CAPTIONING AUGUST 5, 2008 METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION ***This is not an official, verbatim transcript of the ***following meeting. It should be used for informational ***purposes only. This document has not been edited; ***therefore, there may be additions, deletions, or words ***that did not translate. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. WE'RE READY TO START, ROSE. >>ROSE FERLITA: BUT HE NEEDS TO SIT DOWN. WILL YOU GET HIM A SEAT? >>JOE AFFRONTI: HOW ABOUT HERE BECAUSE COMMISSIONER BLAIR'S NOT GOING TO BE HERE THIS MORNING. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. I'D LIKE TO CALL OUR METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION MEETING FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TO ORDER FOR AUGUST 5th, 2008. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND FOR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND A BRIEF INVOCATION. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED BLESSINGS THAT YOU GIVE TO ALL OF US. WE ASK THAT YOU GUIDE US TODAY AS WE CONDUCT THE BUSINESS FOR THE CITIZENS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, AND PLEASE PROTECT OUR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOMS AND WHO ARE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. OKAY. IS THERE -- WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 3rd MEETING. >>ROSE FERLITA: SO MOVE, MR. CHAIRMAN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC THAT CARES TO ADDRESS THE MPO ON ANY ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING FORWARD? IF NOT, THANK YOU. WE HAVE MR. AMON FROM CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL. WOULD YOU MIND MAKING YOUR PRESENTATION, SIR. >> CERTAINLY. MR. CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS OF THE MPO, GOOD MORNING. JOE AMON, CHAIR OF THE CAC. WE HAD OUR MEETING ON JULY 16th, 2008, AND I HAVE A FEW ITEMS HERE WE WANT TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION. THE FIRST IS AN ACTION ITEM, THE 2007-08 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT FOR STATE ROAD 574/MLK. HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT. BY THE WAY, THE WORK THAT WAS DONE A YEAR AGO OUT THERE DID A GREAT JOB, HELPED IMMENSELY, AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A CONTINUATION OF THAT GOING ON, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS ALL ABOUT. BEFORE I TELL YOU WHAT OUR OUTCOME WAS, I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT A CONVERSATION WE HAD AT THE MEETING AND THAT IS ABOUT A LEFT TURN ACTION THAT'S TAKING PLACE THAT'S GOING INTO THE DEVELOPMENT, AND I JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH LINDA, AND SHE HAD LOOKED INTO THIS FOR US. THERE'S THREE LANES THAT MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN -- A RIGHT- HAND TURN THERE, YOU'RE GOING WESTBOUND ON MLK, WHICH IS GREAT. THERE'S NO STACKING OR ANYTHING ANYMORE. IT'S GREAT, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF DRIVERS WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE AND CAN'T READ, AND THEY GET IN THE RIGHT-HAND LANE AND TRY TO GO TO MAKE THE LEFT-HAND TURN AND THAT'S TOUGH, SO THEY'RE GOING ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TRYING TO DO THAT, SO LINDA AND I HAVE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, AND I THINK IF WE COULD GET SOME SIGNAGE -- BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND YOU CAN'T CLOSE THAT MEDIAN BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY PART OF A DRI, BUT I THINK SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IS SOME NEW SIGNAGE OUT ON THE RAMP, AS YOU'RE COMING DOWN, SOME OVERHEAD SIGNAGE THAT WOULD ALLOW A DRIVER TO KNOW IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT LEFT- HAND TURN, YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE THIRD OF THE LANES -- ACTUALLY, IT'S COUNTERINTUITIVE. WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING, YOU'RE GOING TO THINK I'M IN THE WRONG LANE, BUT IF YOU HAVE A SIGN THAT TELLS YOU HOW TO GET THERE, I THINK THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AFTER THAT DISCUSSION, THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE T.I.P. AMENDMENT WAS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY TO FORWARD IT TO THE MPO FOR CONSIDERATION. STATUS REPORTS. TBARTA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN PHASE 2, CAC SAW A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PHASE 1 RESULTS, AND WE ALSO GOT A BRIEFING ABOUT THE CURRENT PHASE 2, AND I THINK A NUMBER OF THE MEMBERS PASSED IN THEIR QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE -- THAT IS OUT FOR PUBLIC INPUT AT THIS TIME. ALSO, IT CAME OUT -- WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE WATER TAXI. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF MEMBERS WHO ARE VERY ENAMORED WITH THE WATER TAXI AND ARE WAITING ANXIOUSLY TO HEAR WHAT THE OUTCOME IS OF THE STUDIES TO SEE IF THAT'S A POSSIBILITY. AND THE LAST COMMENT MADE BY THE BOARD MEMBERS WAS HAVING TO DO WITH THE ROADWAYS IN THE VERY HEAVILY TRAVELED AREAS WHERE YOU HAVE CONFLICTS WITH FREIGHT AND POTENTIAL TRANSIT RAIL, THAT THERE BE CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO FLYING ONE OF THOSE ITEMS OVER THE TOP OF THE ROADWAY OR VICE VERSA TO KEEP IN THE FUTURE FROM HAVING CONFLICTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR LONG-RANGE PLANS. ALSO, MEMBERS FROM SOUTH COUNTY REITERATED THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR THEIR AREA FOR ALL THE GROWTH THAT'S PLANNED DOWN THERE. THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED THAT THE ROADWAYS KEEP UP WITH IT. AND WE TEND TO USE -- WE -- LIVING IN NEW TAMPA, I'M KIND OF THE BUTT OF THE JOKES IN MANY CASES BECAUSE OF BRUCE B. DOWNS, SO WE CONSTANTLY ARE REMINDING OURSELVES WE DON'T WANT ANOTHER BRUCE B. DOWNS DOWN IN SOUTH COUNTY. COUNTY TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE UPDATE. NED BAIER GAVE US A BRIEFING ABOUT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE 500 MILLION IN TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE UNDERSTAND HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOCC IN PHASE 1, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RESULTS -- THE CAC IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RESULTS OF THE SECOND PHASE OF THE TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE AGENDA. NEXT WE WERE GIVEN THE DRAFT -- THE PRELIMINARY FOR THE 2009/10 TO 2013/14 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM DRAFT PRIORITIES. WE'RE STUDYING THEM RIGHT NOW, I'M SURE AS MOST PEOPLE ARE, AND SO THERE'S NO REAL COMMENT ON THAT. THE ONLY COMMENT THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AT THE CAC MEETING, WE HAVE SOME MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH HOW THAT PROCESS OPERATED, HOW YOU MAKE A REQUEST AND HOW A REQUEST GETS RATED AND THEN PUT INTO SOME KIND OF ORDER. THEY WERE ALSO SURPRISED ABOUT THE LACK OF FUNDS, LIKE -- THEY HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND, BUT THE LACK OF FUNDS BETWEEN WHAT WAS ASKED FOR AND WHAT WAS ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO BE -- TO BE REALLY LISTED AND GIVEN SOME KIND OF A BUDGET ON. NEXT, IN OUR NEW BUSINESS, THE NEXT MEETING IS THE 13th OF AUGUST, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION -- A SAFETY UPDATE FROM HART, STATUS REPORTS FROM FDOT'S GOODS MOVEMENT STUDY, AND A PORT MASTER PLAN. THE PORT'S COMING OVER TO -- I THINK RON [INCOMPREHENSIBLE] IS COMING OVER TO GIVE US AN UPDATE ON YOUR MASTER PLAN, AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY QUESTIONS OF JOE? JOE, AS USUAL, THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU'RE DOING. >> THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. OKAY. BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT, I FAILED TO MENTION THAT I HAVE A NOTE FROM COMMISSIONER BLAIR THAT HE WILL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING TODAY BECAUSE OF UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, SO WITH THAT, WE MOVE TO MS. FERLITA. >>ROSE FERLITA: MR. CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BE HAPPY TO READ THE MINUTES. THIS IS A POLICY COMMITTEE REPORT THAT MET AT 9:00 A.M. ON JULY 22nd IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDROOM. FIRST OF ALL, THANKS TO MAYOR AFFRONTI FOR CHAIRING IT FOR ME. WE HAD A CONFLICT WITH THE BOCC LAND USE MEETING. FOLLOWING APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR THE JUNE 3rd POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING, THE MEMBERS RECEIVED A PRESENTATION BY STAFF ON AN AMENDMENT TO THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. THIS AMENDMENT INVOLVES IMPROVEMENTS TO THE INTERCHANGE OF INTERSTATE 75, STATE ROAD 574/MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD. THE POLICY COMMITTEE THEN HEARD A PRESENTATION ABOUT TBARTA'S PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. CURRENTLY TBARTA IS GOING THROUGH A SECOND SCREEN WHERE THEY'RE EVALUATING TRANSIT MODE OPTIONS WITHIN EACH OF THE CORRIDORS FOR FURTHER STUDY. DISCUSSION FOR THE POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS WAS THAT THE COST OF IMPROVEMENTS BEING EVALUATED DURING THE SECOND SCREEN SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. STAFF THEN PRESENTED THE DRAFT PRIORITIES FOR FUNDING THROUGH THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. THESE PRIORITIES BASED ON APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO STAFF FROM THE BASIS OF THE MPO TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. MEMBERS OF THE POLICY COMMITTEE HAD QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PROCESS OF HOW PRIORITIES FOR THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM ARE DETERMINED. IT WAS REQUESTED THAT PRESENTATION BE MADE AT THE UPCOMING POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING BY STAFF TO DISCUSS THE PRIORITIZATION PROCESS. NEW BUSINESS BROUGHT BEFORE THE POLICY COMMITTEE INCLUDED A DISCUSSION OF WATERBORNE TRANSIT AND WHETHER IT IS INCLUDED IN THE MPO'S LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. THE NEXT POLICY MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 18th AT 9:00 A.M. IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDROOM. ALL MPO BOARD MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND. THANK YOU FOR CHAIRING THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FERLITA. ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE HAVE AN ACTION ITEM, MR. WALLY BLAIN, THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENT. >>WALLY BLAIN: GOOD MORNING. WALLY BLAIN, MPO STAFF. AS YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMITTEE REPORTS, WE DO HAVE A T.I.P. AMENDMENT THAT INVOLVES THE INTERSECTION -- INTERCHANGE OF INTERSTATE 75 AND STATE ROAD 574, MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD. WHAT YOU HEARD FROM THE CAC'S REPORT IS THAT THERE WAS A PROJECT JUST RECENTLY COMPLETED AT THAT INTERCHANGE ON THE SOUTHBOUND OFF RAMPS ONTO MARTIN LUTHER KING, STATE ROAD 574. THIS AMENDMENT IS FOR THE NORTHBOUND ON RAMPS AND ALSO THE WESTBOUND MOVEMENTS OF STATE ROAD 574, SO THIS IS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE INTERCHANGE. WHAT THIS DOES IS IT'S COMBINING TWO PROJECTS. IT'S GOING TO REDUCE SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH GOING OUT AND DOING ONE PROJECT, COMING BACK LATER, AND THE DISRUPTION TO TRAFFIC BY STARTING A SECOND PROJECT LATER, SO IT'S COMBINING THE TWO PROJECTS. IT'S ALSO EXTENDING AND DOING SOME RAMP IMPROVEMENTS TO ACCEPT MORE TRAFFIC BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A SECOND LEFT- BOUND TURN LANE FROM 574 ONTO INTERSTATE 75, SO THERE'S ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT'S BEING ADDED ON TO THE PROJECT THAT'S BEING BROUGHT FROM A CONTINGENCY, SO IT DOES NOT IMPACT ANY OTHER PROJECTS IN THE PLAN. THERE'S ALSO SOME EXTENSION OF THE WESTBOUND LANES ACROSS THE -- ACROSS THE OVERPASS ON TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE INTERCHANGE. THERE'S ALSO, WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SOME DEVELOPER MONEY THAT'S BEEN PUT ON THIS PROJECT AS WELL, SO THE DEVELOPER MONEY IS COMING FORWARD TO HELP WITH SOME ADDITIONAL PARTS OF THIS IMPROVEMENT AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL I THINK IT'S 1.2 MILLION THAT'S BEING BROUGHT FROM A CONTINGENCY TO DO THE DECK REPLACEMENT AND WORK ON THE OFF-BOUND -- ON THE NORTHBOUND ON RAMP TO THE INTERSTATE. SO WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING THE MPO TO DO IS APPROVE THIS AMENDMENT THIS MORNING, MOVE IT FORWARD SO THE D.O.T. CAN THEN GO OUT AND CONSTRUCT BOTH THESE PROJECTS AT THE SAME TIME. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS WITH THAT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY QUESTIONS OF WALLY? >> [INAUDIBLE] >>JOE AFFRONTI: IF NOT, THIS WAS VOTED TO BE APPROVED BY THE POLICY COMMITTEE ON JULY 22nd, THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON JULY THE 16th, AND THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON THE 21st OF JULY, SO -- YES, MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ENDORSE THIS CHANGE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. >>ROSE FERLITA: SECOND. >> SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. >> THIS IS A ROLL CALL VOTE, MR. CHAIR. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OH, ROLL CALL. OKAY. I'M SORRY. >> THANK YOU. >> AFFRONTI. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >> FERLITA. >>ROSE FERLITA: YES. >> LOTT. >>RICK LOTT: YES. >> MILLER. >>LOUIS MILLER: YES. >> MULHERN. >>MARY MULHERN: YES. >> SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: YES. >> SHARPE. >>MARK SHARPE: YES. >> WAGGONER. >>JOSEPH WAGGONER: YES. >> WAINIO. >>RICHARD WAINIO: YES. >>RECORDING SECRETARY: MOTION CARRIED 9-0. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS, WALLY. WE APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT, WE HAVE SEVERAL HERE. FIRST THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THE WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE MET FRIDAY, JULY THE 18th, 2008, IN LAKELAND. ITEMS DISCUSSED WERE REGIONAL PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES AND THE UPDATE TO THE REGIONAL LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. THE PLAN SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY THE SPRING OF 2009 IN ORDER TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO LOCAL PLANS. THE TAMPA BAY REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, TBARTA, PRESENTED A REPORT ON THEIR FACT-FINDING TRIPS AND AN UPDATE OF THEIR MASTER PLAN. FDOT PRESENTED AN OVERVIEW OF THE CORRIDOR OPTIONS UNDER CONSIDERATION CONNECTING THE COURTNEY CAMPBELL CAUSEWAY MULTIUSE TRAILS. THE NEXT CCC MEETING WILL BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 12th IN HERNANDO COUNTY, AND ON A YEARLY BASIS, THE CCC HOLDS A JOINT MEETING WITH THE CENTRAL FLORIDA MPO ALLIANCE. 13 MPOs REPRESENTING CENTRAL FLORIDA FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST COAST MEET TO DISCUSS ITEMS OF INTEREST IN THIS MEGA REGION. ITEMS PRESENTED INCLUDED A BRIEFING OF THE 2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THE STATUS OF THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COMMUTER RAIL -- COMMUTER RAIL, FDOT'S RAIL TRAFFIC STUDY IN POLK COUNTY. OVERLAPPING THE TWO REGIONS, POLK COUNTY RECOMMENDED TWO MEGA REGION MEETINGS PER YEAR, AND THAT'S THAT REPORT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. YES. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: WHAT -- HOW WELL DO THE OUTLINES OF THE COUNTIES INVOLVED IN THE CCC CORRESPOND TO THE COUNTIES INVOLVED IN TBARTA? IS IT 100% OVERLAP OR ARE THERE SOME COUNTIES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE CCC AND NOT IN TBARTA? >>JOE AFFRONTI: WELL, I THINK -- YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THAT MIGHT BE A GREAT QUESTION. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I THINK THAT THE DIFFERENCE WOULD BE POLK COUNTY I DON'T BELIEVE IS IN TBARTA BUT IS IN THE CCC. I THINK THAT'S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE. >> SARASOTA. I DON'T THINK SARASOTA'S IN THE CCC -- WELL, MANATEE/SARASOTA, THE MPO IS, THAT'S TRUE. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THE REASON I ASKED IS THAT, YOU KNOW, BOTH ARE REGIONAL ENTITIES, BOTH ARE LOOKING BIG PICTURE TOWARD THE FUTURE IN TERMS OF CREATING SYSTEMS THAT CONNECT, AND I WONDERED IF THERE'S ANYTHING HELPFUL THAT WE COULD DO THAT WE'RE NOT CURRENTLY DOING TO HELP THE CCC UNDERSTAND TBARTA, ALTHOUGH THE PRESENTATION AT THE LAST MEETING I'M SURE -- >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: YEAH. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OH, YEAH. