Press Release

EASTERN SHORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE EASTERN SHORE – October 23, 2013 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board held a meeting on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, in the meeting room at Bass Pro Shops in Spanish Fort, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO.

The primary issue before the MPO Policy Board was whether the MPO should utilize available funding for regional projects or local projects. The Eastern Shore MPO was designated an urban area in 2013 after the 2010 Census indicated that the population on the Eastern Shore had surpassed the 50,000 threshold. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), allocates transportation project funds to urban areas based on the urban area’s population. In fiscal year 2013 FHWA allocated $1,207,212 to the Eastern Shore MPO urbanized area.

The Policy Board is responsible for identifying and prioritizing needed transportation projects within the MPO planning area and then allocating the FHWA project funds to the high-priority projects. FHWA project funds must be matched 20% with local funds. For every $1,200,000 of federal funds allocated to projects the local governments must contribute $300,000 of local funds to those projects. While $1,500,000 (federal + match) is not a large sum of money when it comes to transportation projects, the Policy Board discussed how these funds might be leveraged to tackle some of the regional transportation needs facing the local governments. MPO project funds can be spent on functionally classified roads within the MPO planning area.

The Policy Board considered seven projects submitted for consideration by the MPO. When reviewing a submitted project the Policy Board can add the proposed project to one of three MPO lists: 1) Visionary List (needed projects with no funding commitment); 2) Financially Constrained List (projects with foreseeable funding but not within the next four years); 3) Transportation Improvement Program List (projects funded in the next four years). Alternatively, the Policy Board can choose to exclude a project from any of the lists.

MPO staff recommended that the Policy Board freely add needed projects to the MPO Visionary List. Though some non-regional projects may not be funded by the Policy Board, having the projects on the Visionary List may open the door for individual municipalities to pursue other funding options for the project.

After considering each of the submitted projects and hearing the recommendation of three MPO Advisory Committees, the Policy Board adopted Resolution 2013-18 adding all seven projects to the MPO Visionary List. The Policy Board added the projects to the Visionary List with the understanding that more projects would likely be submitted by the remaining municipalities prior to the January Policy Board meeting.

The Policy Board adopted Resolution 2013-19 adding the following three Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) projects to the MPO 4-year funded project list:

• City of Daphne TAP Project – Turnout/Overlook/Drainage/Scenic Improvements of Gator Alley on North Main Street at D’Olive Creek; Estimated Cost: $400,094.33
• Baldwin County TAP Project – Construction of approximately 1.53 miles of an 8-foot-wide multi-modal path that will follow U.S. Highway 98 from County Road 13 to Alabama State Highway 181 in the Barnwell community. Estimated Cost: $385,405.00
• Spanish Fort TAP Project – Construction of approximately 1.2 miles of sidewalk along Blakeley Way (aka CR 72) from U.S. 31 to State Route 225. Estimated Cost: $439,576.09

TAP funds are available for multi-modal projects via a competitive grant application process administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation. The individual municipalities submitted TAP grant applications for the specific projects in June 2013 and were awarded the funds in September 2013.

Other items considered by the Policy Board included appointing new Citizens Advisory Committee members, Mr. Marcus Bowman (representing Daphne) and Mr. Richard Ullo (representing Spanish Fort); reviewing the Goals and Strategies for the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the Public Transit Plan, and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan; and discussing the schedule for LRTP development.

A transcript of the meeting minutes for the Policy Board meeting is expected to be available on the MPO website in approximately two weeks.

The next meeting of the Eastern Shore MPO Policy Board is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, 2013, at 10:00 AM at Fairhope City Hall. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email coordinator@easternshorempo.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

POLICY BOARD MEETING, TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC) MEETING, CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC) MEETING, AND BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) MEETING                                                                         

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (ESMPO) will be conducting the following meetings in October:

The Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. in the meeting room of the Bass Pro Shops at 20000 Bass Pro Drive, Spanish Fort, Alabama (proceed up the main stairway just inside the main entrance; walk to the far end of the building and cross the bridge into the camping department, proceed down the main isle, the meeting room is in the back left corner of the building). Please do not hesitate to request assistance from a Bass Pro associate if additional directions are needed. 

The Technical Advisory Committee will meet on Wednesday, October 16, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce (Scenic Overlook Visitors Center) in Daphne, Alabama.

The Citizens Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 15, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. at the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce (Scenic Overlook Visitors Center) in Daphne, Alabama.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday, October 15, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce (Scenic Overlook Visitors Center) in Daphne, Alabama.

The proposed combined agenda for each meeting may be viewed on the Eastern Shore MPO website: (http://www.easternshorempo.org./) fourteen days prior to the meeting.  For more information regarding any of the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4643.

