Carson City RTC to form committee on city streets

Carson City is moving forward with plans to form a citizens advisory committee to look at maintenance of city streets.

The Regional Transportation Commission Wednesday directed city staff to form a 23-member committee who will meet with the Public Works staff monthly from June to December.

The goal is to both educate the public on limited resources and city projects and for the city to get feedback on how residents think those projects should be prioritized.

“It’s been well documented and discussed that we’re facing a challenge of funding for maintenance of our streets,” said Patrick Pittenger, transportation manager, Public Works department, who presented the item to the RTC. “We get requests from individuals on how we select projects and how do citizens provide input.”

The committee will be called Transportation Resource Advisory Forum of Carson City, or TRAFCC, and will be modeled somewhat on a similar effort by the RTC of Southern Nevada in Clark County.

Citizens will be able to apply to be on it via the city’s web site.

Ten citizens will be chosen by staff to serve, and staff was directed by the RTC to make every effort to include residents from all four wards in the city.

The remaining 13 spots will be filled by representatives from area organizations and city and state entities, including the Chamber of Commerce, Builders Association of Western Nevada, Northern Nevada Development Authority, Nevada Division of Transportation and Carson City’s Planning Commission, School District, and Visitors Bureau.

TRAFCC will only advise city staff so its meetings will not be subject to the open meeting law.

But, the meetings will be public and televised live, if facilities can be found to accommodate the large group, or videotaped and made available on the city’s web site.

There will also be opportunity to make public comment at the TRAFCC meetings.

The RTC’s main concern before approving the measure was the process would be organized and possibly use an outsider facilitator, at least to start, so it didn’t consume too much staff time, become unwieldy or heated, or allow a few people to dominate the conversation.

Next, Public Works staff will work out those procedures, post an application online and determine members, all with the goal of having the first meeting in late June.

The RTC also approved a $147,407.70 contract with Sierra Nevada Construction, Inc. for a project to complete approximately 16,000 square yards of chip seal and rapid setting slurry seal on Lompa Lane between College Parkway and Carmine Street and approximately 17,000 square yards of rapid setting slurry seal on Curry Street between Rhodes and 10th streets.

A contract with Vega Asphalt Paving not to exceed $249,700 was approved to conduct a citywide asphalt patch repair project.

Pittenger also presented the budgets for transit, Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the RTC, and street maintenance.

In the last budget, $200,000 remains uncommitted because the Board of Supervisors last week nixed two projects, a city fueling station and a truck barn the money was earmarked for.