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: DO YOU THINK THAT IN THE FUTURE AS TBARTA MOVES AHEAD AND ACTUALLY DEVELOPS A REGIONAL SYSTEM THAT THE UNINCLUDED COUNTIES MIGHT WANT TO BECOME PART OF IT? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: WELL, I THINK THE BIG QUESTION MARK IS POLK COUNTY. I THINK THERE'S -- AND MAYBE BOB CLIFFORD MIGHT BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THAT BETTER. AS FAR AS THEM BEING PART OF TBARTA, I THINK AT ONE TIME THEY WANTED TO BE AND THEN THEY DIDN'T END UP -- THAT DIDN'T END UP HAPPENING. MAYBE THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, I'M NOT SURE, BUT IT'S MORE OF AN INTERNAL DISCUSSION OF POLK COUNTY. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MR. CLIFFORD. >>BOB CLIFFORD: YES. MR. CHIARAMONTE IS RIGHT, THAT POLK COUNTY IS NOT PRESENTLY PART OF TBARTA, BUT THEY WERE VERY INTERESTED IN TBARTA, ARE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN TBARTA, ACTUALLY SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO THE MEETINGS. THEY ARE INCLUDED IN ALL OF THE TECHNICAL WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, AND IN MY TBARTA PRESENTATION, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE PLANNED CONNECTIONS INTO POLK COUNTY, SO THEY'RE INCLUDED FROM THE TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVE AS PART OF THIS WHOLE ANALYSIS SO THAT IF THEY DO WANT TO COME IN AT A LATER TIME, THEY'RE READY TO GO, WE'RE READY TO INCLUDE THEM. >> COULD YOU PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. >>BOB CLIFFORD: BOB CLIFFORD, FDOT. >> I'M SORRY. >>BOB CLIFFORD: BOB CLIFFORD, FDOT. >> THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION, MAYOR HIBBARD FROM CLEARWATER IS OF COURSE A MEMBER OF CCC AND HE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF TBARTA, SO HE KEEPS US PRETTY WELL POSTED ON THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH TBARTA, SO -- >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: GREAT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. THE MPO ADVISORY COUNCIL. THE QUARTERLY -- >>ROSE FERLITA: MR. CHAIRMAN, EXCUSE ME. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OH, I'M SORRY. >> ACTUALLY, I'M SORRY, MR. CHAIRMAN. JUST A QUESTION, AND IT CAME TO MIND WHEN BOB CLIFFORD STEPPED TO THE MICROPHONE AND I SAW THIS PART OF THE REPORT HERE ON THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THEY MENTION THE FDOT'S RAIL TRAFFIC STUDY IN POLK COUNTY. I THINK WE'RE -- MOST OF YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE THAT FDOT IS ENGAGED IN A STATEWIDE RAIL STUDY AT THIS TIME, AND I BELIEVE THE FIRST MEETING WAS HELD THE END OF JULY HERE IN TAMPA OF THE STAKEHOLDERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THEY HAVE A LENGTHY LIST OF PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS. ALMOST NO ONE FROM TAMPA OR HILLSBOROUGH THAT I CAN SEE. YOU-ALL ARE NOT OFFICIALLY ON IT. DISTRICT 1 AND DISTRICT 6 ARE ON IT. TBARTA IS, BUT AT LEAST THE LAST INFORMATION I HAD WAS THEY HADN'T APPOINTED A PERSON TO THE COMMITTEE YET. MAYOR RICHARD KAPLAN, WHO I DON'T KNOW, BUT HE'S SHOWN AS MPO ADVISORY COUNCIL, BUT OTHER THAN HIM THERE'S NO MPO PARTICIPATION. THIS SEEMS TO BE A STUDY THAT IS OF TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE TO OUR REGION AND OUR COUNTY, AND IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE WE SHOULD HAVE MORE INVOLVEMENT IN THIS. I'M DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE UNKNOWN TO ME THREE PORTS GOT APPOINTED TO IT SOMEHOW I JUST FOUND OUT YESTERDAY, AND IT DOESN'T INCLUDE TAMPA, THE PORT OF TAMPA. IT DOES INCLUDE MANATEE, WHICH HAS LIMITED RAIL INVOLVEMENT. SO I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS, AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU-ALL HAD ANY COMMENTS PERHAPS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS STUDY. >> SURE. WHAT'S GOING ON IS THE DEPARTMENT IS IN THE PROCESS OF UPDATING OUR RAIL VISION PLAN, WHICH IS A STATEWIDE PLAN, SO THE ADVISORY GROUP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS A BROAD MIX. YOU'VE GOT PORT FOLKS, YOU'VE GOT RAIL FOLKS, YOU'VE GOT CITIZEN REPRESENTATIVES, D.O.T. THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY ACTUALLY HAS A REPRESENTATIVE ON THE ADVISORY COUNCIL AS WELL TO GIVE POLICY DIRECTION TO THE DEPARTMENT, INPUT INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VISION PLAN, WHICH IS GOING TO BE, AGAIN, A STATEWIDE PLAN TO SEE HOW RAIL NEEDS TO CONNECT THE ENTIRE STATE. I DID SIT IN ON THAT FIRST MEETING. I WAS THERE FOR STAN CANN AND WILL BE PART OF ALL THE MEETINGS. I'VE TALKED TO DEBBIE HUNT, OUR ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTERMODAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT, AND I WILL ACTUALLY BE AT THOSE MEETINGS, SO WE'LL HAVE THAT REPRESENTATION, BUT THE GROUP IS TRYING TO BE STATEWIDE EMPHASIS, ALL ENTITIES INVOLVED, ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED, AND IT IS A RATHER LARGE GROUP, BUT WE'VE GOT FOUR MEETINGS TO COME UP WITH THAT POLICY SO THAT AS THE RAIL PLAN GETS DEVELOPED, WHICH WILL BE -- I BELIEVE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY JUNE OF NEXT YEAR, THAT WE'LL HAVE THAT INPUT. >> DOES IT APPEAR THAT OUR AREA IS PROPERLY REPRESENTED ON THIS LIST BECAUSE IT DOESN'T TO ME OTHER THAN A TBARTA REPRESENTATIVE. >>DON SKELTON: FROM THE ASPECTS OF TBARTA, THE DISTRICT, THE D.O.T., PORTS COUNCIL IS REPRESENTED, NOT JUST A -- IT'S OBVIOUSLY A MEMBER OF ONE PORT, BUT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTING THE PORTS COUNCIL. WE SHOULD BE A STATEWIDE GROUP. AND AGAIN, I'M GOING TO BE SITTING ON THIS COMMITTEE AS WELL. >>JOE AFFRONTI: IS -- WHO ACTUALLY APPOINTS THE MEMBERS? >>DON SKELTON: THE SECRETARY APPOINTED THE GROUP. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL THAT WE SHOULD MAYBE PURSUE, MAYBE WRITE A LETTER AND RECOMMEND THAT SOMEONE FROM -- >>DON SKELTON: AGAIN, I THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH A MANAGEABLE SIZE GROUP. IT WOULD NOT BE INFEASIBLE THAT EVERY ENTITY WOULD WRITE A SIMILAR LETTER AND YOU'D END UP WITH A GROUP OF 50 OR 60 PEOPLE -- >>JOE AFFRONTI: RIGHT. >>DON SKELTON: -- INSTEAD OF A CROSS-SECTION TRYING TO GET ALL OF THE INTEREST TO CONNECT.-- >> WE AREN'T JUST ANYBODY. WE ARE THE TAMPA BAY REGION -- >>DON SKELTON: SURE. >> -- AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE'RE ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT AREAS IN THE STATE, AND WE'RE HUGE USER OF RAIL, AS YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE, OF COURSE, OUR TBARTA PLANS AND MPO DESIRES TO DO MORE WITH PASSENGER RAIL AS WELL AS MY SPECIFIC INTEREST IN FREIGHT RAIL AT THE PORT, SO IT WOULD SEEM THAT -- >>JOE AFFRONTI: THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. >> -- WE SHOULD BE REPRESENTED. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: TO SUPPORT YOU, MR. WAINIO, YOU'RE POINT IS SO WELL TAKEN. WE'RE SUCH AN CRITICALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE STATEWIDE RAIL SYSTEM. I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THE CHAIRMAN WRITING A LETTER TO THE PROPER APPOINTING AGENCY AND SUGGESTING THAT YOU AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE PORT BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THIS GROUP, AND I THINK THAT WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR A REPLY, YOU SHOULD ATTEND THE MEETINGS BECAUSE FRANKLY, BEING AT THE TABLE IS PART OF IT, AND SINCE -- SINCE OUR INTERESTS -- THE WHOLE AREA'S INTERESTS ARE SO KEYLY RELATED TO WHAT YOU DO, YOU NEED TO BE THERE. THANK YOU FOR NOTICING. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. MARY. >>MARY MULHERN: I'M LUCKY TO SIT NEXT TO MR. WAINIO, SO I GOT TO SEE THE LIST. IT'S THE DCA, SO -- IT LOOKS LIKE WHO APPOINTED IT, BUT I THINK IT'S VERY CURIOUS. MY HUSBAND WAS READING THE PAPER LAST WEEK, AND HE SAID, WHAT'S THIS RAIL ADVISORY MEETING -- STAKEHOLDERS MEETING? SHOULDN'T YOU BE GOING TO THAT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, BUT FOR ALL OF US IT IS PRETTY HARD TO KEEP UP ON EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, AND THERE IS -- I NOTICE THERE'S ONE PERSON HERE -- WE HAVE A CITIZEN FROM TAMPA, DR. SCOTT PAINE IS ON THE LIST, SO AT LEAST WE HAVE ONE PERSON FROM THE AREA, BUT I THINK WE CERTAINLY SHOULD HAVE PROFESSIONALS ON HERE, AND IT'LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE -- IT DOESN'T SAY ON THIS LIST WHERE PEOPLE ARE FROM, SO IT WOULD BE HARD TO SEE IF -- HOW THE REPRESENTATION IS GEOGRAPHICALLY, BUT WE CERTAINLY, AS A BIG METROPOLITAN AREA, SHOULD BE ON HERE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MS. FERLITA. >>ROSE FERLITA: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH MS. SAUL-SENA WITH REGARDS TO MR. WAINIO'S CONCERN, AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, MR. SKELTON, I UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY COULD PETITION AND SAY ME TOO, ME TOO, ME TOO, AND THEN OF COURSE IT WOULD BE FOR THE SECRETARY TO DETERMINE WHOSE REPRESENTATION WARRANTS MORE ATTENTION, GIVEN WHAT THE PORT MEANS TO US AND IN THE WHOLE SCHEME OF THINGS, HOW BIG A CONCERN THE PORT IS IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS. I THINK IT'S WORTH AT LEAST LOBBYING AND STATING EXACTLY WHY, AND YOU'VE DONE THAT VERY WELL ALREADY -- WHY WE FEEL THAT PERHAPS YOU SHOULD BE THERE REPRESENTING US. IF THAT'S A MOTION, I WOULD SUPPORT IT. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: YES. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. THE MOTION IS TO DIRECT STAFF TO DRAFT A LETTER RECOMMENDING THAT MR. WAINIO BE PUT -- BE ADDED TO THE COMMISSION, I GUESS IT IS. >> SO MOVED. >>JOE AFFRONTI: IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND. >> SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? IF NOT, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP. IT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. OKAY. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. WE'RE CONTINUING ON THAT. MPO ADVISORY COUNCIL. THE QUARTERLY MPO ADVISORY COUNCIL MET ON THURSDAY, JULY 24th, IN ORLANDO. THE SUMMER AGENDA WAS FILLED WITH MANY INTERESTING PRESENTATIONS. NO ACTIONS WERE TAKEN. THE FLORIDA MPO ADVISORY COUNCIL MET ON JULY 24th IN ORLANDO. THIS GROUP MEETS QUARTERLY TO DISCUSS ISSUES THAT AFFECT MPOs STATEWIDE. THE SUMMER MEETING WAS FILLED WITH INFORMATIONAL ITEMS. NO ACTIONS WERE TAKEN. THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISCUSSED THE STRATEGIC INTERMODAL SYSTEM COST FEASIBILITY PLAN. A DRAFT VERSION WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF AUGUST. THE MPOs ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE COMMENTS IN SEPTEMBER. FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED THEIR CONGESTION PRICING INITIATIVE. THE PURPOSE IS TO MEET THE MAJOR AREAS TO BRAINSTORM IDEAS THAT ADDRESS AND LEAD TO IMPLEMENTATION OF CONGESTION PRICING. FHWA WILL BE MEETING WITH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY MPO LATER THIS YEAR. FDOT PRESENTED AN UPDATE TO THE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY SAFETY PLAN. A TRACKING TOOL WAS DEVELOPED TO MONITOR TRAFFIC CRASH DATA. THE AVIATION OFFICE GAVE THE STATUS OF THE UPCOMING AIRPORT COMPATIBLE LAND USE STUDY. THE STATEWIDE STUDY IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKING RELATIVE TO AIRPORT COMPATIBILITY AND USE. THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL COUNCILS PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF THE ISSUES CONCERNING FEDERAL REAUTHORIZATION OF SAFETEA-LU, WHICH EXPIRES IN 2009. CHARLOTTE COUNTY MPO PRESENTED A UNIQUE PILOT PROJECT TO ASSIST MPOs IN INTEGRATING HAZARD MITIGATION INTO LONG- RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING EFFORTS. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP A GUIDE BOOK FOR BEST PRACTICES. THE NEXT MPOAC MEETING WILL BE HELD OCTOBER 23rd IN ORLANDO. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: MAYOR. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THANK YOU. IS CONGESTION PRICING WHERE CERTAIN LANES ARE AVAILABLE TO MOTORISTS WHO PAY A SURCHARGE? IS THAT WHAT THAT'S TAKING A LOOK AT? >>JOE AFFRONTI: I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE INTENT IS, YES. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I THINK THAT WOULD BE PART OF THAT CONCEPT, YES. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. THEY'RE LOOKING AT ALL DIFFERENT WAYS TO TRY TO MITIGATE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS AND AT THE SAME TIME CREATE -- I KNOW THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE HAVING BUS LANES WHERE THEY COULD -- >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANES? >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: OH, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED FOR 22 YEARS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. SO THEY'RE ALL -- EVERYTHING IS BEING LOOKED AT TO SEE WHAT WE COULD DO. OKAY. THE NEXT ONE IS LIVABLE ROADWAYS COMMITTEE. COUNCILWOMAN MARY MULHERN. >>MARY MULHERN: THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. THE LIVABLE ROADWAYS COMMITTEE HELD THEIR LAST MEETING JUNE 25th AT HART'S NEW OFFICES IN YBOR. A PRESENTATION WAS MADE BY USF CENTER FOR COMMUNITY DESIGN AND RESEARCH DIRECTOR ON THE CITY OF TAMPA'S URBAN FOREST. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STUDY INCLUDE TREE COVER HAS RETURNED TO 1970s LEVELS, EXISTING RIGHT-OF-WAY IS AVAILABLE FOR MORE AND BETTER LANDSCAPING, POLLUTION REMOVAL EQUATES TO $6.3 MILLION PER YEAR. THAT'S WHAT THE TREE CANOPY AFFORDS US. THIS IS BASED ON THE URBAN FOREST REMOVAL OF APPROXIMATELY 1400 TONS OF POLLUTION. THE VALUE OF ENERGY CONSERVATION IS APPROXIMATELY 4.2 MILLION. THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF CARBON EMISSIONS AVOIDED DUE TO THE ABILITY OF THE URBAN FOREST TO COOL AND WARM BUILDINGS. THE REPLACEMENT OF VALUE OF TAMPA'S URBAN FOREST WOULD COST ALMOST 1.5 BILLION. THE OUTCOME OF THE STUDY IS INTENDED TO HELP THE CITY UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF TREES, THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING URBAN FOREST POLICIES, AND TO PLAN AND MANAGE WHERE RESOURCES SHOULD BE SPENT ON IMPROVING PLANT COVERAGE. ALONG THOSE LINES, THE COMMITTEE WAS PLEASED TO LEARN THAT THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REPLACED LANDSCAPING FUNDS THAT WERE TO BE ELIMINATED IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE RISING COSTS OF ROADWAY PROJECTS. A PRESENTATION ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS ALONG I- 4 PROMPTED A MOTION BY THE COMMITTEE TO ENCOURAGE NODE VERSUS SWATH DEVELOPMENT. THAT SOUNDS LIKE LINDA SAUL-SENA'S WORDAGE THERE. THIS WOULD MAXIMIZE INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICULARLY WHERE EXPRESS BUS STOPS ARE LOCATED AND WHERE FUTURE TRANSIT EFFORTS ARE FOCUSED. THE COMMITTEE DECIDED NOT TO HOLD A JULY MEETING AND INSTEAD HOLD THE NEXT LIVABLE ROADWAYS MEETING ON AUGUST 27th AT 9:00 A.M. IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDROOM. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MARY. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES, MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: I JUST WANTED MR. SKELTON TO -- TO REASSURE US THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS DECIDED TO REPLACE THE LANDSCAPING FUNDS THAT WERE TO BE ELIMINATED IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE RISING COSTS OF ROADWAY PROJECTS. >>DON SKELTON: THE LANDSCAPING FUND, THE -- THE FUNDS THAT WERE PROGRAMMED ON LANDSCAPING PROJECTS BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE ARE STILL IN THE WORK PROGRAM. WE'VE NOT REMOVED ANY OF THOSE FUNDS. