The 2013 Stillaguamish TribeLong Range Transportation Plan Amendment
Prepared by the Stillaguamish Tribal Planning and Transportation Departments
Arlington Washington
April 2013Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS...... 2
REFERENCE PREVIOUS LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLANS ...... 3
TRIBAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TTIP) ...... 3
2013 LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATON PLAN AMENDMENT ...... 3
TRANSPORTATON FUNDING SOURCES ...... 3
THE IMPORTANCE AND USE OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TO THE TRIBE...... 4
2013 PARTIAL SUMMARY OF ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS...... 4
PENDING STILLAGUAMISH TRIBAL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS 5
Anderson/13th Avenue Trust Property...... 5
530 Property Improvements...... 7
Alpaca Farm Road...... 8
Harvey Creek Road Improvement ...... 9
80 Acres Housing Subdivision/Community Center Road...... 9
236th Street Corridor Improvement Plan...... 10
35th Avenue Northeast ...... 10
TRIBAL ROAD MAINTENANCE, SAFETY PROJECTS...... 11
CRITICAL AREA MITIGATION BANKING...... 12
STILLAGUAMISH TRIBAL CAPITAL ACQUISITION PLAN...... 13
Transit Service – STTS...... 13
Rideshare – “Stilly Crews Line”...... 13
Maintenance...... 13
Other Acquisitions...... 14
ATTACHMENT 1 2013 Proposed IRR Inventory Submittal...... 15
2013 Long-Range Transportation Plan Amendment
Reference Previous Long Range Transportation Plans
The Stillaguamish Tribal Long-Range Transportation Plan Amendment (LRTPA) for 2013 is an update of the 2007-2011 LRTPs. The Tribe is currently implementing those LRTPs. Please reference those plans for details of those activities. The implementation phase is very much underway.
Tribal Transportation Improvement Program (TTIP)
All Tribal transportation projects described in previous LRTPs and projects described in this LRTPA shall be considered part of the Stillaguamish Tribal TIP.
2013 Long Range Transportation Plan Amendment (LRTPA)
Background - Fiscal years 2011-2013 have been mostly spent on implementing LRTPs of the past. In 2012, the Tribe finalized PS&E on two road projects and we successfully went to bid and construction on both of them. One project will be complete once a communication line is moved and the other project will be complete once approximately 20 feet of lane striping is repainted and signed off by WSDOT. Now that these projects are substantially complete, the Tribe is able to focus on several other road and transit projectsas described in this LRTPA.
Transportation Funding Sources
FHWA/Indian Reservation Road Program (IRR)–The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is now the agency that administers IRR funding to the Tribe. FHWA began working with the Tribe during the initiation of the 2009 ARRA “Stimulus Funding” program. The Stillaguamish Tribe continues to work with the Federal Highway Administration mostly on planning and road construction projects. Those dollars were successfully spent on a variety of design and construction projects.FHWA has been on site and has provided several observations about the Stillaguamish Tribal Transportation Program.
BIA/IRR - The Tribe continues to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs on implementing the 2009 LRTPA.As of February2013 a balance of $34,811 in BIA Transportation funds remains from the original $591,896.The Tribe continues to work with the BIA on a variety of technical issues such as traffic counting and adding roads to the IRR Inventory.
Washington State Fuel Tax Compact Fund – The Stillaguamish Tribe entered into a Fuel Tax Compact Agreement with the Washington State Department of Licensing in 2011. The Tribe opened a gas station at the Angel of the Winds Casino and fuel tax funding is continuing to accrue. All transportation projects outlined in this LRTPA are prime candidates for fuel tax funding.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
On numerous occasions, the Tribe has successfully applied for and received competitive funding from FTA. Although this funding has been very beneficial and welcome from the Tribe, we have found it to be a fairly unreliable and inconsistent source from which our Transit Program can operate. The Tribe believes that committing at least a strong portion of the National FTA budget to formula funding would be helpful to all Tribes that have operating transit programs. Some FTA dependent Tribes loose the majority of their respective transit funding in given years because of failing to diversify their programs funding stream. Because of this issue - the Stillaguamish Tribe continues to earmark IRR funds to the Tribes Transit program.
The Importance and Use of Transportation Planning to the Tribe
The Stillaguamish Tribe has aggressively applied the use of Transportation Planning for 15 years now. For at least 1/3 of that time the Tribe had virtually no funds available for either planning or transportation construction projects. Never the less, the Tribe has continually maintained an active schedule of establishing contacts, both locally and throughout Indian Country. Today, Stillaguamish Tribal Transportation Planning has grown to become an integral part the Tribe’s identity. The Stillaguamish Tribe has been fortunate to be able to contribute to the local economy and transportation infrastructure as well as participating, where possible, in City of Arlington, Snohomish County, Washington State and Pacific Northwest regional transportation forums.
