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HomeMy Public PortalAbout02 February 27, 2023 Western Riverside County Programs and Projects MEETING AGENDA Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee Time: 1:30 p.m. Date: February 27, 2023 Location: This meeting is being conducted virtually in accordance with AB 361 due to state or local officials recommending measures to promote social distancing. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Brian Berkson, Chair/Armando Carmona, City of Jurupa Valley Wes Speake, Vice Chair / Jim Steiner, City of Corona Sheri Flynn / Rick Minjares, City of Banning Clint Lorimore / Todd Rigby, City of Eastvale Linda Krupa / Malcolm Lilienthal, City of Hemet Bill Zimmerman / Dean Deines, City of Menifee Ted Hoffman / Katherine Aleman, City of Norco Michael Vargas / Rita Rogers, City of Perris Chuck Conder / Patricia Lock Dawson, City of Riverside Joseph Morabito, / Ashlee DePhillippo, City of Wildomar Kevin Jeffries, County of Riverside, District I Karen Spiegel, County of Riverside, District II STAFF Anne Mayer, Executive Director Aaron Hake, Deputy Executive Director AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Air Quality, Capital Projects, Communications and Outreach Programs, Intermodal Programs, Motorist Services, New Corridors, Regional Agencies/Regional Planning, Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP), Specific Transit Projects, State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee (TUMF) Program, and Provide Policy Direction on Transportation Programs and Projects related to Western Riverside County and other areas as may be prescribed by the Commission. RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE www.rctc.org AGENDA* *Actions may be taken on any item listed on the agenda 1:30 p.m. Monday, February 27, 2023 This meeting is being conducted virtually in accordance with AB 361 due to state or local officials recommending measures to promote social distancing. INSTRUCTIONS FOR ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION Join Zoom Meeting https://rctc.zoom.us/j/88057637403 Meeting ID: 880 5763 7403 One tap mobile +16699006833,,88057637403# US (San Jose) +16694449171,,88057637403# US Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) For members of the public wishing to submit comment in connection with the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee Meeting please email written comments to the Clerk of the Board at lmobley@rctc.org and your comments will be made part of the official record of the proceedings as long as the comment is received before the end of the meeting’s public comment period. Members of the public may also make public comments through their telephone or Zoom connection when recognized by the Chair. In compliance with the Brown Act and Government Code Section 54957.5, agenda materials distributed 72 hours prior to the meeting, which are public records relating to open session agenda items, will be available for inspection by members of the public prior to the meeting on the Commission’s website, www.rctc.org. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Government Code Section 54954.2, Executive Order N-29-20, and the Federal Transit Administration Title VI, please contact the Clerk of the Board at (951) 787-7141 if special assistance is needed to participate in a Committee meeting, including accessibility and translation services. Assistance is provided free of charge. Notification of at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time will assist staff in assuring reasonable arrangements can be made to provide assistance at the meeting. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee February 27, 2023 Page 2 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS – Under the Brown Act, the Board should not take action on or discuss matters raised during public comment portion of the agenda which are not listed on the agenda. Board members may refer such matters to staff for factual information or to be placed on the subsequent agenda for consideration. Each individual speaker is limited to speak three (3) continuous minutes or less. 5. ADDITIONS/REVISIONS (The Committee may add an item to the Agenda after making a finding that there is a need to take immediate action on the item and that the item came to the attention of the Committee subsequent to the posting of the agenda. An action adding an item to the agenda requires 2/3 vote of the Committee. If there are less than 2/3 of the Committee members present, adding an item to the agenda requires a unanimous vote. Added items will be placed for discussion at the end of the agenda.) 6. CONSENT CALENDAR - All matters on the Consent Calendar will be approved in a single motion unless a Commissioner(s) requests separate action on specific item(s). Items pulled from the Consent Calendar will be placed for discussion at the end of the agenda. 6A. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – JANUARY 23, 2023 Page 1 7. RIVERSIDE-DOWNTOWN METROLINK STATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT STATUS Page 7 Overview This item is for the Committee to recommend the Commission take the following action(s): 1) Recommend suspension of the environmental and engineering tasks on the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink Station Improvement Project. 8. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT 9. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Overview This item provides the opportunity for brief announcements or comments on items or matters of general interest. 