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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEGD-028-16 Clarington Engineering Ser Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Municipal Clerk at 905-623-3379 ext. 2102. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: June 20, 2016 Report Number: EGD-028-16 Resolution: File Number: C.01.27.016.D.01 By-law Number: Report Subject: GO Transit Newcastle Village — Annual Status Update Recommendations: 1. That Report EGD-028-16 be received; 2. That the demolition of the former fire hall in the Village of Newcastle be further delayed to allow GO Transit to continue to use this property as a temporary turnaround on an interim basis until Durham Region Transit has a local service in place to allow for continuity or enhancement of service; 3. That Staff be directed to continue to work with Durham Region Transit to define future growth patterns and establish appropriate service levels; 4. That Staff be directed to report back to Council in early summer of 2017 on the progress of our discussions; 5. That scheduling of the demolition of the former fire hall in Newcastle be revisited at that time. Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-026-16 Page 2 Report Overview In September of 2016 staff took report EGD-014-15 to Council detailing our strategy to protect transit service for the Village of Newcastle in light of the fact that there was a development proposal on the table for the former fire hall at 247 King Avenue East, Newcastle. What came out of that report was a strong commitment from Clarington Council to do what it takes to ensure that there is no degradation of service to the Village, which included a delay of plans to re-develop the former fire hall site until such time as a co-ordinated service delivery strategy was firmly in place to allow a seamless transition from what we currently have to a GO/Durham Region Transit partnership that works in tandem to ensure, at a minimum, continuity of current service levels. At the time of our report Council was given an assurance that the subject of transit service to the Village would be revisited on an annual basis by way of a report to Council detailing our progress to date at that time. This report provides the promised annual progress update and our vision as to where we go next. 1 . Background 1.1 Current Transit Service for the Village of Newcastle The GO bus in Newcastle currently provides a vital transit service to more than 130 passengers each day who use the service to get to school, work, medical appointments and more. Many of our residents have made it clear to us that they based their decision to move to Newcastle on the fact that transit service in the Village was available. Early in 2015 a report was taken before Council discussing the desire to develop the former fire hall site so that the land could be sold by a public proposal call. At the same time GO Transit/Metrolinx saw an opportunity to work together with Durham Region Transit (DRT) to develop an integrated service plan for Newcastle. GO has provided transit service to the Village of Newcastle for over 17 years but as the Village grows it becomes clear that efficiencies can be achieved through a clear delineation between Regional and Local transit service delivery. GO is a Regional transit service provider, DRT is a local service provider and by working in tandem we have the opportunity not only to maintain current service levels for our residents but also perhaps, to expand them. This is Clarington's priority. Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-026-16 Page 3 1.2 Annual Status Update Clarington has committed to delay the re-development of the former fire hall site until we are ready to move forward with our vision of transit service for the Village. At the same time we have a responsibility to ensure that progress is being made towards this goal in a timely manner. Initially it was our goal to provide a status update on our progress to date in September of each calendar year. We have since decided to report annually before summer recess in recognition of the fact that with any proposal the need for funding approvals is an integral factor. Municipal budgets are typically prepared during the late summer and early fall for presentation to Council early in the New Year. Reporting before summer recess allows us the time we need to ensure that any funding that may be needed is in place and ready to go forward for approval within the appropriate timeframe. 2. Our Vision of Transit Service for the Future On May 19th, 2016, Mayor Foster, Councillor Partner, Councillor Woo, and staff, met with representatives from GO/Metrolinx and Durham Region Transit (DRT). The first order of business was to obtain assurances from both transit providers that GO and DRT will work in tandem to ensure that, at a minimum, there will be no reductions in service even during a transition phase. With these assurances in place the next order of business was to move the discussion towards plans for the future. In February 2016, Regional Council approved Durham Region Transit's new Five-Year Service Strategy for the Region, with year-to-year implementation subject to annual budgets. Included in that strategy are plans to anchor proposed routes 505 Newcastle and 506 Wilmot Creek at the Newcastle Carpool Lot at Highways 2 and 115 to allow connections with GO Transit's current Highway 2 services. This proposal would allow GO to step away from local service provision in Newcastle and towards the Regional service it is mandated to provide. We would be remiss if we did not offer appreciative recognition to GO Transit for their willingness to hold the line on current service levels into downtown Newcastle until a handover service is in place. They do this despite the fact that from the carpool lot easterly the service is clearly more local in nature. 2.1 Newcastle in the Five-Year Service Strategy As part of DRT's new Service Strategy, the introduction of Route 505 service between Bowmanville and Newcastle has been slotted for 2017, based on the information available to date. As with the other service enhancements proposed in the Service Strategy, this is intended to be a placeholder, and will be subject to the annual Regional budget development. Municipality of Clarington Report EGD-026-16 Page 4 . Next Steps The Municipality's solicitor is currently preparing a lease which allows GO Transit to continue to use the former fire hall site known as 247 King Avenue East, Newcastle as their turnaround and layover site for their buses. This lease is on a monthly basis with a requirement for either the Municipality of Clarington or GO Transit/Metrolinx to provide nine months' notice for a cancellation of the lease. Durham Region Transit will continue to move forward with a Five-Year Service Strategy that includes plans to provide full local service for the Village of Newcastle within the forecast year of 2017. Durham Region Transit and GO Trans it/Metrolinx will work closely together to ensure that a service plan is developed and put in place to support our residents. The Municipality of Clarington will help define that plan by providing DRT with growth plans for the Village over the shorter term so that service levels goals can be clearly defined. The Municipality of Clarington will support Regional plans to implement a Five Year Service Strategy that includes service enhancements to all Clarington residents, including those in Newcastle. We will meet again in approximately one year both to look at where we are at that time and to look at outlining our progress in an annual status update for 2017. 4. Concurrence 5. Conclusion Transit service to the Village of Newcastle is an important quality of life issue for our residents and the Municipality of Clarington is committed to working with our transit partners and other levels of government to ensure that the services they need are there both now and in the future. Municipality of Clarington Report ECD-028-16 Page 5 6e Strategic Plan Application The recommendations contained in this report conform to the Strategic Plan. Submitted by: Reviewed by: /44jCr::r Anthony Cannella ranklin Wu, Director of Engineering Services Chief Administrative Officer ASC/ra/jb Staff Contact: Ron Albright, 905-623-3379, ext. 2305, ralbright @-clarin toq n.net Attachments: N/A There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.