Information Items:
In May, City Council voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with municipal, regional and state transportation planning agencies in the Charlotte area to initiate a study to examine ways to address traffic congestion on the region's highway system.
In addition to analyzing the viability of adding additional high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes (similar to those currently operating on I-77 between North Charlotte and Huntersville) on local highways, the study will consider other congestion management techniques, including high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes (which could potentially be used by all traffic), truck only-toll (TOT) and their benefit to the region's mobility.
The study's final report will evaluate all of the region's major controlled access corridors, screen each for potential feasibility, and recommend viable projects for the region's transportation network.
Council members and interested City staff are invited to a workshop on Tuesday, August 21, 2007, from 9:30 am to 1:45 pm at the North Carolina Department of Transportation's Metrolina Regional Transportation Management Center located at 2327 Tipton Drive in Charlotte. The workshop will highlight national experience with different types of managed lanes, review the ingredients required for success, and also outline evaluation criteria to be used for assessing the feasibility of managed lanes in the Charlotte region. Other elected officials, media and interested local and state staff have also been invited. Lunch will be provided.
In recent weeks, the Windsor Park neighborhood has raised concerns about bus route #232 and has asked that it be rerouted out of the area. Council members have been copied on several emails regarding the bus route.
Staff is organizing a meeting with interested residents and bus riders. As part of this discussion, the neighborhood has asked for information about the potential impact of the half-cent transit sales tax repeal.
We will also use this meeting as an opportunity to address yard waste collection, parking on front lawns and related code enforcement and community safety matters.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 28, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Windsor Park Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room. The school is located at 3910 Sudbury Road. Council members are invited to attend. We will prepare a follow-up report for Council shortly thereafter.
Mayor and Council have received recent emails regarding concerns over the proposed Hubbard Falls development and the realignment of Hubbard Road. The specific issues regard the construction of the new Hubbard Road, lot sizes and silt in the creek.
The City has received information from the developer's attorney, Mr. Collin Brown, regarding the timing and construction of roadway improvements. Mr. Brown's email is attached below. Our CDOT staff is in discussion with the developer and Mr. Brown regarding the timing on the completion of the realigned Hubbard Road. Mr. Brown has accurately referenced the most recent approval by Planning staff to reduce the number of lots and increase the size of the lots.
Engineering staff will do a site inspection of any erosion control violations that impact the creek. Appropriate City staff will be attending a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, August 16th to address questions from the citizens regarding this project.
At the request of Mr. Chris Moeller, president of the Dilworth Community Development Association, City staff reviewed the Council approved Zoning Plan for the Lowe's development. The review shows the development to be in compliance with the plan regarding the utility poles. We have met with Mr. Moeller and a representative of Duke Energy to discuss the underground lines which transition to poles to connect to the neighborhood's power grid.
Staff will continue to provide assistance on this issue, as the neighborhood and developers discuss further options.
The procurement effort associated with wrecker services has generated controversy in the past, with recommendations for contract award hotly contested. The competitive environment around towing has not changed since the award of the last contracts in 2001; therefore, staff expects Council members may again receive calls from vendors regarding the Division Wrecker Services project.
The City contracts with the private sector for towing services for various purposes. The contracts are awarded for specific areas, or zones, of the City to individual towing companies. An individual towing company may be awarded more than one zone. With the recent redistricting of CMPD's services areas, the contract has expanded from seven (7) service zones to thirteen (13) divisions.
A staff team made up of representatives from Business Support Services/Procurement Service Division (BSS/PSD), the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Neighborhood Development/Code Enforcement Division (CED), has been engaged in the procurement effort since early 2007 to replace the
expiring Zone Wrecker Services contracts that were originally awarded in 2001. Although the current Zone Wrecker contracts have one (1) final extension through 2008, this early close-out of these contracts will allow for the formal transition from zones to divisions, allowing CMPD, CDOT and CED to respond to citizen calls for service in a more timely and accurate manner.
The Division Wrecker Services contracts will provide for vehicle towing services throughout the County and are utilized to:
- Assist CMPD with the prompt and safe removal of motor vehicles from roadways that are blocking traffic or causing a danger to other motorists.
- Assist CDOT with the removal of motor vehicles that are in violation of parking ordinances in and around the Center City area as well as removal of vehicles for special events; and
- Assist CED with the removal of abandoned and junk motor vehicles in an effort to promote community improvement.
The procurement process began in February 2007 and has been detailed and thorough. After more than two months of solicitation development, contract discussions, sourcing research, and internal meetings, Request For Proposals (#2007-165) was posted to the North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System on May 4, 2007. A pre-proposal conference was held on May 14, 2007. Two (2) addenda containing clarifications were posted but did not impact the schedule.
On June 8, 2007, BSS/PSD received multi-divisional proposals from thirteen (13) service providers. Evaluations were held from June 11 through August 10, 2007, with six (6) companies eliminated. Seven (7) companies will be recommended for award.
Staff will brief the City Council with an update at the August 27 Dinner Briefing. At that meeting you will be provided with extensive documentation of the process to date. Final recommendations for contract awards will be made at the September 10, 2007 Council Meeting.