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS 

THE EASTERN SHORE – September 26, 2013 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board, Technical Advisory Committee, Citizens Advisory Committee, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee held a year-end joint meeting on September, 25, 2013, in the Daphne City Hall Council Chambers in Daphne, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO. The Advisory Committees make recommendations to the Policy regarding transportation issues within the planning area.

The year-end joint meeting provided the Policy Board and Committee members with an opportunity to review the MPO’s first year of formal operation. MPO staff delivered a year-end presentation outlining the MPO’s accomplishments for fiscal year 2013. In 2010 the Federal Highway Administration designated twenty-three urban areas where new MPO’s would be formed. Of those twenty-three areas, the Eastern Shore is one of only four that has made considerable progress in establishing its MPO. MPO staff reported that the MPO’s success is the product of the strong participation, teamwork, and interest from elected officials and citizens throughout the planning area.

The MPO Policy Board and Committees held elections for the fiscal year 2014 officers. The Policy Board re-elected Baldwin County Commissioner Bob James as Chairperson and Fairhope Mayor Timothy Kant as Vice Chairperson. The Technical Advisory Committee re-elected Daphne Public Works Director Richard Johnson as Chairperson and City of Fairhope Public Works Director Jennifer Fidler as Vice Chairperson. The Citizens Advisory Committee re-elected Mr. Andrew James as Chairperson and Mr. Tedson Meyers as Vice Chairperson. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee re-elected Mr. Jeff Hudson as Chairperson and Mr. Phil Hooper as Vice Chairperson.

The only action item before the Policy Board was the adoption of Resolution 2013-17 approving the Final FY14 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The UPWP is the planning and administrative budget of the MPO. MPO staff explained that no substantive changes had been made to the document since the Draft version was unanimously approved by the Policy Board and all Committees in July. The Policy Board unanimously approved the Final FY14 UPWP.

The next meeting of the Eastern Shore MPO Policy Board is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at 10:00 AM in the meeting room of the Bass Pro Shops at 20000 Bass Pro Drive in Spanish Fort. The Policy Board will consider adding the first projects to the MPO’s project lists. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email coordinator@easternshorempo.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED FINAL 2014 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM (UPWP)

The UPWP is the planning and administrative budget of the MPO and details the federally funded transportation planning activities to be undertaken in the Eastern Shore Urbanized Area in FY 2014 by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Eastern Shore MPO.

The Final UPWP will be available for review at the locations listed below from September 10, 2013, to October 10, 2013.  The documents may also be viewed on the ESMPO website, www.easternshorempo.org.

The MPO would like input from the public and welcomes written comments during this time. Comment forms will be available at each location.

Daphne City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Daphne

Daphne Public Library, Daphne

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Fairhope

Fairhope City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Fairhope

Fairhope Public Library, Fairhope

Baldwin County Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, Commission Office, Fairhope

Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System (BRATS) Hub, Fairhope

Loxley Town Hall, Clerk’s Office, Loxley

Loxley Public Library, Loxley

Alabama DOT, Division Engineer, Mobile

BRATS Hub and Headquarters, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex II, Highway Department, Robertsdale

Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex Commission Office, Robertsdale

Robertsdale Public Library, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex, Baldwin County Library Cooperative, Robertsdale

Spanish Fort City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Spanish Fort

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Spanish Fort

Oscar Johnson Memorial Library, Silverhill

 

Written comments may be submitted as follows:

U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery:

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

c/o Baldwin County (Fairhope) Satellite Courthouse

1100 Fairhope Avenue

Fairhope, Alabama 36532

Email:

coordinator@easternshorempo.org

Facsimile:

(251) 580-2590

Additional information regarding the Public Participation Plan and Unified Planning Work Program may be obtained by contacting the MPO Coordinator, Matthew Brown, at (251) 990-4640 or msbrown@baldwincountyal.gov.

Press Release

EASTERN SHORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE EASTERN SHORE – July 24, 2013 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board held a meeting on Wednesday, July 24, 2013, in the Loxley Town Hall Auditorium in Loxley, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO.

Important items of new business considered by the MPO included the approval of resolutions adopting the FY 2014 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and FY 2014 Cost Allocation Plan (CAP); approval of a resolution adopting the Final 2013 Public Participation Plan; and approval of a resolution adopting the Project Submittal Process and establishing project lists for the Long Range Transportation Plan and the Transportation Improvement Program.

The Unified Planning Work Program is the planning and administrative budget of the Eastern Shore MPO. The MPO receives $174,661 in Planning Funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). The Baldwin County Commission provides the entire 20% local match for the federal Planning Funds giving the MPO an annual planning budget of $218,326. The MPO planning dollars are allocated to twenty-five different “Tasks” or subtasks within the UPWP, including Public Participation Process; Public Transportation; Bike/Ped Planning, and Transportation Safety.

