Regional Council Activity Report
November 8, 2000
Vince Lombardi once said: “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.” If hard work is indeed the precursor to success – then we must certainly be on the right track!
It has been my pleasure to take part in a number of important partnering sessions over the past month. On October 5, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Board and the MAG Executive Committee met to discuss future transportation priorities and issues. On October 15-17, I had the opportunity to meet with the directors of the Councils of Governments of the four-corner states, in which we compared challenges and shared solutions. On October 23, in its sixth – and most significant – meeting of the year, the Resource Allocation Advisory Committee met to set program funding from 2002 through 2006. From what was once only a 10.5 percent share of the funding pie, MAG will receive an average 32.5 percent share during the five-year program, with a 42.9 percent share received during the last year (2006) of the funding cycle. The Pima Association of Governments (PAG) will receive 11.1 percent of the pie, while the balance of the state will receive 58.4 percent. These figures mark a significant show of cooperation between ADOT, MAG, PAG, the Regional Public Transportation Authority, and other Councils of Governments and Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
On October 25, a joint meeting was held between MAG and PAG in Casa Grande to discuss transportation funding allocations, funding needs, strategies for seeking additional revenue sources, and a review of the activities of the Governor’s Transportation Vision 21 Task Force.
On October 27, MAG and ADOT staff met jointly to focus on improving working relationships between the agencies to create early and continuous interaction throughout the planning process.
A lot of meetings? Yes. But each of these partnering sessions was unique and valuable in its own right. As the MAG mantra continually affirms: it is only through the cooperative efforts of many separate agencies that we can solve regional problems. Our joint work products directly affect how the region grows – and our quality of life. And, while I recognize that the phrase “quality of life” has become overused to the point that we scarcely pay attention to it anymore, its meaning of creating a community where we enjoy living, working and being must remain our ultimate objective.
And, through the hard work of all of us – that ultimate objective will be our ultimate success.
Council Approves CANAMEX Corridor
Recommendation
The MAG Regional Council approved a MAG/ADOT report and a resolution
regarding the future designation of the CANAMEX Corridor through
the Maricopa region. The resolution recommends that the future
designation of the Corridor include I-8 between I-10 and SR 85,
SR 85 between I-8 and I-10, and the US 93/US 60 Wickenburg Bypass.
The resolution provides for the connection between the SR 85/I-10
junction and the Wickenburg Bypass to be designated following
additional study. The resolution also constrains the connecting
route to a location west of the White Tank mountains for air quality
reasons. The resolution eliminates Loops 101 and 303 from consideration
for designation as part of the CANAMEX Corridor.
The Council amended a motion to recommend
the remainder of the route within six months, because of ADOT
concerns that key studies relating to the Corridor won’t
be complete in that time. The Council approved a revised target
time frame of 12 months for making the recommendation.
For more information
contact Chris Voigt, MAG Senior Engineer, at (602) 254-6300.
Prioritized List of Street Sweeper
Projects Approved
Eight PM-10 certified street sweepers will be purchased in FY
2001 as part of a MAG plan to reduce particulate pollution less
than ten microns in diameter (PM-10). The FY 2001-2005 MAG Transportation
Improvement Program contains $960,000 in Congestion Mitigation
and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding to purchase the street sweepers,
which use a vacuum system to reduce particulate emissions that
are stirred up by vehicles traveling on paved roads. In all, MAG
received requests for 21 projects totaling over $2.6 million in
federal funds from MAG member agencies. The approved list of prioritized
projects enables the purchase of certified street sweepers for
the cities of Mesa, Phoenix (which will receive 2 sweepers), Glendale,
Paradise Valley, Chandler, Gilbert and Tolleson. The prioritized
list will be retained in the event additional funding becomes
available.
For more information
contact Cari Anderson, MAG Senior Engineer, at (602) 254-6300.
MAG Completes Early Phase Input Opportunity
Report
Valley citizens were given a variety of opportunities to tell
decision makers what types of projects they want included in upcoming
transportation plans, during the FY 2001 Early Phase Input Opportunity
completed in October. The comments received by citizens during
the early phase are included in the MAG FY 2001 Early Phase Input
Opportunity Report, which was distributed to the Council during
its November 1 meeting.
The Early Phase Input Opportunity is part of MAG’s public involvement program to get citizens to share ideas for the region’s transportation future. The public involvement process is divided into four phases: early phase, mid- phase, final phase and continuous involvement. The early phase is one of the most important phases in the process, because the input received is used by transportation agency decision makers in developing policies and projects for the next five years.
Forums for input included a Transportation
Stakeholders meeting, public open houses, small group presentations
and extended public comment periods at MAG meetings. During the
early phase, the most comments received involved transit issues,
followed by concerns regarding services for persons with disabilities.
For more information
or to receive a copy of the report, contact Kelly Taft, MAG Communications
Manager, (602) 254-6300.
MAG Seeking New Videoconferencing
Contractor
The Maricopa Association of Governments has cancelled its contract
with Intellysis Group, which was to provide purchase, installation,
testing, training and support services for the MAG Regional Videoconferencing
System. In September, Intellisys closed its Tempe office and by
early October informed MAG that its assets were being bought out
by another technology company. Shortly thereafter, Intellysis
filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws. On November
2, MAG issued a Notice of Termination for Cause, severing its
contract with the company. MAG is issuing a Request for Proposals
for a new videoconferencing vendor for the completion of the project.
MAG plans to be able to recommend the selected contractor to the
Regional Council at the December 13, 2000 meeting.
For more information
contact Rita Walton, MAG Information Services Manager, or Heidi
Pahl, MAG Videoconferencing Planner, at (602) 254-6300.
Five MAG Member Agencies to go Online
for First Time
The towns of Buckeye, El Mirage, Guadalupe, Tolleson and Youngtown
will soon be receiving all the technical wizardry needed to send
e-mail, access the Internet and establish a basic Web presence
– through the MAG Regional Connections project. Within the
next few weeks, the five cities and towns will be presented with
computers, color inkjet printers, hardware and software to enable
them to go online. The Regional Connections project was recommended
by the MAG Technical Advisory Group to ensure that all member
agencies had a Web presence and the ability to communicate and
conduct business electronically.
For more information
contact Audrey Skidmore, MAG Automation Support Program Manager,
at (602) 254-6300.
Next Regional Council Meeting
The next Regional Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, December
13, 2000 at 5:00 p.m. at the MAG offices, 302 N. 1st Ave., Suite
200. Agenda items are expected to include an update on the MAG
Videoconferencing Project, a recommendation to accept the MAG
Regional Congestion Study, and a recommendation encouraging compliance
with Fair Housing Standards.
For more information
contact Dennis Smith, MAG Assistant Director, (602) 254-6300.