Ak-Chin Indian Community transit and nonmotorized transportation study

              Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit
and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Task Assignment MPD 37-10
W O R K P L A N
September 2, 2010
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page i
Table of Contents
Task 1.0 – Refine the Work Plan ..................................................... 1
1.1) Project Kick-off Meeting ........................................................................................ 1
1.2) Review of Available Studies .................................................................................. 1
1.3) TAC Meeting #1 .................................................................................................... 2
1.4) Public Involvement Plan ....................................................................................... 2
Task 2.0 – Working Paper 1: Current and Future Conditions ...... 2
A) Inventory of Current Conditions ............................................................................... 2
B) Forecast of Future Conditions and Deficiencies ...................................................... 3
Task 3.0 – First Phase of Public Involvement and
Summary Report .................................................................... 4
3.1) Public Meeting Materials ....................................................................................... 4
3.2) Public Meeting Presentation ................................................................................. 5
Task 4.0 – Working Paper 2: Develop evaluation criteria and
a plan for improvements ........................................................ 5
4.1) Identification of Projects ........................................................................................ 5
4.2) Project Phasing .................................................................................................... 6
4.3) Policy and Design Recommendations .................................................................. 6
4.4) TAC Meeting #3 .................................................................................................... 6
Work Task 5.0 – Second Phase of Public Involvement and
Summary Report 2 ................................................................. 6
5.1) Public Meeting Materials ....................................................................................... 7
5.2) Public Meeting Presentation ................................................................................. 7
Work Task 6.0 – Final Draft Report ................................................ 7
Progress Reporting ...................................................................................................... 7
Exhibit A - Project Schedule ........................................................... 8
Exhibit B .......................................................................................... 9
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 1
PROJECT WORK PLAN
Task 1.0 – Refine the Work Plan
Purpose:
• Refine the draft Work Plan and identify background information needed for plan
preparation; discuss staffing assignments, schedule, and project team coordination.
• Coordinate public involvement with the Community, ADOT, and the public
involvement consultant on drafting a Public Involvement Plan for review at TAC
Meeting #1.
Deliverables: Refined scope, schedule, and deliverables (Technical Memorandum 1:
Present detailed work plan).
• Preliminary identification of data gaps and focus areas.
• Draft base map showing the study area boundary. (Note: All GIS data collected and
prepared in the development of this study will be provided to the Community in GIS
format.)
1.1) Project Kick-off Meeting
This meeting will establish a common starting point for the project and serve to establish
direct working relationships and clear lines of communications between the project
management team. Of significant importance for the HDR team is to develop an
understanding of the particular protocol of the Community. Project schedule, decision-making
process, and project objectives will be reviewed and refined. Similarly, format,
level of detail, and content of various deliverables will also be addressed. Following this
meeting the HDR team will prepare a revised Work Plan including project schedule and
staffing requirements for approval from the Community and ADOT
(Technical Memorandum #1).
Of particular importance, the data gathering process will begin with the HDR team
requesting all available documentation including the Long Range Transportation Plan,
current strategic plans, the general plan, and other relevant documentation. This review
shall also include studies relating to transit and trails for the cities of Maricopa and Casa
Grande, and Pinal County.
1.2) Review of Available Studies
Upon receipt of information provided by the Community, the HDR team will review and
analyze these materials as a basis to begin its efforts. The goal of this task is to provide
a baseline to begin the analysis work and prevent “reinventing the wheel.”
The HDR team will also review the Community’s ordinances and codes as they relate to
accommodating future transit facilities such as bus stops or bus pullouts on any roads or
tribal property.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 2
1.3) TAC Meeting #1
HDR will meet with the TAC to kick-off the project, review scope of work and schedule,
clarify roles, and expectations and responsibilities of TAC members to include
information support, review of materials and validating assumptions. We will also
discuss data availability and sources. Project goals and objectives for both trails and
transit will be developed as part of this meeting. This meeting will also allow the team to
further identify stakeholders to engage them early and continuously through the study
process, and to validate the list of entities to be interviewed during Task 2.2A described
below.
1.4) Public Involvement Plan
HDR will review and provide comment on the public involvement consultant’s Public
Involvement Plan. Our outreach ideas, identified in this proposal and refined through our
work, will be shared and discussed with the public involvement consultant through this
process.
Task 2.0 Working Paper 1: Current and
Future Conditions
A) Inventory of Current Conditions
Purpose: Develop an understanding of the Community through:
• Inventory and evaluate current land use patterns, travel data, functional classification
of roads, access management patterns and policies (if available), and road and
street conditions, as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as they
relate to transit and non-motorized transportation modes.
• The transit element will include an inventory and evaluation of current demand,
levels of service, transit providers, ridership, employment centers, and demographic
and socioeconomic characteristics.
• Transit element will include identification of service goals and objectives.
Deliverables: Draft Working Paper 1 describing existing and future conditions in the
Study Area (see Deliverables under (B) below).
2.1A) Field Visit
This activity will involve key personnel from HDR participating in a field visit to develop
an understanding of the area and the dynamics involved in planning trails and transit
facilities. The field visit would involve the project management team and may also
include stakeholders and others for all or a portion of the visit to get their perspectives.