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. GENA TORRES. >>GENA TORRES: GOOD MORNING. GENA TORRES, MPO STAFF. THE BPAC HELD MEETINGS IN JUNE AND JULY, AND THE MAIN TOPIC OF THE DISCUSSION CONTINUES TO BE THE BICYCLE PLAN UPDATE. THE COMMITTEE'S RANKED WEIGHTINGS OF EVALUATION CRITERIA WERE APPLIED TO ROADS WITHOUT BIKE LANES, AND IT RESULTS IN A LIST OF PRIORITY SEGMENTS THAT NEED BICYCLE FACILITIES. THE MEMBERS THEN REVIEWED GROUPINGS OF THOSE SEGMENTS INTO LONGER CORRIDORS. OFF-ROAD TRAIL PRIORITIES WERE REVIEWED, AND MEMBERS EMPHASIZED THAT THEY SEE THE BICYCLE PLAN UPDATE AS KIND OF CONNECTING THE DOTS WHERE WE'RE CONNECTING TRAILS TO ON- ROAD BIKE LANES THAT WORK TOGETHER TO FORM A MEANINGFUL NETWORK OF BIKEWAYS ACROSS OUR COUNTY AND THE CITIES. THE BPAC ALSO LOOKED AT THE SAFETY PROGRAM MATRIX, WHICH RANKS SAFETY STRATEGIES BY THEIR EXPECTED EFFECTIVENESS, THEIR COST, AND IMPLEMENTATION TIME. THE NEXT STEP, WHICH IS HAPPENING NOW, IS TO COMPILE THE HIGHEST-PRIORITY ON-ROAD, OFF-ROAD, AND SAFETY PROJECTS, AND PRESENT THEM AS A DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE BICYCLE PLAN, SO WE'RE PLAN -- WE INTEND TO COME TO THE COMMITTEES, THE MPO COMMITTEES, AT THEIR SEPTEMBER MEETINGS AND TO THIS MPO BOARD IN OCTOBER, AND I'M LIKE CHOMPING THE BIT TO WOW YOU WITH THIS BICYCLE PLAN UPDATE. I CANNOT WAIT TO PRESENT IT TO YOU. THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE HELD A BACK-TO- SCHOOL BIKE RODEO THIS WEEKEND. IT WAS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, AND IT WAS AT THE CONVENTION CENTER, SO IT WAS AIR CONDITIONED, WHICH MADE THE BIKE RODEO WELL ATTENDED AND LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS, AND I WAS JUST THINKING WHEN I WAS SITTING HERE THAT WE HAD OVER 400 KIDS IN THE FIRST FOUR HOURS, SO IT WAS LIKE A CHILD EVERY MINUTE, BUT THERE WAS TWO -- YOU KNOW, SEVERAL GOING AT THE SAME TIME, BUT IT WAS REALLY SATISFYING. I ENJOYED BEING THERE FOR THAT. THE COMMITTEE HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN TRANSIT AND UNDERSTANDS WE'RE NOT JUST REBEL BICYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS BUT THAT TRANSIT WORKS TOGETHER WITH THESE OTHER MODES TO MAKE A LIVABLE COMMUNITY, SO WE HAD DISCUSSED TBARTA AT THE MEETING, AND THEY WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN GETTING MORE INVOLVED AND VOICING THEIR COMMITTEE'S OPINIONS ON WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH TBARTA, SO WE CANCELED OUR AUGUST BPAC MEETING AND INSTEAD WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE AUGUST 7th WORKSHOP THAT TBARTA'S HOLDING AT THE DOUBLETREE, SO I'LL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT GETS OUT THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO HOLD THE REGULAR BPAC MEETING IN AUGUST, WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THIS OTHER ONE. AND ALSO, IN ORDER TO ALLOW THE BPAC TO REVIEW THE DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE BIKE PLAN BEFORE THE OTHER COMMITTEES SEE IT IN SEPTEMBER, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE OUR MEETING BACK. INSTEAD OF THE SECOND WEDNESDAY, WE'RE GOING TO HOLD OUR NEXT BPAC MEETING ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY, WHICH IS SEPTEMBER 3rd, AND THAT WILL BE AT 5:30, AND THIS IS SO THAT WE CAN SEE IT BEFORE THE REST OF THE COMMITTEES SEE IT AT THEIR SEPTEMBER MEETING, SO THE AUGUST BPAC MEETING IS CANCELED AND THE SEPTEMBER WILL BE THE 3rd. THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, GENA. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? >>DON SKELTON: JUST A CLARIFICATION. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >>DON SKELTON: YOU MENTIONED THAT THE TBARTA MEETING AT THE DOUBLETREE IS THE 7th. ACTUALLY, THE DOUBLETREE IS TONIGHT, LARGO IS THE 7th. >>GENA TORRES: HAS THAT CHANGED OR IS THAT JUST ME THE WAY I'M LOOKING AT IT? >>DON SKELTON: THAT'S THE WAY IT'S BEEN. >>GENA TORRES: WHICH ONE IS THE 7th? I'M SORRY. WHICH ONE WAS THE 7th? >>DON SKELTON: LARGO IS THE 7th. >>GENA TORRES: OH, OKAY. I'LL HAVE TO SEND OUT E-MAILS TO EVERYBODY, GET THEM ALERTED TO COME TONIGHT TO THE MEETING. >>JOE AFFRONTI: WHAT TIME? >> 5:30. >>JOE AFFRONTI: 5:30. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE LAST ITEM IS THE TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED COORDINATING BOARD. THE TDCB MET ON JUNE 24th. THE BOARD APPROVED A MINOR UPDATE OF THE FIVE-YEAR TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE DISADVANTAGED SERVICE. THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS WERE INCLUDED IN THE UPDATE: THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGIES, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, QUALITY ASSURANCE, COST ALLOCATION, THE FARE STRUCTURE. THE ANNUAL UPDATE IS REQUIRED BY THE FLORIDA COMMISSION FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED. DURING THE MEETING, HART STAFF ALSO GAVE A PRESENTATION ON IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE BASED ON ITS BUS STOP AND FACILITY ACCESSIBILITY STUDY. IT WAS REPORTED THAT HART'S NEW SHELTER ADVERTISING CONTRACT WITH SIGNAL OUTDOOR ADVERTISING WILL RESULT IN 150 RETROFITS TO EXISTING SHELTERS AND 200 NEW SHELTERS IN TWO YEARS. THIS WILL DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF HART SHELTERS. THE ADVERTISING PROGRAM WILL ALSO GENERATE REVENUE AND REDUCE MAINTENANCE COSTS SINCE MAINTENANCE COSTS ON THE NEW SHELTERS WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ADVERTISING CONTRACTOR. HART STAFF ALSO REPORTED THAT THEY ARE PARTICIPATING IN A NUMBER OF ROADWAY STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS WITH FDOT AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS. SOME PROJECTS INCLUDE 56th STREET IN TEMPLE TERRACE, THE CITY OF TAMPA, CITY CORRIDOR PROGRAM, AND NUMEROUS CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE COUNTY. THE NEXT TDCB MEETING WILL BE HELD AUGUST 21st AT 9:15 ON THE 18th FLOOR OF THE COUNTY CENTER. ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE THANK YOU. OKAY. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: OKAY. I'M GOING TO GO UP TO THE PODIUM IF -- >>JOE AFFRONTI: I MEAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT. SORRY ABOUT THAT. >>ROSE FERLITA: [INAUDIBLE] >>JOE AFFRONTI: I KNOW, I KNOW. [LAUGHTER] >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: SOMEHOW I JUST FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE HERE. I GUESS IT'S MY 20-PLUS OR 30-PLUS YEARS OF PLANNING. I'VE BEEN GONE THE LAST TWO WEEKS, SO I'M NOT QUITE CAUGHT UP ON EVERYTHING THAT'S OCCURRED OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS. I WAS IN TRAINING BASICALLY FOR WHAT I FEEL I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO OVER THE NEXT YEAR. I WAS ON A TEN-PERSON, TWO-CAR, FOUR-GENERATION FAMILY ROAD TRIP UP TO THE MIDWEST, AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS WILL HOPEFULLY PREPARE ME FOR THE LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. [LAUGHTER] I'M HAPPY TO STILL BE ALIVE, ACTUALLY. ANYWAY, I'M GOING TO KIND OF GO OVER THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE LAND USE COMMITTEE ON TBARTA, WHICH I THINK IS A VERY IMPORTANT COMMITTEE, TO IDENTIFY WHAT OUR ACTIVITY CENTERS ARE IN THE REGION AND TO TRY TO TIE OUR TRANSIT TO IT. OUT OF THAT CAME THE SCREEN ONE TBARTA PLAN, WHICH I'M HAPPY TO SAY BASICALLY IS CONSISTENT WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S IN OUR 2050 TRANSIT CONCEPT PLAN, SO AT THIS POINT I THINK EVERYBODY IS STILL ON THE SAME PAGE. AND I PRESENTED THE 2050 PLAN. I'VE BEEN GOING AROUND WHEREVER I HAVE A CHANCE TO PRESENT OUR 2050 TRANSIT CONCEPT PLAN ALONG WITH PIECES OF THE LAND USE PLANS FOR OUR FOUR JURISDICTIONS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT WE CONTINUE TO TIE LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT. THEY'RE TOTALLY RELATED, AND PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND LAND USE IMPLICATIONS AND HOW IT AFFECTS TRANSPORTATION. I PRESENTED THE 2050 TRANSIT PLAN TO THE OPTIMIST CLUB IN DOWNTOWN TAMPA. ALSO AT THE TBARTA FIELD TRIP FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY MADE PRESENTATIONS ON THE 2050 TRANSIT PLAN BOTH AT THAT MEETING AND THE FOLLOWING REGULAR TBARTA MEETING BECAUSE OUR ATTENDANCE AT THE FIELD TRIP FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WAS NOT REALLY THAT GOOD, SO IT WAS FELT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO KIND OF RECAP THIS AT THE REGULAR TBARTA MEETING, WHICH I DID ALONG WITH THE AVIATION AUTHORITY, PORT AUTHORITY, EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY, AND HART. I WENT TO THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETINGS THAT ARE PERIODICALLY HELD AT FDOT -- I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR THE CCC -- AND WENT TO PASCO COUNTY'S MEETING OF TBARTA, THEIR KIND OF FIELD TRIP MEETING, WHICH WAS VERY ENLIGHTENING. IT INCLUDED A BUS TOUR OF THE AREA OF PASCO COUNTY NORTH OF NEW TAMPA, WHICH I WAS A LITTLE FAMILIAR WITH BUT CERTAINLY DID NOT REALIZE THE MAGNITUDE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING ON IN THAT AREA. THAT IS A HUGE AREA, AND IT CHANGED MY PERCEPTION OF PASCO COUNTY. I'VE ALWAYS IDENTIFIED LAND O' LAKES AS KIND OF BEING THE CENTER, BUT I'M READJUSTING NOW TO WESLEY CHAPEL. THAT SEEMS TO BE WHERE A LOT OF THE REALLY LARGE DEVELOPMENTS ARE OCCURRING, AND YOU CAN SEE HOW IT INTERPLAYED WITH THE NEW TAMPA AREA AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IN OUR TRANSIT PLANNING. THAT WAS A VERY GOOD FIELD TRIP THAT DAY. I ALSO PRESENTED THE MPO TRANSIT PLAN TO THE WESTSHORE ALLIANCE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE ON JULY 16th, WHICH I THINK IT WAS PRETTY WELL RECEIVED. I WANT TO KIND OF DEFINE A LITTLE BIT AND REMIND YOU OF THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND HOW IT FITS INTO THIS WHOLE BIG PICTURE OF TBARTA AND HART AND EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING. WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO UPDATE OUR LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. WE'RE WORKING ON A SCHEDULE THAT WE'LL PROBABLY BRING TO YOU AT THE NEXT MPO MEETING. WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT DONE BY NOVEMBER OF 2009. THE REASON THIS PLAN IS SO IMPORTANT IS THIS IS WHERE THE PIECES OF ANY REFERENDUM, REGARDLESS OF WHO DOES IT OR WHO LEADS THE CHARGE, REGIONAL, LOCAL, WHATEVER, NEEDS TO BE IN THIS PLAN, SO WE HAVE TO DO THIS PLAN VERY CAREFULLY AND REALLY FOCUS ON IT. I THINK THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN UPDATE WE'VE DONE IN THE LAST 20 YEARS BECAUSE OF ALL THE ISSUES AND HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS REGARDING TRANSPORTATION. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE BUSY WITH THAT, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF OUR AGENDAS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. I HAVE INCLUDED SOME ARTICLES IN THE BACKUP ON PHOENIX AND CHARLOTTE AND DIFFERENT CITIES AND THE EFFECT LIGHT RAIL IS HAVING ON THEM. I WANT TO KIND OF KEEP YOU UP-TO-DATE ON THAT, BUT I ALSO PROVIDED SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A HISTORICAL FOUNDATION, AND IT'S A DVD OF A PBS PROGRAM THAT WAS DONE IN THE LATE '90s REGARDING THE HISTORY OF RAIL TRANSIT AND BASICALLY HOW IT WAS PRETTY MUCH DISMANTLED DURING THE 20th CENTURY. I JUST THINK IT'S GOOD TO KIND OF GET A CONTEXT OF HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE AND THEN THINK OF WHERE WE'RE GOING FROM THAT POINT. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DATED BECAUSE IT ONLY TOUCHES ON THE IDEA OF LIGHT RAIL. WHEN THIS WAS DONE THERE WAS ONLY A COUPLE OF SUNBELT CITIES THAT HAD LIGHT RAIL SYSTEMS. I BELIEVE IT WAS ONLY SAN DIEGO AND PORTLAND. SINCE IT WAS DONE, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE ALL THESE OTHER CITIES NOW THAT ARE INVOLVED, AND THEY PREDICT THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE REPORT, BUT WHAT IT DOES TALK ABOUT IS HOW OTHER THINGS INTERFACE, AND YOU MAY AGREE OR NOT AGREE, YOU KNOW, TIRE COMPANIES AND CAR COMPANIES ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM BECAUSE IT DOES PUT A LOT OF THE BLAME ON THINGS THAT THEY DID, BUT IT SHOWS YOU HOW TRANSIT WAS CHANGED BY EFFECTS IN SOCIETY AND I THINK GIVES YOU A GOOD FOUNDATION TO MOVE ON AND TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN OUR LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN. LAST THING IS I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO CHARLOTTE NEXT WEEK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE MAYOR'S STAFF, ELAINE McCLOUD AND COUNCILMAN TOM SCOTT TO MEET WITH THE PEOPLE ON THE CHARLOTTE SYSTEM AS TBARTA DID WHEN THEY WERE THERE, SO I THINK THAT WAS SAID TO ME THAT THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT EXERCISE, PARTICULARLY CHARLOTTE BECAUSE IT FITS OUR SITUATION MORE REALLY THAN ANY OF THE OTHER CITIES, SO I'M GOING TO BE MEETING THERE AND KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THEIR SYSTEM SINCE I DID NOT TAKE THAT TRIP TO CHARLOTTE WHEN WE WENT BEFORE, SO I'LL BE REPORTING BACK TO YOU ON THAT. THAT IS ALL I HAVE FOR YOU ON MY REPORT, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS OF MR. CHIARAMONTE? YES, MARY. >>MARY MULHERN: I HAD ONE. I CAN'T WAIT TO WATCH THIS, BUT DOES IT TALK ABOUT -- WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT THE RAIL, DOES IT TALK ABOUT THE ORIGINAL STREETCAR SYSTEMS IN ALL THE CITIES? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: YES. >>MARY MULHERN: AND EXISTING -- I HAVE TO MENTION NEW ORLEANS AND SAN FRANCISCO NEVER GOT RID OF THEIR STREETCARS; RIGHT? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: NO, THEY WERE THE ONLY CITIES THAT DIDN'T. JUST TO GIVE YOU A PREVIEW, I MEAN IT'S A LITTLE POLITICALLY CHARGED, AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU RIGHT NOW I'M A CAR GUY, I LOVE CARS, BUT, I MEAN, IT DOESN'T PAINT A GOOD PICTURE OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY'S INVOLVEMENT IN HOW RAIL TRANSIT WAS BASICALLY DISMANTLED, AND WHEN YOU SEE THE FILM, YOU'LL UNDERSTAND HOW THAT HAPPENED AND HOW THE SWITCH CAME FROM RAIL TO BUSES AND WHY THAT HAPPENED. I JUST THINK IT GIVES A GOOD CONTEXT SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY THOSE SYSTEMS WERE REALLY SLOWLY ERODED OVER TIME. IT WAS A VERY ELABORATELY LAID-OUT PLAN TO DO THAT. OF COURSE, NOW WE'RE KIND OF HAVING TO GO BACK AND FIX THEM OR REDO THEM -- >>MARY MULHERN: RIGHT. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: -- BUT I JUST THINK IT GIVES A GOOD CONTEXT AS WE MOVE INTO THE FUTURE. >>MARY MULHERN: I'M FROM DETROIT, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THINGS ARE CHANGING FINALLY AFTER -- >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: YES, I AGREE. >>MARY MULHERN: -- YOU KNOW, A CITY THAT WAS A ONE- INDUSTRY TOWN FOR MY WHOLE LIFE SUDDENLY WOKE UP BECAUSE OF THE GAS -- YOU KNOW, FUEL PRICES, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE PLAYING CATCHUP. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: RIGHT. AND I THINK THE AMERICAN CAR COMPANIES ARE WAKING UP TOO AND TRYING TO DO A LOT OF NEW THINGS NOW. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. YES, MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THANK YOU. THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE THAT YOU GAVE US ABOUT CHARLOTTE'S RIDERSHIP BEING 60% OVER PROJECTIONS IS PARTICULARLY POIGNANT BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT THEY GOT THE MONEY THAT HAD BEEN PROMISED TO US BY THE FEDS HAD WE HAD THE GUTS TO HAVE A REFERENDUM ON TRANSPORTATION. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: RIGHT, THAT'S TRUE. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: SO THAT'S REALLY PAINFUL TO SEE IF YOU'VE BEEN ON THE MPO FOREVER, BUT IT'S ALSO A SPUR TO GET US TO FORGE AHEAD, COME UP WITH MATCHING FUNDS, AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY FEDERAL MONEY LEFT WHEN WE GET OUR ACT TOGETHER. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: THE KEY IS TO AVOID ALL THE MISTAKES THAT THESE OTHER CITIES MADE WHEN THEY HAD TO DO TWO AND THREE REFERENDUMS AND DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME AND THEN TRY TO CATCH UP. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? IF NOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, RAY. OKAY. STATUS REPORTS, THE FREIGHT/TRUCK MOVEMENT STUDY, MIKE WILLIAMSON. >> GOOD MORNING. MIKE WILLIAMSON WITH CAMBRIDGE SYSTEMATICS HERE TO GIVE YOU A TEN-MINUTE OR SO OVERVIEW OF THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS TO LOOK AT THE FREIGHT AND GOODS MOVEMENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF GROWTH IN TRUCK TRAFFIC. AS YOU CAN SEE BY THE PICTURES ON THIS -- ON THIS TITLE SLIDE, THERE IS A DIVERSE AND ROBUST FREIGHT AND GOODS MOVEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE HERE IN THE COUNTY AND THE REGION AND WITH MANY LOAD CENTERS AND MANY MODES REPRESENTED, AND MOST OF THEM ARE FORECASTED TO GROW SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE FUTURE. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO TODAY IS BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY, THEN GIVE YOU A LITTLE OVERVIEW OF THE PROFILE OF THE FREIGHT SYSTEM HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, TALK ABOUT THE -- SOME OF THE PORT IMPACTS WITH THE MASTER PLAN THAT'S BEEN RECENTLY COMPLETED, TALK ABOUT THE ILC THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED IN WINTER HAVEN WHICH WILL HAVE SOME POTENTIALLY DRAMATIC IMPACTS ON THE FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, AND THEN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NEXT STEPS. SO AS I MENTIONED, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON TODAY THAT ARE IMPACTING FREIGHT IN THE REGION, IN THE STATE, IN THE COUNTRY, AND THE WORLD. CERTAINLY THE ANTICIPATED GROWTH AT THE PORT OF TAMPA, WHICH MR. WAINIO CERTAINLY WITH HIS MASTER PLAN HAS SOME AGGRESSIVE PLANS FOR HOW TO MOVE FORWARD AND CAPTURE SOME OF THE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE -- THROUGHOUT THE STATE, CSX DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR ILC IN WINTER HAVEN AND THEIR OVERALL CHANGE IN HOW THEY'RE GOING TO SERVE THEIR CARGO PASSENGERS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THROUGH TRAFFIC, WHICH IS THE TRAFFIC THAT MOVES THROUGH YOUR REGION ON YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE BUT IS NOT ORIGINATING OR TERMINATING HERE CAN HAVE A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON YOUR AVAILABLE CAPACITY. EXPANSION OF THE PANAMA CANAL OVER THE NEXT FIVE, SIX, SEVEN YEARS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MOVE MUCH LARGER SHIPS THROUGH AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ATLANTIC COAST AND GULF COAST PORTS TO TRY AND CAPTURE SOME OF THAT MARKET WHICH COULD DRAMATICALLY IMPACT SOME OF THE VOLUMES MOVING THROUGH THE PORTS. OPENING OF CUBA IS SOMETHING EVERYBODY'S ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT AND LOOKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHEN THAT DOES HAPPEN. WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE IMPACT OF RISING FUEL COSTS AND POTENTIAL SHIFT OF MODES, WATER AND RAIL BEING MUCH MORE FUEL EFFICIENT THAN TRUCKS. AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS, THIS BOARD ASKED THE MPO STAFF TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS THAT LOOKS SPECIFICALLY AT THE IMPACTS OF TRUCK TRAFFIC TO KIND OF TAKE A FIRST STEP INTO LOOKING AT FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION ISSUES IN THE COUNTY. TO START WITH, I JUST WANT TO KIND OF SHOW YOU HOW YOU FIT INTO THE REST OF THE STATE AS FAR AS THE VOLUME OF CARGO THAT YOU'RE MOVING. THIS IS BASED ON D.O.T. DISTRICT BOUNDARIES, AND WHAT YOU SEE, DISTRICT 7, THE LAST ONE ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, HAS A LITTLE OVER 194 MILLION TONS OF CARGO MOVING ON ITS INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY. THAT'S CARGO THAT'S MOVING INTO, OUT OF, WITHIN, AND THROUGH THE REGION, AND IF YOU COMPARE IT TO SOME OF THE OTHER DISTRICTS, IT -- LIKE DISTRICT 6, WHICH IS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND FLORIDA KEYS, WHICH IS AT THE END OF THE LINE, THEY HAVE -- THEY HAVE THE SMALLEST NUMBER OR SMALLEST VOLUME OF CARGO, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY THROUGH TRAFFIC MOVING THROUGH. THEY'RE A DESTINATION POINT. EVERYTHING THAT GETS THERE STOPS THERE VERSUS SOMETHING LIKE DISTRICT, WHICH IS JACKSONVILLE, WHICH IS A MAJOR GATEWAY INTO THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND A LOT OF THE CARGO THAT'S RECEIVED BY OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE MOVE ON THE I- 95 CORRIDOR THROUGH THAT REGION, MAKING THEM THE LARGEST VOLUME OF CARGO BY TONNAGE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW THE TRAFFIC IN THIS REGION IS MOVING, YOU CAN SEE THAT 61% IS MOVING BY TRUCK. THAT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY GOOD NUMBER WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO THE REST OF THE STATE AND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WHERE THE TRUCK PERCENTAGE APPROACHES 80% OR MORE FOR TOTAL VOLUME MOVED, AND YOU HAVE A WELL-ESTABLISHED WATER SYSTEM WITH THE PORT MOVING 25% OF THE CARGO AND RAIL MOVING 14%, SO ALTHOUGH IT MAY SEEM TO BE DOMINATED BY TRUCK, AND IT IS, IT IS A MUCH MORE BALANCED SYSTEM THAN SOME OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TYPE OF MOVEMENTS BEING DEFINED AS EITHER CARGO THAT'S MOVING INTO THE REGION FROM SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE, WHICH WOULD BE YOUR INBOUND FLOWS OR YOUR OUTBOUND, YOU CAN SEE THAT LIKE MOST OF THE REST OF FLORIDA, THE TAMPA BAY REGION IS A CONSUMING REGION WITH THE LARGEST VOLUME BEING INBOUND FLOWS AT JUST OVER HALF OF ALL CARGO THAT'S MOVING. ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE ASKED TO DO IS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE KEY FREIGHT CORRIDORS WERE IN THE REGION, AND WE WORKED WITH MPO STAFF, WE LOOKED AT TRUCK VOLUMES, AT TRUCK PERCENTAGES, PRIMARILY FOCUSING ON THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTY, BASICALLY FROM THE PORT EASTBOUND, AND WE LOOKED AT NORTH-SOUTH MOVEMENTS AND WE LOOKED AT EAST-WEST MOVEMENTS AND REALLY FOCUSED ON THE CONNECTIONS AND ACCESS INTO THE PORT AND TO THE POTENTIAL ILC OVER IN THE WINTER HAVEN AREA, BOTH OF THOSE BEING MAJOR LOAD CENTERS THAT ARE LOADING LARGE VOLUMES OF TRUCKS ONTO THE ROADWAY SYSTEM. WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE INDUSTRIES THAT'S BASED THROUGHOUT THE REGION, AND WHAT THE YELLOW SQUARES REPRESENT ARE FREIGHT-RELIANT BUSINESSES, WHETHER IT'S WHOLESALE, RETAIL, THAT EMPLOY MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE, AND WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS, THIS IS BASED ON INFO USA DATA, THEY ARE VERY CLUSTERED AROUND THE MAJOR FREIGHT CORRIDORS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, SO THAT'S A GOOD SIGN IN THE SENSE THAT THEY'RE BASING -- BASING THEIR POINT OF OPERATION ALONG THE MAJOR FREIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE. IT ALSO HELPS TO KNOW THAT THE IMPROVEMENTS YOU MAKE ON THOSE CORRIDORS AS WE MOVE FORWARD ARE GOING TO BENEFIT SOME OF THE LARGEST LOAD CENTERS IN THE REGION. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PERCENT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC, THE PURPLE, RED, AND BLUE LINES HERE REPRESENT THE MAJOR FLOWS WITH ANYTHING THAT'S BLUE BEING GREATER THAN 5% OF THE TOTAL TRAFFIC FLOW BEING REPRESENTED BY TRUCKS, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S SOME RED AND -- AND PURPLE SEGMENTS THAT REPRESENT GREATER THAN 10% OR GREATER THAN 15% OF THE TOTAL TRAFFIC LOAD BEING REPRESENTED BY TRUCKS, AND NOT SURPRISING, THOSE SEGMENTS TEND TO BE ALONG U.S. 41 AND I-75 AND I-4 AND THE EASTERN SEGMENTS OF STATE ROAD 60. WHEN YOU LOOK AT -- FROM THE STATE PERSPECTIVE TO TRY AND GET A BETTER HANDLE ON WHERE THE TRAFFIC'S COMING FROM, NOT SURPRISING, I-75 AND I-4 ARE THE MAJOR CORRIDORS BRINGING TRAFFIC INTO YOUR REGION, AND BOTH OF THOSE RESPECTIVELY ARE MOVING ON I-4 MORE THAN 20,000 TRUCKS A DAY AND ON I-75 MORE THAN 10,000 TRUCKS PER DAY. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THE FORECASTS ARE FOR THE LEVEL OF SERVICE ON YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE -- ON YOUR HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE MOVING FORWARD, TOP LEFT CORNER SHOWS WHAT IT WAS IN 2002 AND THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER SHOWS WHAT IT'S ANTICIPATED TO BE IN 2035, SO YOU CAN SEE BASED ON THE GROWTH FORECASTS THAT ARE OUT THERE, THERE'S GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER NUMBER OF SEGMENTS OF YOUR HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ARE OPERATING AT A WORSE LEVEL OF SERVICE. I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PORT AND THE ILC. I THINK YOU'RE ALL AWARE AS WE -- AS THE CONVERSATION HERE EARLIER THIS MORNING, BUT THE PORT OF TAMPA IS THE LARGEST PORT, THE LARGEST DEEP-WATER PORT IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA BY TONNAGE. LAST YEAR IT MOVED OVER 45 MILLION TONS OF CARGO, LOTS OF IT IN -- BEING THE BULK COMMODITIES AS FAR AS PETROLEUM, PHOSPHATES, AND IT -- I MEAN, IT'S PRACTICALLY DOUBLE OF THE SECOND LARGEST PORT IN THE STATE, WHICH IS PORT EVERGLADES AT 25 MILLION, SO YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF VOLUME MOVING THROUGH THE REGION, THROUGH THE PORT AS A GATEWAY FOR BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE. THE -- I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR SOME MORE ABOUT THE PORT'S MASTER PLAN OR SOME OF YOUR COMMITTEES WILL AS THEY MOVE FORWARD, BUT THE MASTER PLAN THAT HAS RECENTLY BEEN UPDATED CALLS FOR INCREASED DEVELOPMENT OF CONTAINER TERMINALS TO DEVELOP CONTAINER CARGO, NEW DEEP DRAFT BERTHS, IMPROVED LANDSIDE ACCESS FOR BOTH RAIL AND HIGH WASTE, AND DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS -- THERE'S SEVERAL TERMINALS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THERE'S GOING TO BE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THEM. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS AS YOU LOOK FORWARD OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THE TONS ARE SUPPOSED TO -- ARE ANTICIPATED TO GROW FROM 45 MILLION TO OVER 50 MILLION. YOUR TEUs ARE THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH, GOING FROM ABOUT 40,000 TO OVER 150,000, AND THAT'S PROBABLY THE FASTEST- GROWING MARKET OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PORT OF TAMPA TODAY GIVEN THE SHIFTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE WITH THE OPENING OF -- OR THE WIDENING OF THE PANAMA CANAL AND THE SHIFT IN ASIAN TRAFFIC. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: [INAUDIBLE] >> 20-FOOT EQUIVALENT UNITS. THAT'S BASICALLY THE BOXES THAT CARRY CONSUMER PRODUCTS THAT YOU SEE. IT'S A 20-FOOT -- MOST OF THE TRACTOR-TRAILERS YOU SEE ON THE ROADWAYS ARE 40-, 45-, 48- OR 53-FOOTERS SO A TEU IS A MEASURE OF UNIT FOR THE SMALLER BOXES, SO IT WOULD TAKE TWO OF THOSE TO EQUAL A TRACTOR-TRAILER ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC THAT'S MOVING ON YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE, WE'VE ALREADY LOOKED AT THE PERCENT, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE VOLUME, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A FAIRLY STRONG NETWORK THAT'S HANDLING MORE THAN 5,000 TRUCKS PER DAY ON AVERAGE, AND THERE ARE SOME SEGMENTS THAT ARE MOVING OVER 10- OR OVER 15,000. AGAIN, THOSE TEND TO BE YOUR INTERSTATES AND IN CERTAIN SEGMENTS. THE SECOND MAJOR DEVELOPMENT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS THE INTEGRATED LOGISTICS CENTER IN WINTER HAVEN. THIS SHOWS THE FOOTPRINT IN THE CENTER HERE OF WHERE THAT'S GOING TO BE IN WINTER HAVEN, AND IT WILL BE A MAJOR NEW FREIGHT TERMINAL FOR CSX RAILROAD, AND IT'S GOING TO IMPACT YOUR TRUCK AND RAIL TRAFFIC PATTERNS IN -- THROUGHOUT THE REGION, AND THE YELLOW LINE YOU SEE HERE ON THE BOTTOM REPRESENTS THE ACCESS ROAD IF THAT FACILITY LOADING TRAFFIC ON TO STATE ROAD 60, SO THE GREATEST IMPACT OF GROWTH IN TRUCKS IS MOST LIKELY GOING TO BE ON STATE ROAD 60 BASED ON THE PLANS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TODAY. SO WHAT IS THE ILC? IT'S GOING TO BE A 1250-ACRE FACILITY. THE INITIAL PHASE IS JUST OVER 300, AND IT'S -- IT HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CONSOLIDATING THE RAIL SERVICES THAT YOU HAVE HERE TODAY. THAT'S GOING TO BE THEIR NEW HUB FOR ALL PRODUCTS MOVING INTO AND OUT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA IN LARGE PART WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME SERVICE INTO JACKSONVILLE, SO HOW THEY END UP PUTTING THOSE OPERATIONS TOGETHER IS GOING TO NEED TO BE WATCHED CAREFULLY BY THIS BOARD AND THIS REGION AS YOU MOVE FORWARD. THE DRI IS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY, AND THEY'RE -- THEY DON'T HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF DETAIL ON WHAT THE ANTICIPATED TRAFFIC OR GROWTH OR VOLUME IS GOING TO BE, BUT THAT'LL BE SOMETHING TO WATCH AS THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT ANALYSIS. WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE CONSOLIDATION OR REORGANIZATION, YOU HAVE AUTO TERMINALS HERE TODAY, YOU HAVE BULK YARDS, YOU HAVE AN INTERMODAL TERMINAL, YOU HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PORT FOR BULK SERVICES, AND BASED ON HOW THEY CONSOLIDATE THAT AND HOW THEY PUT THEIR SERVICES TOGETHER IN WINTER HAVEN, THERE MAY BE SOME CHANGES OR MAY NOT BE SOME CHANGES. IT MAY BE GOOD OR IT MAY BE BAD BASED ON HOW IT ALL WORKS OUT, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND AND MONITOR IT AS TIME MOVES FORWARD. AS I MENTIONED, STATE ROAD 60 IS GOING TO BE THE MAJOR ROAD THAT'S IMPACTED BASED ON THE PLANS THEY HAVE DEFINED TODAY, AND IT'S ALSO GOING TO LIKELY SPUR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF DISTRIBUTION CENTERS AND WAREHOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THAT AREA, MANY OF WHICH WOULD LIKELY SERVE THIS REGION. SO BASED ON EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT AND THE ILC AND PORT GROWTH, WE CAME UP WITH SOME TRUCK TRAFFIC GROWTH RATES TO LOOK AT THE SPECIFIC IMPACTS OF THE ILC AND THE OVERALL GROWTH IN THE REGION. WE LOOKED AT A VARIETY OF DATA SOURCES THAT ARE OUT THERE TODAY. WE LOOKED AT D.O.T.'S TRAFFIC COUNT DATA. WE USED THEIR FORECASTING TOOL TO LOOK AT WHAT THAT TREND ANALYSIS WOULD BE. WE LOOK AT THE REGIONAL MODEL DATA AND WHAT THEIR FORECASTS WOULD BE. WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE STATEWIDE FREIGHT MODEL, WHICH ALSO PROVIDES FORECASTS OF COMMODITY GROWTH IN THE STATE, AND THEN WE DEVELOPED SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON WHAT THE GROWTH RATES COULD BE, PROVIDING LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH ESTIMATES FOR THE ILC IMPACT, LOW, MEDIUM, AND HIGH BEING THE INITIAL 300 ACRES OF DEVELOPMENT, A 600 MIDPOINT, AND 1200 FOR THE FULL-GROWN FACILITY. I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THE IMPACTS OF THOSE ON A COUPLE EXAMPLES FOR YOU. WE DID LOOK AT TRAFFIC COUNTS. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS MAP, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF STARS THAT DON'T HAVE BOXES COMING OUT OF THEM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO FOCUS ON A COUPLE FOR YOU. IF WE LOOK AT THE TWO ON THE BOTTOM, THE TWO RED BOXES THAT REPRESENT STATE ROAD 60, THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER SHOWS THAT WHAT YOU HAVE TODAY IS JUST UNDER 2,000 TRUCKS PER DAY MOVING ALONG THAT SEGMENT. BY 2030 THAT VOLUME COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM 5500 TO ALMOST 10,000 TRUCKS PER DAY BASED ON THE GROWTH RATE. INTERESTINGLY, THE PERCENT OF TRUCKS DOESN'T CHANGE HUGELY, BUT THE VOLUME GOES UP DRAMATICALLY, SO YOU'RE -- THE TRUCKS REPRESENT ABOUT 10% OF THE TRAFFIC TODAY AND COULD BE APPROACHING 12% IN THE FUTURE ON THE HIGH END. THE REASON THAT THE TRAFFIC -- THAT THE TRUCK PERCENTAGE DOESN'T GO UP SIGNIFICANTLY IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THE ILC DEVELOPED, THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED AS FAR AS TRIPS THAN JUST THE TRUCKS, ALL YOUR EMPLOYERS THAT ARE GOING TO GO THERE, ALL THE EMPLOYMENT THAT'S BUILDING UP AROUND IT, AND ALL THE FOLKS GOING TO WORK, SO ACTUALLY THE NUMBER OF NONTRUCK TRIPS GROWS AT A FASTER RATE THAN TRUCKS, BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS THE INCREASE IN VOLUME. AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LEFT-HAND BOX, IT SHOWS AT THAT POINT YOU HAVE JUST UNDER 5,000 TRUCKS PER DAY. THAT COULD GROW FROM ANYWHERE TO -- 12,700 TO ALMOST 16,000 TRUCKS PER DAY, AND AGAIN, THIS IS BASED ON BACKGROUND GROWTH FOR THE REGION AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE ILC. THE ILC IS WHERE THE RANGE COMES IN. IF YOU LOOK ON THE TOP NUMBERS, YOU'LL SEE THERE ISN'T A RANGE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T ASSUME THAT THOSE ROADWAYS WOULD BE DRAMATICALLY IMPACTED BY THE ILC. I WOULD POINT OUT THAT WE -- THIS WAS NOT A NETWORK ANALYSIS AS FAR AS RUNNING THE MODEL BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DATA AVAILABLE FROM THE ILC RIGHT NOW TO DO THAT, SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO GO TOO FAR IN ASSIGNING TRIPS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. WE LOOKED AT JUST THE KEY ROADS THAT MADE LOGICAL SENSE BASED ON PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT. AGAIN, THERE'S SOME MORE EXAMPLES HERE WE DON'T NEED TO GO THROUGH. SO WHERE ARE WE TODAY? WE'RE GOING TO BE SUBMITTING A TECHNICAL REPORT THAT SUMMARIZES A NARRATIVE THAT GOES WITH THIS PRESENTATION THIS MONTH, AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS WERE TO COORDINATE WITH THE D.O.T. DISTRICT 7 OFFICE, WHICH CURRENTLY HAS SEVERAL DIFFERENT FREIGHT PROJECTS UNDERWAY, BEING LED BY DANNY LAMB, CONSIDER EXPANDING THE TRUCK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS IN THE FUTURE TO LOOK THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY, PARTICULARLY THE WESTERN POINTS, AND CONSIDER EXPANDING ANALYSIS TO LOOK IN MORE DETAIL AT RAIL SYSTEM OPERATIONS IN THE FUTURE. WITH THAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MIKE. ANY QUESTIONS OF -- YES, MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: THANK YOU. IT SOUNDED, IN YOUR ANALYSIS OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN WINTER HAVEN, AS IF OUR AREA IS SIMPLY IN A REACTIVE MODE TO WHATEVER THEY DO, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU SAID THEIR DRI HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED YET. >> THEIR DRI IS UNDERWAY. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETED, BUT IT'S -- I THINK DRIs TEND TO BE A TWO- TO THREE-YEAR PROCESS, AND THEY HAVE A WEB SITE THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON IT, BUT THERE'S A NOT A DETAILED TRAFFIC IMPACT AVAILABLE. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: RIGHT. MY CONCERN IS THIS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, AND I'D MUCH RATHER HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY BE IN A MORE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN A REACTIVE STANCE, AND I WONDERED PERHAPS FROM MR. WAINIO OR FROM ANYBODY ELSE WHO CAN SHED SOME LIGHT ON THIS. >>RICHARD WAINIO: MIKE -- COMMISSIONER, FIRST OF ALL, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE IN THE ROOM WHEN I ASKED THAT LAST QUESTION ABOUT RAIL STUDIES BECAUSE I BELIEVE CAMBRIDGE IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THAT STATEWIDE RAIL STUDY, SO I COULD HAVE ASKED YOU TO COME TO THE MIKE TO TELL US WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WHY WE WEREN'T ON THE LIST, ESPECIALLY AFTER YOU DID THIS VERY GOOD PRELIMINARY LOOK AT THE EASTERN MOVEMENTS, AND YOU KNOW VERY WELL HOW IMPORTANT WE ARE TO THE FREIGHT MOVEMENT IN THIS STATE. >> ABSOLUTELY. >>RICHARD WAINIO: AND -- AND THAT SAID, FIRST I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION I THINK CAMBRIDGE -- IN CASE PEOPLE HERE DON'T KNOW, CAMBRIDGE WAS PART OF OUR MASTER PLAN AND STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT. THEY WERE PART OF THE TEAM THAT DID LOOK AT THE RAIL COMPONENT AND THE CONNECTORS, THE ROAD CONNECTORS AND SO ON. I THINK THEY DO GREAT WORK. >> THANK YOU. >>RICHARD WAINIO: I'VE WORKED WITH THEM FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. MOST OF WHAT YOU SAID I AGREE WITH, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE PORT DIRECTLY, BUT WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT THE WINTER HAVEN FACILITY, I'M NOT SURE IF I AGREE WITH YOU OR NOT. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THAT FACILITY IS GOING TO HAVE A VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, SPECIFICALLY ON -- ON HILLSBOROUGH AND OUR SPECIFIC REGION. I THINK WHAT IT WILL -- IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT IN THE SENSE THAT IT WILL SHIFT THE MOVEMENTS AROUND IN DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN TERMS OF CREATING MORE TRAFFIC ON OUR ROADS. IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THAT SYSTEM. THE TRAFFIC ON SR 60 AND THE OTHER HIGHWAYS IN THE EASTERN PART OF OUR AREA, THAT'S GOING TO COME FROM GROWTH, PORT GROWTH, GROWTH IN CONSUMPTION, GROWTH IN POPULATION, OTHER THINGS THAT WILL DRIVE THAT. THE RAIL CENTER IN WINTER HAVEN COULD SHIFT TO OUR DISADVANTAGE THAT MOVEMENT. INSTEAD OF CONTAINER SHIPS COMING INTO THIS PORT DIRECTLY FROM ASIA AND DROPPING CONTAINERS OFF AT OUR PORT AND THEN GOING BY TRUCK OUT INTO FLORIDA AND THE SURROUNDING AREA, YOU MAY VERY WELL HAVE THOSE CONTAINERS COMING FROM OUT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AS THEY DO TODAY, DOWN TO WINTER HAVEN. TODAY THEY RUN BY I-75 AND I-95. CONTAINERS COME THROUGH L.A., LONG BEACH ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, THEN THEY COME BY TRUCK FOR THE MOST PART INTO THE STATE OF FLORIDA DOWN THOSE TWO CONGESTED INTERSTATES. FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, THIS WINTER HAVEN FACILITY WILL GREATLY -- COULD GREATLY RELIEVE TRUCK MOVEMENT ON THOSE MAIN ARTERIES COMING IN FROM THE GEORGIA BORDER DOWN INTO FLORIDA. WHAT IT WILL DO IS SHIFT IT FROM TRUCK TO RAIL, SO THE CONTAINERS STILL COME INTO FLORIDA FROM OUTSIDE, THEY COME INTO WINTER HAVEN, AND THEN WINTER HAVEN BECOMES THE SPOKE -- THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER FOR ALL OF FLORIDA, SO YOU END UP WITH A HUGE NUMBER OF TRUCK MOVES IN AND AROUND WINTER HAVEN GOING OUT TO ALL PARTS OF THE STATE, BUT YOU HAVE LESS TRAFFIC ON THE LONG HAUL, I-95, I-75. WHAT HAPPENS, THOUGH, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE IN A COMPETITIVE SENSE IS -- AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO MOVE THOSE CONTAINERS IS BY SHIP, WHICH GIVE EVEN MORE ECONOMIES OF SCALE IN RAIL, SO YOU SHOULD BRING IT IN BY SHIP INTO THE PORT OF TAMPA AND THEN MOVE IT A SHORT TRUCK HAUL DOWN THE ROAD. WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO END UP WITH IS THE CONTAINER COMING IN FROM OUT OF STATE, DOWN THAT RAIL TO WINTER HAVEN, AND THEN A TRUCK MOVE ANYWAY ACROSS SR 60 OR WHATEVER. SO YOU HAVE THE SAME MOVEMENT OF TRUCKS, THEY JUST GET REVERSED IN DIRECTION. THEY COME FROM WINTER HAVEN INSTEAD OF IN AND OUT OF THE PORTS. SO WE LOSE ECONOMIC BENEFITS. WE ALSO DON'T GET THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE THAT YOU WOULD GAIN FROM AN EFFICIENT LINK RIGHT INTO THE PORT AND THEN BY A SHORT -- SHORT TRUCK RUN DOWN THE ROAD. SO FROM THAT SENSE, I DON'T SEE THE KINDS OF IMPACTS THAT YOU MIGHT BE LOOKING AT, AND IN FACT, I SEE ADVERSE IMPACTS IN MANY, MANY AREAS BECAUSE OF THIS SYSTEM ON OUR SPECIFIC AREA. NOW, PUTTING ON MY STATE HAT, IT'S A DIFFERENT THING. YOU WEAR A STATE HAT. STATE HAT, YOU MIGHT HAVE BENEFITS THAT ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT THAT FLOW FROM THIS, BUT FOR OUR REGION, IT'S A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ANALYSIS. AND I WOULD ADD THAT THE ONE STATEMENT YOU DO MAKE THAT I DO AGREE WITH IS THAT THE CREATION OF THAT FACILITY WILL LIKELY DRIVE MORE DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES, MORE WAREHOUSING ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND WINTER HAVEN, WHICH OVER TIME COULD HELP US BECAUSE THAT COULD LINK TO -- TO OUR OCEAN LEG. IF WE BRING THE CONTAINERS INTO TAMPA, THEY RUN BY TRUCK OVER TO WINTER HAVEN, THEY GO INTO THOSE WAREHOUSES, THEN THEY GET DISTRIBUTED, BUT WE DON'T USE THE RAIL, IT'S ALL TRUCK MOVES. I COULD GO ON AND ON. MIKE AND I COULD DEBATE THIS AT GREAT LENGTH, I'M SURE, AND WE WILL, BUT I HOPE THAT ADDRESSED YOUR QUESTION. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: BEING -- BEING A SUPPORTER OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR INDUSTRY, I WONDER IF IT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THIS MPO BOARD AS A POLICY BOARD TO TAKE ANY KIND OF POLICY DIRECTION IN TERMS OF ENCOURAGING MORE ACTIVITY AT THE PORT, WHICH WOULD BE BETTER FOR OUR LOCAL ECONOMICS, VERSUS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS WINTER HAVEN DISTRIBUTION CENTER. >>RICHARD WAINIO: MAY I MAKE A QUICK COMMENT ON THAT? >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: YES. >>RICHARD WAINIO: TWO PARTS TO YOUR STATEMENT. ONE IS THAT I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE THE MPO TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE PORT IN EVERY WAY THAT IT CAN. THE PORT IS -- I DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT -- AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PART OF THE FUTURE GROWTH OF THIS REGION. IT GENERATES HUGE ECONOMIC VALUE, AND I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT OUR COUNTY, HILLSBOROUGH, IS THE MAIN BENEFACTOR OF THAT, AND WE HAVE NUMBERS THAT SHOW THAT, AND FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, YOU'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE PORT AND INVEST IN THE PORT AND THE GROWTH OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE ADDRESS THE INTERMODAL FACILITY IN WINTER HAVEN BECAUSE IT IS LINKED TO FUTURE PLANS. I MEAN, CONGRESSMAN MICA AND OTHERS ARE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN SEEING THE ORLANDO AND WINTER HAVEN FACILITY MOVE FORWARD, AND HE'S GONE SO FAR AS -- MY UNDERSTANDING IS TO SAY THAT IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO GET THE KIND OF RAIL WE WANT IN TAMPA, SO THERE ARE SOME LINKS THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT. I'M NOT SUGGESTING WE DON'T TAKE A POSITION, I'M JUST SAYING THAT IT IS A VERY SENSITIVE ISSUE AND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF SUPPORTERS OF THAT SYSTEM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANT TO GO OUT AND OPPOSE IT OR REACT IN THAT MANNER BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE OVER LONG -- THE LONG-TERM, PERHAPS, SOME POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO US, AND IF IT'S DONE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE SYNERGIES. IF IT JUST BECOMES A COMPETITOR, THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: SO IT'S BALANCE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. COMMISSIONER SHARPE, YOU HAD A -- >>MARK SHARPE: WILL WE BE GETTING THE HARD COPIES OF YOUR REPORT? I DON'T HAVE A COPY. I'D LIKE TO GET -- >> PRESENTATION OR THE REPORT? >>MARK SHARPE: THAT YOU JUST PROVIDED TO US. I'D JUST LIKE TO GET A HARD COPY OF IT. >> SURE. IT'S ON THIS COMPUTER. WE COULD GET SOME COPIES MADE AND DISTRIBUTED. >>MARK SHARPE: GREAT. FIRST OF ALL, THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT REPORT. GREAT START. I WOULD LIKE TO HOPEFULLY SEE US CONTINUE WITH MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE FREIGHT PORTION. I THINK THE TRUCK ELEMENT IS SIGNIFICANT. ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED THAT WILL GET TRUCKS -- I'M NOT AGAINST TRUCKERS, BUT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO GET TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD AND REPLACE IT WITH THE USE OF RAIL I THINK IS GOOD FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA, SO -- BUT I'D LIKE TO GET MORE DATA AND MORE INFORMATION. I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS OF MR. WAINIO. I'M HOPEFUL, THOUGH, THAT THIS INTERMODAL SYSTEM THAT'S BEING CONSTRUCTED, WHICH I DO SUPPORT, WILL ALSO WORK IN THE REVERSE, WHICH IS -- I THINK IT'S GREAT -- I THINK THE ONE POINT THAT MR. WAINIO BROUGHT OUT IS AN EXCELLENT POINT. GOODS COMING IN FROM L.A. AND OTHER AREAS, BUT PARTICULARLY L.A. INTO THE UNITED STATES OR INTO FLORIDA WILL NOT, I HOPE, COME IN, BY TRUCK BUT COME IN BY RAIL, WHICH MAKES TRANSIT SAFER FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, BUT THE REVERSE MIGHT BE THAT OVER TIME I'M WONDERING -- I'M NOT AN EFFICIENCY EXPERT HERE, BUT IF GOODS COME INTO OUR PORT, MIGHT WE NOT TAKE THEM BY A SHORT HAUL FROM THE PORT TO THE INTERMODAL SYSTEM AND THEN RAIL IT OUT TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY SO IT'S NOT JUST GOODS COMING IN BUT GOODS GOING OUT? AND BECAUSE OF OUR STRATEGIC LOCATION, OTHER COUNTRIES MIGHT FIND IT CHEAPER TO SHIP TO US AND THEN WE SEND IT TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO COMMENT ON THAT. >> I GUESS I'LL JUST MAKE ONE COMMENT, AND THAT IS THAT I THINK THAT'S CERTAINLY THE HOPE FOR THE PORT IS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN INCREASING THE -- THAT U.S. HINTERLAND DISTRIBUTION, BUT ONE OF THE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES I THINK THE ILC IS GOING TO PROVIDE IS THE BASIC OPERATING STRATEGY OF CSX, AND RIGHT NOW WHEN THEY BRING CARGO IN, THEIR MAIN HUB OF OPERATION IS THEIR JACKSONVILLE GATEWAY, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BYPASS THAT AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE ILC, SO IT'LL - - YOU'LL HAVE MUCH BETTER SERVICE TO THE REST OF THE COUNTRY FROM WINTER HAVEN THAN YOU DID FROM TAMPA TODAY BECAUSE YOU USED TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH A RESORT AND TRAIN- BUILDING PROCESS IN JACKSONVILLE, SO THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME INCREASED EFFICIENCIES IN THE WAY CSX IS SERVING FLORIDA THAT'S GOING TO PROVIDE -- BASED ON YOUR PROXIMITY TO THAT LOCATION SHOULD PROVIDE YOU BETTER ACCESS FOR ATTRACTING SOME OF THOSE MARKETS. >>MARK SHARPE: I'D LIKE THAT INFORMATION AS WELL. AND THEN LAST POINT. I THINK CONGRESSMAN MICA IS A GREAT PROPONENT OF RAIL FOR OUR REGION AND STATE, AND I JUST WANT US TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS. I THINK WE OUGHT TO BE WORKING WITH MICA BECAUSE MICA, IN FACT, HAS SUPPORTED HIGH-SPEED RAIL CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK, AND I THINK HE ULTIMATELY SEES THAT ONCE WE GET OUR ACT TOGETHER, WE'LL BE PART OF THAT CONNECTION. HE ALSO SUPPORTS, YOU KNOW, COMMUTER RAIL, LIGHT RAIL, SO LET'S WORK WITH HIM. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. MR. WAGGONER. >>JOSEPH WAGGONER: I ACTUALLY HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ARE YOU INCORPORATING IN YOUR STUDY ENHANCED RAIL CONNECTIONS TO THE PORT OF TAMPA? AND I'VE GOT A COUPLE MORE. I'LL LOAD YOU UP IF YOU LIKE, BUT -- AND I WANTED YOU TO RECAP WHERE YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS, AND I THINK IF THE PORT OF TAMPA'S INVOLVED IN THERE, I THINK REALLY SCOPING OUT WHAT IS THE LONG-TERM END RESULT, BECAUSE AS YOU SAID, THERE MAY BE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF ONE NATURE BUT IN LONG- TERM IT COULD BE A TRUE BENEFIT TO THE PORT OF TAMPA AS WELL, SO THAT GOES BACK TO MY QUESTION, WHERE ARE YOU IN THE PROCESS, AND ARE YOU LOOKING AT ENHANCED RAIL CONNECTIONS TO THE PORT OF TAMPA, WHICH WOULD ANSWER A LOT OF THE OTHER CONCERNS WE'VE HEARD. >> RIGHT. THE -- THE SCOPE FOR THIS PARTICULAR ANALYSIS WAS TO PROVIDE A HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF FREIGHT MOVEMENTS IN THE REGION AND THEN TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON THE IMPACTS OF GROWTH IN TRUCK TRAFFIC. I BELIEVE MPO STAFF HAVE TALKED ABOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH ADDITIONAL WORK TO LOOK AT OTHER ELEMENTS, BUT AT THIS POINT WE HAVE NOT LOOKED AT AN ENHANCED RAIL SYSTEM, WE'VE LOOKED SPECIFICALLY AT TRUCK TRAFFIC GROWTH AS THE FIRST STEP. >>JOSEPH WAGGONER: SO YOU'RE JUST LOOKING EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE, WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF A LOCATION OF A FACILITY LIKE THIS IN WINTER HAVEN? THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE FOCUS? >> AND OVERALL GROWTH FOR THE REGION BASED ON POPULATION AND ECONOMIC FORECASTS AND ALL OF THE PLANS THAT ARE REPRESENTED IN THE MODELS THAT EXIST TODAY FOR YOUR LONG- TERM AND LONG-RANGE PLANNING ACTIVITIES. SO WE'VE TAKEN THE TRAFFIC THAT EXISTS ON THE HIGHWAYS TODAY AND WE'VE GROWN THAT -- GROWN THE TRUCK TRAFFIC PART OF THAT BASED ON AVAILABLE DATA SOURCES. WE HAVE NOT GROWN RAIL TRAFFIC OR LOOKED SPECIFICALLY AT RAIL OPERATIONAL ENHANCEMENTS AT THIS POINT. >>JOSEPH WAGGONER: OKAY. BUT THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE SOMETHING THAT THE MPO OUGHT TO BE LOOKING INTO. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MAYOR LOTT. >>RICK LOTT: FIRST OF ALL, THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT REPORT. LET ME GET A MIKE HERE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT REPORT. I'D LIKE TO -- IN YOUR STUDY, DO WE EVER CONSIDER AND LOOK AT WHAT PERCENTAGE FREIGHT IS NOW OF -- OF CONSUMER GOODS AND SO FORTH? IS THERE A STUDY THAT SHOWS THAT, OR IS THAT AN INDICATOR WE EVER LOOK AT BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF TIMES WE DISCUSS WHAT -- THE IMPACT WE HAVE ON TRUCKS ON HIGHWAYS, RAIL, AND SO FORTH, BUT I LOVE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE REPORT. I THINK YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB IN THE LEADERSHIP THERE. ALSO I SUPPORT THE WINTER HAVEN RAIL YARD THERE SIMPLY BECAUSE I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE -- OBVIOUSLY COVER ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION IN FREIGHT TO BE ABLE TO LOWER THE COST OF FREIGHT. YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING WE BUY, WHETHER IT'S THIS PEN IN MY HAND, THERE'S A FREIGHT COST ATTACHED TO IT, AND I PERSONALLY THINK THAT WE SHOULD AS WELL BE LOOKING AT NOT JUST THE IMPACTS ON, YOU KNOW, TRUCKS ON THE ROADS AND SO FORTH, BUT IN MAKING THESE DECISIONS, IS IT LOWERING OUR COST OF FREIGHT FOR CONSUMER GOODS AND SO FORTH, AGRICULTURAL, OR IS IT INCREASING? BECAUSE I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THE MORE MODES WE HAVE AND MORE COMPETITION WE HAVE IS GOING TO LET FREE MARKET LOWER THAT COST OF FREIGHT IN THE PRODUCTS THAT WE PURCHASE. IS THERE ANY DATA THAT WE LOOK AT OR DO WE SIMPLY LOOK AT THE TRANSPORTATION NODES? >> THE COMMODITY FLOW DATA THAT WE LOOKED AT WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE 194 MILLION TONS OF CARGO MOVING THROUGH THE DISTRICT 7 REGION, WE CAN TELL YOU THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT TYPE OF COMMODITIES THOSE ARE, YOU CAN LOOK AT WHERE IT'S COMING FROM AND GOING TO. WE DID NOT DO, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC CALCULATIONS FOR WHAT THE -- WHAT CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION SERVICES WOULD DO FOR THE REGION'S COMPETITIVENESS. THAT WOULD BE -- AND I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHAT THE BEST DATA SOURCE FOR THAT WOULD BE. I MEAN, THERE'S A VARIETY OF WAYS TO GO ABOUT DOING THAT. I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S ONE PARTICULAR, BUT THE PORT HAS CERTAINLY CALCULATED ITS ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE REGION, AND WE COULD POSSIBLY BUILD OFF SOME OF THAT AS FAR AS CHANGES IN TRANSPORTATION COSTS. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. BECAUSE I -- RIGHT NOW I OWN A COMPANY THAT EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT THAT I PURCHASE COMES IN FROM CHINA OR JAPAN. >> RIGHT. >>RICK LOTT: IT ALL GOES INTO L.A. OR INTO LONG BEACH AND THEN IT'S TRUCKED DOWN. >>RICHARD WAINIO: SOME GOES EAST COAST U.S. A LITTLE GOES -- COMES TRUCKED UP FROM MIAMI AND EVERGLADES, A LITTLE COMES DOWN FROM SAVANNAH AND CHARLESTON, BUT A LARGE PORTION OF IT DOES COME ALL THE ACROSS BY RAIL FROM THE WEST COAST. >> GO AHEAD. >>RICHARD WAINIO: JUST A COUPLE. SOME OF THE DATA THAT WAS JUST PRESENTED HERE IN VERY LIMITED FASHION BY MIKE DOES ADDRESS IN A SENSE THE -- WHAT PORTION IS CONSUMER GOODS VERSUS OTHER, AND THAT'S SIMPLY THAT MOST EVERYTHING THAT'S IN A CONTAINER IS CONSUMER GOODS, AND IF IT'S BULK, IF THEY CALL IT BULK OR BREAK BULK OR LIQUID BULK, THAT'S NONCONSUMER GOODS, SO RIGHT AWAY YOU DO HAVE A BREAK-OUT, AND ONE REASON WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SO MANY MORE TRUCK MOVES IN THE FUTURE IN THIS AREA IS BECAUSE OF THOSE NUMBERS WHERE WE SHOWED THE CONTAINERS, THE TEUs GROWING FROM 39,000 TO 152,000 JUST OVER THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS, NOT COUPLE, NEXT THREE OR FOUR YEARS, AND THEN BEYOND THAT IT COULD GROW -- >>RICK LOTT: BECAUSE OF THE PANAMA CANAL. >>RICHARD WAINIO: -- FAR MORE THAN THAT. BEYOND 2014-2015 IT COULD GO BECAUSE OF THE PANAMA CANAL, AND YOU COULD HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL TEUs. EACH ONE OF THOSE TEUs GENERATES BASICALLY TWO TRUCK MOVES. >>RICK LOTT: RIGHT. >>RICHARD WAINIO: WELL, HE SAID A 40-FOOTER. >>RICK LOTT: BUT OBVIOUSLY WOULDN'T THAT LOWER OUR COST OF FREIGHT FOR BUSINESSES IN FLORIDA IF THOSE TEUs ARE COMING DIRECTLY HERE VERSUS GOING TO L.A. AND LONG BEACH AND THEN COMING HERE? >>RICHARD WAINIO: IT CERTAINLY WOULD. IT CERTAINLY WOULD, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT TO SOME EXTENT AT THE OUTSET IN TERMS OF THE WAY YOU SEE THE BREAKOUT ON THE MOVEMENT HERE BETWEEN WHAT COMES BY RAIL DOWN INTO WINTER HAVEN AND WHAT COMES BY SHIP DIRECTLY INTO TAMPA. THREE POINTS, AND I'LL TRY TO MAKE THEM VERY QUICK. FIRST OF ALL, I AGREE COMPLETELY WITH COMMISSIONER SHARPE, THAT CONGRESSMAN MICA IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA. WE ALL KNOW THAT. I MEET WITH HIM WITH SOME REGULARITY, AND WE DEPEND ON HIS SUPPORT FOR SO MUCH THAT WE'RE DOING IN THIS STATE, AND CERTAINLY WE'VE GOT TO WORK CLOSELY WITH HIM TO GET THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDS WE NEED THROUGHOUT OUR REGION AND OUR STATE. THE OTHER COMMENT, THOUGH, ON THE NORTHBOUND -- POSSIBLE NORTHBOUND MOVE USING THAT, MIKE IS BEING CAREFUL ABOUT THAT. I'LL BE A LITTLE MORE DIRECT. THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT HAPPENING IS REMOTE. BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS A PORT THAT'S GOING TO SERVE THE STATE OF FLORIDA, AND VERY LITTLE OF WHAT COMES INTO TAMPA WILL GO NORTH ON LONG HAULS WAY OUT OF THE STATE. THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY OTHER OPTIONS THAT SHIPPERS HAVE THAT WILL GET THEM CLOSER TO THOSE MARKETS. THEY CAN GO INTO NORFOLK, THEY CAN GO INTO SAVANNAH, THEY CAN BRING AN INTERMODAL RAIL FROM THE WEST COAST, SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF ALL THIS GROWTH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS WITHIN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. RAIL ISN'T GOING TO MOVE THOSE CONTAINERS, THAT'S TRUCK MOVES, AND BASICALLY, EVEN IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MOVING CONTAINERS ALL THE WAY, SAY, TO ATLANTA, WHICH IS A POSSIBILITY HERE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PUT THAT CONTAINER, EVEN IF YOU HAVE RAIL, ONTO HOOKERS POINT, WHICH WE HAVE SOME AND WE COULD DEVELOP IT FURTHER -- IF YOU DROP THAT CONTAINER STRAIGHT FROM THAT GANTRY CRANE ONTO RAIL AND YOU HAUL IT ACROSS TO WINTER HAVEN, THAT 30-, 35-MILE HAUL, THAT'S AN AWFUL SHORT DRAY ON RAIL. NOBODY DOES THAT KIND OF THING, ALMOST NOBODY, AND THEN YOU'D HAVE TO TRANS SHIP IT. YOU'D HAVE TO MOVE IT FROM THAT SHORT RAIL HAUL TO ANOTHER TRAIN. THAT TRAIN SITS THERE AND WAITS ALL DAY WHILE IT'S CONSOLIDATING CARGO FROM ALL OVER THE STATE. FINALLY THAT NIGHT OR WHATEVER, MANY HOURS LATER, THAT TRAIN MOVES NORTH. LET'S SAY IT GOES DIRECT TO ATLANTA, WHICH I'M NOT SURE IF IT WILL. IT MAY STILL GO VIA JACKSONVILLE AND ACROSS, SO IT GOES JACKSONVILLE AND ACROSS, IT DOESN'T GO STRAIGHT TO ATLANTA, AND EVEN IF IT GOES TO JACKSONVILLE, MAYBE IT HAS TO BE SHIFTED AGAIN, BUT EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, EVEN IF IT GOES STRAIGHT TO ATLANTA, IT GETS TO ATLANTA, YOU GOTTA TAKE IT OFF AND PUT IT ON A TRUCK TO GET IT WHERE IT'S GOING IN ATLANTA, SO IT'S A HECK OF A LOT QUICKER, A HECK OF A LOT MORE EFFICIENT, AND A HECK OF A LOT FASTER JUST TO PUT IT ON A TRUCK AT HOOKERS POINT, MOVE STRAIGHT UP THE I-4 CONNECTOR, WHICH WE NEED TO GET DONE, PUT IT ONTO I-75 NORTH. IT WILL BE ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR OR IN THE RETAIL OUTLET, THOSE CONSUMER GOODS, IN ATLANTA LONG BEFORE THAT TRAIN PROBABLY EVER GETS TO ATLANTA AND THEY SHIFT IT ONTO A TRUCK AND MOVE IT DOWN TO THAT RETAIL OUTLET, THAT MACY'S OR DILLARD'S OR WHATEVER, SO FOR SHORT HAULS, BOTTOM LINE, FOR SHORT HAULS LESS THAN 3- TO 500 MILES, YOU RARELY USE RAIL FOR CONTAINERS. YOU USE IT FOR BULK, AND THAT'S PRIMARILY WHAT WE DO HERE IS MOVE BULK SHORT HAUL, BUT CONTAINERS NO. CONTAINERS, IF YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE THEM A COUPLE HUNDRED MILES IN AND OUT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA OR AROUND THE STATE OF FLORIDA, YOU'RE GOING TO USE TRUCK, NOT RAIL. AND THE THIRD THING IS ON THE ISSUE OF PURSUING THEIR STUDY FURTHER, OUR MASTER PLAN AND OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AT THE PORT SPECIFICALLY DOES LOOK AT FUTURE RAIL DEVELOPMENT AT THE PORT AND HOW IT'S GOING TO CONNECT, AND AGAIN, CAMBRIDGE HAD A MAJOR ROLE IN THAT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU. MARY. >>MARY MULHERN: YES. I HAD QUESTIONS FOR YOU, OF COURSE. AND FOR YOU, I THINK IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE -- WHEN DID YOU START THE STUDY? >> IN LATE SPRING. >>MARY MULHERN: OKAY. SO RECENTLY. I THINK EVEN SINCE THEN THE ECONOMIC MODELS JUST DON'T EVEN APPLY. WHEN WE LOOK AT FUEL COSTS -- AND I THINK THAT'S THE -- THAT'S THE VARIABLE THAT WE KNOW IS JUST GOING TO GO UP AND UP, SO I THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF THIS THROUGH THAT LENS TOO IN MAKING DECISIONS BETWEEN RAIL, TRUCK, WATER, AND MY QUESTION FOR YOU, MR. WAINIO, IS WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE COMPETITION FROM THAT HUB, IT WAS -- THE COMPETITION FOR YOU IS THAT THE SHIPMENTS ARE COMING BY BOAT INTO THE PORT FROM THE WEST COAST? IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SAYING? >>RICHARD WAINIO: NO, FROM ASIA. FROM CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, AND FROM SOUTH AMERICA. >>MARY MULHERN: OKAY. SO THE COMPETITION WOULD BE GOING INTO ANOTHER PORT AND COMING BY RAIL TO FLORIDA? >>RICHARD WAINIO: BY -- WELL, IT COULD -- NOW IT COMES PRIMARILY BY TRUCK INTO FLORIDA, AND WHAT THE INTERMODAL FACILITY WOULD DO IS FACILITATE THE SHIFT FROM TRUCK TO RAIL TO BRING IT IN, SO YOU'D HAVE MORE COMING IN BY RAIL, WHICH IS A GOOD THING FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA -- >>MARY MULHERN: RIGHT. >>RICHARD WAINIO: -- BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST THING LONG-TERM FOR THE REGION, WHAT WE CALL OUR CATCHMENT AREA, OUT ABOUT 60 TO 100 MILES FROM THE PORT OF TAMPA, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A BALANCE, AS COMMISSIONER SAUL-SENA SAID. >>MARY MULHERN: WHAT PERCENTAGE IS BULK THAT COMES INTO THE PORT NOW? >>RICHARD WAINIO: WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT IT IN TONNAGE TERMS, 98% OF IT. IT'S PRIMARILY BULK. AND AS YOU GET MORE AND MORE CONTAINERS, THAT PERCENTAGE DOESN'T CHANGE A WHOLE LOT BECAUSE THE CONTAINERS DON'T WEIGH NEARLY AS MUCH. A LOT OF LIGHT GOODS IN CONTAINERS, SO YOU'LL HAVE A LOT MORE CONTAINERS -- A GOOD MEASURE OF THE SUCCESS OF THIS PORT IN THE FUTURE ISN'T GOING TO BE TONNAGE. THE OVERALL TONNAGE WON'T CHANGE A WHOLE LOT. YOU DO SEE IT GOING BACK UP TO ABOUT THE 50-MILLION TON RANGE, BUT LONGER TERM YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN TONNAGE BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SHIFT INTO CONSUMER GOODS, MORE CONTAINERS, MORE LIGHTERS GOODS, SO YOU'RE GOING TO GET MORE HIGH-VALUE CARGO, YOU'RE GOING TO GENERATE MORE ECONOMIC VALUE, YOU'RE GOING TO GENERATE MORE MONEY, YOU'RE GOING TO GENERATE MORE JOBS FROM THE CONTAINER MOVES BECAUSE BULK DOESN'T DO A LOT OF THAT COMPARED TO CONTAINERS, BUT YOU WILL HAVE LESS TONNAGE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? >>MARY MULHERN: THANKS. IF YOU COULD E-MAIL THAT MAYBE TO MR. CHIARAMONTE, YOUR PRESENTATION, THEN HE CAN GET IT TO ALL OF US. IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYBODY'S INTERESTED. >> SURE. IT'S ACTUALLY -- IT'S ON THIS LAPTOP, AND I CAN PROVIDE IT ON AN FTP LINK IF YOU'D LIKE. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: WE CAN UPLOAD IT TO THE WEB SITE AND ALSO GET YOU YOUR OWN COPY. >>MARY MULHERN: OKAY. THANKS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: COMMISSIONER SHARPE. >>MARK SHARPE: QUICK QUESTION, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO CAN ANSWER THIS, WHETHER IT'S MR. WAINIO OR MR. SKELTON OR WHOM, BUT THIS QUESTION OF THE MASTER PLAN, HOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FREIGHT AND -- AND -- IN AND OUT, I MEAN, THE SCENARIOS YOU JUST BRIEFLY DESCRIBED WERE REALLY INTERESTING, AND I'M WONDERING WHO IS PUTTING TOGETHER THE STATEWIDE MASTER PLAN FOR THE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE FLOW OF GOODS IN AND OUT? >>DON SKELTON: THE STATEWIDE PLAN IS GOING TO BE DONE BY THE D.O.T., THE STATEWIDE D.O.T., AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS PROVIDING INPUT INTO. >>MARK SHARPE: WHICH IS WHY IT'S GREAT TO HAVE MR. WAINIO SITTING ON THAT COMMITTEE. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD. AND THEN THE QUESTION, RAY -- OBVIOUSLY WE ASKED FOR THEM TO DO THIS STUDY, BUT THE -- OBVIOUSLY BY THE PRESENTATION WE'VE HEARD AS WELL AS THE COMMENTS BY MR. WAINIO, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE ABLE AS A COMMUNITY TO DEAL WITH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE TRUCKS ON THE ROAD, SO OUR REGIONAL MASTER WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, WHICH IS GOOD. I WANT US TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THIS TRAFFIC, I THINK IT'S GREAT FOR MARKETING, BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE SITTING -- I MEAN, IF YOU GO TO YBOR IT'S A NIGHTMARE, AND SO WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A PLAN THEN WHICH CAN HELP US MOVE THIS TRUCK TRAFFIC IN AND OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND I'D ALSO -- WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SEEING PLANS TO PERHAPS AGAIN SEPARATE THE TRUCK TRAFFIC FROM THE COMMUTER TRAFFIC, WHETHER THAT'S A SEPARATE -- I MEAN, MR. WAGGONER TALKED BEFORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE AND DISTINCT ROADS FOR BUS TRAFFIC PERHAPS, AND I'M INTERESTED IN BUS, TRAFFIC, THE SEPARATION. IS THAT SOMETHING -- >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I THINK THE -- WELL, THE FIRST STEP IN THAT IS THE WHOLE DESIGN OF THE I-4 CONNECTOR, I BELIEVE, HAS SEPARATE TRUCK LANES, AND THE IDEA IS TO GET THE TRUCKS OUT OF YBOR, AND THAT'S ALREADY IN THE PLANS, AND CERTAINLY MORE OF THAT WHERE NEEDED WOULD BE SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK AT IN THE UPDATE OF THE PLAN, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST STEP, AND IT DOES HAVE SEPARATE LANES. >>MARK SHARPE: THANK YOU. >> CAN I MAKE ONE COMMENT? JUST TO KIND OF LET YOU KNOW -- I MEAN, YOU'RE AWARE OF THE STATEWIDE RAIL SYSTEM PLAN THAT'S UNDERWAY. THERE'S ALSO A SEAPORT SYSTEM PLAN THAT'S ABOUT TO GET UNDERWAY, AND WE'VE ALSO GOT A DRAFT FREIGHT AND GOODS MOVEMENT PLAN FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF FLORIDA THAT PROVIDES SIMILAR OVERVIEWS FOR THE ENTIRE STATE. THAT'S ALL BEING DONE THROUGH CENTRAL OFFICE, THROUGH THE SEAPORT OFFICE. >>MARK SHARPE: THE STATE'S WORKING ON THE STATEWIDE RAIL PLAN. >> AND A STATEWIDE SEAPORT SYSTEM PLAN AND A STATEWIDE FREIGHT PLAN. >>MARK SHARPE: OKAY. THAT'S THE QUESTION. >> THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT -- >>MARK SHARPE: THAT WAS MY QUESTION BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT -- IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING TO LISTEN. THIS WAS LIKE WHEN I WAS ON A CARRIER LISTENING TO THE AIR BOSS TALK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE PLANES UP AND DOWN AND GET THEM OFF AND ON. IT WAS REALLY FASCINATING, BUT THERE WAS A SMART WAY TO DO IT AND A VERY SLOW WAY TO DO IT, AND IF YOU'RE SLOW, THEY GOT RID OF YOU, AND SO I'M LOOKING HERE AT THE STATE THINKING, OKAY, ARE WE REALLY SYNCHRONIZING THE BEST WE CAN THE MOVEMENT OF GOODS AND SERVICES BY RAIL, BY TRUCK, USING -- AND EVEN THE DECISIONS -- IT'S FASCINATING JUST LISTENING TO THE FACT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU CAN MOVE SOMETHING TO A RAIL STATION AND LET IT SIT THERE WAITING OR, YOU KNOW, GET IT OFF BY TRUCK EVEN THOUGH FUEL PRICES ARE HIGHER, BUT YOU GET IT THERE QUICKER. I'M JUST CURIOUS WHO'S PUTTING THIS ALL TOGETHER, AND YOU SAY THE STATE IS. >> RIGHT. AND AGAIN, AS MIKE SAID, WE'RE DOING IT FOR ALL THE MODES. >>MARK SHARPE: WONDERFUL. >> LOOKING AT SEAPORTS AS WELL. >>MARK SHARPE: JUST IF YOU'D JUST -- AS THE REPORTS ARE COMPLETED, I'D BE INTERESTED JUST TO HAVE COPIES. THANKS. >> I CAN GUARANTEE THAT MR. WAINIO'S GOING TO BE GETTING A LETTER INVITING HIM TO SIT ON THE SEAPORT SYSTEM PLAN WORKING GROUP. [LAUGHTER] >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR SO LONG WE'VE BEEN SO FOCUSED ON BEING ABLE TO MOVE PEOPLE FROM POINT "A" TO POINT "B," WHICH IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MOVING GOODS FROM POINT "A" TO POINT "B" IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF WE DON'T GET IT THERE, THERE'S -- WE CAN'T BUY IT, AND I THINK IT'S -- IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THIS FOCUS, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. >> THANKS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: SO ANY OTHER COMMENTS? IF NOT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO TBARTA REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN, PHASE 2. BOB CLIFFORD. >>BOB CLIFFORD: THAT WOULD BE ME. I JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH A UPDATE. THERE WE GO. BOB CLIFFORD, FDOT, ALSO WORKING WITH TBARTA. I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF UPDATE OF KIND OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE OVERALL PROCESS RELATED TO TBARTA, REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE ISSUE OF CHOICES, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS REITERATED A LITTLE EARLIER WAS THE TRIP THAT WE HAD TAKEN, MANY OF THE TBARTA BOARD MEMBERS LOOKING AT THE CHARLOTTE, DALLAS, AND DENVER REGIONS, AND WHAT REALLY CAME TO LIGHT TO US WAS THE ISSUE OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WASN'T JUST A TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, IT'S A QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PARTICULARLY IN THE VARIOUS REGIONS WE WERE AT, IT'S AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND WE START PARTICULARLY TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND HOW THAT FITS INTO THE OVERALL PROCESS OF WHAT OUR REGION IS ABOUT. THAT BECAME VERY CLEAR. ANOTHER THING THAT TBARTA HAS DONE SINCE THE LAST TIME WE TALKED IS WE DID A SURVEY, WENT OUT AND DID A STATISTICALLY VALID SURVEY WITHIN THE ENTIRE REGION, AGAIN CITRUS COUNTY TO THE NORTH, SARASOTA COUNTY TO THE SOUTH, AND ASKED VARIOUS QUESTIONS THROUGHOUT THE SURVEY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME CLEAR AND CONSISTENTLY COMING CLEAR IS WE'VE GOT AN ISSUE RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION THAT OUR RESIDENTS ARE