By Jim Reece - Road funding ideas ranged between a nonexistent plan and a 100 percent reimbursement from the developer in Tuesday’s meeting on the Wicklow Way Subdivision. The Amador County Planning Commission asked for a “Fiscal Impact Report,” which Lemke Construction said was not a part of the California Environmental Quality Act, and therefore not a part of the Environmental Impact Report, which the commission later approved. Lemke’s Susan Larson said a study showed that the project would be responsible for paying 39 percent of road work for its project’s traffic impacts. But Larson said Lemke was willing to pay for 100 percent of the roads, if they were built by Amador County, Jackson and the school district. She said Lemke would then reimburse the funds. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field said that ACTC was working on a program that would allow “fair share” payment into road funding. Those funds would pay for the roads in the Wicklow Subdivision, and others. Field said a computer program to determine those fair shares, based on trips, was a way to look at 30-year to 50-year build-outs and cash flow, but the program was not yet released and was in the hands of ACTC’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Setting up the fair share program allows all projects in the area to pay into the funding pool. Commissioner John Gonsalves said that if Lemke wanted to pay for 100 percent of the roads, that was a big gamble, and it was also something that he wanted to make happen. Field said he was “not in a position to sign a reimbursement agreement for a program that does not exist.” One important part of the program was extending Sutter Street., which must be done before Stoney Creek Road is connected. Field said a study by Fehrs & Peers Transportation Consultants said that with or without an extension of Stoney Creek Road, “either way, it does not represent an operational problem for us.” But they said it could create a “perception problem.” He said one way to address that would be to bar vehicle roadway connection until the Wicklow Way/Stoney Creek Road connection is built and open. The meeting on the project presentation resumes November 18th.
Thursday, 30 October 2008 03:50
Wicklow Road Funding Reviewed By Planning Commission, ACTC
By Jim Reece - Road funding ideas ranged between a nonexistent plan and a 100 percent reimbursement from the developer in Tuesday’s meeting on the Wicklow Way Subdivision. The Amador County Planning Commission asked for a “Fiscal Impact Report,” which Lemke Construction said was not a part of the California Environmental Quality Act, and therefore not a part of the Environmental Impact Report, which the commission later approved. Lemke’s Susan Larson said a study showed that the project would be responsible for paying 39 percent of road work for its project’s traffic impacts. But Larson said Lemke was willing to pay for 100 percent of the roads, if they were built by Amador County, Jackson and the school district. She said Lemke would then reimburse the funds. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field said that ACTC was working on a program that would allow “fair share” payment into road funding. Those funds would pay for the roads in the Wicklow Subdivision, and others. Field said a computer program to determine those fair shares, based on trips, was a way to look at 30-year to 50-year build-outs and cash flow, but the program was not yet released and was in the hands of ACTC’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Setting up the fair share program allows all projects in the area to pay into the funding pool. Commissioner John Gonsalves said that if Lemke wanted to pay for 100 percent of the roads, that was a big gamble, and it was also something that he wanted to make happen. Field said he was “not in a position to sign a reimbursement agreement for a program that does not exist.” One important part of the program was extending Sutter Street., which must be done before Stoney Creek Road is connected. Field said a study by Fehrs & Peers Transportation Consultants said that with or without an extension of Stoney Creek Road, “either way, it does not represent an operational problem for us.” But they said it could create a “perception problem.” He said one way to address that would be to bar vehicle roadway connection until the Wicklow Way/Stoney Creek Road connection is built and open. The meeting on the project presentation resumes November 18th.