2.2A) Focus Interviews
The HDR team will prepare for and conduct stakeholder interviews with up to 12 entities
identified through coordination with the project management team. The interviews will be
designed to solicit information on the various issues, opportunities, and concerns to be
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 3
addressed through the planning process. The interviews will be conducted in person on
the day of the field visit, or by telephone. Subsequent follow-up phone and/or in-person
interviews will be facilitated with these entities when necessary.
Stakeholder interviews should include Community departments/ services that are
currently providing some level of transportation services to their constituents. This will
allow the HDR team to understand how those services can be leveraged, or enhanced.
2.3A) Documentation of Existing Condition
This review will include an assessment of Census data as it relates to demographic and
socioeconomic characteristics, such as race, gender, age, household characteristics,
economics, means to work, and vehicular availability. An important aspect of this effort
will include documentation of Environmental Justice and Title VI populations to fulfill the
specific requirements applicable to receiving federal funding for future projects.
Through the focused interviews, field visit, and information gained through the TAC, the
HDR team will document existing multi-modal routes (pedestrian, bicycle, and transit)
currently utilized and identify routes, conditions, safety issues, and deficiencies. The
review will include an assessment of ADA needs and deficiencies with regard to existing
pedestrian amenities.
A review of the characteristics of the physical, natural, and cultural environments will
also be made. This will include environmental conditions with summary impacts of the
Community’s sensitive-protected areas, wildlife habitat, wetlands, and culturally sensitive
locations within the study area. During this task, the concept of introducing native plants
to the landscape, or developing interpretative or informational kiosks will be explored.
The HDR team will identify rural activity centers and destinations and prepare a map
showing transit origin-destination patterns and activity centers. This effort could be
augmented by working with seniors and youth during the outreach described in Task 3 to
develop “cognitive maps” identifying what is of personal importance (cognitive maps can
be thought of as “mental maps” revealing place preference and subjective distance).
B) Forecast of Future Conditions and Deficiencies
Purpose:
• Forecast future conditions related to transit and non-motorized transportation modes
for the short-range (5 years), mid-range (10 years), and long-range (20 years)
timeframes.
• Forecast future multi-modal needs, deficiencies, and infrastructure for short-range,
mid-range, and long-range planning perspectives.
• Inventory and evaluate future land use patterns, travel data, functional classification
of roads, access management, and road and street conditions
• Develop demographic and socioeconomic projections of population and
demographic characteristics as they relate to transit and non-motorized
transportation modes.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 4
Deliverables: Draft Working Paper 1 describing existing and future conditions in the
Study Area. The draft will be revised based on response to comments received from the
TAC.
2.1B) Future Conditions
Identify future conditions by reviewing anticipated future land use patterns, location of
future Community development, and pedestrian destinations (e.g., parks, schools, public
use facilities, subdivisions, recreation, employment centers) and by reviewing
Community data resources, such as the General Plan, Strategic Plan, and Economic
Development Plan.
2.2B) Projected Demand for Trails and Transit
The transit element will include an inventory and evaluation of projected demand for a
proposed passenger public transportation system, levels of service, transit providers,
and quantitative estimate of ridership including estimation of monthly passenger trips,
and employment centers, as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
HDR has used the Arkansas Public Transportation Needs Assessment method, a model
for forecasting future transit demand based upon specific demographic characteristics.
This method was used in the Arizona Rural Transit Needs Study which forecast Pinal
County would have the greatest transit demand of Arizona Counties by 2016 (2.5 million
person trips). Given the small size of the Community (and the age of the census
demographic information available to model), it will be important to augment this data
with information from the stakeholder interviews and current transit providers in the area.
2.3B) TAC Meeting #2
Key members of the HDR team will meet with the TAC to review Working Paper #1
describing the existing and future conditions. The meeting will be structured to engage
the TAC in the discussion and identify the key elements of the work done to date to
highlight for the Community in the upcoming outreach efforts.
Task 3.0 – First Phase of Public Involvement and
Summary Report 1
Purpose: Engage the Community and stakeholders in the process of developing a trails
and transit plan and solicit input on the system.
Deliverables: Presentation boards and a handout for public involvement meetings. (Up
to 14 boards scoped for entire project.)
3.1) Public Meeting Materials
The HDR team will prepare a newsletter for distribution by the public involvement
consultant that notifies recipients of the upcoming meeting(s), provides a general
description of the project, and informs recipients of how they may provide input on the
study. The HDR team will also review and comment on a press release prepared by the
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 5
public involvement consultant. Presentation boards will be prepared for the meeting to
describe what has occurred in the Study process as well as future work tasks, present
existing and future projections, and identify deficiencies. The Public Involvement
Summary Report (prepared by the public involvement consultant) will be incorporated
into the Final Report and Executive Summary.
3.2) Public Meeting Presentation
At the meeting, the HDR team will present the project findings and take notes to record
the comments of the participants for consideration in the development of the Study.
Note: HDR will adhere to the responsibilities as defined in the request for proposals,
Figure C: PARA Responsibilities Matrix (see Exhibit B - Figure C: PARA Responsibilities
Matrix).
