All items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine and non-controversial by COG staff and will be approved by one motion if no member of the Committee or public wishes to comment or ask questions.  If comment or discussion is desired by anyone, the item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered in the listed sequence with an opportunity for any member of the public to address the Committee concerning the item before action is taken.

Summary:  The 2023 Unmet Transit Needs Assessment public hearing will be held on Thurs., April 27 during the regularly scheduled Fresno COG Policy Board meeting.  Staff will be available to address any comments received during the public hearing. Staff will return to TTC/PAC in June with the final Unmet Needs Report, following the SSTAC's approval.

Action: Information. The Committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

Summary:  Fresno COG’s Policy Board formed the Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) in May 1988 to: respond to state legislation, coordinate social service transportation, assist the Board in identifying transit needs throughout Fresno County, review and recommend action for Fresno COG to address at its unmet transit needs hearing, and advise Fresno COG on any other transit issues. The Board appoints SSTAC members for two-year terms.

There was one re-appointments to SSTAC at the February 2023 meeting. Former Chair of the SSTAC, Moses Stites, Executive Director of the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) was re-appointed to serve another two year term.   

Article III, Section 99238 of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) requires a minimum number of SSTAC members in specific categories. There is no maximum number specified in the TDA, and in the interest of diversity, staff is seeking additional nominations, specifically, members who represent minority groups, social service providers for seniors, and potential transit users.  A complete list of SSTAC members is included in the agenda package.

Action:  Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve reappointing Mr. Moses Stites to the Committee for another two-year term.

Summary: This item seeks to restore $20 million of the $24.5 million previously held in trust for the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Heavy Maintenance Facility (HMF) to the Measure C Grade Separation Program and to allocate those funds to the City of Fresno’s Blackstone/McKinley grade separation project. A background discussion follows.

The 2006 Measure C Expenditure Plan included an Alternative Transportation Program (ATP) that would provide an estimated $102 million for rail consolidation, which would consist of moving the BNSF railroad alignment over to the Union Pacific Railroad alignment near State Route 99.  It was anticipated that the $102 million would merely be seed money for an effort that would run into hundreds of millions of dollars; therefore, the ballot also carried a provision that if rail consolidation was not imminent within 15 years, the money would be dedicated to grade separation projects instead.

In 2010, Fresno Council of Governments and the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) jointly approved Amendment No. 1 to the Measure C Expenditure Plan to reserve $25 million of the ATP to incentivize a high-speed rail heavy maintenance facility (HMF) in Fresno. The amendment specifically provided that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) must designate the Fresno Works site as the location for the HMF prior to receiving any of the $25 million. This amendment did not change the scope of the ATP. The remainder of the ATP funding was still reserved as seed money for rail consolidation; however, with CHSRA building its facilities directly adjacent to the UPRR alignment, rail consolidation became much more difficult and costly.

Between 2010 and 2020, HMF site selection at times appeared imminent but was postponed repeatedly for a variety of reasons. Three potential locations had been included in CHSRA’s environmental documents, with Fresno Works as one candidate. In 2017, while CHSRA was actively acquiring right-of-way in Fresno County, FCOG and FCTA jointly modified Amendment No. 1 to provide $500,000 of the $25 million set aside for the High-Speed Rail Facilities Program to secure properties necessary for the Fresno site.  Amendment No. 3 authorized those funds for land options for two years; however, the HMF decision was repeatedly postponed and the options expired unexecuted.

From 2017 through April 2020, FCTA, Fresno COG, and Fresno Economic Development Corporation (EDC) held discussions with CHSRA staff regarding the HMF. Initially, the need for a decision was driven largely by Measure C’s property options. Later, as FCTA considered transitioning rail consolidation to the Grade Separation Program, a decision was necessary to determine how much ATP funding could be dedicated to the Blackstone/McKinley project. FCTA and others made it clear that once a decision was made to pursue the Blackstone/McKinley project, the $24.5 million would not likely be available for the Fresno Works site.

As a part of the discussions among FCTA, Fresno COG, and EDC, CHSRA proposed other facilities be developed at the Fresno Works site in lieu of the HMF, including a maintenance-of-way facility, a training center, a light maintenance facility (which could also serve as a trainset assembly facility) and the communications center. CHSRA claimed that these facilities would offer Fresno County more jobs in an earlier timeframe than the HMF, and that the HMF would not likely be needed or built for 15 years.

