial in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, stating that the author had submitted a proposal to the OMPO Policy Committee requesting an extension of Makakilo Drive to the new North-South interchange, but had not received a reply. Once OMPO staff was made aware of this request, a response was sent to this person. Representative Moses noted that this project is already in the long-range transportation plan for Oahu. Mr. Lum stated that if the project is made ready-to-go, it can be added to the TIP should other projects fall out. Representative Moses stated that he continually puts the planning money into his capital improvement program; but unfortunately it’s a City project. Mr. Lum stated that there may be both a City component and a State component.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m.