10. ADJOURNMENT The next Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee meeting is scheduled to be held at 1:30 p.m., Monday, March 27, 2023. AGENDA ITEM 6A MINUTES RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE Monday, January 23, 2023 MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting of the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee was called to order by Vice Chair Brian Berkson at 1:30 p.m., via Zoom Meeting ID: 826 0608 4944. This meeting was conducted virtually in accordance with AB 361 due to state or local officials recommending measures to promote social distancing. 2. ROLL CALL Members/Alternates Present Members Absent Brian Berkson Sheri Flynn Chuck Conder Ted Hoffman Kevin Jeffries* Linda Krupa Clint Lorimore Joseph Morabito Wes Speake Karen Spiegel Michael Vargas Bill Zimmerman *Joined the meeting after it was called to order. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Ted Hoffman led the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee in a flag salute. 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no requests to speak from the public. 1 RCTC WRC Programs and Projects Committee Minutes January 23, 2023 Page 2 5. ADDITIONS/REVISIONS There were no additions or revisions to the agenda. M/S/C (Hoffman/Zimmerman) to approve the minutes as submitted. 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – NOVEMBER 28, 2022 7. AMENDMENT WITH STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES, INC., FOR THE SANTA ANA RIVER TRAIL PROJECT PHASES 2, 2A AND 3A IN THE PRADO BASIN David Lewis, Capital Projects Manager, presented the amendment with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (Stantec) for the Santa Ana River Trail (SART 1) Project Phases 2, 2A and 3A in the Prado Basin, highlighting the following areas: At this time, Commissioner Kevin Jeffries joined the meeting. • Key features o RCTC has been managing the SART for the Park District since 2015 o One of the last gaps in 110-mile trail from the mountains to the sea o Equestrian, bicyclist, and pedestrian ADA accessible trail o All costs are reimbursed by the District • Historical background o October 2019 – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) rejected previous alignments due to a variety of reasons o Resulted in a major change to the project phases and alignments o March 2021 – Commission approved the agreement with Stantec on Phases 2, 2A and 3A • SART – Alignment and phasing • Stantec agreement amendment o Stantec role changed to lead the overall project o USACE staff limited capacity to perform important, time sensitive tasks o Schedule delays o Parks District concurs with recommendations in the staff report Commissioner Hoffman stated that they have discussed this before and does not believe that they have changed it. In Phase 2 he asked if they still have the equestrians, the bicyclists, and the pedestrians all crossing down from Corydon down to Rincon. David Lewis replied that is correct. He stated that is due to RCTC changing the alignment due to the environmental impacts and the mitigation land in that area. In response to Commissioner Hoffman’s question if they widened that with a buffer, David Lewis replied no it is not widened at all and he thinks it is around 10 feet. He stated that they have limited space there and it is really a pinch point in the project. 2 RCTC WRC Programs and Projects Committee Minutes January 23, 2023 Page 3 Commissioner Hoffman stated he understood but they are going to have all the bicyclists, the pedestrians, and the equestrians together in a 10-foot pathway on a road that is already heavily traveled, which has not changed. David Lewis replied no it has not, but they are working with the city of Corona on the plans, and they are implementing safety measures along that strip there. In response to Commissioner Hoffman’s inquiry that there are no buffers included in there, David Lewis replied that he believes there is a four- or five-foot buffer but he can go back and double check and get back to him. They are currently working closely on the design with the city of Corona, and these are just the elements that he can get back to him on. Commissioner Hoffman stated when they changed that trail so they could not go around the hill and back into the riverbed especially for the equestrians and then they are back up on the Corydon and the Stagecoach area that is a mess. He expressed concern during the last discussion and stated they need to have a buffer, because Rincon is heavily vehicle traveled. Commissioner Hoffman expressed to put all the pedestrian, equestrian, and bicycle traffic down a 10-foot pathway is unacceptable. Commissioner Bill Zimmerman asked if the Commission anticipates any financial contributions from USACE as it seems like there is a shift in scope away from USACE and onto RCTC and it is all USACE’s requirements. David Lewis replied no, the USACE has not contributed financially to the project. They do realize that they have caused a lot of issues with the revised alignment and phasing, and they have been a more cooperative partner. The Parks District is also going to seek funding from USACE for the potential Phase 3 Bridge over the spillway because that was never accounted for in any of the planning documents or any of the environmental documents that are out there. Commissioner Wes Speake clarified they are just discussing the environmental document as the design is still coming. David Lewis replied correct, the design is moving along. The good news is the design is relatively straight