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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOUTboard Meeting February 16, 2026 ORANGE TRANSPORTATION COUNTY GOVERNMENT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT COUNTY NoKaL CALIQLLNA PUBLIC TRANSIT OrangeCounty AGENDA ORANGE UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD February 16, 2026, 6:30 pm 131 W Margaret Ln, Hillsborough, NC 27278 OUTBoard meetings are held in person and open to the public. Any member of the general public who wishes to make a public comment can email transportationinput@orangecountync.gov. All comments will be read to the OUTBoard during the public comment portion of the meeting. 1. Call to Order 2. Consideration of Additions or Changes to Agenda 3. Public Comments 4. Minutes— December 15, 2025 5. Regular OUTBoard Agenda a. FY27 Annual Work Program i. Action: Information b. Pedestrian Safety Call for projects i. Action: Information 6. Staff Report/Updates a. Mebane Route Change i. Action: Information b. MPO, RRO, and NCDOT 7. Adjournment-The next meeting— March 11, 2026, Joint meeting with Parks and Rec Council. It is the policy of Orange County Transportation Services to ensure that no person shall, on the ground of race, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987. 600 Hwy 86 N - Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 Phone (919)245-2008 - Fax (919) 732-2137 orangecountync.gov/transportation ORANGE UNIFIED TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEETING MINUTES Monday, December 15, 2025 131 W. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278 1 The Orange Unified Transportation Board Meeting was held on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 6:30 PM in 2 the West Campus Office Building.The following members and guests attended: 3 4 Chloe Pankratz Youth Delegate 5 Erik Legg Cedar Grove Township 6 Art Menius Little River Township 7 Gregory Woloszczuk At Large 8 Heidi Perry Bingham Township 9 Sherry Appel At Large 10 Susan Gladin Hillsborough Township 11 Sarah Williamson Orange County Staff 12 Darlene Weaver Orange County Staff 13 14 15 AGENDA ITEM 1: CALL TO ORDER 16 The meeting was called to order at 6:31 pm, and the roll was taken. 17 18 AGENDA ITEM 2: CONSIDERATIONS OF ADDITIONS TO AGENDA. 19 No additions to the agenda. 20 21 AGENDA ITEM 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS 22 No public comments were made. 23 24 AGENDA ITEM 4. MINUTES- November 17, 2025. 25 Motion: Greg Woloszcukwith corrections to lines 103 and 110. 26 Second: Heidi Perry 27 Approved: Unanimously 28 AGENDA ITEM 5. STAFF REPORT/UPDATES/EVENTS 29 a. What's Ahead in 2026 30 Staff provided informational updates focused on communication, coordination, and planning priorities for 31 2026.The discussion included direct input from OUTBoard members through a"Looking Back/Looking 32 Forward"exercise. 33 34 OUTBoard members reflected on topics and outcomes from recent meetings. Based on member input,the 35 following were identified: 36 0 Frequent Topics:Safe Routes to School, Orange Grove Road Sidewalk, Board policies and 37 orientation materials, SPOT and Non-STIP projects. 38 0 Most Discussion: Mobility on Demand (MOD),fare-free transit, Blue and Orange routes, Highway 39 70, and multimodal assessments. 40 0 Most Memorable Items: Bus shelter design, Safe Routes to School planning, orientation materials, 41 fare-free transit, and route updates. 42 0 Greatest Impact: Orientation materials, Non-STIP projects, multimodal assessments,transit 43 updates related to fare-free service, and Blue/Orange routes. 44 45 OUTBoard members identified priorities and areas of focus for 2026, including: 46 0 Key Focus Areas:Transportation planning, community engagement,transit operations, and 47 administration/strategic planning. 48 0 Members Development: Identifying areas where the members feel most knowledgeable, areas 49 where additional understanding is needed, and where members' involvement would be most 50 valuable, earlier in the process. 51 0 Future Topics: Members expressed interest in continued learning on department functions and 52 upcoming initiatives to support informed advisory input. 53 54 Meeting Calendar-January 2026 55 Staff requested approval to change the January meeting date to accommodate a joint meeting with the 56 Parks and Recreation Council and consultants for the Bike&Pedestrian Plan and Trails Plan. 57 Motion: Erik Legg to change the January OUTBoard meeting date to Thursday,January 15,2026 58 Seconded by: Sherry Appel 59 Vote: Unanimous approval. 