MORGANTOWN PARKING AUTHORITY

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Regular Meeting

The regular meeting of the Morgantown Parking Authority was held at 3:00 P.M., Wednesday, January 10, 2007, in the Conference Room at the Public Safety Building.

PRESENT: Chairman Ernest Fortuna, George Papandreas, Charlie McEwuen, Jeanne Hagan, and

Tom Arnold.

ABSENT: Vice-Chairman Bill Byrne

OTHERS PRESENT: Dave Bruffy, Transit Authority Director

Chairman Ernest Fortuna called the meeting to order at 3:05 P.M. He welcomed Ms. Jeanne Hagan, who replaces Mr. Ron Bane, as the newest member to the Parking Authority Board.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Upon a motion by Mr. Papandreas, seconded by Mr. McEwuen and approved by unanimous vote, the minutes of the regular meeting of December 13, 2006 were approved as presented.

The regular business was suspended to allow Mr. Dave Bruffy, Transit Authority Director, to speak on the second item under new business.

NEW BUSINESS:

Possible Bus Station in the Lot Behind Daniel’s:

Mr. Arnold received a phone call from City Manager Dan Boroff regarding the Transit Authority scheduled to meet at City Council’s Committee of the Whole. They will meet to discuss the possibility of creating a bus terminal in the City lot behind Daniel’s Men Store (Lot B). Mr. Arnold in turn invited Mr. Bruffy to the Parking Authority meeting to make a presentation to the Authority members.

Mr. Bruffy reported that in 1998 there were 211,070 riders utilizing the Mountain Lion Transit Authority buses and in 2006 the number of riders increased to 608,284. This figure includes 30,023 senior citizens and 15,000 disabled riders.

In 2006 the Mountain Lion Transit Authority was approached by Mayor Ron Justice regarding the possibility of relocating the transfer hub for its buses from its 2,000 sq. ft. building next to the Ruby McClain Park to the City owned parking lot (Lot B) behind Daniel’s Men Store. The hub allows all of the buses to load and unload its passengers.

The new location will need to be big enough for seventeen buses with an average stay of five minutes per bus. Lot B was chosen because it is flat with multiple means of ingress and egress, close to the downtown and will be assessable for wheel chairs. The new hub can be created by relocating the current traffic lane on Chestnut Street to the left lane where vehicles currently park and use the current traffic lane as a bus loading and unloading zone.

For a basic constructed facility the estimated cost for the transfer hub is $1.5 million. There are two possibilities for funding this project. A Private Funding Partner or Public Project through FTA could be obtained. A Public Project would require the transfer of property with funding to start in 2008, construction in 2009, and 2010 before the hub would be ready for use. If a Private sector funding were obtained then the Transit Authority would lease the property beginning in 2007 with construction to last 12-18 months and the hub would be ready for use in 2009. Mr. Bruffy reminded the Authority members that this is not an initiative of the Transit Authority but that of the City Council and Mayor Justice.

Mr. Bruffy said Councilman Don Spencer approached him on where the best place to create a bus hub, in which Mr. Bruffy stated that lot B is the best location. Mr. Fortuna said that forty or fifty years ago a bus terminal for Grey Hound Bus and the City buses was located in Lot B. Mr. Arnold is not in favor of loosing parking in Lot B because it is the busiest parking lot downtown. It gets used twenty-four hours a day and brings in over $100,000 per year. This amount doesn’t include the parking spaces to be lost on Chestnut Street.

Mr. McEwuen is concerned that the new bus terminal will create a traffic problem. Mr. Bruffy disagreed, saying the buses will be out of traffic and would disperse rather quickly in different directions unlike its current location that gets grid locked. Mr. Papandreas asked Mr. Bruffy if he believes Lot B is the best location for the bus transfer station. Mr. Bruffy said in his opinion this location was not the best, however, it is the only location that is currently being looked at.

Mr. Arnold asked if Spruce Street parking lot (Lot A) or (Lot C) next to Hastings Funeral Home would be more appropriate for the terminal. Mr. Bruffy said that the lots are big enough however they are on a one-way street that will create congestion and there may be an issue with the turning radius of the forty-foot buses that are nine and a half foot wide.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Meeting with Downtown Merchants on January 10, 2007:

A meeting with downtown merchants was held in Council Chambers on the morning of January 10, 2007 to discuss downtown parking issues and how the Parking Authority can better address them. Mr. Arnold was very impressed with the large number of people who attended. He encouraged the downtown merchants to share any parking initiatives they would like to see implemented.

Mr. John P. Kuehn suggested a graduated parking program that would run month to month. Mr. Arnold said the graduated program would not work on a monthly basis due to the limitations of the handheld, however a graduated program on a daily basis would be possible. Mr. Arnold said the biggest parking problem is the “space jumpers”. The space jumpers move their vehicles from one space to another within the same parking lot or within the same block on the street.

Ms. Terry Cutright said the Parking Authority could advertise parking issues and program in the newspaper. A two inch by five inch ad to run bi-weekly for one year would cost $2,500 and asked if the Parking Authority could cover this cost. Mr. Arnold said that right now there isn’t any money in the budget but $2,500 could be moved from another line item.

Mr. Arnold said there is a need for a packet for new businesses in the downtown. The packet would include parking programs and goals. An ordinance on the graduated parking fines will need to be developed for the Parking Authority to approve and send to Council for approval.

NEW BUSINESS:

Program Development for Downtown Student Housing:

Mr. Arnold has been working with the Planning Department and Building Inspections onr an inventory of the number of structures in the (B-4) district. This inventory will include the number of tenants who have vehicles and how many of them who don’t have parking provided and would need a parking space. Mr. Arnold has spoken with four different landlords in the downtown and all four did not know where their tenants park.

Mr. Arnold said there is a possibility of metering spaces on Spruce Street to Fife. He said Mr. Boroff, the Police and Fire Departments are in favor of this plan however; Terry Hough is not in favor. She believes that it is public parking and that it is the only place for students to park without encroaching on the residential area. Mr. Arnold said by installing parking meters on those streets will bring the spaces into compliance by making them twenty-two feet.

Mr. Fortuna asked if the Authority would have enough enforcement personnel to police the additional meters. Mr. Arnold assured him that the additional spaces would not be a problem for enforcement.

OTHER MATTERS: None.

ADJOURNMENT:

There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 4:45 P.M.

_____________________________ ______________________________

DATE Ernest Fortuna, Chairman

Prepared by: _____________________________________

Dianna L. Kovalcheck