forward and the toughest part about this project is clearing it environmentally. He stated that RCTC has the 30 percent comments they are revising it and they will be ready to submit the 90 percent by June or July 2023. Commissioner Speake referred to page 6 of the agenda and stated that it talks about it being a 10-foot-wide bike path and a 10-foot-wide equestrian path, but as Commissioner Hoffman noted that if they go together there or if it changes at Phases 2A and 3A. David Lewis replied the only time that it is condensed in this area is at Phase 2 along Rincon all the other areas have a separated bike and equestrian. Commissioner Speake stated since they are only discussing the environmental portion and asked how wide Stantec’s survey area is there just in case design does change it does not take that much more to survey a little bit more and to prevent having to eat away at the additional money or coming back to the Commission to ask for more money. David Lewis replied staff took that into account in the beginning and gave them a wide footprint to look at. Once they developed the design, they slimmed it down and then they all looked at the temporary impacts and refined it even more. Staff gave them instruction from the beginning to have a large footprint and to survey a large area. 3 RCTC WRC Programs and Projects Committee Minutes January 23, 2023 Page 4 Commissioner Speake clarified what is being provided today will not be impacted and they will not have to go out and do any additional studies or anything else if the design width changes. David Lewis replied no, that is the current plan. M/S/C (Vargas/Speake) to: 1) Approve Amendment No. 2 to Agreement No. 21-67-038-00 with Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (Stantec) to finish the final California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document; preliminary engineering services; prepare plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E); and to provide construction design support services for the construction of Phases 2, 2A and 3A in the Prado Basin of the Santa Ana River Trail (SART 1) project (Project) in the amount of $468,334, plus a contingency amount of $47,000, for an additional amount of $515,334, and a total amount not to exceed $1,336,478; 2) Authorize the Executive Director or designee to approve contingency work as may be required for the Project; and 3) Authorize the Chair or Executive Director, pursuant to legal counsel review, to finalize and execute the agreement on behalf of the Commission. No: Hoffman 8. ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR THE WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE At this time, Vice Chair Berkson opened nominations for the Chair position. Lisa Mobley, Administrative Services Director/Clerk of the Board, announced as the Chair stated this item is to elect a Chair and Vice Chair for 2023 for the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee. The current Chair position is vacant, and the Vice Chair is Brian Berkson, city of Jurupa Valley. Commissioner Linda Krupa, seconded by Commissioner Wes Speake nominated Commissioner Brian Berkson for the Chair position for 2023. No other nominations were received. The Vice Chair closed the nominations. Vice Chair Berkson was elected as the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee’s Chair for 2023. At this time, Chair Berkson opened nominations for the Vice Chair position for 2023. Commissioner Clint Lorimore, seconded by Commissioner Linda Krupa nominated Commissioner Wes Speake for the Vice Chair position for 2023. 4 RCTC WRC Programs and Projects Committee Minutes January 23, 2023 Page 5 No other nominations were received. The Chair closed the nominations. Commissioner Wes Speake was elected as the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee’s Vice Chair for 2023. Chair Berkson thanked the Commissioners for their trust and support and congratulated Vice Chair Wes Speake for his nomination as well. 9. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT Anne Mayer announced: • On January 19 the 71/91 Groundbreaking Event was held, they had a great turn out and partners from Orange County and San Bernardino County joined as well. She thanked Commissioner Karen Spiegel for emceeing the event and Commissioner Speake who was one of the speakers. • There will be a 55-hour closure the evening of January 27 to the morning on January 30 for the work on the SR-91 Refresh Project westbound pavement as well as for the 15/91 Express Lane Connector Project. Both projects have combined their workload into one weekend there will be some false work removal for the 15/91 Express Lane Connector. There has been outreach going since last week, there is an active social media campaign, there is a virtual Press Conference coming up. Last week for the 71/91 they had Channel 4, 7, 11, and Telemundo all run stories on the 71/91 and they expect to be more news stories for this weekend’s 55-hour closure. • The Commission Workshop is being held February 2-3 it will start at 1:00 p.m. on February 2 at the Renaissance Hotel in Palm Springs and will end about 11:45 a.m. on February 3. The Workshop Agenda will be going out later this week. There has not been a workshop since 2020, the workshop is an opportunity for Commissioners to not only hear some interesting information about innovation in transportation but also a key opportunity for Commissioners to have conversations about priorities and policy issues and to be able to provide staff with direction on priorities for the coming year. Commissioner Joseph Morabito apologized that he will not be able to attend the Commission Workshop because he is attending the California League of Cities that is being held at the same time. He asked for additional information on the 55- hour closure as he is traveling to Orange County that weekend and if there was a shareable flyer that they can distribute. Anne Mayer replied yes Commissioner Morabito should go another way and they can share the details. She stated that immediately following this meeting staff will send out some detailed information on the 55-hour closure so it can be shared with their constituents. 