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Home My WebLink About2020-08-06 - BPAC Minutes 117 NW Lafayette Avenue, Bend, Oregon 97703 | P.O. Box 6005, Bend, OR 97708-6005 (541) 388-6575 bpac@deschutes .org www.deschutes.org/bpac MEETING MINUTES DESCHUTES COUNTY BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Thursday, August 6, 2020, 12:00 to 1:30 pm Virtual Zoom Meeting Members Present: Dave Thomson, Christopher Cassard, Rick Root, David Roth, Sam Handelman, and Wendy Holzman. Agency/Organization: Tanya Saltzman (Deschutes County – CDD), Zechariah Heck (Deschutes County – CDD), Derek Hofbauer (Cascades East Transit/COIC), Kim Curley (Commute Options), Barb Campbell (Bend City Council). Call to Order Meeting was called to order at 12:00 p.m. Introductions Tanya provided a brief introduction of virtual meeting procedures via the Zoom platform. Attendees of the meeting introduced themselves and, if applicable, identified the organization they represent. Approval of Prior Minutes The July 2020 minutes were approved with no changes. Public Comment There were no public comments. General Updates - Dave  BPAC sent two letters of support: 1) To Deschutes County for a TGM grant to add trails to the TSP map as part of the implementation of the Sisters County visioning; and 2) To COIC/CET supporting the Bend MPO for a TGM grant for a mobility hub feasibility study.  ODOT asked BPAC to provide representatives for the US 97 N interchange project. Rick will be the primary rep and David will be the alternate.  Next month, BPAC will select officers for the coming year. New Member Appointments  Dave summarized the process thus far. For four open positions (three at-large and one from Redmond), 29 applications were received. The subcommittee interviewed seven of those Page 2 applicants and selected three for at-large appointments. The full BPAC voted by email on those and all were accepted (their names were not revealed at the public meeting as they were still awaiting confirmation by the Board of County Commissioners). The Redmond slot remains open, as only two responses came from Redmond residents and neither was determined to be a good fit. The search for a Redmond member will continue. Big Chainring Award discussion Last year, a few recommendations were issued to improve the process:  Application should clearly state the qualifications for each category  Only one category may be selected for each nominee  Remove advocacy category  BPAC needs a formal policy on changing categories for nominations  Can people be nominated multiple years in a row?  Reconsider nominating people who work for agencies? Dave will prepare a list summarizing these options so that members can consider them for discussion at the next meeting. This may change the timeline to present to the BOCC in October rather than September. External Committee Reports COACT: Will meet in September and transition to quarterly meetings. Bend MPO TAC and US 97 Parkway Project: MPO meeting was cancelled; US 97 project will hold a joint meeting with the policy group and the TAC next week Deschutes County TSAP: removing from list going forward Other Updates Bend: No official updates, but a note that the city has plans to improve Newport near 12th Street with two small roundabouts (aka dog bone), there is some perception on social media that this is less safe. Hopefully this can be addressed at public virtual open houses in the future. Deschutes County: The County applied for TGM grants totaling $75,000 to 1) Update Tumalo Community Plan ($50K), including looking at bicycle, sidewalk, and transit aspects and 2) implement Deschutes County portions of Sisters Country Action plan regarding equestrian, bicycling, and hiking trails ($25K) as they relate to the Deschutes County TSP COIC/CET:  COIC is at the end of the transit master planning process; a public meeting will take place on August 19 and there will be public comment period. Next, the plan will be voted upon to then send to the COIC Board for approval. Page 3  Ridership is currently at 50 percent of pre-COVID numbers (of note: right before COVID, ridership was at a high point), and remains free, with all of the previously noted safety protocols in place. Commute Options:  Still working on Safe Routes to Schools program despite school reopening uncertainty.  Also trying to address vanpools for groups of employees Other: Councilwoman Campbell provided brief updates/mentions of notable projects, including Phase 3 of the Neighborhood Greenways project, a multi-use path on the new stretch of Empire, and a neighborhood safety initiative focusing on 12th near Hollinshead Park. Meeting Adjourned at 1:30 pm Next Meeting Thursday, September 3, 2020 – 12:00 to 1:30 pm Virtual Meeting