* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. SO WE'LL OFFICIALLY CALL [00:00:01] THE MEETING TO ORDER FOR [1. Welcome & Introductions] OUR FIRST MEETING OF 2025 AT FIVE 30. UM, SO, UH, HAPPY TO HEAR IT EVERYBODY. UM, SAME TO YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO, UM, CHANGE THE MEETING DATE TO A TUESDAY. UM, THAT ALLOWED US, UM, ALLOWED ME TO DO A PRESENTATION TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ON THE RACE GRANT, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MINUTE. UM, AND IT ALLOWED JESSE TO TALK TO HYDRA. UM, UM, SOME DO SOME PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. SO MUCH APPRECIATED. UM, SO I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANYBODY NEW, AND THERE'S NO ONE HERE FROM THE PUBLIC, SO NO PUBLIC COMMENT. UM, SO [3. Approval of Minutes – November 18, 2024] WE'VE, UH, GIVEN THE MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 18TH MEETING, HOPEFULLY EVERYONE'S HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE MINUTES AND LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE. I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES. SECOND. OKAY. I, FIRST AND SECOND. UM, ALL IN FAVOR? A AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE ALRIGHT. SO WE ARE [4. ‘A Safer Neuse for New Bern’ RAISE Grant Update] GOING TO, UH, START TODAY, UH, WITH SOME OVERVIEWS. WE'RE GONNA GO A LITTLE BIT OVER, UM, PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE RAISE GRANT, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT WE DO AS THE NPO. UM, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT BOTH THESE IN THE PAST, BUT JUST KIND OF AS A REFRESHER AS WE KICK OFF THIS YEAR. AND THEN AS WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS, UM, TOWARDS THE END, WE'LL SEE IF THERE'S ANY, ANY RESOUNDING ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO FOCUS ON, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UM, GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE ESTABLISH ANY GOALS OR TOPICS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. ALL RIGHT, SO LAST MEETING, WHICH WAS IN NOVEMBER, WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEWS, UH, SAFER NEWS FOR NEW BERN. AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW BERN AND N-C-D-O-T TO APPLY FOR A RAISE GRANT. THE RAISE GRANT IS, UH, REBUILDING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SUSTAINABILITY AND EQUITY. THIS IS, UH, A $25 MILLION POTENTIAL INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY OF NEWBURGH TO ADDRESS SAFETY ISSUES. SO, UM, THE LAST TIME WE TALKED, WE KIND OF PROVIDED THE INTERVIEW OF THE PROJECT. THIS COMMITTEE WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO SIGN A LETTER OF SUPPORT. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON GATHERING LETTERS OF SUPPORT. WE ARE SEEKING OR HAVE RECEIVED A, A RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF NEWBURN, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY TO GET ONE FROM THEM AS WELL. UM, NOTHING'S REALLY CHANGED AS FAR AS THE IMPROVEMENTS REMAIN THE SAME. WE'RE RECOMMENDING, UM, A ROAD DIET FROM GLEN BURNIE TO FIRST STREET. UM, WITH THAT ROAD DIET. WE'D ALSO WOULD BE LOOKING AT, UM, EITHER INSTALLING A SIDEWALK OR A MULTI-USE PATH ON THE NORTH SIDE, WHICH IS THE HOSPITAL SIDE AND THE SIDEWALK ON THE SOUTH SIDE. THIS PROJECT DOES INCLUDE THE, THE ROUNDABOUT THAT WE'VE ALREADY, IT'S ALREADY FUNDED, UM, AT NEW SCAN MLK. SO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS WE WILL NC DOT'S CONTRACTORS FINALIZING THE GRANT APPLICATION. AND, UM, WE ARE ALL POINTED IN THE DIRECTION OF SUBMITTING THE GRANT BY THE END OF THE MONTH. UM, SO FINGERS CROSSED, IF WE GET AWARDED THE GRANT, WE WILL BE NOTIFIED IN THE SUMMER. AND THEN THE REAL WORK BEGINS WHERE WE HAVE, UM, PROBABLY A TWO YEAR PROCESS OF DESIGN, WORKING PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UM, AND THEN FOLLOWED BY CONSTRUCTION. SO IF WE GET THE AWARD OF THE PROJECT, IT'S A, A BIG WIN FOR THE CITY OF NEWBURG AND ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS. UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROJECT? YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID THIS, BUT WHEN, WHEN WILL YOU BE NOTIFIED? UM, UH, I THINK IT'S THE SUMMER. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT THE SUMMER. YEAH. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY SAID IT WAS, UM, MAY OR JUST SUMMER. UM, BUT, UH, THE CONSULTANT THAT'S WORKING ON THIS PROJECT HAS SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF NNC, DOT FOR PRIOR RAISE GRANTS. AND THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL. ONE THING WE WERE SUPER EXCITED TO LEARN WAS, UM, THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT OF INTEREST THROUGHOUT THE STATE TO APPLY FOR THIS GRANT. SO, UM, INITIALLY N-C-D-O-T WAS GOING TO APPLY FOR THE GRANT, BUT IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE OR MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL FUNDS THAT ARE RECEIVED FROM THE STATE, THE CITY OF NEW BERN HAS GRACIOUSLY AGREED TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION. SO, UM, THAT ALLOWS DOT TO SUBMIT FOUR. AND THEN THERE'S THE CITY OF NEW BERN AND TWO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT WILL BE SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION. BUT IF WE GET WORDED THE APPLICATION, WE JUST SKIP THE DELEGATE, WE CAN BACK THE DOT. SO WE'RE JUST LITERALLY PUSHING THE SUBMIT BUTTON. . UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE GRANT? ALRIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA SPEND [5. New Bern Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Overview] THE NEXT, UM, PART OF THE MEETING TALKING ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE NPOI KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN, IN IN PAST. BUT, UM, SO NPO STANDS FOR METROPOLITAN PLAIN ORGANIZATION AND IT'S THE TRANSPORTATION POLICY MAKING ORGANIZATION FOR OUR REGION. SO WE LOOK AT ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. MOST PEOPLE THINK WE [00:05:01] JUST LOOK AT, UM, CARS, BUT IT IS, UM, PEDESTRIAN CYCLISTS, RAIL, FERRY, UM, AND AIR, UM, AIRLINE AS WELL. AND SO THINK OF US AS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF YOUR, THE LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LOCAL CONCERNS. SO DOT HAS, YOU KNOW, NORMALLY THEY'RE IN, UM, A DIVISION OR A DISTRICT AND WE'RE LOOKING AT LARGE AREAS, UM, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW AND HAVE A GOOD PULSE ON WHAT WE NEED AND FOR OUR AREA. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE COME IN. SO ARE YOU JUST FOR NEW BERN OR CRAVEN COUNTY? WHAT IS, OH, YOU'RE GETTING THAT. I'M GETTING THERE. HOLD ON. OKAY, SO THERE YOU GO. YEAH. SO, UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THE, WE WE ARE, WE HAVE AN, A LARGER PLANNING AREA OR THE URBANIZED AREA. SO WHAT THAT LOOKS AT IS YOU HAVE THE TOWNS THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED. SO WE'VE GOT BRIDGETON RIVER BEND, TRENT WOODS, AND THEN CRAVEN COUNTY. AND OF COURSE NEW BERN. WHAT WE CALL THE NEW BERN PLANNING AREA IS BECAUSE NEW BERN IS THE, THE LEAD PLANNING AGENCY. SO THEY'RE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR RECEIVING THE GRANT APPLICATION, THE GRANT FUNDING, AND SUBMITTING THE PAPERWORK. UM, BUT YOUR PLANNING AREA BOUNDARY CAN CHANGE AND WITH, UH, ONE OF OUR PLANS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT GROWING OUR PLANNING AREA BOUNDARY TO LOOK AT WHERE'S GROWTH HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING THE LOWER BOUNDARY TO LIKE HAVELOCK. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. UM, YOU CAN'T JUST, YOU CAN'T JUST SAY WE WANNA MOVE IT OR EXPAND IT. WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY SPEND SOME TIME DOING SOME ANALYSIS. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH, WITH, UM, UH, OUR NEW PLANS. LEMME GO BACK. UM, BUT I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT NPOS, UM, ARE FEDERALLY MANDATED. SO ONCE, IF YOU GET URBANIZED FOOD AND RECOGNIZED THROUGH CENSUS, SO WITH THE 2010 CENSUS, URBAN BECAME, OR NEWBURG BECAME URBANIZED. AND WITH THAT OPENED UP SOME FEDERAL FUNDING. SO WE GOT, UM, UH, FUNDING TO DO TRANSIT SYSTEM, TO DO TRANSIT PLANNING AND TO DO LONG RANGE PLANNING. THEN WITH THE 2020 CENSUS, WE LOST OUR ORGANIZATION STATUS BECAUSE WE FELL UNDER 50,000. SO IT'S NOT, THE URBANIZED STATUS IS NOT DETERMINED BASED OFF OF, UM, ONE CITY'S POPULATION OR EVEN WHERE YOU DRAW YOUR PLANNING AREA. IT'S CLUSTERS OF PEOPLE HAS TO BE SO MANY CLUSTERS WITHIN THIS, UM, CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER. AND WE FELL UNDER THAT 50,000 THRESHOLD BY LESS, I THINK IT WAS LIKE 1500 PEOPLE. DO YOU KNOW, WHERE IS YOUR, IS IT DROP? UM, IT'S NOT THAT GRANULAR. IT'S, IT'S MORE LIKE CENSUS BLOCKS OR TRACKS. SO WE'RE IN THIS VERY, UM, INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE'VE LOST SOME FUNDING AND WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO FUND THE GAP IN THE INTERIM UNTIL THE NEXT CENSUS. 'CAUSE WE FEEL PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT BY THE NEXT CENSUS WE'LL BECOME URBANIZED AGAIN, AND THEN WE GET BACK SOME MORE FUNDING. UM, BUT EVEN THOUGH WE LOST THE URBANIZED STATUS, WE STILL ARE AN M-P-O-D-O-T RECOGNIZES US AS AN MPO, UM, AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE REPRESENTING THOSE LOCAL CONCERNS. SO MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION IS WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S MULTIDIMENSIONAL WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE MODES TOGETHER AND NOT JUST ONE INDEPENDENT. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT IN LOOKING AT NEWS BOULEVARD. SO, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT A ROAD PROJECT, BUT THEN WE WANT TO TALK, HOW DOES A CYCLIST INTERACT WITH THIS TRAFFIC? HOW DOES, UM, A PEDESTRIAN OR WHEN YOU'RE CONSTRUCTING A ROUNDABOUT, WHERE'S WHERE ALL OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE MODES TO CROSS PATHS? SO WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE THREE CS. SO IT IS, UM, COOPERATIVE, MEANING THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM ALL OF OUR MEMBER AGENCIES AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC. IT'S CONTINUING, MEANING WE'RE CONSTANTLY UPDATING PLANS AND EVALUATING WHERE'S GROWTH HAPPENING, UM, AND LOOKING AT WHAT IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED. 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE AN ISSUE, SOMETHING CAME UP AS AN ISSUE IN ONE YEAR, IF YOU WAIT FIVE YEARS WITH GROWTH AND CHANGE, IT MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME ISSUE. SO YOU'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT WHAT PROJECTS NEED TO BE LOOKED AT. AND THEN COMPREHENSIVE, AGAIN, LOOKING AT ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION AND LOOKING AT HOW IT IMPACTS NOT JUST TRANSPORTATION, BUT THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. SO WHEN YOU THINK OF TRANSPORTATION, MOST PEOPLE JUST FOCUS ON THE MODES. THEY JUST ARE JUST LOOKING AT, UM, UH, CARS, VEHICLES, PEDESTRIANS, ET CETERA. REALITY. WHEN WE LOOK AT TRANSPORTATION, WE LOOK AT OUR PLANS. THERE'S SO MANY MORE FACTORS THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. UM, WE REALLY LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SAFETY'S A REALLY BIG ONE. ACCESSIBILITY, MOBILITY. UM, THERE'S