5 RCTC WRC Programs and Projects Committee Minutes January 23, 2023 Page 6 In response to Commissioner Speake’s clarification this is the last 55-hour closure for the westbound side, Anne Mayer replied it is staff’s intent that this is the last closure for the 91 Refresh Project. The 15/91 Express Lane Connector Project will have other false work removals, but they are not in the near term. Commissioner Speake replied he keeps getting asked and wants to make sure that he has the most recent information. He concurred that at the 71/91 event it was great to see so many partners. He expressed appreciation for the invite and is excited about getting this project started. 10. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS There were no Commissioner comments. 11. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business for consideration by the Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 1:56 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Mobley Administrative Services Director/ Clerk of the Board 6 AGENDA ITEM 7 Agenda Item 7 RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION DATE: February 27, 2023 TO: Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee FROM: David Lewis, Capital Projects Manager THROUGH: Erik Galloway, Project Delivery Director SUBJECT: Riverside-Downtown Metrolink Station Improvement Project Status STAFF RECOMMENDATION: This item is for the Committee to recommend the Commission take the following action(s): 1) Recommend suspension of the environmental and engineering tasks on the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink Station Improvement Project. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Commission, in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), is conducting studies to support an environmental impact report (EIR) and environmental assessment for proposed improvements to the Riverside-Downtown Metrolink station, which is owned and operated by the Commission. The Commission commenced the environmental process for the project in November 2019 and the draft EIR was circulated from December 2021 through February 2022 for public review and comment. Throughout the process, the Commission conducted public and stakeholder outreach. Station improvements at Riverside-Downtown are needed to avoid conflicts with freight train traffic, reduce delays, and allow for future Metrolink service expansion in line with the region’s goal to achieve passenger train frequency of every 30 minutes during peak periods. The ultimate goal is to provide for sustainable population and economic growth through increased availability and reliability of public transportation alternatives to driving. Such public transit service would benefit traffic congestion, quality of life, and environmental considerations such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter. Increasing rail service is also a component of the region’s strategy to bring more employment opportunities to Riverside County. This project, along with other Perris Valley Line capacity improvements, are identified for Riverside County in Metrolink's Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion (SCORE) program, which is a $10 billion capital improvement program to increase commuter rail service and to achieve 30-minute service across the system. 7 Agenda Item 7 The project environmental and design activities are currently funded by an FTA Grant. Approximately $4 million has been spent by the Commission on the project to date. Metrolink, in partnership with the Commission secured a $856 million competitive state grant award from the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) for the SCORE program, $14.5 million of which is intended construction of the station improvements. The project, as currently envisioned, expands platform capacity, and improves operations, efficiency, connectivity, and the passenger experience at the station. The improvements include adding a passenger loading platform and tracks and extending the pedestrian overpass to access the new platform. Pedestrian access and parking improvements along Howard Avenue are also proposed as part of the project. The proposed project focuses on improvements primarily on the east side of the station and tracks. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), which is the host railroad, requires commuter trains be located on the east side of the tracks to eliminate crossover movements that would impede freight trains and to have the commuter trains board/deboard off of BNSF’s main line tracks. This operational requirement precludes the expansion of the station along the Vine Street side. DISCUSSION: Currently, the project team is addressing the public and agency comments received during the public review period for the draft EIR. Further, the project team is coordinating with the FTA to complete the environmental assessment and with the State Historical Preservation Officer (SHPO) to complete the Section 106 process of the National Historic Preservation Act due to the potential impact to historic properties. Through the course of the environmental review process and technical evaluation of the project, the project team has discovered significant challenges to constructing the project, and new information regarding the cost of right of way information have led to escalating estimates for the ultimate project cost. The total project cost, which includes environmental, engineering, right of way, and construction tasks is now estimated to be in the range of $140 to $156 million depending on which design option is selected. During the initial scoping phase for the project the estimated total project cost was $26 million. The significant cost increases for the project are mostly attributed to the cost for right of way acquisition and relocation. In the late 1990s the Riverside-Downtown station was expanded, and the existing platform, tracks, and pedestrian bridge were constructed. These improvements required acquisition and demolition of a portion of the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) building, now occupied by Prism Aerospace and other businesses. This original expansion only required a small section of the building to be removed. During the scoping phase for this current project, the project team assumed that this could be performed again, and a portion of the building could remain. This resulted in a much lower right of way cost estimate in the order of $12 million. During the early stages of the development of the environmental document the project team assessed the FMC 8 Agenda Item 7 building, and determined that in its current condition and with the proposed project, the building would need to be fully acquired and removed as the cost to bring the building up to current building code standards would be cost prohibitive and not support the current building operations. Due to this determination, a revised cost estimate was developed by reviewing the current building operations, equipment present, building size required, and relocation. The estimated right of way cost is now $85 million, with a potential $30-$50 million relocation cost for one of the impacted businesses. It should be noted that the relocation cost is only a preliminary estimate and would be dependent on a number of factors and conditions with a potential for the cost to exceed this estimated range. In addition, during the environmental review of the project site it was determined that the FMC building is underlain by contaminated soils that would need to be remediated as part of the proposed project. This was also not envisioned during the planning level estimate and has resulted in the increase in the current estimated project cost. The increase in the estimated project costs attributed to the right of way relocation and remediation coupled with a narrowing timeline to use federal and state funds programmed, it is staff’s professional conclusion that there is no project alternative that is financially or operationally feasible. Therefore, staff recommends the Commission suspend all environmental and engineering related tasks on the project until such time that the project is financially reasonable and feasible. FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact for this item, however to date, the Commission has expended approximately $4 million to progress the environmental document to its current level. FTA, who provided grant funding for environmental and design, has indicated that no repayment of federal funds will likely be required; however, if the project is restarted, RCTC will be responsible for any future costs to update the environmental document. Lastly, the $14.5 million of TIRCP grant funds can be reprogrammed to another Metrolink SCORE project, though it may not necessarily be in Riverside County. 9 RIVERSIDE-DOWNTOWN STATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT –STATUS UPDATE Western Riverside County Programs and Projects Committee February 27, 2023 David Lewis, Capital Projects Manager 1 Background 2 •FTA and Metrolink are project partners •In 2019, team commenced environmental process and technical analysis for station improvements •Draft EIR/EA circulated December 2021 through February 2022 •Public and stakeholder outreach was conducted throughout the process Project Purpose 3 •Operational improvements to avoid conflicts with freight trains •Reduce delays at the station •Allow for future Metrolink service expansion •Provides increased availability and reliability of public transportation alternatives to driving Aerial Exhibit 4 Exhibit 5 Project Details 6 Project Update 7 •Addressing public and agency comments on Draft EIR/EA •Coordination with FTA and the SHPO •Total project cost now range $140 to $156 million •Scoping phase total cost estimate $26 million •Significant cost increase mainly due to right of way acquisition and relocation •Increase cost also due to contaminated soils Staff Recommendations 8 •Staff’s professional conclusion that there is no project alternative that is financially or operationally feasible •Recommend suspend all environmental and engineering related tasks QUESTIONS 9 RIVERSIDE COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS COMMITTEE ROLL CALL FEBRUARY 27, 2023 Present Absent County of Riverside, District I X  County of Riverside, District II X  City of Banning X  City of Corona X  City of Eastvale X  City of Hemet X  City of Jurupa Valley X  City of Menifee X  City of Norco X  City of Perris X  City of Riverside X  City of Wildomar X 