CONTINUALLY WORRIED ABOUT AND REALLY SEE IT AS ONE OF THEIR MAJOR ISSUES IN TERMS OF THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE IN TERMS OF HOW THEY MOVE ABOUT AND HOW THEY FUNCTION WITHIN THE REGION. WE ALSO ASKED THE ISSUE ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER AND WORKING AS A REGION AND TACKLING TRANSPORTATION ISSUES. AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS WITHIN THE REGION THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD APPROACH AND THAT'S HOW WE SHOULD BE DOING THINGS, REALIZING THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRANSPORTATION, JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES DON'T APPLY. WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT IN OUR DAILY TRIP IN TERMS OF TRYING TO GET FROM WHERE WE ARE TO WHERE WE WANT TO GO, WE JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE REGARDLESS OF WHAT A JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARY MAY BE AND LOOKING AT THAT APPROACH AND APPROACHING IT FROM THAT REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE. WITHIN OUR PROCESS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PHASE 1. RAY TALKED ABOUT IT BRIEFLY. I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE ABOUT IT IN A MINUTE. WE'RE NOW IN PHASE 2, AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO WHAT WE CALL OUR PHASE 3, WE ACTUALLY GET DOWN TO THE SPECIFIC PLAN, WHAT IS IT, WHERE IS IT, HOW DOES IT ALL FIT TOGETHER, WHEN DO WE BUILD IT, AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE RAPIDLY MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR GOAL OF HAVING THIS COMPLETE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. IT ACTUALLY MAY BE JANUARY, BUT OUR REQUIREMENT IS ACTUALLY JULY OF '09. WE'RE WELL AHEAD OF THAT, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, REALLY TO GET BEYOND THE ISSUE OF JUST DEVELOPING THE MASTER PLAN BUT TO GET TO THOSE NEXT STAGES OF IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN. JUST SEE HERE JUST KIND OF THAT BIGGER-PICTURE SCALE WITHIN THE REGION. THESE ARE THE VARIOUS CONNECTIONS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED IN PHASE 1 FOR FURTHER STUDY. YOU SEE WITHIN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THOSE CONNECTIONS, REALIZING THAT HILLSBOROUGH IS REALLY KIND OF THE HUB OF THE REGION, A LOT OF THINGS COMING IN AND THROUGH WITHIN HILLSBOROUGH -- THROUGH HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE ALSO HAD WHAT WE CALLED ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS. YOU SEE IN BLUE HERE, THOSE ARE CONNECTIONS THAT WE CALLED OUR KIND OF WHAT WE -- MAJOR LOCAL CONNECTIONS TO THE BIGGER-PICTURE REGIONAL SYSTEM. TBARTA SAID THEMSELVES WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A SPINE, IF YOU WILL, OF REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY AS WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE -- WE'VE BEEN SHOWING HERE. WE ALSO HAD ADDITIONAL PROJECTS THAT WE DID NOT RETAIN OR ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS THAT WE DID NOT RETAIN. ONE OF THE ONES YOU WERE AWARE OF WAS ONE IN SOUTH AND EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THAT PROJECT DID NOT WORK OUT TECHNICALLY. WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS, AS WE ASKED THAT IT DO, WENT -- AND IT HAS BEEN REMOVED AND IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN. THERE WERE SOME ADDITIONAL CONNECTIONS THAT ALSO FELL INTO THAT SAME SCENARIO, SO THEY'VE ALSO BEEN REMOVED IN TERMS OF GOING THROUGH THAT OVERALL PROCESS. REALLY WE TALK ABOUT THOSE VARIOUS CONNECTIONS, THE BOXES JUST SHOW THE VARIOUS CONNECTIONS OR REGIONS THAT WE LOOK AT OR SUBREGIONS THAT WE LOOK AT WITHIN THE REGION AND HOW THEY CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER. AS WE GO INTO PHASE 2, WE'RE NOT ONLY NECESSARILY TALKED ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS, BUT NOW WE ALSO STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE MODES, THE CHOICES, LOOKING AT WHAT ARE WE DOING FROM A ON-TIRE PERSPECTIVE, FROM A RAIL PERSPECTIVE, LIGHT COMMUTER RAIL. WATERBORNE IS PART OF THIS, WHETHER IT'S FERRY OR SOME TYPE OF WATERBORNE SERVICE WITHIN THE REGION, AND ALSO LOOKING AT WHAT DO WE DO ON THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, THE ISSUE OF POTENTIALLY USING WHAT WE CALL MANAGED LANES ON THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM AS PART OF THE ELEMENTS THAT WE LOOK AT IN TERMS OF THOSE CHOICES. THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF THE INFORMATION WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING TO THE PUBLIC AND PUTTING OUT THERE. YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RAIL AND DIFFERENT ISSUES. I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO ANY DETAIL ON THAT, BUT JUST LETTING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCES AND EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES, WHAT THEY SERVE, HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER, AND REALLY ENGAGING AND SEEKING THE PUBLIC'S INPUT AS WE REFINE THIS PLAN, AS WE GO FROM THE 50,000-FOOT LEVEL, WHICH IS WHAT WE WERE AT INITIALLY -- I WOULD SAY WE'RE PROBABLY AT THE 25,000-FOOT LEVEL NOW. WE'RE GOING TO BE DOWN AT THE ONE-FOOT LEVEL BY THE END OF THIS YEAR IN TERMS OF WHAT THE REAL SPECIFICS ARE OF THE PLAN, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE MOVING THROUGH THAT PROCESS, AND THIS IS PART OF THAT. I JUST WANT TO RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE VARIOUS OPTIONS THAT AFFECT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, LOOKING AT VARIOUS CONNECTIONS ON THE NORTHERN PORTION OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, CONNECTIONS WITHIN -- WITHIN PASCO COUNTY AND THEN WITH PASCO COUNTY IN THOSE AREAS. THESE ARE THE SPINE PARTS OF THE NETWORK THAT YOU SEE HERE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO POINT OUT, RAY POINTED IT OUT EARLIER, WE'RE CONSISTENT WITH THE MPO'S PLANS. WE'VE EXPANDED IT AS IT GOES BEYOND INTO OTHER PARTS OF THE REGION AND CONTINUE THAT ON, BUT WE ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE PLAN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE SO IN WORKING TOGETHER, AND I HAVE TO GIVE RAY AND HIS STAFF A LOT OF CREDIT. THEY'VE BEEN REALLY EASY TO WORK WITH. WE'VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THAT CONSISTENCY AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND WE DON'T CONFUSE THE PUBLIC IN THE WORK AND MAKE USE OF WORK THAT OTHERS HAVE DONE. THAT'S REALLY VERY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. CONNECTIONS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE BAY AREA, CONNECTIONS OVER TO PINELLAS COUNTY, AND ULTIMATELY ALL THE WAY OVER TO CLEARWATER, PIECES OF IT THROUGH THE AIRPORT AREA, TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, UP TOWARDS LINEBAUGH AVENUE IN THE WESTCHASE AREA, AND ALL THE WAY OVER INTO CLEARWATER, A VERY POPULAR CONNECTION THAT WE'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT FROM RESIDENTS WITHIN THE REGION. WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THAT. CONNECTIONS. AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ISSUES OF CONNECTING OVER INTO POLK COUNTY TO THE EAST AND WHAT THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE, CONNECTIONS WITH PLANT CITY AND THE VARIOUS OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE CORRIDORS, WHETHER IT BE THE I-4 CORRIDOR WHETHER IT BE THE PRESENT FREIGHT RAIL CORRIDOR AND VARIOUS OPTIONS WITHIN THOSE AREAS. ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO MENTION IS WE'RE ALSO WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH UTILITY COMPANIES, WORKING WITH PROGRESS ENERGY AND TECO SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHAT SOME OPTIONS MAY BE RELATED TO USE OF EXISTING UTILITY CORRIDORS AND VICE VERSA, IN TERMS OF WE ALL HAVE THE SAME NEEDS AND ISSUES IN TERMS OF PROVIDING CORRIDORS, ARE THERE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER, AND WE'RE CONTINUING WITH THAT. CONNECTIONS SPECIFICALLY ACROSS THE WATER IN TERMS OF CROSSING THE BAY, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ST. PETERSBURG AND TAMPA, LOOKING AT VARIOUS CONNECTIONS, MOST SPECIFICALLY THE GANDY AND THE HOWARD FRANKLAND CONNECTION, BUT ALSO A WATERBORNE CONNECTION BETWEEN THOSE AREAS AND LOOKING AT THE VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES AS WE GO THROUGH THAT. ALSO CONNECTIONS TO THE SOUTH, CONNECTIONS WITH NORTHERN MANATEE COUNTY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S INTERESTING, RAY MENTIONED THE ISSUE OF HOW MUCH GROWTH IS GOING ON IN THE WESLEY CHAPEL AREA IN PASCO COUNTY. THAT SAME AMOUNT OF GROWTH, IF NOT MORE, IS GOING ON JUST OVER THE COUNTY LINE IN MANATEE COUNTY, SO IT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF GROWTH. THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE 50,000 NEW RESIDENCES COMING ON- LINE RIGHT OVER THE COUNTY LINE IN MANATEE COUNTY, AND HOW DO WE MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS WITH MANATEE COUNTY AND SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THE U.S. 41 AND EXISTING FREIGHT RAIL CORRIDORS AND THE I-75 CORRIDOR, AGAIN, MATCHING UP WITH YOUR PLAN. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, CONTINUE TO DO THAT, AND I DON'T CALL IT PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT OR INPUT, IT'S ENGAGEMENT. IT'S REALLY DISCUSSING THINGS WITH THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE OUT AT A LOT OF DIFFERENT EVENTS, TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, CONTINUE TO TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. MANY OF YOU MAY SEE ME AT THESE DIFFERENT EVENTS AND WILL CONTINUE TO SEE ME AS WE'RE OUT THERE GETTING THAT INFORMATION OUT AND ENGAGING THE PUBLIC, GETTING INFORMATION BACK. A LOT OF USE OF OUR WEB SITE. WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE USE OF THAT. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO US AS WE GET THAT INPUT. THIS IS JUST A LIST -- I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH IT -- JUST FOR YOU, A LIST OF THE VARIOUS TYPES OF FOLKS WE'VE GONE AND TALKED TO, AND AGAIN, WE'VE PUT THAT OUT THERE. IF THERE'S ANY ENTITY THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE US COME AND SPEAK WITH THEM ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, WE WOULD MORE THAN LOVE TO DO THAT, AND PLEASE LET US KNOW. THROUGH OUR WEB SITE IS A GREAT WAY. THERE'S A REQUEST ON THERE. I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO PLANT CITY TO THEIR LEADERSHIP GROUP ON THURSDAY TO TALK WITH THEM. WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. HERE YOU SEE JUST A LIST OF ADDITIONAL OTHER GROUPS WE HAVE COMING UP THAT ARE ALREADY SCHEDULED AND LOOKING FOR MORE OF THOSE OVER THE COMING REMAINING MONTHS. REMINDER OF OUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS, TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE EARLIER. OUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOP -- AND WE HAVE VARIOUS -- THIS IS OUR SECOND GO-AROUND. WE'LL HAVE SEVERAL OTHER GO-AROUNDS OF THIS OVER THE COMING MONTHS, BUT THIS IS OUR NEXT PHASE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS. TONIGHT IS AT THE DOUBLETREE HOTEL ON CYPRESS OVER IN THE WESTSHORE AREA FROM 5:30 TO 7:30. WE ALSO HAVE ON-LINE WORKSHOPS THAT WE'VE BEEN HOLDING THAT WE'RE FINDING TO BE VERY INTERESTING AND PEOPLE ENGAGING IN THAT. CONTINUE JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW COME ON OUT, VERY INFORMAL, FIND OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION, ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS. LOVE TO SEE PEOPLE THERE AS PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING. JUST REMIND EVERYBODY THAT OUR NEXT MEETING OF THE BOARD IS AUGUST 22nd. WE ROTATE THESE MEETINGS AROUND THE REGION. NEXT MEETING IS DOWN IN MANATEE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER DOWN IN MANATEE. WE ALSO HAVE OUR CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, OUR TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS. THE BOARD HAS ALSO DEVELOPED AN EXECUTIVE BOARD AND NOW A FUNDING AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. AS WE REALLY START TAKING THOSE NEXT STEPS, THINGS MUST START MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY OVER THE REMAINDER OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR TO REALLY GET INTO HAVING THAT PLAN IN PLACE, THAT MASTER PLAN IN PLACE SO WE CAN ACTUALLY TAKE THAT NEXT STEP AND GET TO THE PART OF WHAT I ALWAYS REFER TO AS BUILDING STUFF, WHICH IS AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT WE'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT WHICH IS MOST IMPORTANT. AND WITH THAT, MR. CHAIR, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST A BRIEF UPDATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT, AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: GREAT JOB, BOB. ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. >>BOB CLIFFORD: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE DRAFT PRIORITIES FOR THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WALLY BLAIN. >>WALLY BLAIN: GOOD MORNING. WALLY BLAIN, MPO STAFF. I DO WANT TO GO THROUGH WHERE WE ARE IN EVALUATING THE APPLICATIONS THAT WERE RECEIVED FOR THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM AND DEVELOPING PRIORITIES FOR THE 2013/2014 FISCAL YEAR. WE DID RECEIVE A TOTAL OF 15 APPLICATIONS THIS YEAR, TOTALED ABOUT $51 MILLION IN REQUESTS. THOSE WERE BROKEN DOWN INTO EIGHT FOR HIGHWAY WIDENING, THREE FOR TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT, ONE FOR A BUS REPLACEMENT, ONE WAS A DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT FOR THE CITY OF PLANT CITY, I.T.S. IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE CITY OF TAMPA, AND ALSO PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT CORRIDOR OVER IN THE WESTSHORE AREA. JUST TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT THOSE PROJECTS AND KIND OF GO THROUGH THEM, GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHERE THEY ARE, THE FIRST APPLICATION -- AND THESE ARE IN ORDER AS THEY WERE RECEIVED, NO OTHER ORDER THAN THAT, SO NOTHING IS INTENDED BY DOING BRUCE B. DOWNS FIRST. THIS IS FOR WIDENING FROM FOUR LANES TO EIGHT LANES. THIS IS SEGMENT "A" FROM BEARSS AVENUE TO PALM SPRINGS BOULEVARD, ABOUT 3.5 MILES IN LENGTH, AND THE CITY -- THE COUNTY HAS REQUESTED $12 MILLION FOR THE RIGHT-OF-WAY PURCHASE ON THAT CORRIDOR. THE NEXT REQUEST CAME FROM THE CITY OF TAMPA FOR THE 40th STREET WIDENING. THIS IS ALSO A SEGMENT "A" FROM HILLSBOROUGH/HANNA AVENUE TO WIDEN FROM TWO LANES TO FOUR ABOUT A HALF MILE IN LENGTH, AND JUST UNDER $8 MILLION IS REQUESTED FOR CONSTRUCTION. THIS WOULD BE PROGRAMMED -- IF PROGRAMMED WOULD BE PROGRAMMED IN THE 15th YEAR -- OR THE 5th YEAR AS A REIMBURSEMENT, NOT THE ACTUAL YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION. CITY OF TAMPA ALSO REQUESTED SOME MONEY FOR CROSS CREEK BOULEVARD. THIS IS FROM CORY LAKE BOULEVARD OVER TO MORRIS BRIDGE ROAD. THIS WOULD BE THE FURTHEST EAST SEGMENT TO WIDEN FROM TWO LANES TO FOUR LANES, ABOUT 2.25 MILES IN LENGTH AND ARE REQUESTING $8 MILLION FOR CONSTRUCTION. THERE WAS ALSO A REQUEST FROM THE CITY OF PLANT CITY FOR THE WIDENING OF SAM ALLEN ROAD. THIS IS A CONTINUED PRIORITY FOR THE MPO. IT'S AN EAST-WEST ROAD NORTH OF INTERSTATE 4 IN THE PLANT CITY AREA. IT'S TO WIDEN FROM TWO LANES TO FOUR. IT'S ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF IN LENGTH, AND THE CITY'S REQUESTING THE REMAINDER FOR THE RIGHT-OF-WAY PURCHASE, WHICH IS 1.12 MILLION. JUST EAST OF THERE ON SAM ALLEN ROAD IS A NEW EXTENSION THAT THE CITY OF PLANT CITY AS PART OF THE PLANT CITY MASTER PLAN IS REQUESTING -- THIS IS FROM WILDER ROAD TO CHARLIE TAYLOR ROAD -- WOULD BE A NEW FOUR-LANE FACILITY, ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF IN LENGTH, AND THE CITY HAS REQUESTED $250,000 FOR THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY. ANOTHER EXTENSION IN PLANT CITY WOULD BE MEDULLA ROAD. THIS IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PLANT CITY FROM CLEMONS ROAD TO CORONET ROAD. IT WOULD BE A NEW TWO-LANE EXTENSION, ABOUT A THIRD OF A MILE IN LENGTH, AND AGAIN, THE CITY HAS REQUESTED $250,000 FOR DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORK. TRAPNELL ROAD IS A ROAD THAT WOULD EXTEND ALL THE WAY EAST INTO COUNTY LINE ROAD ON THE EAST SIDE OF PLANT CITY. IT'S A NEW TWO-LANE ROAD, ABOUT A QUARTER MILE IN LENGTH, AND THEY'RE REQUESTING $4.5 MILLION FOR RIGHT-OF-WAY AND DESIGN. THE RICE ROAD EXTENSION IS ALSO ON THE EAST SIDE OF PLANT CITY, WHICH CONNECT CORONET ROAD OVER TO COUNTY LINE ROAD. IT'S A NEW TWO-LANE ROAD, 2.25 MILE IN LENGTH, AND THE CITY'S REQUESTED $250,000 FOR DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL. WE DID GET THREE APPLICATIONS THIS YEAR FROM THE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT. BAY AREA COMMUTER SERVICES IS THE REGIONWIDE AGENCY, THE TAMPA DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP FOCUSES ON THE DOWNTOWN AND IN- TOWN AREA, AND THEN THE NEW NORTH TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE FOCUSES ON THE USF AND NORTH TAMPA AREA. THEY'RE REQUESTING JUST UNDER $500,000 EACH OR SO TO DO THEIR ACTIVITIES FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR A SINGLE-OCCUPANT VEHICLE. WE DID RECEIVE AN APPLICATION FROM HART FOR 20 ADDITIONAL CLEAN DIESEL BUSES. THE TOTAL REQUEST FOR THAT WAS $10 MILLION. PLANT CITY ALSO HAD A REQUEST FOR THEIR MIDTOWN REDEVELOPMENT. THIS IS A LAND USE TRANSPORTATION REDEVELOPMENT PLAN THEY'RE LOOKING AT FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA. WOULD HAVE REQUIRED SOME REALIGNMENT AND EXTENSION TO EXISTING ROADS. THEY'VE REQUESTED $1.4 MILLION FOR THAT. THE CITY OF TAMPA HAD A REQUEST FOR THEIR TRAFFIC SYSTEM MANAGEMENT. THIS IS TO UPGRADE EXISTING SIGNAL COORDINATION AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROLS TO MEET NEW STANDARDS AND REPLACE OUTDATED EQUIPMENT, AND THAT REQUEST IS FOR $3.5 MILLION. THE FINAL APPLICATION WE RECEIVED WAS FROM THE WESTSHORE ALLIANCE TO INSTALL PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WESTSHORE AREA, AND THIS WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE MPO'S WESTSHORE PEDESTRIAN SYSTEMS PLAN. THIS WOULD BE THE INSTALLATION OF IMPRINTED CROSSWALKS AS WELL AS UPDATING FOR PEDESTRIAN COUNTDOWN SIGNALS. THE REQUEST IS FOR $302,000 FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOUR INTERSECTIONS ON WESTSHORE BOULEVARD. FOR THE EVALUATIONS THIS YEAR, WE TOOK A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT APPROACH THAN WE'VE DONE IN YEARS PAST. EACH YEAR IN THE PAST WE'VE TAKEN ALL THE APPLICATIONS THAT WE RECEIVED, USED THE MPO CRITERIA, AND EVALUATED ALL THOSE APPLICATIONS AS THEY CAME IN. THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE APPLICATIONS WERE THE SAME APPLICATIONS AS LAST YEAR, WE USED LAST YEAR'S EVALUATIONS RATHER THAN REEVALUATING THE SAME PROJECTS WITH THE SAME CRITERIA OVER AGAIN, SO THE TWO NEW PROJECTS THAT WERE EVALUATED THIS YEAR WAS THE CROSS CREEK BOULEVARD WIDENING AND THE RICE ROAD EXTENSION. THOSE WERE THE ONLY TWO NEW APPLICATIONS THAT CAME IN THIS YEAR. SO WE DID TAKE THOSE EVALUATIONS AND COME UP WITH A TECHNICAL RANKING AND HAVE ALSO MOVED FORWARD WITH A PRELIMINARY WHAT WE WOULD ASSUME TO BE A FUNDING RECOMMENDATION TO COME BACK TO THE MPO NEXT MONTH IF NOTHING CHANGES, SO AT THIS POINT IN TIME WE ARE PRIORITIZING $600,000 FOR THE MPO TO DO CORRIDOR STUDIES AND PLANNING WORK THAT WE DO IN ASSISTANCE WITH LOCAL AGENCIES. WE ARE REQUESTING FULL FUNDING FOR 40th STREET, WE ARE REQUESTING HALF THE FUNDING FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT FOR THE TAMPA DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP, HALF OF THE REQUEST FOR THE HART BUS REPLACEMENTS, HALF OF THE REQUEST FOR THE TAMPA CITY -- CITY OF TAMPA FOR THE TRAFFIC SYSTEM MANAGEMENT UPDATE, HALF OF THE REQUEST FOR THE BAY AREA COMMUTER SERVICES FOR THEIR TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. WE'RE REQUESTING FULL -- OR RECOMMENDING FULL FUNDING FOR - - WITH THE WESTSHORE ALLIANCE FOR THE PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE WESTSHORE AREA, FULL FUNDING FOR THE RIGHT-OF-WAY PURCHASE OF SAM ALLEN ROAD, HALF OF THE REQUEST FOR BRUCE B. DOWNS AND ALSO HALF OF THE REQUEST FOR THE NEW NORTH TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE. THAT BRINGS THAT AMOUNT TO ABOUT $23 MILLION THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING THAT WILL BECOME THE PRIORITIES FOR MPO, SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF WHAT WE ANTICIPATED TO BE AROUND $20 MILLION TO BE ALLOCATED FOR THAT FIFTH YEAR, SO WE WILL NEED TO WORK WITH D.O.T. ON WHICH PROJECTS AND HOW THAT GETS ACTUALLY FUNDED ONCE IT BECOMES A PRIORITY OF THE MPO. MOVING FORWARD, THEN, WE WILL TAKE THIS TO THE COMMITTEES IN AUGUST FOR THEIR APPROVAL AND RECOMMENDATION BEFORE COMING BACK TO YOU IN SEPTEMBER AT A PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT A SET OF PRIORITIES THAT WILL THEN BE MOVED FORWARD FOR D.O.T. TO PROGRAM. SO IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I CAN ADDRESS THOSE NOW. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY QUESTIONS OF WALLY? YES. >>RICK LOTT: WALLY, MY UNDERSTANDING ON 40th STREET, THIS COMPLETES THE FUNDING FOR THAT; CORRECT? >>WALLY BLAIN: AT THIS TIME, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE UNDERSTANDING, YES. >>RICK LOTT: [INAUDIBLE] >>WALLY BLAIN: MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS DONE, SO HE IF THERE'S ANY COST INCREASE, THAT MAY AFFECT THINGS, BUT IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THIS WILL COMPLETE 40th STREET. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. THANKS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MR. SKELTON. >>DON SKELTON: YEAH, JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS, AND OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE WORKING WITH STAFF AS WE GO TO PROGRAM THESE. JUST SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND. WE NEED TO LOOK AT HOW WE PROGRAM FULL PHASES ON PROJECTS AND THOSE TYPE THINGS. RIGHT-OF-WAY WE CAN DO PARTIAL FUNDING, BUT CONSTRUCTION WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THE WHOLE AMOUNT BECAUSE THE THING WE WANT TO AVOID IS PUTTING FUNDS IN BOXES OR HAVING LARGE CARRY-FORWARDS, SO FROM THAT ASPECT, I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE MPO PLANNING AMOUNT AND HAVE A VERY, VERY SPECIFIC PLAN BECAUSE I BELIEVE THERE IS A BIT OF ROLL FORWARD FROM PRIOR YEARS OF THOSE FUNDS, AND IF -- AS THE LEGISLATURE GETS INTO THE BUDGET DISCUSSION NEXT YEAR, THE FIRST THING TO GO ARE ANY BOXED MONIES OR CARRY-FORWARDS, SO WE JUST NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THE PROGRAM LEVEL, WHILE IT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN AROUND THE 20-SOMETHING-MILLION- DOLLAR, MAY BE MUCH LESS. WE'RE ENTERING INTO A TIME OF A NEW AUTHORIZATION BILL, WHICH PROBABLY WILL NOT BE OUT BEFORE SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS WHEN THE CURRENT BILL EXPIRES, BUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL IS LESS FUNDING LEVELS ALL AROUND, SO IT'S A PLANNING TARGET, BUT IT MAY NOT BE THAT MUCH. WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT THE ALLOCATIONS ARE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MR. SKELTON. YES. >>RICK LOTT: ONE MORE POINT THEN. TO ADD ON TO THAT, THEN, SOMETHING THAT WE DISCUSSED AT OUR LAST POLICY MEETING WAS ROADS THAT WE HAVE -- WE'VE DONE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS WE'RE PARTIALLY FUNDING RIGHT-OF- WAY PURCHASES, PLANNING DESIGN PURCHASES, THE ENGINEERING AND SO FORTH, SO ALL OF A SUDDEN OVER A PERIOD OF COUNTLESS YEARS WE'VE PARTIALLY FUNDED, SO NOW WE HAVE A ROAD PROJECT THAT EVERYTHING'S DONE BUT THE CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHERE DOES THOSE DOLLARS COME FROM? SO ARE YOU RECOMMENDING US REEVALUATE HOW WE PRIORITIZE THAT CONSTRUCTION OR -- TO ME, IF YOU'VE ALREADY MADE THE INVESTMENTS TO ALL THE PD&E AND THE RIGHT-OF-WAY, TO ME THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD BE THE PRIORITY TO GET FULLY FUNDED. >>DON SKELTON: RIGHT. >>RICK LOTT: IS THAT -- >>DON SKELTON: WE LOOK TO THE MPO TO PROVIDE THE PRIORITY LIST, AND SO IF THOSE PROJECTS ARE NOT ON A PRIORITY LIST, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HIGH IN GETTING FUNDING LEVELS. >>RICK LOTT: BUT I THINK SOME OF THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME -- I MEAN, I LOOKED AT 40th STREET. IT HAD BEEN MANY YEARS AGO ON A PRIORITY LIST. IT STARTS GETTING -- EVERYONE GETS TO THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT'S GOING TO GET FUNDED AND BUILT, THEN SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER IT GOES DOWN THE PRIORITY LIST, AND THEN IT HAS TO GET REJUVENATED TO GET THOSE DOLLARS BACK UP TO THE TOP, OKAY, AND THIS WAS QUITE A BATTLE, I DON'T KNOW, WHAT, THREE YEARS AGO, FOUR YEARS AGO TO GET THIS COMPLETELY FUNDED, AND IT STILL GOT FUNDED PIECEMEALED OVER MANY, MANY YEARS, AND HERE'S THE FINAL PIECE OF IT. I GUESS MY QUESTION IS HOW MANY ROADS DO WE HAVE OUT THERE NOW? I CAN THINK OF TWO RIGHT NOW THAT EVERYTHING'S DONE BUT THE CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS. SHOULDN'T THOSE AUTOMATICALLY BE HIGHER OR -- BECAUSE I BELIEVE WHAT'S HAPPENING IS WE'RE ASSUMING THAT ONCE WE HAVE -- ALL THE RIGHT-OF-WAY'S DONE, EVERYTHING'S PD&E'D, THAT IT'S GOING TO GET BUILT, BUT IT DOESN'T, IT GETS STUCK IN I CALL IT LA-LA LAND. >>DON SKELTON: AND AGAIN, UNTIL CONSTRUCTION ACTUALLY COMES TO HAPPEN, IF IT'S NOT ON THE PRIORITY LIST AND CONSTRUCTION OF THAT PARTICULAR ROAD THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HAS NOT BEEN ON THE PRIORITY LIST, WE'RE GOING TO GO BY THESE PRIORITIES AS TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT WE CAN. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. BUT I'M LOOKING AT CERTAIN ROADS THAT I KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE IN THE 40- AND $50-MILLION RANGE. IF WE TRIED TO GO FOR T.I.P. TO FUND THOSE ROADS, YOU'D STILL HAVE TO DO IT OVER TWO OR THREE YEARS IF YOU TOOK THE WHOLE AMOUNT, SO YOU'RE WANTING US TO PRIORITIZE AND FULLY FUND THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR ROAD, BUT THEN AGAIN, THERE'S CERTAIN POTS IN THERE THAT CAN'T -- >>DON SKELTON: WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THIS BOARD FOCUS ON IS THE PRIORITIES AND LET US WORRY ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. THAT'S FAIR ENOUGH. DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF ROADS THAT WE ARE JUST SIMPLY WAITING FOR CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS? >>DON SKELTON: WE HAVE SUCH LISTS, AND THAT LIST GROWS THE MORE WE HAVE TO SHIFT THINGS OFF TO THE RIGHT, AS WE SAY, BUT WE HAVE SUCH A LIST. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. FAIR ENOUGH. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YEAH, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED AT OUR POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING WAS THE FACT THAT INSTEAD OF SPREADING THE MONEY OUT AND DOING PARTIALS FOR, SAY, FIVE DIFFERENT PROJECTS, WOULD WE BE BETTER OFF JUST PUTTING THAT MONEY AND FINISH A PROJECT AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE INSTEAD OF PARTIALLY COMPLETING PROJECTS? SO YOU'RE RIGHT. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THE BOARD HAS TO ADDRESS IN THE PRIORITY SITUATION. >>RICK LOTT: WELL, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. WE HAVE A PROJECT WHICH STARTED, I DON'T KNOW, 15 YEARS AGO I'M GUESSING, 12 YEARS AGO, ALEXANDER ROAD. WE'VE DONE ALL THE PD&E, WE BOUGHT THE RIGHT-OF-WAY. I THINK WE'VE SPENT, WHAT, $20-SOMETHING-MILLION SO FAR? >>DON SKELTON: I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT. >>RICK LOTT: SOMEWHERE IN THE 20s, AND NOWHERE DO WE HAVE ANY PLANS TO DO THE CONSTRUCTION OF IT, SO HERE WE'VE SPENT $20-SOMETHING-MILLION, BUT IT'S NOT EVEN IN OUR PRIORITY LIST, AND IT'S THE FINAL PIECE FOR REDIRECTING TRUCK TRAFFIC THROUGH EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, AND SO IT'S A MAJOR CORRIDOR THERE, BUT IT'S NOWHERE IN OUR PRIORITIES, AND SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER IT GOT LOST IN THE SHUFFLE, BUT IT WAS ENOUGH OF A PRIORITY TO SPEND $20-SOMETHING-MILLION TO GET TO THAT POINT EXCEPT TO BUILD THE ROAD. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SAYING THAT'S D.O.T.'S FAULT, IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT AT ALL, BECAUSE I'VE HAD MANY CONVERSATIONS, AND YOU'RE SIMPLY SAYING MAKE IT A PRIORITY. I'M, LIKE, WELL, OKAY, SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER IN THE PROCESS WE HAVE TO COMPLETE THAT ROAD, AND I GUESS A MAJOR CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT I -- I APPRECIATE HOW THIS IS DELVED OUT, BUT, YOU KNOW, FROM A COMMONSENSE STANDPOINT, IT SEEMS LIKE WE WOULD HAVE WENT AHEAD AND FUNDED 40th STREET FOUR YEARS AGO INSTEAD OF DOING IT OVER THE LAST -- GIVING THEM $8 MILLION A YEAR OVER FOUR YEARS, AND WE'D ALREADY BE CONSTRUCTING AND GETTING ROADS BUILT QUICKER THAN TO DRAW SOMETHING OUT OVER 10, 15 YEARS, SO HOPEFULLY IN OUR POLICY MEETING WE CAN RELOOK AT THE PROCESS OF PRIORITIZING CONSTRUCTION BECAUSE I THINK IF WE WOULD FULLY FUND, LIKE THE SECRETARY'S SUGGESTING, WE'D BUILD ROADS QUICKER VERSUS TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE AND GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY HERE, A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THERE, BUT IN THE MEANTIME NOTHING GETS BUILT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MS. SAUL-SENA. >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: I THINK THE POLICY COMMITTEE'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT THIS. I RESPECT THE FACT THAT THE DEPARTMENT WANTS TO HAVE PROJECTS IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF PD&E SO THAT THERE'S A CONSTANT FLOW OF WORK, AND 40th STREET, FRANKLY, EVEN IF WE HAD HAD ALL THE MONEY AT ONCE, I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE CONSTRUCTED THE WHOLE THING AT ONCE BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE TORN -- IT WOULD HAVE SO MESSED UP OUR CIRCULATION PATTERNS, AND WE -- SOME PARTS OF IT TOOK MORE TIME TO ACCOMPLISH THAN OTHERS, LIKE THE BRIDGE, LIKE SOME OF THE PROPERTY ACQUISITION. IT'S BEEN -- IT'S BEEN A REALLY TOUGH PROJECT, AND WE WILL ALL BE SO PLEASED WHEN IT'S SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED. >>RICK LOTT: I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT GRAND OPENING, BUT -- >>LINDA SAUL-SENA: BUT I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A VERY APPROPRIATE THING FOR US TO SCHEDULE FOR A POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING IS SOME CLEAR WAY FOR ALL OF US TO SORT OF TRACK THINGS IN TERMS OF OUR PRIORITIES TO ENSURE THAT WHEN THEY GET TO THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE THAT THEY'RE STILL PART OF THE FLOW AND ON THE LIST BUT ALSO BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO BE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE FOR ALEXANDER STREET, BUT -- AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO ALLOCATE, BUT THAT NEEDS TO BE PART OF OUR OVERALL STRATEGY AND THINKING, AND PERHAPS THERE CAN BE A WAY TO CLARIFY THAT FOR ALL OF US SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE STRATEGIC IN OUR -- IN OUR PRIORITY LISTINGS. >>RICK LOTT: I WAS JUST USING THAT SIMPLY AS AN EXAMPLE, OKAY. I BELIEVE THERE'S MANY OTHER ROADS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE SIMPLY WAITING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS. IN THE MEANTIME, WE'RE TAKING THOSE DOLLARS THAT COULD GO TOWARDS CONSTRUCTION, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO PD&E AND RIGHT-OF-WAY. SO I JUST THINK THERE'S A -- SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER TO ME CONSTRUCTION DOLLARS HAS TO BE PRIORITY ONE IN MY BOOK, AND SO -- I KNOW THAT IN OUR UPCOMING POLICY MEETINGS WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS HOW DO WE REPRIORITIZE CONSTRUCTING ROADS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE VARIOUS PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT IT WOULD COST TO COMPLETE A PROJECT, AND SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHATEVER ROAD IT IS, IT WOULD TAKE "X" NUMBER OF DOLLARS TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT. MAYBE THAT WOULD GIVE US A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE AS TO SETTING OUR PRIORITIES AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO AHEAD AND FINISH THIS AND WE'LL JUST HAVE TO PUT THESE OFF FOR A WHILE, THAT'S ALL. >>WALLY BLAIN: RIGHT. THE PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW ARE BASED ON APPLICATIONS THAT WE RECEIVED, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ADD INTO OUR APPLICATION TO REQUIRE THE APPLICANT TO SAY THIS IS HOW MUCH THIS PROJECT IS IN TOTAL -- AND SOME OF THEM ACTUALLY DO THAT -- SO THAT WE CAN GET AN IDEA OF THE FEDERAL SHARE GOING TOWARDS THE PROJECT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? IF NOT, THANK YOU, WALLY. GOOD JOB. >>WALLY BLAIN: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT CARES TO ADDRESS THE MPO ON ANY ITEMS? THANK YOU. ANY OLD BUSINESS WE NEED TO DISCUSS? ANY NEW BUSINESS? IF NOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ADJOURN. SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. 1