A REAL BIG PUSH NOW WITH ENVIRONMENT AND RESILIENCY. AND THEN, UM, OBVIOUSLY INTEGRATION AND [00:10:01] CONNECTIVITY. SO ALL OF THIS TOGETHER KIND OF PLAYS IN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A PROJECT. SO IF SOMEONE HAS A CONCERN ABOUT A POTENTIAL INTERSECTION, WE LOOK AT ALL OF THIS. SO, UM, IT IS, UM, SOMETIMES VERY EASY TO PINPOINT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, BUT WE HAVE TO TAKE A STEP BACK SOMETIMES AND KIND OF, UM, LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE. SO WE DO LONG RANGE PLANNING. SO WE ARE HOUSED HERE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. I ALWAYS CALL, THEY KIND OF DO THE SHORT TERM OR THE FUND PLANNING BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. SO HERE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, THEY'RE REVIEWING THINGS LIKE SUBDIVISIONS AND SITE PLANS, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT NEW RESTAURANTS AND HOUSES, ET CETERA. WHAT WE LOOK AT IN THE NPO OR THE HORIZON OR SOMETHING THAT'S 25, 40 YEARS OUT. UM, AND A, A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE JAMES CITY PROJECT. SO THAT THE JAMES CITY PROJECT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A PROJECT ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO. IT'S JUST NOW BEING CONSTRUCTED. THE TYPICAL HIGHWAY OR ROAD PROJECT, ONCE IT GETS FUNDED, IF IT STAYS FUNDED, TAKES ABOUT, UM, ANYWHERE FROM SEVEN TO 15 YEARS FROM START TO FINISH. 'CAUSE THESE PROJECTS, FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE TAKE AT LEAST TWO YEARS. AND THEN CONSTRUCTIONS ARE NORMALLY THREE. BUT FUNDING IS, UM, ONCE IT GETS FUNDED, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS REMAIN FUNDED. SO WE HAVE, UM, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT, UM, OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, UM, WHICH IS THAT FIRST BOX ON THE LEFT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S, THINK OF THAT MORE AS YOUR VISION. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S TYPICALLY LED BY THE RURAL PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS. UM, WE PARTICIPATED, PARTICIPATE IN THE PLAN BECAUSE THOSE PROJECTS THEN FEED INTO THE, UM, THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN. AND THAT PLAN THAT IN THE BLUE BOX IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO UPDATE EVERY FOUR YEARS. UM, AND THEN THERE'S OTHER PLANS THAT WE CAN WORK ON, LIKE CORRIDOR STUDIES, STUDIES, AND ALL THAT JUST MEANS THAT THEY'RE JUST SMALLER, SMALLER TRANSPORTATION PLANS THAT WE CAN WORK ON. SO ONCE WE HAVE AN IDEA, IT ALLOWS US TO KIND OF DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ON WHAT THE ISSUE IS AND HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY SOLVE IT. SO WE TALKED ABOUT THE MEMBER AGENCIES, UM, AND, UH, WOULD THE CITY OF BE BEING THE LEAD PLANNING AGENCY, WHICH IS WHY I'M HERE, AND HOW DID THE CITY FAVOR? SO THE BIG QUESTION WE ALWAYS GET IS, OKAY, THAT SOUNDS GREAT, BUT HOW DO WE GET A PROJECT SELECTED AND FUNDED? UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA KIND WALK THROUGH THIS. SO WE START WITH THE LOCAL CONCERNS. SO SOMEONE WILL NOTIFY US, I DON'T THINK, I THINK THIS INTERSECTION'S DANGEROUS, OR I THINK, UM, WE NEED A NEW ROAD CONNECTIVITY OR A NEW BRIDGE, OR FILL IN THE BLANK. AND SO IT STARTS OFF WITH HEARING LOCAL CONCERNS, AND THEN WITH THE LOCAL CONCERNS, IT'S THEN FED INTO THAT VISIONARY PLAN OF WHAT'S WHAT COULD BE. UM, AND THEN FROM THAT, IT GETS FED INTO THE MTP. SO NOW, NOW WE WENT FROM A VISION TO SOMETHING WHERE IT'S MORE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED THAT, UM, AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE MORE REASONABLE, AND WE'RE PUSHING THIS PROJECT FORWARD. SO FROM THAT, UM, WE GO TO, UM, IT'S SUBMITTED INTO WHAT'S CALLED A METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. SO THE STATE HAS THE STIFF, WHICH IS THE BIG ONE, AND WE HAVE THE MTIP, WHICH IS THE SMALL ONE. SO THEY, THEY SAY THE SAME THING. IT'S JUST OURS IS FOR OUR AREA. YES. SO, UH, THIS COUNCIL IS LOCAL CONCERNS. IS THAT YES, YES. GREAT POINT. THANK YOU. UM, AND SO FROM THE MTP, IT GETS FED INTO, UM, THE MT AND THEN FROM THE MIP, IT JUST, IT'S MIRRORED INTO THE STEP. SO, UM, THIS TIP OR THE, IS THAT TENURE LIST OF PROJECTS, IT'S HAS TO BE FISCALLY CONSTRAINED. AND THIS IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHERE PROJECTS FALL OFF, THEY GET FUNDED AND THEN FALL OFF, OR WE, WE GET ASKED BY DOT TO PRIORITIZE PROJECTS. DOT KIND OF RAN INTO A LITTLE BIT OF AN ISSUE A COUPLE YEARS AGO WHEN, AND THIS KIND OF HAPPENS ABOUT EVERY FOUR YEARS, BUT THEY HAD, UM, LIMITED FUNDING. THE COST ESTIMATES WERE A LITTLE BIT LOW, BUT LOWER THAN WHAT THEY, WHAT THE ACTUAL COSTS ARE. AND WE HAD FORMS. AND SO WITH THAT, THEY HAD, THEIR STIP WAS OVER PROGRAMMED. AND SO A LOT OF PROJECTS GOT, GOT, UM, DEFIED OR, UM, AND GOT PUSHED OUT TO THE, UM, THE LAST HALF OF THE STIFF, WHICH IS NOT FLOODED. SO THE STEP, UM, IS HOW PROJECTS ARE FUNDED. BUT, UH, STI OR THE STRATEGIC TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT, THIS IS LAW THAT SETS OUT AN ESTABLISHED [00:15:01] PROCESS OF HOW PROJECTS ARE, UM, RECEIVED FUNDING. AND IT'S, UH, DATA DRIVEN. AND IT IS IN THREE CATEGORIES THAT ALLOWS, UM, FOR THE INTENT IS FOR LIKE, PROJECTS TO COMPETE WITH, LIKE PROJECTS. SO THEY HAVE WHAT'S CALLED THE STATEWIDE. SO YOU HAVE PROJECTS THAT COMPETE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE, LIKE INTERSTATES, AND THEN YOU HAVE, UM, THE REGION, WHICH IS MORE OF LIKE EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA REGION. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE, THE DIVISION, WHICH IS LITERALLY OUR DIVISION. AND SO, UM, AND EACH CATEGORY IS, UM, HAS DIFF HAS THE SAME CRITERIA, BUT DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES, BUT IT'S EXTREMELY DATA DRIVEN. SO EVEN THOUGH YOU MIGHT SAY WE HAVE, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS WITH THIS INTERSECTION, THERE HAS TO BE SOME DATA BEHIND IT FOR US TO SUBSTANTIATE THE COST OF IMPROVING THAT INTERSECTION. SO IF YOU SAY, WELL, THERE, THIS IS MUCH CONGESTION. SO WHILE WE, WE CAN FIND OUT OFF WHAT THE CONGESTION IS, WE CAN CALCULATE THE TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS, WE CAN LOOK AT THE SAFETY, AND ALL OF THOSE ARE EVALUATED CRITERIA THAT HELP SCORE THE PROJECTS. SO THE HIGHER THEY SCORE IN EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES, THE MORE LIKELY THEY'RE GOING TO GET FUNDED. SO YOU THROW ALL THE PROJECTS IN THROUGHOUT THAT CATEGORY, THEY ALL GET RANKED TOP TO BOTTOM. AND YOU HAVE IF A HUNDRED DOLLARS, IF A HUNDRED DOLLARS IS ALL YOU HAVE, AND YOUR FIRST PROJECT IS $50, AND THAT PROJECT, FIRST PROJECT GETS FUNDED, AND THEN YOU GO TO THE SECOND PROJECT AND THAT'S IT. IF YOU ONLY HAVE A HUNDRED DOLLARS, YOU HAVE 10 PROJECTS, ONLY TWO PROJECTS ARE GETTING FUNDED. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S JUST HOW IT WORKS. UM, IT'S NOT A PERFECT SYSTEM. AND AS PART OF THIS LAW, THEY'RE REQUIRED TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE THE SYSTEM. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON, IS, UM, WE'RE FINISHING UP ONE CYCLE OF STARTING ANOTHER. SO WITH THAT, WHAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT IS WHAT'S CALLED PRIORITIZATION. SO WE DEVELOPED A LIST OF PROJECTS, UM, AND THAT, AND IT BECOMES OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD, IT'S UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS. AND WE ARE JUST NOW FINISHING, UM, PRIORITIZATION SEVEN OR P SEVEN. WE'RE FINISHING THAT, GETTING IT READY TO GET IT ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF TRANSPORTATION, THE MPO, AND THEN LATER THIS SUMMER WE START ALL OVER AGAIN WITH PA. BUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS, IS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, THE PUBLIC HAS OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE LOT OF INPUT. SO, UM, WE START OFF AT THE VERY TOP LEFT OF MANY NEW PROJECT IDEAS. THE NPO THEN SUBMITS IT AND CONSIDERS THEM FOR REVIEW AND ANALYSIS. WE THEN SUBMIT THOSE PROJECTS, DHE SCORES, THE PROJECTS, THEN IF THEY SCORE HIGH ENOUGH, THEY MIGHT GET FUNDED. AND THEN IF THEY GET FUNDED, THEY GET PUT INTO THE STEP. AND THEN WE START THIS ALL OVER HERE. BUT AT EACH OF THESE AREAS, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PUBLIC, UM, TO PROVIDE COMMENT AND FEEDBACK. IT'S ACTUALLY FEDERALLY MANDATED THAT WE HAVE A ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PLAN. I HAVE A QUESTION. THEY MAKE NO EFFORT. KIND OF WHAT WE HAVE TRIED TO DO A COUPLE OF TIMES IS INSTEAD OF SAYING, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THIS RANKED THE HIGHEST, IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL THE MONEY, YOU CAN GET SEVEN LOWER PRIORITY PROJECTS DONE FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY. SO, UM, THERE ARE, THERE HAS BEEN OPPORTUNITY WHEN, UM, AND IT'S REALLY BY, UM, N-C-D-O-T DISTRICTS THAT THEY HAVE DONE THAT IN THE PAST, WHERE IF YOU HAD A PROJECT THAT MAYBE DIDN'T HAVE AS MUCH MONEY OR MAYBE WASN'T AS HIGH OF A PRIORITY, THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO KIND OF SWAP THEM OUT. SO THEY, THEY HAVE DONE THAT. AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME WE DO A CYCLE, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING, UM, UNIQUE OR DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE CYCLE, UM, THAT HELPED ADVANCE PROJECTS. BUT YES, OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO, WITH THE PROJECT'S BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A NEED TO PUT IT IN THE GROUND AND LET'S, AND LET'S GET TO THE NEXT CYCLE. UNFORTUNATELY, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF, WITH P SEVEN AND P SIX, THERE HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH FUNDING. SO WE HAVE THE NEEDS REALLY GREAT, BUT THE FUNDING DOESN'T MATCH THE NEED. AND SO WE'RE KIND OF IN THIS, UM, SAME SITUATION OF, OF WHAT TO DO WITH P EIGHT. 'CAUSE P EIGHT WE'RE IN THE SAME SITUATION, SO DO WE CONTINUE WITH THE SAME PROJECTS OR DO WE HAVE NEW PROJECTS? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE WORK GROUP IS WORKING THROUGH NOW. UM, SO THAT KIND OF ENDS THE, KIND OF THE MPO OVERVIEW. UM, WE DO HAVE TWO COMMITTEES THAT, UM, WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM ALL OF OUR MEMBER AGENCIES ON A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE. AND SO THEY, THOSE ARE YOUR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. SO BOTH OF THESE PEOPLE ARE ON THE TCC. UM, AND THEN FROM THAT, THEY MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE. SO WE HAVE ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM EACH OF OUR MEMBER AGENCIES ON THE TAC. UM, SO THEY, THEY MEET, UM, ABOUT SIX TIMES A YEAR OR MORE JUST TO DEPEND ON WHAT'S GOING ON. BUT THE NEXT [00:20:01] THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT WAS OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR YOU GUYS TO BE INVOLVED. SO, UM, THIS IS A CARD THAT YOU CAN TAKE THAT, THAT EXPLAINS TWO PLANS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. SO THE, UM, THE MTP IS OUR LONG RANGE PLAN. THAT LONG RANGE PLAN, REMEMBER IT HAS TO BE UPDATED EVERY FOUR YEARS. SO WE'RE WORKING ON UPDATING THAT, BUT UPDATING THAT MEANS THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY NEW PROJECTS. SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE