Calendar Details:
(See Below)
Agenda Notes:
- Agenda Item #29-K, L: Freedom Drive Widening Project Condemnations
Information Items:
- October 7: Environmental Excellence Awards
- Coca-Cola Recycle and Win Partnership Update
- Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting Summary 9-23-09
- Current Federal Issues
Stimulus Information:
- CATS Receives TIGGER Grant
Attachments:
- Council Follow Up Report 9-25-09
- September and October Calendars
- Federal Lobbying Action Steps for MTC
- Letter to Delegation from MTC
- Davidson Street Facility Renovation Info
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Calendar Details:
Monday, September 28
3:30pm - Transportation Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Non-System Street Program – Context for Wright Avenue; Funding Strategy for Streetcar
5:00pm - Council Business Meeting
6:30pm - Citizens' Forum
Tuesday, September 29
4:00pm - Restructuring Government Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Boards & Commissions; Develop a Sponsorship Policy; Improving Citizen Stakeholder Process; Reschedule October 22 Meeting
5:30pm - Environment Committee, Room 280. AGENDA: Update on Proposed Revisions to Tree Ordinance
6:30pm - Energy Strategy Public Meeting, Council Chamber
Agenda Notes:
Agenda Item #29-K, L: Freedom Drive Widening Project Condemnations
Resource:
Michael Knox, E&PM, 704-336-3479, mknox@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Items 29-K and L on Property Transactions are on the Agenda for condemnation action this Monday, September 28, 2009. K has been settled and should be removed. L has been removed for further negotiation, and it will be brought back to Council at a future date.
Information Items:
October 7 – Environmental Excellence Awards
Resource:
Doug Bean, Utilities, 704-391-5070, dbean@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Council members are reminded to mark their calendars for the twelth annual Environmental Excellence in Industry awards event on October 7 at the Lee S. Dukes Water Treatment Plant in Huntersville.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities and City/County leaders will recognize several dozen industries that helped protect our local waterways during 2008 through excellent compliance with their individual sewer discharge permits.
The awards ceremony will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Dukes plant. In addition, a display ad will promote award recipients in The Business Journal.
We hope you will join us to help recognize these businesses in our community who have demonstrated a record of environmental stewardship.
Coca-Cola Recycle and Win Partnership Update
Resource:
Victoria Garland, Solid Waste Services, 704-336-3410, vgarland@ci.charlotte.nc.us
The City's partnership with the Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Mecklenburg County to promote residential recycling, which began on February 2, continues. The program is now in its seventh month and 189 Charlotte residents have won $50 Harris Teeter gift cards as a result of the Recycle and Win Promotion.
The chart below details winners by Solid Waste Services collection zones for the promotional period:
Overall
Tracking |
Feb 09 |
Mar 09 |
April 09 |
May 09 |
June 09 |
July 09 |
Aug 09 |
| North |
7 |
1 |
12 |
2 |
10 |
4 |
17 |
| South |
4 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
9 |
10 |
9 |
| East |
5 |
5 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
7 |
14 |
| West |
3 |
2 |
7 |
11 |
5 |
7 |
15 |
| Total |
19 |
12 |
29 |
19 |
27 |
28 |
55 |
Solid Waste Services staff has monitored recyclables tonnage throughout the promotion and has not noted a significant increase; however, the tonnage figures have remained fairly consistent moving up or down a few tons each month through August 2009. During August, Solid Waste Services noted an almost 20% decrease in recyclables tonnage. This trend is consistent with what is being observed on a national level where both garbage and recyclables tonnages are down. This trend is thought to be a direct reflection of the current economic situation.
Other things to note:
- The City of Raleigh contacted Coke about implementing the Recycle and Win promotion. Coke agreed and is in the process of beginning the program there.
- CharMeck311 has averaged about 30 calls per month regarding the promotion.
- Solid Waste Services has partnered with Coke on another project – Panthers' Tailgating. This program provides recycling receptacles for Panthers' tailgaters during home games, furthering the effort to divert recyclables from the garbage waste stream.
Metropolitan Transit Commission Meeting Summary 9-23-09
Resource:
John Muth, CATS, 704-336-3373, jmuth@charlottenc.gov
At its meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, the MTC had one action item and one information item on the agenda:
Federal Legislative Agenda for 2010/2011: MTC members deferred taking action to establish Legislative priorities for 2010 and 2011. This will allow the MTC Managers more time to develop a recommendation for MTC consideration.