60 Result: Motion carried. 61 Staff confirmed the February 2026 meeting date will remain unchanged, as County offices are not closed 62 for Presidents' Day. Members unable to attend future meetings may view recordings and submit written 63 feedback by email. 64 65 AGENDA ITEM 7:ADJOURNMENT 66 Art Menius adjourned the meeting at 7:21 pm.The next meeting is scheduled for January, a joint meeting on 67 Thursday,January 15, 2026. ���E ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT ORANGE ORL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT ri ,� NoKrti CARQLLNA Ora"g;„8�,�,u„5nt Item 5. b. Subject: Draft FY27 Annual Work Program PURPOSE: Provide an overview for BACKGROUND: The Annual Work Program (AWP) outlines planned transit-related activities and funding allocations forthe upcoming fiscal year.Orange County, in its role as Staff Working Group (SWG) Administrator, coordinates with local jurisdictions, GoTriangle, and the Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TWTPO) to develop the AWP in accordance with adopted governing agreements. The FY27 Annual Work Program is currently under development through coordination with partner agencies and ongoing Staff Working Group meetings. This agenda item provides general context and a status update on the AWP development process. RECOMMENDATIONS: Information only. 600 Hwy 86 N - Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 Phone (919)245-2008 - Fax (919) 732-2137 orangecountync.gov/transportation Annual Work Program Timeline Completions • Distribution of Projects sheets — September 29, 2025 • Draft Project Sheets Due — December 01 , 2025 • Final Project Sheet Due — December 17, 2025 • Special Meeting — Review Project Sheets — January 09, 2026 • Special Meeting — Sponsor questions — February 06, 2026 ���E ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT ORANGE ORL TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT ri ,� NoKrti CARQLLNA Ora"g;„8�,�,u„5nt Item 5. b. Subject: Pedestrian Safety Call for Projects PURPOSE: Provide an update on the status of projects submitted BACKGROUND: Orange County Transportation and the Town of Hillsborough submitted pedestrian safety project concepts to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) through the Pedestrian Safety Call for Projects. This program allows local governments to propose projects that improve pedestrian safety, such as crosswalks, sidewalks, and other safety- related improvements. NCDOT completed an initial review of the submitted project concepts based on project readiness, funding availability, and the ability to meet the June 2026 obligation timeline. The results of this review were shared in a summary spreadsheet indicating the status of each project. Projects identified for advancement may move forward into preliminary engineering and design. This notification does not represent a funding commitment, and project status may change as additional evaluation occurs. Projects not advancing at this time may be reconsidered under other funding programs or submitted in future rounds of the Call for Projects. RECOMMENDATIONS: Information only. 600 Hwy 86 N - Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 Phone (919)245-2008 - Fax (919) 732-2137 orangecountync.gov/transportation T t y ~' •r + • • ' r .I- W 7 tii r + 1 `r � r _ r i NCDOT's Pedestrian Safety Call For Projects r_ , r 'qM6 ',, - Pedestrian Safety Catt for Proiert!- NCDOT Program Local Submissions FOR _ ' WIRY Pedestrian Safety ... ........... Scoring Criteria Who can apply? How is funding divided? How do you know which group you ' re in .? What kinds of projects are they looking for? Who decides which communities get projects? How are projects scored? Pedestrian Safety Projects Route or Agency Name County Municipality Corridor Name From/To Limits Project Description Initial Project Determination Orange County Crosswalk&ADA ramp at new intersection tie-in Orange Hillsborough US 70 Reverse Rd realignment area Yes,pursue for TAP funding Transportation Pedestrian signage Install no parking signs along New Grady Brown School Orange County Cedar Ridge Division is considering using maintenance funds Orange Hillsborough New Grady Brown School Road