PROJECTS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN THE BIKE AND PED PLAN WILL SLIDE INTO THE LONG RANGE PLAN AS WELL. BUT AS YOU NAVIGATE THE CITY OF NEW BERN AND, UM, ALL OF THE PLANNING AREA, IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES WHERE YOU THINK WE NEED TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENT, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO, AND THERE'LL BE OTHERS. BUT THIS IS JUST ONE CHANCE FOR YOU TO GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK. UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON A SAFETY ACTION PLAN. SO THE SAFETY ACTION PLAN IS LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE REGION AND LOOKING AT HISTORICALLY WHERE HAVE CRASHES OCCURRED, AND THEN LOOKING AT, UM, OR PROJECTING THE LIKELIHOOD OF THEM CONTINUING. AND THEN IF THEY WERE, HOW COULD WE MINIMIZE THAT WITH SOME COUNTERMEASURES? SO FOR INSTANCE, MAYBE IN A RURAL SETTING THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD NOTICED THAT THERE'S A HIGH CRASH RATE MAYBE, UM, ON A PARTICULAR ROAD. AND SO THEY MIGHT LOOK AT COULD THINGS IN LIKE A, UM, RUMBLE STRIPS ON THE SIDE, OR MAYBE SOME REFLECTIVE, UM, UH, SIGNAGE, ET CETERA. SO IF YOU HAVE AN AREA THAT YOU KNOW THAT, UM, AND FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, LET US KNOW AND WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. SO THIS QR CODE WILL TAKE YOU TO, UM, UM, THE NPO UH, VIRTUAL ROOM THAT YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT BOTH PLANS AND ALSO HAS A LINK TO THE SURVEY YOU CAN TAKE. SO, UM, THERE'S SOME MORE OF THESE ON THE, THE BACK COUNTER THERE. SO IF YOU WANT TO TAKE SOME, PASS THEM TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. UM, WITH THE SURVEYS GONNA BE OPEN UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY, DOES THIS FILL YOUR REQUIREMENT TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC IS INVOLVED? THIS IS ONE OF THEM. SO AS PART OF BOTH OF THESE PLANS AT THE BEGINNING, WE'VE GONE AND DONE, UM, A NUMBER OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE'VE GONE TO RIVER BEND NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, WE'VE BEEN TO THE FARMER'S MARKET IN NEWBURN. WE WENT TO A CAREER CENTER HERE, UM, FOR THE COUNTY. UM, AND WE WENT TO, IT WAS, UH, DOG DOGS IN THE PARKS, DOG PARK AND DOG DOGS IN THE PARK AT, UM, TRENT. NOT A PET OWNER, HUH? YEAH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS FUN. BUT YES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR, FOR ANY OPPORTUNITY TO DO ENGAGEMENT AGAIN, TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT WHAT WE DO AND, AND REALLY GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC. DID YOU HAND THESE HY YESTERDAY? YEAH. NO. NO. PEOPLE WERE, SHE HAD WHAT, WHAT, WHAT TIGER? THE HISTORICAL. OH, THE HISTORICAL, OKAY. YEAH. YEAH. SO THEY, THEY WERE, UM, I HAD PRESENTED TO THEM LIKE A YEAR OR SO. THEY ARE WOW. THAT IS GROUP AND A LOT MORE, UM, PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE THAN I WAS EXPECTING. SO, UM, SO WHAT, UM, I KNOW, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF JUST GAVE YOU KIND OF A, AN OVERVIEW OF TWO ITEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. UM, YOU KNOW, AS IN AS OF LAST MEETING, WE KIND OF, WE SET THE NEW MEETING SCHEDULED TO START MEETING QUARTERLY. AND SO, UM, WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY PARTICULAR TOPICS THAT YOU GUYS WERE INTERESTED IN LEARNING THAT RELATES TO THE BIKING HEAD PLAN. UM, JUST TRYING TO SEE IF YOU HAD ANY IDEAS. I THINK I WOULD JUST LIKE TO BRING UP, UM, WE BRUSHED THE TOPIC OF FUNDRAISING. MM-HMM . AND THERE WERE SOME T-SHIRT THINGS THROWN AROUND. AND THEN, UM, AND THEN I BELIEVE THE HELMET GIVEAWAY CAME, KIND OF CAME UP AND TOOK OUR ATTENTION FOR A WHILE. MM-HMM . AND THEN, AND THEN I HAVEN'T GOTTEN BACK TO IT. SO WHAT WOULD YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST MAYBE IS THE NEXT STEP TO DO SOMETHING ON IN THAT GROUP? LIKE, LIKE SHOULD I, I THINK THAT IN ORDER TO GET INTERESTED IN DOING THAT, LIKE SUPPORT FOR DOING, I KNOW THERE'S INTEREST IN THIS GROUP TO DO THAT, THAT MAKING A PUBLIC COMMENT AND A BOARD OF ALDERMAN MEETING, INTRODUCING YOURSELF SAYING, YOU'RE PART OF THIS COMMITTEE, YOU'RE INTERESTED IN HAVING SOME MORE TASKS. WE HAVE DONE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE ASKED US TO DO. THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE INTERESTED IN, BUT WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR BLESSING. YOU KNOW, LIKE THAT TYPE OF KIND OF THING. IF SOMEBODY ON THIS GROUP IS COMFORTABLE GETTING UP AND STANDING BEFORE 'EM. MM-HMM. OKAY. SO YOU NEED THEIR BLESSING. YES, YES. OKAY. SO SEE, THAT'S SOMETHING I WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF, SO THANK YOU. [00:25:01] YEP. YES. I THINK, UM, ANY PROJECTS THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN DOING AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT, AND MOST OF THEM WOULD REQUIRE SOME FUNDING OR CREATION OF SOME KIND OF OTHER SUBGROUP, UH, I THINK NEEDS TO BE PRESENTED THEN. AND WE NEED TO GENERATE A LITTLE INTEREST ON THEIR END. AND IT CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HURT TO REACH OUT TO BOB BRISSON EITHER AND SEE IF HE, HE'D SPEAK ON, ON BEHALF OF THE REQUEST. PROBABLY AT THE SAME MEETING, KIND OF. OKAY. DOUBLE HEAD 'EM. UM, SO IT, SO I'M TO ASK FOR THEIR, OR WHOEVER MM-HMM . WOULD ASK FOR THEIR BLESSING, BUT DO WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME IDEAS? ARE THEY GONNA SAY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? SHOULD I, YEAH. YEAH. I ACTUALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA BE PREPARED, LIKE IN PUBLIC COMMENT, JUST SAY, YOU'VE ENJOYED BEING ON THIS BOARD. WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED X, Y, AND Z. 