Metropolitan Planning Organization - Regular Meeting

the Long View Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board meeting happening on April 8th of 2026. Our invocation and pledge will be led by Mr. Michael Shirley. Please stand. Bow with me, please. Lord, heavenly father, we just come to you today. We just thank you for the opportunity to to represent our community, Lord, in various capacities. Lord, we just pray for uh wisdom and discernment as we discuss business for our community. Lord, we just thank you for the many opportunities and blessings you've given us. Lord, we just ask that uh you let us shine your light and your love through our actions. And in your son Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Uh, next on our agenda is citizen comment. I do not have any speaker cards. Are there any citizens that would like to make a comment? Seeing that, I will move on to the consent agenda. I believe we've had one update to the February 26th meeting minutes. Uh any other changes or comments on the consent agenda? If not, I will take a motion to approve. Move to approve. Second.

And a second. All in favor, please say I. Any opposed? Consent agenda is approved. Uh next agenda item, consider adoption of fiscal year 2027 through 2030 transportation improvement program. Mr. Kagoo.

Yes. Thank you. So, we began our public comment and review period on the 27th and it ended today. We received zero public comments. So, um I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the transportation improvement program. It's a four-year plan that we update every two years. It's the list of the local projects to be funded within the next four years. It can include uh mobility, p bike and pedestrian um all sorts of projects and it shows the regional agreement of the need of a project. Uh so there's two types of projects in the transportation improvement program. There's the regionally significant projects which we call mobility projects and then there's group projects. These projects are just lower in scale. They get grouped together as instead of being standalone projects. Uh this is a map of where all these projects will be taking place during this tip. The red is the mobility and the blue is the grouped. So the first of the three mobility projects is the state highway 42 widening. It's 164,80,000 and it's widening from two to four lanes with center turn lane. And this is the only project that we received comments from text on. It is uh still happening in fiscal year 27 but it's construction fiscal year 28. And then loop 485 is 15,80,000 and it's four lane uh to add a center turn lane. And then US 271 is widening from two to four lanes with center turn lane. And all three of these projects were also included in the last tip. And then for the grouping projects which are the less significant we have 18 and it could be any kind of seal coat lighting bridge maintenance anything like that.

And then for the transit projects these are the numbers that they have programmed for the next four years. And I'll speak a little bit about the transit projects. So we incorporate them in our planning methods. Um and these are specifically for um bus replacement um any sort of capital improvements. So in like their building facilities upgrades um anything of that nature we encompass that money because they received that from Federal Transit Administration. Why is 2027 so much higher? I could not answer that but I can get you an answer um after the meeting if you'd like. Okay. Yes ma'am.

Any questions or comments? questions or comments? No. I guess we need a motion to approve. Yes, ma'am. And a second. Second. All in favor, please say I. Any opposed. Item is adopted. Thank you so much. Next up, NO staff updates with Mr. McBride.

So, uh, first off, I've got two, uh, things I want to mention. We have, uh, Mr. Rick Evans serving as the interim director of public works for the city of Long View. Um so he is filling that seat for our policy board. Um secondly, so welcome. Secondly, um our boundary has officially been approved by the governor. So we are officially encompassed of Hallville um and part a portion of Rust County and so we are changing everything to reflect that. And the other thing I would like to mention is four street area study. Uh we had a um fun time doing that. We had five RFQS narrowed down to a short list of three narrowed it down to one and we've awarded it to half associates and we'll go to the Long Beach City Council tomorrow for authorization. Um looking forward to doing the study and um we'll be seeing timelines. I'll be sure to keep y'all um providing that public capturing that public involvement. So really excited to bring them on uh to help guide this study for us. Um, with that, I'd be happy to answer any questions or any directive for staff to do anything else or if there's any comments.

I'm not familiar with HAF. Have we ever used them before? Half, uh, we have in the past. Um, the city has used them. Uh, we have relationships with them. Parts of their, um, team we've worked on, uh, different things as subconultants and stuff, but directly as the primary consultant, I have personally have not. Um, but did a reference check. Every everyone's it's been good.

Good. very good working relationship with the area office, the Tyler area office. I know. Uh in fact, when I believe Judge Stout and I were working some years back on improving access to some of the property along Estus Parkway at the Northwest corner that Leadco had purchased, they were the consultant we brought on board to help guide that through the tech stop process. So I'd be interested if you remember some of the unique things that they were considering for public input. Would you like to hear about them right now? Um so briefly um okay briefly.

So it's kind of a hybrid approach of uh we'll do still the core meeting uh type of environment where everyone attends a public meeting. Uh but additionally they're going to we're going to go to on-site and kind of capture that feedback that way. See if there's any a collaboration of events happening. I'd want to What does on-site mean? like go to four street

go to four street area so you've got fresh you've got you know you got the Lowe's you've got so whether it's foot traffic into these stores um if not trying to put say fresh has events but you know they've got you know events happening Thursday Friday nights and stuff go out there see if we can collaborate and get some feedback there um and then also if I appreciate them when I asked them the question this in the interview was that um what would you do if you don't get the feedback you want and not want but you don't get any feedback you know some people are hesitant to uh respond to questions and stuff and they're willing to pivot and I appreciate that being unique and hybrid and trying to figure out what fits well for that because it's when we do corridor studies you typically deal with a lot of residents and this is primarily a very commercial real estate or real real estate area and so it's it's a different crowd you're pulling like I said from the region so it's not just people who live here but live also out here using that corridor so just some different ways of trying to capture feedback to ensure that we we understand what we should do over there.

Yeah, that's great. I I'm glad to hear it. I imagine it's hard to get public in Well, it's hard to get public input on anything, but hate to hear that we don't get any and transportation is one of those that's like probably extra hard. So, very much so. Is that one of those um viewing of trying to widen Fourth Street along that corridor where Lowe's is and all that? So, that's the corridor we're we're going to review. I don't want to speak into what I'm sure that's the results are um but or would be um I don't want to That's a wish.

I don't want to be presumptuous and give the answer, you know, I want to let the public and staff and professional just kind of guide it. Um, but yes, sir, that's kind of the area we're talking specifically from, uh, for street extensions in the new part where fresh I was talking about as well as down into Lowe's, Home Depot, uh, or Walmart and all that. The one that everybody's mad about. The one that we receive a lot of complaints. Those things just just keeps on giving. Yes. Been giving for decades. decades in the city. The interesting thing is that that was really before access control was really monitored. There are too many driveways in that stretch and that that is that is the real problem. So okay, good. It's going to be fun. Yeah.

Yes. I'm excited. Any other questions, comments? Okay. Are you done with your report? Yes. Good. Okay. We are adjourned. Good job. Thank you. Oh, excuse Give me a message.