Road to deter parents from parking on the side of the Transportation High School to accomplish.Not advancing for TAP funding. road during afternoon pick up. "Install no parking signs along Orange High School Road to deter parents from Efland Cheeks Install no parking signs along Orange High parking on the side of the road during afternoon pick "Drivers park on the side of the road to avoid the Orange County Global School Road to deter parents from up. Division is considering using maintenance funds Transportation Orange Hillsborough Elementary parking on the side of the road during the afternoon car queue, then make U-turns in the road to accomplish.Not advancing for TAP funding. School afternoon pick up. to leave, creating safety concerns for students and other drivers. Students walk from the school to these cars, sometimes crossing the road." "Add traffic calming measures, such as reducing the Add traffic calming measures, such as speed limit from 45 reducing the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph along US 70 from Miller Road to NC Orange County Orange Middle Division is considering using maintenance funds Transportation Orange Hillsborough School mph to 35 mph along US 70 from Miller 86."Add traffic calming measures, such as reducing to accomplish.Not advancingforTAP funding. Road to NC 86. the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph along US 70 from Miller Road to NC 86. Construction of curb ramps and crosswalk markings Town of Orange Town of Hillsborough Elizabeth Brady From the Historic Oconeechee Speedway between the Historic Oconeechee Speedway Trail and NCDOT is considering pursuing HSIP funds f Hillsborough Road Trail to the Hillsborough Riverwalk Trail. the Hillsborough Riverwalk Trail. this project.Not advancing for TAP fundin TAP- Transportation Alternative Program HSIP- Highway Safety Improvement Program Next Steps Design Review Reconsideration (if required) Implementation Final Design Construction /Installation Closeout a s�� a a i � r Fixed Route Service in I iRp�S Mebane Starting in 2026 OranlIeCounty PUBLIC TRANSIT oae, I F OCPT =� � • Four Fixed Routes • Large Volume of On-Demand • 98% On Time • Fare Free Fixed Routes C \,� f Ru�rY�f Orange-Alamance Connector Route 0OrangeCounzy PUBLICTRANSIT N a W+E 0.5 1 2 Current S Mlles 1Z12017 ■ L LERANON RD a srhoo7 ervice _ y - m s Y J F.*88 peeks S 0 FQUCP C.W.5}anfw carom iy o � rem,S.WZ , ce,�lar � A yp :03� v :oo ,o Mebane m c r �o i w UNION ST y :58 Nfand�heeka L' �E��! P C• -i d0 Elementary Schod ERand +^ W TRVON sT 23 ----� r Posl Efland $ :30 sra�,ar ON- 8EH10NHSTpNAD FNAAWd4 Lz•a.Y 'teayv Rn via a, Hillsborough �1ds E—n suer �& W- ewne f tzv Westbound Stops Interstate Eastbound Stops —US and NC Routes Orange-Alamance Midday Road/Street f !Connector Eastbound Route Efland CUP Orange-Alamance Midday City Limits Connector Westbound Route • Points of Interest T . ¥® ® • � m��m % T %a ! r-Tr.a` 2 ^tee Pollot I t m @ /e ƒ ---Tee • t �w d0rdj,mk 0 F!Se ƒ ! 7 m, r v i c e � we - _/m� S�^Oac t > � k kkMI n / Q �e , m00 % �»®G ��mJ t ' oGm Dowd � � 2 ~ A~ � $ ' m & ~^� ate% / . F40R_Aa r ®® / 2 ~k | % + -� C m , © Rv� ° ^�M� ® � Schedule rRANslt Morning Afternoon - Hillsborough to Mebane - Hillsborough to Mebane - Mebane to Hillsborough - Mebane Loop - Hillsborough to Mebane - Mebane Loop - Mebane Loop - Mebane Loop - Mebane Loop - Mebane Loop - Mebane Loop - Mebane to Hillsborough - Mebane Loop - Hillsborough to Mebane - Mebane to Hillsborough - Mebane to Hillsborough Phase d A pp roach Orange-Alamance Connector Route 9 OranqeCo y 20 u 4 03 05 M.b... :2 JO w,», HillsboroughZ, :53 :45 PIN," R=o­ 11,1111 ace d Horne _..'-'Al d., Current Route Short Term Long Term O-A Express O-A Mebane Combined Two Routes Phased Approach Current Short , . _ OA Express - CombinedCirculator Operating 1 Bus 1 Bus 1 Bus 1 Bus (Estimates) 1.25 Drivers 1.25 Drivers 1.25 Drivers 1.25 Drivers .3 Dispatch & Support .3 Dispatch & Support .3 Dispatch & Support .3 Dispatch & Support Staff Staff Staff Staff Funding Orange County Orange County Orange County TWTPO TWTPO TWTPO Transit Tax Transit Tax Transit Tax Next Jan . 20: BGMPO • Feb. 2 : Mebane Town Council Feb. 16: OUTBoa rd (County) _ March 5 : Board of County Commissioners o Public Hearing - Spring: Service Change � r Fixed Route Service in I iRp�S Mebane Starting in 2026 OranlIeCounty PUBLIC TRANSIT oae,