The Cost Allocation Plan specifies how expenses incurred by the MPO will be allocated to the various tasks and subtasks delineated in the UPWP. The new CAP provides great detail including an illustrated example for citizens who would like to understand how MPO costs are billed, and how the MPO accounts for items such as overhead and indirect expenses. The Policy Board voted unanimously to approve the Draft FY 2014 Unified Planning Work Program and the FY 2014 Cost Allocation Plan.

The Policy Board approved the Draft 2013 Public Participation Plan at its January 23, 2013 meeting (Resolution 2013-02). The MPO awaited final directives from ALDOT regarding new requirements for the Public Participation Plan under MAP-21 (the new federal highway bill) before producing the Final Public Participation Plan. The MPO received directives from ALDOT in May and incorporated these changes into the Final Plan. The MPO published the Final Plan for public comment for forty-five days at nineteen (19) locations throughout the MPO planning area and responded to any public comments. The Policy Board voted unanimously to approve the Final 2013 Public Participation Plan.

The Policy Board also considered a resolution that would establish three project lists and a Project Submittal Process by which citizens and local municipalities can recommend transportation projects to the Policy Board. The six step process would help to collect basic information including the scope and estimated cost for any proposed project.

Any submitted project that is sponsored by a local municipality will be presented to the MPO Advisory Committees. Each Committee will make a recommendation to the Policy Board regarding whether or not the project should be added to the MPO project lists. The Policy Board has sole authority to make the final decision regarding a proposed project. More information regarding the project submittal process will be made available on the MPO website in the weeks ahead. The Policy Board voted unanimously to approve the Project Submittal Guidelines and establish the MPO project lists.

The Policy Board considered recommendations from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) regarding a proposed letter of support for the I-10 (Mobile River) bridge project.  The Policy Board voted unanimously (with one abstention) to follow the TAC’s recommendation and approve the letter with language encouraging consideration of a multimodal facility on the proposed bridge with an understanding that any such facility must be balanced against the overall feasibility of the project.

The Policy Board considered many other items of business including filling two vacant positions on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee for Baldwin County; authorizing the MPO to negotiate a formal contract with the University of Alabama in Huntsville to provide oversight for the MPO travel demand model; considering the Tensaw Parkway Corridor Management Plan proposal; and reviewing the proposed 2014 ALDOT TIGER grant for ADA curb-ramp retrofitting.

The MPO will host a joint meeting of the Policy Board and all Advisory Committees at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, September 25, 2013. The primary purpose of this meeting will be to hold elections for Chairperson and Vice Chairperson for FY 2014. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email coordinator@easternshorempo.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED FINAL PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PLAN (PPP) AND THE DRAFT 2014 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM (UPWP)

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization has prepared the Final PPP and the Draft FY 2014 UPWP for review by the MPO Policy Board in July 2013. The purpose of the PPP is to outline processes for involving the public in transportation planning within the MPO area.  The PPP summarizes the federal and state regulations for preparing the primary planning documents of the MPO.

The UPWP is the planning and administrative budget of the MPO and details the federally funded transportation planning activities to be undertaken in the Eastern Shore Urbanized Area in FY 2014 by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Eastern Shore MPO.

The Final PPP and Draft UPWP will be available for review at the locations listed below from May 28, 2013, to July 11, 2013.  The documents may also be viewed on the ESMPO website,

www. easternshorempo.org.

The MPO would like input from the public and welcomes written comments during this time. Comment forms will be available at each location.

Daphne City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Daphne

Daphne Public Library, Daphne

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Fairhope

Fairhope City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Fairhope

Fairhope Public Library, Fairhope

Baldwin County Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, Commission Office, Fairhope

Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System (BRATS) Hub, Fairhope

Loxley Town Hall, Clerk’s Office, Loxley

Loxley Public Library, Loxley

Alabama DOT, Division Engineer, Mobile

BRATS Hub and Headquarters, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex II, Highway Department, Robertsdale

Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex Commission Office, Robertsdale

Robertsdale Public Library, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex, Baldwin County Library Cooperative, Robertsdale

Spanish Fort City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Spanish Fort

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Spanish Fort

Oscar Johnson Memorial Library, Silverhill

 

Written comments may be submitted as follows:

U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery:

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

c/o Baldwin County (Fairhope) Satellite Courthouse

1100 Fairhope Avenue

Fairhope, Alabama 36532

Email:

coordinator@easternshorempo.org

Facsimile:

(251) 580-2590

Additional information regarding the Public Participation Plan and Unified Planning Work Program may be obtained by contacting the MPO Coordinator, Matthew Brown, at (251) 990-4640 or msbrown@baldwincountyal.gov.

 

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

March 6, 2013 – Policy Board Meeting

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at Daphne City Hall in the Council Chambers at 1705 Main Street in Daphne, Alabama.

The agenda will be posted on this website no less than fourteen days prior to the meeting.  For more information please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.