Blue Line Extension: Staff presented a status update on the LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) project. This was the same report given to City Council at your September 14 dinner meeting. The schedule has been impacted two ways. NCDOT Rail Division is planning improvements to accommodate high speed rail under this project as part of the Charlotte Rail Improvement and Safety Project (CRISP). CATS' staff has worked closely with the NCDOT Rail Division, Norfolk Southern, and the North Carolina Railroad to determine the optimum location for light rail through an area where the alignment is adjacent to a planned high speed rail corridor as well as existing freight tracks.
MTC members also heard how the current economy may affect the schedule and budget for the project. The reduction in sales tax revenue due to current economic conditions may result in up to a three-year schedule delay, although staff is continuing to manage and advance the design of the project under a schedule that does not include that delay. CATS has been working successfully with the FTA to use actual Blue Line ridership figures in the model for ridership estimates. The BLE cost effectiveness rating is expected to meet FTA criteria for Federal funding.
Other issues described were: the opportunity to locate a light rail maintenance facility and rail car storage at the current site of the Norfolk-Southern Intermodal Yard; moving the 27 Street Station to 25 Street to provide better development opportunities; and changes to the alignment on the UNCC campus to coordinate with the University's Master Plan.
Other Business:
- Mayor McCrory stated that some cities are using federal stimulus funds for energy grants to fund transportation projects. Mayor McCrory moved that City staff investigate what grants are available for transportation, and to direct the energy grants received toward transportation. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
- MTC members voted unanimously to change the name of the North Corridor Purple Line to the LYNX Red Line.
- MTC members asked Budd Berro, Director of the Governor's Regional Office, to request that the Governor include the LYNX Red Line as the state's second priority, if the I-85 Corridor Bridge replacement over the Yadkin River is not eligible through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.
- Mayor Swain asked CATS staff to explore whether HUD funds could be used for rail projects, with the development that accompanies rail.
The next MTC meeting will be October 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Current Federal Issues
Resource:
Boyd Cauble, City Manager's Office, 704-336-2009, bcauble@ci.charlotte.nc.us
Attached are letters regarding two federal transportation issues. The first letter, included in your Wednesday package, addresses the loss of approximately $250 million of unobligated transportation funding for North Carolina. The City of Charlotte would lose approximately $3 million unless Congress takes action by October 1 to reverse this statutory rescission of unobligated funds. The letter requested that our Delegation members support deleting the rescission requirement in continuing budget resolutions. This issue is part of the budget discussions currently being debated between the Senate and the House.
The second letter was requested by MTC members Wednesday night. Working with Holland & Knight, we have advised MTC members what to say to individual Delegation members regarding the proposed $24 million transit "earmark" for the Northeast Light Rail Corridor. The appropriation bill is in a Conference Committee where project "earmarks" are being reconciled between House and Senate proposals. The Senate recommended $24 million for the Northeast Light Rail Corridor while the House recommended no funding for the project. Council members are encouraged to use this letter while seeking the Delegation's support for the Senate recommendation.
We are at a critical point in the appropriation process and all contacts with the Delegation are critical.
Stimulus Information:
CATS Receives TIGGER Grant
Resource:
John Muth, CATS, 704-336-3373, jmuth@charlottenc.gov
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is pleased to announce the transit system will receive $3 million dollars in FY2012 to purchase up to 15 new hybrid buses as part of the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) stimulus grant program. This program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The stimulus funds will allow CATS to upgrade up to 15 buses we plan to order from diesel to hybrid technology. CATS added two hybrid buses to its fleet in 2005 and introduced five more on September 14 with the start of the Sprinter service. The hybrid buses have shown a 30% improvement in miles per gallon compared to a diesel bus. Operating costs on a hybrid bus are also 40% lower, saving CATS maintenance costs in the future.
It is estimated the additional hybrid buses could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by almost 6,500 tons and save an estimated 550,000 gallons of diesel fuel over the 12-year operating life of the buses.
CATS is one of 43 transit agencies awarded a total of $100 million nationwide for capital investments that will assist in reducing the energy consumption for greenhouse gas emissions of public transportation systems.