2013 Partial Summary of Accomplishments over the Last Few Years
Note: Many of the Tribe’s projects are works in progress which were defined in past LRTPs and LRTPAs. The following narrative describes “benchmarks” in those projects:
1.Transit Program - Ridership numbers continue to increase each year in both the Demand Response Transit Program (STTS) and the Rideshare Program. The Tribe expects these programs to grow into the foreseeable future. The Tribe has a full time Director of Transportation who manages all transit related projects and to oversee the ever increasing Tribal transit activity. A new carpool/rideshare/fleet coordinator has been hired and is busy managing those programs. This position is being funded out of the transit contract with BIA along with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds. Significant transit vehicle capital purchases (9 vehicles)have been made totaling $739,398and are currently in active use.
2.Smokey Point Blvd. Overlay Project -In a joint project with the City of Arlington, a section of Smokey Point Blvd. was repaved in the summer of 2010. The original engineer’s estimate for this project was $344,309. The final awarded contract bid was for $196,483. The Stillaguamish Tribe contributed $150,000 or 76% of the total project cost. This $150,000 project was funded through IRR/Obama “stimulus funding”. The City of Arlington indicated that several city roads on the IRR inventory are in need of improvement or maintenance. This project was chosen over the maintenance related “slurry seal” projects with the City of Arlington.
3.Stillaguamish Avenue – Like the Smokey Point Blvd. overlay project, the Tribe worked with the City of Arlington and contributed $100,000 toward the improvement to this city road. This road provides access to the Tribe’s Wellness Clinic and to Cascade Regional Hospital.
Note: The City of Arlington was the lead on both of these projects. All design, bidding and construction responsibilities were conducted by the City.
4.Working with Outside agencies. We have been very active participating with outside agencies for years. These agencies and organizations include the following:
- West Arlington Sub-Area Planning Committee – The Tribe is more active keeping track of development plans in West Arlington. The Tribe has attended meetings and open houses related to the redevelopment of the Western portion of the City. The urban design consulting firm MAKERS out of Seattle has done an outstanding job of illustrating to the public what “Form Based Code” looks like. Essentially this urban design application mixes land uses (primarily commercial and residential) and attempts to allow people to shop closer to home. Building more residential dwelling units per acre is encouraged. Two and three story commercial/residential development was presented to the public. Several model developments throughout the Puget Sound were showcased during several meetings. Naturally, pubic opinion of this style of development was mixed since the City of Arlington clearly has a smaller population compared to the metropolis of Seattle. The West Arlington redevelopment activity is very important to the future of the Stillaguamish Tribe since the Tribe owns several commercial properties in this area of town. “FormBased Code” attempts to concentrate on making the subject area more pedestrian friendly and less vehicle dependent. Using the European village model, store fronts are lined up next to one another and very wide sidewalks are provided.
- Snohomish County Transportation Coalition or SNOTRAC – There are monthly meetings to discuss improving transportation and social service needs within Snohomish County. The Tribe has been meeting with SNOTRAC for over 13 continuous years now.
- Washington State Tribal Transportation Planning Organization or TTPO – Attended quarterly meetings. With reduced financial support from Washington State, the Stillaguamish Tribe has provided $16,000 to TTPO so that TTPO representatives can continue to remain abreast of State and National issues as it relates to Indian County. Some Tribes attempt to send staff to meetings throughout the region and the country. Given the high cost of travel, it is more efficient for the Stillaguamish Tribe to benefit from information gathered from TTPO representatives. The Stillaguamish Tribal Planner currently serves as Vice-President and is a board member for the organization.
- Tribal Technical Assistance Program or TTAP – The Stillaguamish Tribe generally attends TTAP Symposiums when they take place locally.The Tribe is in continuous communication with TTAP on a variety of transportation issues.
Note: The Stillaguamish Tribe has elected to provide minor funding to both SNOTRAC and TTPO in exchange for the work theyprovide to the Tribe as well as several other member organizations.
Pending Stillaguamish Tribal Design, Construction and Maintenance Projects
Anderson/13th Avenue Trust Property – This property is very important to the Tribe as it directly abuts I-5, 236th St. NE and 13th Ave. NE. All of these routes are on the IRR Inventory. This property is level and has been designated as “Freeway Service Area” in the Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan for over 20 years.
The Anderson Property is currently one of the most active economic development properties of the Tribe. The Tribe is planning on building a fuel station and convenience store at this location. Architects and road design engineers are completing the final design phases of the project before construction. A road improvement for the convenience store involves building a new dedicated center-left turn on 236th St. going North on to 13th Avenue which will be the only access to the convenience store. 13th Avenue will also be widened during the improvement.
Three different jurisdictions are involved in the project. They each have a varying degree of participation in the project:
- WSDOT – Because there is an I-5 Interstate on-ramp that directly abuts the property. WSDOT has submitted comment for the project.
