FAIRFAX COUNTY TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMISSION (TAC) and FAIRFAX COUNTY TRAILS AND SIDEWALKS COMMITTEE
Meeting Summary
Joint Meeting – March 15, 2016 at 7:00 PM – FCDOT, 4050 Legato Rd, Fairfax, VA 22033
TAC Members in Attendance: Chairman Jeff Parnes (Sully), Vice Chairman Jenifer Joy Madden (Hunter Mill), Secretary Roger Hoskin (Mason), Alan Young (At Large), Kevin Morse (Braddock), Mike Champness (Dranesville), Harry Zimmerman (Lee), Micah Himmel (Providence) and Eric Thiel (Springfield).
TSC Members Present: Peter Christensen – Chair (Mount Vernon); Wade Smith (Dranesville); and Alan Young (Springfield).
Others in Attendance: Calvin Lam (FCDOT), Chris Wells (FCDOT), Cindy Engelhart (VDOT), Gabby Hakim (Fairfax Maintenance Manager, VDOT), Shaukat Faheem (MSMD- Fairfax, DPWES), Bill Schell (DPWES).
The meeting was called to order by Vice Chairman Madden.
Note Taker: Harry Zimmerman
Main Topics Discussed
Agenda and Discussion Topics:
7:00 Welcome and Introduction
7:15 Chairs of TAC Commission and Trails Committee Explain Commission and Committee Functions.
TSC Chair Christensen explained the committees’ recent emphasis on funding for trails and sidewalks including a letter they sent to the Board of Supervisors recommending increasing funding in the future. A complicating factor is sorting out responsibilities for various portions of the system or project areas.
7:30 Roles of County and State in County Trails Maintenance – Bill Schell (DPWES) and Cindy Engelhart (VDOT)
Mr Schell described some of the challenges the County encounters when trying to research all manner or property records to determine ownership and responsibilities for portions of the road and trails/sidewalks networks. His department is developing detailed GIS maps and inventories of the assets they are responsible to maintain. He believes the Park Authority also has a pretty good inventory of the things they need to maintain.
Mr Schell provided a presentation explaining his Department’s responsibilities and some basic facts about the systems as well as providing responses to the Committees’ questions. This summary will not repeat the information in the briefing slides. He did clarify that trails are asphalt or natural and sidewalks are concrete by definition. The County basically follows VDOT standards which are thought to be pretty good.
Ms Engelhart echoed the challenges that complicate the process of determining responsibilities and getting funding.
There was some interesting discussion about the different legal frameworks that encumber various types of property and enforcement actions by some owners.
Mr Schell’s presentation included examples of assessment documentation including photographs and cost estimates. They consider Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues when determining priorities and scope decisions for repairs or replacements. He also explained some different techniques to grind, cut, or otherwise adjust irregular surfaces or sections. He explained a trend toward more use of contractors with equipment and specialized experience rather than trying to do projects with organic (in-house) staff and equipment. There is some encouraging movement in County budget allocations and proffers this year. Inventory has been relatively stable for over a decade with only about 5 miles being added to the inventory each year. The presentation highlighted the many benefits of trails and sidewalks including health, safety, and public enjoyment. He explained the various methods for citizens to notify the County of problems and how the Department responds to those with limited staff. In addition, they have a fairly robust prioritization calculus that is a combination of desktop analysis and actual site visits. The GIS data and contractor’s study information has been invaluable to these efforts. There was considerable discussion about budget allocation methods and priorities as well as suggestions for how to better justify future budget requests.
Ms Engelhart and Gabby Hakim gave the Committees an update on how the VDOT District Office has been developing their inventory but it is a work in progress and their priorities have been construction rather than inventory of existing systems. They explained a paucity of funding for the last several years but that has changed recently and funding is once again being provided in increasing amounts and that is encouraging. Trails (asphalt) are funded from highway paving funds while sidewalks are funded from system maintenance funds. There are also state-level funds available to do ADA curb ramp repairs. Pedestrian bridges are funded from the bridge account. There was some discussion about how VDOT might better justify future funding by getting the inventory completed sooner rather than later but the District is trying to balance getting work done and spending on inventory development. A recommendation was made to consider tapping into the Universities’ student populations who could perhaps use apps on their cell phones to map and report conditions of trails and sidewalks which is now possible based on improved sensors. A question was asked about grass clipping removal from the trails to help limit accumulation of dust/dirt and vegetative growth on the trails. There was interest in status of the second phase of FFC Parkway trail and the Committees were assured it is in the works but not yet funded.
Chairman Parnes recommended each Committee consider potential actions that could be taken or recommended for trails and sidewalks and that the Committees share that information in subsequent meetings.
For easy reference: The questions below were agreed by the Committees and provided to VDOT and FCDOT prior to the meeting.
1. What is the current funding mechanism for trail maintenance?
2. What would be the ideal budget for maintaining existing county trails?
3. What can be done to increase trail maintenance funding in the county?
4. What are the legal and liability considerations for trail maintenance or lack thereof?
5. How does County staff prioritize trails and sidewalks for completion and for maintenance? Does it have “tiers” of trail and sidewalks quality and connectivity? If the County was able to secure additional funds for maintenance, how would County staff recommend the funds be allocated across approximately 700 miles of Fairfax County trails and miles of sidewalks?
9:00 Discussion of Next Steps
9:30 Adjourn
Closing and Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.