'CAUSE WE HAVE, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING THEY'VE ASKED TO DO AT THIS POINT. YEAH. THIS IS A STANDING COMMITTEE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME DIRECTION AND ONE OF OUR IDEAS IS DOING THIS AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR BLESSING. THAT KIND OF THING. YEAH. OKAY. BECAUSE IT HASN'T REALLY BEEN WELL REPORTED TO THEM WHAT THIS COMMITTEE HAS GOTTEN DONE. AND I THINK IN A COUPLE MINUTES IN PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE A GREAT TIME TO GET THEIR ATTENTION IS FOR THE WORD. SO, UM, SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SAY THIS IS WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING AS FAR AS FUNDRAISING. YEAH. I WOULD SAY ONE IDEA WE HAVE IS THIS. OKAY. AND, AND THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN THROWN AROUND IS THE T-SHIRTS. YEAH. SO IS THAT A LEGITIMATE GROUP? WOULD YOU SAY THAT THAT'S A LEGITIMATE THING THAT WE COULD SAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING? YES. BECAUSE IT'S TRUE. WE HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT. WE JUST HAVEN'T GONE, YEAH. ANY FURTHER. YEP. OKAY. SO JESSE, I MIGHT GIVE YOU A CALL, YOU TO BE REALLY GOOD WITH YOUR WORDS. . I'M HAPPY TO HELP. I'M WRITING YOUR LAST NAME DOWN, . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU WELCOME. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO GO FORWARD WITH. YEAH, I KNOW WE, UM, IN THE, IN THE PAST THERE WAS SOME, UM, INTEREST IN DOING LIKE SAFETY AWARENESS AND SO, UM, ON THE NPO SIDE, I'VE BEEN POSTING A LOT MORE ABOUT SAFETY. UM, AND SO WE'VE, IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN SEEING FOLLOWING US ON OUR, UM, ON FACEBOOK, WE DEFINITELY, I POST ABOUT AT LEAST TWO TO THREE TIMES A WEEK ABOUT SOMETHING SAFE SAFETY ON EITHER DRIVING MOTORCYCLE PEDESTRIANS. SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME OUT OF THIS COMMITTEE THAT THEY WANTED, WANTED TO SEE MORE AWARENESS. I MEAN, WE COULD TALK ALSO ABOUT DOING, UM, UH, LIKE A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY CAMPAIGN WHERE I'VE SEEN, WE CAN EXPLORE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I THINK WITH A ROBUST DOWNTOWN, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD START TO GET THE BUSINESSES TO KIND OF BUY INTO. IT'S A PASSIVE CAMPAIGN. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANYTHING OVERT, BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, IT'S REALLY, IT'S LIKE JESSE SAID, WE, WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING. WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO ACCOMPLISH IT TO THIS POINT. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE. OKAY. WITH THAT THOUGHT ABOUT PEOPLE WALKING DOWNTOWN, LET ME ASK YOUR OPINION. THIS MIGHT BE A GEORGE THING, I'M NOT SURE. UM, I WALK WITH THE LIGHTS, SO, BECAUSE THERE'S NO CROSS PEDESTRIAN CROSSING LIGHTS IN CERTAIN AREAS, SO THE LIGHTS, GREEN TRAFFIC IS HEADING THERE. THAT'S WHEN I WALKED THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE TRAFFIC. WHAT IS THE RULE OF THUMB DOWNTOWN OR IN NEWBURG WHEN THERE'S NO CROSS, YOU ARE WALKING WITH THE TRAFFIC ON SOLID GREEN. I'M WALKING WITH TRAFFIC ON SOLID GREEN. THAT WOULD BE OKAY BECAUSE THE SIDE ROAD YEP. CROSSED IS ON THE RAIL. RIGHT. THAT'S THE SAFEST TIME TO DO IT. THAT IS, SO WE NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF THAT BECAUSE I CAN STAND THERE AND WAIT AND THEN I WATCH EVERYBODY JUST GO WHENEVER THEY WANT TO. SO OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW. I DON'T WANT SIGNS SAYING DO THIS THOUGH. THAT'S 'CAUSE THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL TOWN. BUT I'D LIKE TO, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN OUR, IN A SAFETY CAMPAIGN. YES. HOW TO WALK AND CROSS THOSE STREETS WHEN THERE'S NO PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL. WELL, IF THERE'S NO TRAFFIC, WHY? WHAT? YEAH. NO. WELL, I DON'T CARE IF THERE'S NO TRAFFIC, I CARE WHAT, NO, NO. WELL, BECAUSE AT THAT POINT, THE SAFETY, YOU'RE SAFE, THEN GO, I'M, I'M JUST SAYING WHEN I SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE WALKING OUT IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC, THEN THAT'S WHEN I NOTICE IT THE MOST. I YES, OF COURSE, IF THERE'S NO TRAFFIC, STILL FOLLOW THE SAME LOT. BUT I, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS I DON'T EVEN WANT TO APPROACH THAT WHETHER THERE'S TRAFFIC DO THIS WHEN THERE'S NOT TRAFFIC. DON'T DO THIS. I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE WAY TO DO IT. TRAFFIC OR NO TRAFFIC. YOU, YOU SAY, I DON'T WANNA HAVE TWO DIFFERENT [00:30:01] RULES. JUST, JUST THE SAME WAY. JUST AS, AS YOU, YOU FOLLOW, YOU KNOW, THE RED LIGHT HAS STOPPED THE TRAFFIC THAT YOU'RE CROSSING IN FRONT OF THE PEDESTRIAN NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IS NOT A RIGHT. THE CAR YOU STILL NEED TO ADDRESS. MAKE SURE THE CAR STOPPED BEFORE. RIGHT. RIGHT. EXACTLY. BUT I THINK BECAUSE WE WERE, MANY OF US WERE BROUGHT UP THAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. SO WE THEREFORE, AND THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT PEOPLE DOWNTOWN ARE JUST BARRELING OUT IN FRONT OF CARS NO MATTER WHAT. SO YEAH, THAT'S, THAT WAS A CONCERN. I WALK EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, SO I'VE GOT A LOT OF IDEAS THAT I CAN SHARE AND SEE, BUT I, I DON'T HAVE FACEBOOK, SO I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU NEED. OKAY. SO, AND P PD WOULD BE THE BEST TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT FOR, UM, ON PEDESTRIAN