- Snohomish County Government – Because the Southern most portion of 13th Avenue (approx. 150 feet) lies within Snohomish County boundaries. Much of 236th Street is also in Snohomish County’s jurisdiction. Road design plans have been submitted to Snohomish County Planning and Development Services for road improvements. Dialogue with the County is continual.
- Stillaguamish Tribe – The Anderson property itself is in trust. Terry Schumann, the environmental manager for FHWA has stated that the NEPA process is complete because the Fee to Trust application for this property stated that the convenience store was planned and that a road improvement would be needed for the project.
The engineer’s estimate for the 236th St./13th Ave. improvement is $298,000.
Once the appropriate permits have been submitted and approved by Snohomish County Planning, the Stillaguamish Tribal C-Store team will put the project out to bid for construction. Hopefully, the road improvement project will also go to bid at the same time.
An additional challenge to this property is that it contains a gravel road segment of approximately 400 feet (AKA Anderson/Barlond Road). This gravel road begins level and then leads down a 20% slope leading to another Tribal property, the Barlond/Casino Sign property (described below). It has not been determined what will happen to this gravel roadway.
Barlond/Casino Sign Property – This Tribal Trust property has very significant strategic importance to the Tribe. This property abuts a salmon bearing creek (Pilchuck Creek) as well as three other Tribal properties. This property can only be accessed using a single lane gravel driveway going through another Tribal property (Anderson/16 Acres - above) which is in trust. The only foreseeable future uses for this property and its associated road will probably be limited to accessing large electronic billboards indicating the Interstate Exit for the Stillaguamish Tribe’s “Angel of the Winds” Casino. Wetlands are also on this property (mentioned below under Critical Area Mitigation Banking).
530 Property Improvements – This triangular property lies at the intersection of State Route (SR) 530 and Smokey Point Blvd. This Tribal trust property is very important to the Stillaguamish Tribe. Numerous Tribal ventures have successfully occupied this 1.65 acre parcel for the better part of a decade. These ventures have always included: 1) a Tribal smokeshop, 2) a Tribal methadone clinic with support offices and 3) a large, warehouse style fireworks stand. Because of previous haphazard site planning, the current heavy traffic flow is confusing and dangerous. Several minor accidents have taken place in and around this property.
This property is currently undergoing renovation. The fireworks stand has been eliminated and the methadone clinic is being moved to where the fireworks stand was previously located. The methadone clinic will be moving into a brand new and much largerbuilding.
This triangular property is in trust and lies directly adjacent to a SR 530. The Tribe, the City of Arlington and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have been meeting to discuss these issues. All conceivable options are being brought to the table to improve traffic flow and address public safety. Specifically, motorists must merge onto SR 530 from two sides of this property at 45 degree angles. Line of sight for all vehicles driving by the Triangle property is very poor because of the road angles and heavy traffic. Approximately 29,000 vehicles pass by the Triangle Property on SR 530 daily.
WSDOT added acenter “refuge lane” on SR 530 at this location in 2011. This aided ingress and egress to the area immediately. The highway fogline was moved to near the shoulder of the road to provide space for the new refuge/turn lane. This repainting project was the first step toward a long term solution with this area. Another concept being discussed is building a traffic round-about circle directly on SR 530 near the Triangle Property.
Joining the 530 Triangle Property with the Adjacent “Henken Property” – The Tribe would like to accelerate the traffic mitigation process at SR 530 and Smokey Point Blvd. The Tribe would also like to commit transportation funding toward a redesign of the intersection. One concept seriously being considered is to join these two properties together and reconfigure traffic from the current roadway layout and build new roadways with a different layout. This will be a long term project. Since the Tribe is considering developing the Henken property for commercial use - making traffic safety improvements at that time would be ideal.
Note:An auxiliary gravel parking area was built on the Henken Property and a flashing-light pedestrian crosswalk was installed for those using the new parking lot.
Alpaca Farm Road – The “Alpaca Farm” is another property of substantial importance to the Tribe.
In the summer of 2012, the Tribe improved this lone gravel access road to this property. The road improvement primarily remained on the same road prism, except for a portion of the road that had a sharp bend. The road was slightly rerouted to ease the sharpness in the turn. The gravel road was paved and guardrails were installed over a step bank that drops into a fish bearing creek. Because the low construction bid came in considerably below the engineer’s estimate, the Tribe was able to extend the road back to the mechanic’s shop, some 300 feet further back on the property.
Because of the many Tribal departments are situated on this property, this safety improvement has been very welcome by all users. These departments include:
Transit - The transit department continues to thrive at this location, partially because of its close proximity to the Interstate which provides quick access to most Tribal properties.
Tribal Courts– The Tribe’s Court System moved to this property in March of 2013. The new improved road and the proximity to the Transit Department made this location desirable.