Director’s Report – oral report
(Mitch Weiss, Interim Executive Director)
Mitch Weiss, the Interim Executive Director, addressed his first commission meeting, expressing gratitude and eagerness. He updated on the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Highway 1 auxiliary lanes and Coastal Rail Trail Segment 12 project. The report, indicating no significant impact, is on the commission's website. An action related to this project is on the agenda (item 29). The project, set for 2025, involves constructing auxiliary lanes, extending the bus facility, widening the Highway 1 bridge, reconstructing underpasses, and adding a rail trail segment.
Weiss highlighted ongoing public surveys for two projects. The first seeks community preferences for the bridge design in the Coastal Rail Trail project, with a deadline of February 9th. The second survey gathers input for the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan, focusing on future transportation challenges and solutions.
Amy Naranjo, the transportation planner, advocated for the Regional Transportation Improvement Program, seeking $8.6 million for a balanced transportation system. This includes expanding road resurfacing projects and introducing new street initiatives, approved for funding in December.
Open positions in advisory committees, critical for community participation in transportation planning, were announced. Positions in the Measure D oversight committee and advisory committees for bicycles and the elderly/disabled are open, with varying application deadlines.
Weiss also mentioned the receipt of $1.9 million in Caltrans grants for various transportation initiatives, including the North Coast Segment of the Coast Rail Trail, set to begin in spring. This segment will enhance connectivity and include amenities like restrooms and improved parking.
The commission is developing a Transportation Equity Action Plan, involving stakeholder collaboration and a consultant-led diversity training.
Staff updates included welcoming a new intern, James Falconroth, and mentioning upcoming conferences and trainings attended by staff members. Grace Blakeslee, a senior planner, will visit the Netherlands for a study trip on bicycle networks.
Commissioner Peterson inquired about the location of the online survey for the regional transportation plan, which Weiss confirmed is on the website's news section.
The meeting summary was done with AI on ChatGPT. The transcripts were generated on the RSS platform and were corrected to ~75%. I apologize for errors. If you spot something that needs correction let me know.
Meeting Agenda :
https://sccrtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-02-01-RTC-agenda-packet.pdf
ZEPRT handout:
https://sccrtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Handouts-item-27.pdf
Official Meeting Highlights:
https://sccrtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2-1-2024-RTC-Meeting-Highlights-1.pdf
Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fZgdXbbBB8&list=PLo9N9AsVOVvRZ52uJW8KW1xLX7iizMk85
Videos of the episodes are here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOE8OGb8ohlInlNQMDD3KlX-UxSfAVCAy