EDC performed an analysis of this proposal and concluded that there would be more near-term jobs, but fewer long-term jobs, and that the jobs associated with these alternative facilities would likely be less skilled than the HMF-associated jobs. In addition, Amendment No. 1 only allowed the money to be accessed for an HMF. These other facilities would not qualify and would require a subsequent amendment.

Consistent with the provisions in the Measure C Expenditure Plan, in April 2020 the FCTA Board authorized converting the Rail Consolidation Program to a Grade Separation Program and selected the Blackstone/McKinley grade crossing near Fresno City College as the highest-priority project.  The Board also approved an initial $6 million for preliminary engineering and environmental phases.

In August 2020, four months after the decision to fund the Blackstone/McKinley project, FCTA received a letter from CHSRA's chief executive officer that the proposed the Fresno Works site be used for the alternative facilities previously described.

In June 2021, the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA) considered whether to rescind Amendment No. 1, making the $24.5 million available to the Blackstone/McKinley project, or to provide some or all the $24.5 million to HSR for the alternative facilities. At that time, the FCTA Board voted to request that Fresno COG begin the process to rescind Amendment No. 1, allowing the remaining $24.5 million to be available for the City of Fresno’s Blackstone/McKinley project.

Subsequently, CAHSR CEO Brian Kelly met with Fresno City and County stakeholders to discuss the HMF and the other proposed facilities. Mr. Kelly reiterated that an HMF would not be required for many years, that operations suggest the most advantageous location for an HMF is near a terminal station rather than a midpoint station to avoid deadheading, and that the facilities proposed for Fresno and vicinity would meet many if not all of the job and other economic benefits anticipated by the HMF. Mr. Kelly requested that the stakeholders consider allocating at least some of the $24.5 million to Fresno Works site to be utilized for these other CAHSR facilities.

The City of Fresno evaluated the costs associated with bring public utilities to the site and recommended that $4.5 million of Amendment No. 1 funds be retained to help offset these utility costs, and that the remaining $20 million be allocated back to the Grade Separation Program for the Blackstone McKinley Grade Separation Project. A timely decision on the $20 million is required in order to avoid schedule delays to the Blackstone McKinley project.

Timeline

Action: Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve Amendment No. 7 to the 2006 Measure C Expenditure Plan, moving $20 million from Amendment No. 1 back to the Grade Separation Program to help fund the Blackstone McKinley project. Staff further recommends that the remaining $4.5 million remain in Amendment No. 1 until such a time as utility service for the Fresno Works sits can be determined. Once that occurs, a separate amendment will be necessary to allow use of the $4.5 million for site improvements for the proposed CAHSR campus to be located at the Fresno Works site.

Summary: Transit agencies in Fresno County have been exploring alternative mobility options to efficiently serve all areas in need of transit services. As a result, microtransit has emerged as a promising option to supplement, support or replace fixed route transit in geographic areas where it is challenging to provide fixed route transit. Often, high-frequency transit isn’t within walking distance of where most people work and live. Microtransit can serve as a first/last mile option for connecting people to major transit service in the urban area. It can also serve as on-demand transportation for hard-to-serve rural and suburban areas.

Due to the dispersed land use patterns of Fresno County, transit planners and operators have begun considering complementary services to fixed-route transit. Microtransit emerges as a solution to fill in the gap for this situation. If microtransit is financially viable and implemented in Fresno County, many existing trips could be diverted from private auto to microtransit and/or public transportation. This would allow residents who lack access to transportation for jobs, medical services, and other daily necessities to have access. Public transit, in many cases, is especially critical for seniors and people with disabilities. Most importantly, this would result in a reduction in vehicle miles traveled while improving air quality and climate change conditions.

Fresno Council of Governments developed a request for proposals for a microtransit feasibility study in Fresno County. After reviewing the proposals, three of the consultants were invited to an interview with a scoring committee. The committee comprised one member from each of the following four agencies: Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA), Fresno Area Express (FAX), Clovis Transit, and Fresno COG.  Via Mobility LLC received the highest scores and was recommended to undertake the Fresno County Microtransit Feasibility Study. The firm has vast experience with transit planning and operation globally and has an extensive presence in providing transit service in California.

Attached is the scope of work for the study. The project will be launched in April and is expected to be completed within a year. Please contact project staff Juan Ramirez at jramirez@fresnocog.org with any questions.

Action: Staff requests that TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to enter into a contract with Via Mobility LLC for an amount not to exceed $240,807.93.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Committee on items within its jurisdiction but not on this agenda.  Note:  Prior to action by the Committee on any item on this agenda, the public may comment on that item.  Unscheduled comments may be limited to three minutes.