MODE, POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE, YEAH. WORK CONCERN I HAVE IS FRANKLY, UH, DRIVERS DOUBLE THE SPEED LIMIT. UM, LIKE ON FRONT STREET OR UM, BROAD STREET, NEW STREET, IT'S 25. THEY WILL, I WILL SEE PEOPLE DO IT ON 50 MILES AN HOUR AND THE POLICE CAN DO NOTHING OR THEY WANT CAN DO NOTHING. I NEVER SEEN POLICE ON THOSE STREETS EVER. EVER. WELL, THEY CAN'T REALLY, BECAUSE, UM, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WILL NOT TAKE A TICKET UNLESS IT'S 10 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT. THEY WILL GET IT. THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN GO 36 MILES AN HOUR ON NEW STREET. GOTCHA. UM, THAT'S ONE THING. THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. NO WONDER BECAUSE I'LL, IT'S IGNORANT. I'LL NOT BE AS FRUSTRATED NOW WHEN I SEE THAT BECAUSE I WILL KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE POLICE OFFICER NOW THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO WRITE A TICKET FOR US IF YOU RUN A STOP SIGN YEAH. OR ROLL THROUGH ONE, THAT'S, THAT'S AN EASIER TICKET FOR. OKAY. BUT THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO WRITE A TICKET IF THEY PULL SOMEBODY OVER, KEEP THE LIGHTS FLASHING, GIVE 'EM A WARNING, EVERYBODY AROUND THERE IS GONNA SEE, HEY, THE POLICE ARE PAYING ATTENTION ON TO SPEED LIMITS AROUND HERE AND THE WORLD WILL GET OUT. YEAH. YOU GOT A GREAT POINT. THAT IS, BUT THAT IS A GREAT POINT. OH YEAH. IN 33 YEARS OF LIVING ON NEW STREET, I CANNOT GET 'EM TO COME DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE SPEED RESPONSIBILITY. THIS COMMITTEE OF THE RESOLUTION THAT MADE TO ADVOCATE FOR LOCAL FUNDING TO THE BOARD, I WOULD SAY POINT THAT OUT. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS RESPONSIBILITY. THAT CHARGE. CARRIE SAID THAT PART OF THE RESOLUTION COMMITTEE, ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS IS TO ADVOCATE FOR LOCAL FUNDING FOR PROJECTS. SO, OH, SO WHOMEVER RIGHT. ADDRESSES THE BOARD. THAT COULD BE SOMETHING YOU COULD CALL OUT SPECIFICALLY FOR RESOLUTION. AND IF YOU, IF ANY, IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED, I THINK THE RESOLUTION IS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. IF NOT, I CAN SEND YOU A COPY THAT'S NOT ON THE WEBSITE. IT'S NOT OKAY. OKAY. SINCE WE'RE ON THE SPEED LIMIT THING, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP TO GET THE D THE STATE TO LOWER, UM, SPEED LIMITS ON CERTAIN AREAS THAT ARE STATE CONTROL? SO IT'S NOT AS EASY AS YOU THINK. NO, I DON'T THINK IT'S EASY AT ALL. SO, UM, SO THE, THE ROADS ARE, HAVE AN ESTABLISHED SPEED LIMIT. THERE HAS TO BE CONCERN EXPRESSED. SO FOR INSTANCE, LET'S SAY IT'S THE CITY OF NEWBURN. THE CITY OF NEWBURN WILL SAY, WE WISH WOULD LIKE TO REDUCE THE SPEED ON THIS CORRIDOR. MM-HMM . AND THEN DOT DOES SOME SPEED ANALYSIS AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND HAVE A CONVERSATION TO SAY WHAT THAT SPEED MIGHT BE. OKAY. SO THEN I KNOW I'M OVERSIMPLIFYING IT. OH, THAT'S PERFECT THOUGH. AND A LOT OF TIMES YOU'LL, YOU'LL HAVE A, A REQUEST, THERE WAS A SECTION EIGHT C 55 THAT WAS REQUESTED BY ONE OF THE 10 MILES AN HOUR DT CAME BACK OUT TO THE STUDY AND SAID, WELL, FIVE MILES AN HOUR REDUCTION MM-HMM . I THAT'S, THAT'S BETTER THAN NOTHING. OKAY. SO THEY HAVE A SYSTEM TO IT. SO IT'S APPLIED THE SAME EVERYWHERE. YEAH. OKAY. WELL THAT'S GOOD. SO CONCERNED EXPRESSED, YOU SAID CITY OF NEW BERN. SO IF I HAD CONCERN EXPRESS, IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I HAVE TO PRESENT IT TO CITY OF NEW BERN FIRST AND THEN THEY CAN DECIDE WHETHER THE CITY HAS A CONCERN. YOU MEAN FOR REDUCING EXCUSE LIMIT? YES. YEAH. SO I SHOULD THEY JUST SEND IT TO YOU, GEORGE? IT, THE, THE BEST WAY WOULD BE DEPENDING ON THE ROAD SECTION AREA, IS TO SEND IT TO YOUR ALDERMAN AND YOUR, AND [00:35:01] THEN THAT WAY, USUALLY THE WAY IT HAPPENS, IF THE BOARD WILL THEN, UM, MAKE A MOTION TO MAKE CONSENSUS TO SEND REQUEST ORDER. SUPER. OKAY, GREAT. THAT'S, THAT'S THE NORMAL PROCESS. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. SUPER. THANK YOU. I NOTICED THAT FROM GETTING OFF 70 GLEN BURNEY ALL THE WAY DOWN TO MARTIN LUTHER BOULEVARD, THEY HAD CHANGED. I READ, I WAS READING SOMEWHERE THAT THAT WAS ACTUALLY CHANGED. IT WAS SO I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, THERE'S HOPE SO. AND GEORGE STREET WAS CHANGED. YEAH. WE CHANGED NATIONAL. SO YEAH. GREAT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . AND SPEAKING OF DOWNTOWN SAFETY, UH, IF YOU DRIVE DOWNTOWN, THE MIDDLE OF ALL TRAFFIC SIGNAL WHERE IT'S OPERATIONAL. YEAH, IT'S OPERATIONAL NOW. MM-HMM . YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF THE, THAT YOU DO. SO I SEE A LOT OF, UM, PEOPLE ON BICYCLES, UM, THAT OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW THE RIGHT WAY OF TRAFFIC. 'CAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE RIDING DOWN THE WRONG WAY AND LIKE, I'LL BE RIDING MY BIKE THE RIGHT WAY, THEN THEY'RE COMING UP ON ME, THEY'RE ON THEIR PHONES WHILE RIDING THEIR BIKES, NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND IT ALMOST CAUSES A COLLISION. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING. 