McHenry County Transportation Committee met Feb. 23.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
1. CALL TO ORDER
Meeting called to order at: 8:15 AM by Stephen Doherty.
PRESENT: Nowak, Aavang (Remote), Skala, Kearns (Remote), Vijuk, Doherty, Jindrich (Remote), Collins
ABSENT:
2. MINUTES APPROVAL
A. Transportation Committee - Public Meeting - Jan 5, 2022 8:15 AM
| RESULT: ACCEPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michael Skala SECONDER: Michael Vijuk AYES: Nowak, Aavang, Skala, Kearns, Vijuk, Doherty, Jindrich, Collins |
McHenry County Board Member Kelli Wegener of District 3 requests the Transportation Committee review safety improvements that could be made at the intersection of Walkup Road and Dvorak Drive, also known as the main entrance of Prairie Ridge High School. Driver speeding and non-adherence to posted school zone speed limits creates a dangerous environment daily for pedestrians and drivers in this area. Mr. Vijuk motioned a request to place this item on the agenda under new business for the upcoming March Transportation Committee meeting.
4. MEMBER COMMENTS
N/A
5. ROUTINE CONSENT AGENDA
| RESULT: RECOMMENDED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michael Skala SECONDER: John Collins AYES: Nowak, Aavang, Skala, Kearns, Vijuk, Doherty, Jindrich, Collins |
2. Resolution Appropriating Funds for FY2022 Satellite Liquid Tank with Containment
3. Resolution to Approve Adopt-A-Highway Group Agreement
4. Resolution Appropriating Funds for the McHenry County Nondedicated Subdivision Road Maintenance Program
5. Recommendation for Appointment to the Public Transportation Advisory Committee as of March 15, 2022
6. Resolution Authorizing an Emergency Appropriation to the Division of Transportation's Fiscal Year 2022 Budget for the Purchase of Three Snow Plows (Quality Infrastructure)
6. ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA
7. NEW BUSINESS
A. Staff Recognition
Maintenance Supervisor Ben Justen introduces Adam Melland as the newest Mechanic to join the Shop Team at the DOT.
B. Vacation of FAP-420 in Glacial Park
McHenry County Conservation Director Elizabeth Kessler was joined by Director of Land Preservation & Natural Resources Ed Collins who provided a brief presentation on the history of the proposed IDOT highway right of way within Glacial Park Conservation Area. The McHenry County Conservation District is seeking the support from the Transportation Committee and the McHenry County Board in their request to work with IDOT in transferring those portions of the highway right of way that are located within and immediately adjoining Glacial Park Conservation Area, for permanent protection as public open space. Discussion ensued.
| RESULT: PRESENTATION |
The McHenry County Council of Mayors (MCCOM) released the 2023-2027 local Surface Transportation Program STP-L Call for Projects on January 13, 2022. The STP-L uses a federal funding source, Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), to fund a portion of the project costs. The federal share for STP is generally 80% with a 20% local match, but is subject to the sliding scale adjustment. Over $7.5 million in federal funding is available during this cycle to program for transportation projects throughout McHenry County. The MCCOM program will fund 80% of the construction phase up to a total award cap of $1.5 million per project.
The McHenry County Division of Transportation recommends submitting applications for two important projects targeting construction during the next five (5) years; the Randall Road North Project and the Lakewood Road Corridor Improvement Project. These projects were selected by the Division of Transportation for their positive impact on a large area of McHenry County. Randall Road North is targeting construction in 2024, and Lakewood Road is targeting construction in 2026.
| RESULT: PRESENTATION |
A. Nondedicated Subdivision Roads Construction Program Discussion
Resolution R-2021-10-82-236 which was approved by the County Board on October 19, 2021 transferred the last remaining 3.016 miles of roads within the County’s NSR Program to Nunda Township. This agreement effectively terminated the County’s NSR Construction Program, which was created on August 02, 2016. As different Townships have different abilities to financially contribute to NSR projects, they may individually come forward on a case by case basis for Transportation Committee consideration.
| RESULT: DISCUSSION |
Assistant Director of Transportation Scott Hennings provided an update on the Federal Infrastructure Bill. The Federal infrastructure Bill has not yet been passed for 2022, Assistant Transportation Director Hennings advised that we are still awaiting guidance from IDOT and CMAP but will provide an update to the committee once such is received.
| RESULT: PRESENTATION |
Maintenance Superintendent Ed Markison and Assistant Maintenance Superintendent Beth Skowronski provided an update on the DOT's Winter Operations. Maintenance Superintendent Markison advised this years winter season has been lighter compared to years past. The forecast software has been great and spot on with winter storm predictions. Discussion ensued.
D. McHenry County Connection Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
Senior Transportation Planner Ryan Peterson provided an update on the McHenry County Connection Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The McHenry County Connection includes a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at designing facilities, infrastructure, policy and maintenance procedures built to sustain McHenry County's biking and walking infrastructure into the future.
McHenry County Connection outlines 653 miles of recommended facilities in addition to 225 miles of existing facilities. The Plan also proposes the addition of 288 miles of off-road facilities and 347 miles of on-road facilities. These recommendations are diverse in geographic scope throughout McHenry County.
To accomplish these recommendations, the McHenry County Connection outlines the following next steps:
1. Work towards implementing priority routes.
2. Fill in the gaps with other roadway projects, where applicable.
3. Develop a Complete Streets Policy for the County, it's municipalities and townships.
4. Identify partners to create a coalition.
5. Coordinate within County and State for grant opportunities.
| RESULT: PRESENTED |
Transportation Planning Manager Jon Paul Diipla provided an updated on the McHenry County Moves 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan. Public engagement efforts began in the Fall of 2021 and ran through January 2022. The focus was to gain feedback from community members about the various transportation methods they utilize, transportation concerns, priorities and suggestions for improvement on the current system. This initial phase of public engagement yielded; 441 visits to the online forum, 790 survey responses, 1,059 visits to the project website, and 141,024 people reached through social media. A few action plan items for the month of March 2022 include continuing to promote the project website and soliciting additional public feedback.
| RESULT: PRESENTATION |
A. Meeting Minutes, Land Acquisition, and Pending Litigation
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES APPROVAL
11. NEXT MEETING DATE AND LOCATION
A. 8:15 A.M. on March 30, 2022 - County Board Conference Room
12. ADJOURNMENT
Full Comments on the above agenda items are included in the audio recording of this meeting, which can be found on the McHenry County Meeting Portal.
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