FORUM w/COMMISSIONER ROSIER: MONDAY, FEB 8, 9am, CONIFER COMMUNITY BANKS

Did you know about this? I just confirmed it with the commissioner's executive assistant in Golden.

Commissioner Rosier will hold a public forum at Conifer Community Banks on Monday, Feb. 8, from 9:00am - 11:00am.

All those concerned about the 285 Corridor Plan, "destination resorts", etc. should definitely attend.

Thank you Jukerado for the reminder, it's been a busy week and we needed to post this earlier (it is in the Conifer Chamber's monthly newsletter that was sent out earlier this week and posted here in the Chambers' forum)! This is actually a meeting that the 285 Tourism Committee has organized as part of our efforts to improve the safety and congestion of Highway 285.

We met with representatives from Senator Neville's office, Senator Cory Gardner's office, and Commissioner Rosier last November to begin an initiative to make Highway 285 a higher priority for CDOT projects and funding from the state and federal entities. At that initial meeting we discussed the Transportation Bill that Representative Jared Polis had proposed that designated I-70 as a high priority corridor for funding (see press release from Cory Gardner below) and the difficulties and potential avenues for getting help fixing the most troubled spots on our highway. We started creating a list of all of the issues that we could think of that need to be addressed on our highway, from short-term to long-term fixes. Any input or ideas you have would be greatly appreciated! We'll post our first brain-storming list so you can see what we've come up with so far.

Commissioner Rosier is coming this Monday to present more about PIFs (Public Improvement Fees), LIDs ( Local Improvement Districts ), and Transportation Authorities so we can learn the pros and cons of each and see what might work for our community. Our goal is to continue to push a dialog with those who can help us get recognition and action implemented for our highway. We are tired of waiting for CDOT to stop ignoring us and the safety issues we have, or the congestion issues. It comes down to money - if we can demonstrate that we are serious about fixing our highway and start raising some money for ourselves, we are more likely to convince the state and federal government to match ours funds, or more, so we can finally get some things done.

We understand the frustration with the recent rezoning proposal, but this meeting isn't regarding that topic or development in general; it's strictly about our highway safety and congestion, and we will have a lot of information to cover in our short time. We absolutely encourage you to contact your local representatives on a regular basis and let them know your opinion on anything that affects our community! Thanks!

This is the press release that Cory Gardner's office released regarding that bill:
Gardner Ensures Highway Bill Reflects Colorado Priorities

Washington, DC – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) released the following statement today following his vote in favor of the Highway Bill passed by the Senate:

“This Highway Bill is the result of hard work from members of both parties in the House and the Senate. It gives states and local communities five years of certainty in planning transportation projects, allowing them to save money through longer-term budgeting. I’m proud that I was able to secure several provisions in the Highway Bill that are especially relevant to Colorado and will help ensure that our priorities are a part of national transportation policy. Colorado is growing fast, and it’s absolutely critical that our infrastructure keeps up with that growth.”

Among the provisions Senator Gardner secured in the Highway Bill were:
Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Improvements
· Three major Colorado road projects were under threat of not moving forward with construction as the result of changes that were initially considered to the TIFIA program as the bill was being drafted.

· Senator Gardner worked with members in both parties to make changes improving the program, and ensure that the three Colorado road projects would be able to use the program and move forward with construction.

· The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has plans for the construction of three major projects: C470 Express Lanes, Interstate 70 East of Denver, and, critically, North Interstate 25 expansion. TIFIA could be used as a financing mechanism for construction of these projects.

Population Growth Consideration
· The bill included the creation of a new grant program: the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects (NSFHP) program.

· Senator Gardner included a change to the NSHFP program which would require the Department of Transportation to consider the impact of population growth when awarding the authorized grants.

· The language will assist Colorado, one of the fastest growing states in the nation, in getting funding to improve corridors that congested by rapid population growth, including Interstate 25 North of Denver.

Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
· The bill converts the Surface Transportation Program (STP) into a new block grant program that will give more flexibility to localities to use transportation funds the way they see fit.

· During consideration of the House version of the bill, language was included that could have prohibited localities from using STP dollars for transit projects – most notably Denver Regional Transportation District.

· Senator Gardner pressed the highway bill conferees to include language that lets localities use these funds in a way that will best serve their community, giving more flexibility to Colorado communities to manage their infrastructure.

Intelligent Transportation Systems
· The base text of the bill included language establishing a new grant program for the deployment of Intelligence Transportation Systems.

· Senator Gardner worked with CDOT to improve the program by focusing on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies.

· CDOT would like to initiate a pilot program to test the feasibility of these technologies on both Interstate 70 and Interstate 25 to better manage traffic.

Train Noise
· The bill includes language requested by Senator Gardner requiring the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the effectiveness of the 2006 Federal Railroad Administration’s rule on train horns are highway-grade crossings.

· An independent study could help find potential ways to improve the rule for communities impacted by train noise.

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Cory Gardner is a member of the U.S. Senate serving Colorado. He sits on the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, and is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.