Task 4.0 – Working Paper 2: Develop evaluation criteria
and a plan for improvements
Purpose: Identify a plan of improvements and the specific actions necessary to
implement and sustain the plan.
Deliverables: Working Paper #2 Identifying the trails and transit issues and
recommending improvements to address and implement them.
4.1) Identification of Projects
Through the outreach, interviews, and work conducted, the HDR team will identify
projects that establish and improve the pedestrian and transit options for Community
members. Projects developed will address both transit and trails. Evaluation criteria will
address such issues as safety; connection of multi-modal transportation modes
throughout the Community and to external surrounding; provide recommendations for
access management and right of way preservation in order to prepare for the inclusion of
future bus pullouts, trails, sidewalks or bicycle lanes in the design of new transportation
facilities; and potential partnerships with external agencies.
Information from level of service analysis conducted as part of Task 2 will aid in
developing recommendations for adequate clear zones and shoulder widths to provide
for user safety. The Study will also address policies to ensure that the safety measures
recommended will continue to be effective as development occurs. Transit element will
include development of draft operating parameters/service profile. Develop a conceptual
level service profile for the transit system. This profile will include potential routes,
headways, and service span. Identify days of operation, alternative fare structure, hours
of operation (peak & nonpeak service), frequency and potential routes/services.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 6
4.2) Project Phasing
In order to implement the Plan, the identified projects will be prioritized based upon the
outreach and community involvement efforts done to date. An important aspect of this
work will be to evaluate the projects in the context of the various funding mechanisms
identified, and establish the project phasing accordingly. The idea is to develop the Plan
in such a way that the Community is best able to take advantage of the available funding
and funding cycles through the prioritization of projects. In that way, each successive
step of implementation will build on the previous, so that work done to date can be
leveraged against future work, and each phase provides greater support for the next.
Drawing from HDR’s knowledge of alternative transit funding programs,
recommendations will be provided that include a phased implementation approach
linked to available funding.
4.3) Policy and Design Recommendations
The HDR team will propose street sections for collector and arterial streets that show the
provision of trails or paths within the right-of-way. These sections would detail the
spacing, lane widths, buffer zones, trail/path details and possible amenities for inclusion.
Transit element will include an update of tribal code/ordinances. Investigate any changes
necessary to the ordinances and codes of the tribe to accommodate public
transportation service. This is in reference to amending any tribal laws to allow bus
stops, bus pullouts or bus locations on any roads or tribal property. The HDR team will
identify and recommend strategic management steps for transit and nonmotorized
transportation start-up operations.
4.4) TAC Meeting #3
Key members of the HDR Team will meet with the TAC to review Working Paper #2
describing the evaluation criteria and the plan for improvements. The meeting will be
structured to engage the TAC in the discussion and to identify the key elements of the
proposed trails and transit systems to highlight for the Community in the upcoming
outreach efforts.
The Study will be much more than a listing of projects and guidelines. Our approach is to
coordinate projects and project phasing so that the Community is positioned to take
advantage of funding opportunities, all the while ensuring that the Community has strong
ownership of the plan.
Work Task 5.0 – Second Phase of Public Involvement
and Summary Report 2
Purpose: Engage the Community in the process of developing a trails and transit plan
and solicit input on the system. In this phase of outreach, the HDR team will present its
findings to date and identify its recommended plan for improvements to solicit feedback
and identify and address additional ideas generated by Community discussion.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 7
Deliverables: Presentation boards and a handout for public involvement meetings. (Up
to 14 boards scoped for entire project.)
5.1) Public Meeting Materials
The HDR team will prepare a newsletter for distribution by the Community that notifies
them of the upcoming meeting(s), provides a general description of the project, and
informs them of how they may provide input on the study. The HDR team will also review
and comment on a press release prepared by the Public Involvement Consultant.
Presentation boards will be prepared for the meeting to describe what has occurred in
the Study process, present existing and future projections, identify deficiencies, and
recommend a program of improvements.
5.2) Public Meeting Presentation
At the meeting the HDR team will present the project findings and take notes recording
the comments of the participants for consideration in the development of the Study.
Work Task 6.0 – Final Draft Report
Purpose: Preparation of Final Draft Report for the project management team and TAC
review.
Deliverables: Final Draft Report. The Final Draft Report will be revised once, based on
project management team and TAC comments.
Progress Reporting
To keep the ADOT project manager and Community staff apprised of progress, HDR will
prepare a brief monthly report including progress realized in relation to the project
schedule. The report will identify key milestones such as specific activities completed,
any information generated and contacts made. We will provide an assessment, by task,
of the study completed to date and costs incurred. The report will identify specific
activities to be completed in the coming month. In addition, it is important that through
the process we communicate openly and regularly with the project management team
(consisting of the HDR project manager, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, ADOT, and the
public involvement consultant).
Note: The durations noted in the original work plan have been removed; please refer to
the Exhibit A, Project Schedule.
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 8
Exhibit A - Project Schedule
Ak-Chin Indian Community Transit and Nonmotorized Transportation Study
Work Plan FINAL September 2, 2010 Page 9
Exhibit B