'CAUSE I DON'T THINK THE POLICE ARE GIVING TICKETS TO ANYBODY THAT'S DOING THAT. SO DO YOU GUYS THINK THAT THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO ADDRESS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ASK THEM IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER DOING THAT OR SOMETHING? THAT WOULD BE A POLICE DEPARTMENT THING, WOULDN'T IT? YES. I, I, I WOULD, YES. THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN CERTAINLY REACH OUT TO THE POLICE AND INQUIRE. UM, AND I THINK A LOT OF IT HAS TO, IT COMES BACK TO, UM, KNOWING THE RULES OF THE ROAD FOR THE DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION THAT WE HAVE. UM, AND PERHAPS THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE TO WORK ON IS MAYBE, YOU KNOW, WE DO, WE FOCUS ON EDUCATION. YEAH. UM, MAYBE WE LOOK AT DOING THE PASSIVE, UM, UM, EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, SAFETY CAMPAIGN FOR ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. MAYBE WE COULD WORK WITH, UM, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SORT TEACHING THEM AT A YOUNGER AGE. UM, SO I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE. BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I THINK IT, IT COME, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FIX RIGHT AWAY. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE, THE, THE MENTALITY. UM, AND I THINK WITH NEWBURN WANTING TO BECOME MORE LIKABLE, WALKABLE COMMUNITY, THAT IN TIME THAT WILL ALL COME, THAT WILL ALL HAPPEN. IT'S JUST, I THINK WE JUST NEED TO START THE EDUCATION. IS THERE A LACK OF FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY? YEP. SO OCTOBER IS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN MAY IS BICYCLE MONTH. YEAH. AND SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO DO LIKE SOME SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS DURING THAT MONTH. LIKE JUST GENERAL EDUCATION, UM, BIKE SAFETY. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO GET A, TO GET A, A COMMUNITY BICYCLE RIDE ONE. UM, AND GIVE PEOPLE LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I LIVED IN PENSACOLA, PEOPLE BIKED TO WORK AND THEY DROVE LESS TO THAT THAT MONTH. SO, UM, BUT I DON'T THINK PEOPLE REALLY FEEL SAFE ENOUGH TO RIDE THEIR BIKES TO WORK AROUND HERE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF AREAS THAT AREN'T REALLY LIKE TR ROAD. MM-HMM . AND THAT'S A MAJOR, UM, ROAD THAT UM, PEOPLE RIDE THEIR BIKES ON, BUT IT'S JUST NO BIKE LANE OUT THERE. RIGHT. SO, WELL PERHAPS WHEN YOU UM, UH, NOTIFY THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN OF YOUR INTEREST IN DOING SOME FUNDRAISING THAT THAT MAYBE THAT CAN CULMINATE WITH SOME TYPE OF BIKE RIDE EDUCATION THING. YOU CAN COUPLE THAT WITH A FUNDRAISER AS WELL. YEAH. I MEAN IT COULD BE FOR ADULTS AND KIDS. I MEAN, ADULTS NEED THE EDUCATION JUST AS MUCH AS KIDS TO WE CAN GET THE ALDERMAN TO RIDE TO THEIR MEETING. . YEAH, THAT'D BE NICE. WHICH ONE? . UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THE WITCH'S RIDE AT HALLOWEEN AND THAT WOULD BE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME EDUCATION. YEAH. A FUNDRAISER COULD BE THE ALDERMAN. YOU SPONSOR AN ALDERMAN, RIGHT. IF THEY DON'T LIKE THAT OUR BUDGET SOME OTHER [00:40:01] WAY. . YEAH. ALL RIGHT. SO I'VE HEARD LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS. UM, SO WE'LL LET EVERYONE KIND OF THINK MORE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THEY WANT TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF THESE IDEAS. UM, I'LL START LOOKING AT SOME SAFETY CAMPAIGNS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN GET SOME, UM, IDEAS FROM. AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF CIRCLE BACK AND LOOK TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN APRIL. SO OUR NEXT MEETING IS APRIL 7TH. UM, AND SO AS YOU DECIDE AND TALK ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO GO TO THE PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, LET US KNOW SO WE CAN UM, BE THERE IN SUPPORT. UM, AND LET US KNOW WHAT OTHER INFORMATION WE MIGHT NEED TO PROVIDE FOR YOU GUYS. SO THAT PERSON, OH, EXCUSE ME. GO AHEAD. YOU CAN ONLY DO PUBLIC COMMENT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE MONTH. THAT'S WHAT I WAS JUST GONNA ASK. OKAY. THANK YOU. FIRST MEETING OF THE MONTH. FIRST MEETING OF THE MONTH. OKAY. THANK YOU. GOOD THING I'LL LET YOU TO GO FIRST BECAUSE SEE . CARRIE, DID YOU CATCH YOUR HAIR? YEAH, I'M OKAY. SO YOU ARE THE CARRIE THAT I KNOW THAT HAD LONG HAIR. YEAH. . I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON. IT LOOKS WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS? SO ARE YOU GUYS, ARE YOU I HAVE NO IDEA YET. . I'M GONNA TALK TO JESSE. I'M GONNA TALK TO JESSE. NO, I DON'T MIND. OH, THAT'S A GREAT, WE SHOULD GO. WE SHOULD GO. OH, THAT'S FANTASTIC. OKAY. DO YOU WANT ME TO TALK TO JESSIE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE ONE PERSON GO AND THEN I'LL BE THERE TO SUPPORT OF HER? THAT THAT'D BE FINE. THAT, THAT WOULD JUST LOOK, THAT WOULD LOOK GOOD. WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK? I THINK THE OPTICS OF IT AND YOU PICK A SPOKESPERSON, BUT THE, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVE PEOPLE THAT WILL, WILL SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE ARE IN THE AUDIENCE. RIGHT, EXACTLY. AND OUR MEETINGS ARE CASUAL ENOUGH WHERE I ADOPT PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN LEAVE IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPEAK FOR THE REST OF IT. YOU DON'T HAVE FEEL BAD WALKING OUT WITH IT OR ANYTHING. SO IT'S A, IT IS A SHORT TIME FROM, UM, BUT I STILL WOULD LIKE TO, I I AM HAPPY TO COACH YOU THROUGH PUTTING TOGETHER EFFECTIVE. I'LL EMAIL THE GROUP AND WE CAN, WE CAN, UH, DISCUSS WHAT JESSE , , I'M, WE'RE INTERESTED IN GETTING A LITTLE DIRECTION FROM 'EM TOO. IT'S APPROPRIATE IF YOU ALL ASK FOR IT. I'LL RIDE MY OH YEAH. THINK I KNOW YOU CAN WALK. OH, I KNOW I CAN WALK. ARE YOU GONNA BRING THE BIKE INTO THE MEETING? CARRY STAIRS, ELEVATOR. HAVE YOUR, HAVE YOUR BIKE HELMET TO THE SIDE. REFLECT GEAR ON AND GET THOSE RECYCLE T-SHIRT LIKE THAT. . . ALRIGHT, IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE. GOOD FOR THE GROUP. OKAY, THEN THESE OFFICIALLY ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.