To: HONORABLE MAYOR AND From: Director of Public WorksWayne Tanda

CITY COUNCIL

Subject: CALTRAIN MAINTENANCESEE BELOWREPORT TITLE Date: 1100-14090-01

FACILITY0 (numbers only))

Approved Date

COUNCIL DISTRICT: 3 & 6

SUBJECT

Caltrain/Lenzen Central Maintenance and Operations Facility “Shared Objectives”.

RECOMMENDATION

Approve an amendment to the Cooperative Agreement with the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board for the Caltrain Maintenance Facility to incorporate a statement of “Shared Objectives” addressing the mitigation of community impacts.Adopt the negotiated “Shared Objectives” between the City of San Jose and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board and incorporate them into the existing Cooperative Agreement.

BACKGROUND

A new Caltrain Maintenance Facility is being developed in San Jose in the vicinity of Lenzen Avenue and Stockton Avenue. The purpose of the facility is to improve the efficiency of the Caltrain service by centralizing maintenance activities and to accommodate service expansion. The Caltrain system is managed by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB).

On September 19, 2000, the City of San Jose and the JPB Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board entered into a Cooperative Agreement concerning development of the Caltrain Maintenance Facility . The agreement requires the City and JPB to develop a statement of “Shared Objectives” governing the design and operations of the facility, in a manner that reduces impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

in anticipation of the development of the Caltrain Central Maintenance and Operations Facility. The facility site is currently part of an active rail corridor that serves both freight and passenger services. The site also serves as the daily storage area for the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) trains. Improvement and expansion of Caltrain service, as well as proposed future increases in the use of rail transit in the region has made construction of a full-time centralized maintenance facility a priority.

The goal of the Cooperative Agreement was to acknowledge potential effects from the development of the maintenance facility and point out that these issues were typical interface issues that can occur between residential and non-residential uses that include but are not limited to noise, air quality, traffic, and aesthetics as a result of maintenance facility construction and operation. The attached “Shared Objectives” are intended to be the specific means by which these issues are addressed.

ANALYSIS

Working in conjunction with the Caltrain Maintenance Facility Task Force, the City and JPB have negotiated a set of “Shared Objectives” that include 48 specific actions to be incorporated into the design and operations of the new maintenance facility (see attached). These actions address community interests related to noise, air quality, lighting, safety, traffic, construction, aesthetics, community communication, and future improvements.

Implementation of these actions will assure that the new Caltrain Maintenance Facility includes all reasonable measures to be a “good neighbor” to the surrounding community. The JPB has the primary responsibility to implement almost all of the actions. The City and JPB would have shared responsibility for pursuing traffic calming improvements on Stockton Avenue.

It is desired that “Shared Objectives” be formally amended into the Cooperative Agreement between in the City and JPB to assure commitment and acceptance of the proposed actions. The JPB is scheduled to act on the amendment to the agreement on December 6, 2001.

The Cooperative Agreement between the City and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board was a critical first step in addressing the significant concerns raised by residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. The Cooperative Agreement established the basis for negotiation and development of the Shared Objectives, which are intended to identify and implement facility enhancements aimed at reducing any impacts of the operation of the facility on the surrounding community.

It is important to note that the Caltrain Maintenance Facility Community Task Force has participated extensively in the development of the Shared Objectives. The Task Force is led by community members who reside in the affected neighborhoods, in cooperation with the offices of the Mayor and Council members Chavez and Yeager. Attachment 1 describes the Shared Objectives in detail. It is noted that significant enhancements to the maintenance facility have been achieved through the negotiation of the Shared Objectives that address each of the community’s specific concerns.

The development of the facility will now move into the final design process with completion of the facility expected in early 2005. The Community Task Force will continue to work with the City and the Joint Powers Board to help guide the design and construction of the facility and ensure that the agreed upon enhancements are included.

City staff will provide periodic updates on the progress of the development and construction of the maintenance facility.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

Not applicable. (or write a suitable explanation if applicable) The Caltrain Maintenance Facility Community Task Force has led extensive public outreach on this item. The Task Force participants include representatives from the neighborhood associations of Shasta/Hanchett Park, Garden Alameda, College Park, and Arena, the JPB, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and the Offices of Mayor Gonzales, Councilmember Chavez, and Councilmember Yeager.

The Task Force holds monthly community meetings to discuss the progress of the facility. The next community meeting will be held Wednesday, November 14, 2001.

COORDINATION

This item has been coordinated with the Office of the City Attorney., the Office of the Mayor, Council members Chavez and Yeager, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.

COST IMPLICATIONS (if applicable)

BUDGET REFERENCE (if applicable)

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CEQA

Negative DeclarationN

WAYNE K. TANDA, DIRECTORJR.

Director, Public WorksStreets & Traffic DepartmentDepartment of Transportation

Attachment

				Highlighted items - Details to be developed during the final design process.
				Assume all commitments will be performed in accordance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations of the federal, state and local goverments
	CATEGORY	GOAL		ACTION
A.	Noise	Eliminate objectionable noise during night time hours.		PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS:
		Include design features and operational policies to reduce general noise output from the facility to the maximum extent feasible	A-1	Construct a wall or walls along the westerly property boundary between Taylor Street and Lenzen Avenue to provide a positive barrier between the facility and the neighborhood receptors in areas where existing buildings do not provide a barrier. Length, height, and limits of the wall(s) shall be determined by JPB, in cooperation with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force, during final design and shall intercept the line of sight from locomotive and car sources. Wall construction shall be completed on or before the completion of facility construction.
			A-2	The facility shall be designed to minimize train movements between the various maintenance and storage sites to the extent possible.
			A-3	Locate sites of active maintenance away from the west side of the project site to the extent possible.
			A-4	Place shielding on heating and air-conditioning equipment and fans that have exit points above the height of walls or adjacent buildings prior to the commencement of operation of such equipment.
			A-5	Prior to the opening of the facility, establish a policy to utilize ground power instead of diesel engine power whenever possible during storage or layover of trainsets. The new operating contract includes the following statements: "Locomotives shall not be allowed to idle unnecessarily." "Any train in active service having a layover of more than one hour shall be connected to standby ground power. Train shall be retained on ground power during any cleaning and/or inspection process which requires electrical power. Locomotive Head-End power shall not be used for the equipment prior to twenty minutes before scheduled departure time." Note, it is necessary to begin warm-up of the main locomotive engine approximately 20-30 minutes prior to departure.
			A-6	On or before the completion of facility construction, provide insulation of building walls and ceilings to reduce noise. Details to be determined by JPB in cooperation with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force during design process.
			A-7	No external public address system is planned for the facility. Daily communications will be conducted using personal communication devices. Exceptions are audible emergency warning systems as required by regulatory agencies for safety. If these plans change and an external public address or other external, noise producing system is contemplated, JPB shall provide the City monitoring committee or task force with prior written notice of these planned changes in a sufficient amount of time to allow the JPB and the City oversight committee or task force to meet to discuss appropriate guidelines for use of such a system.
			A-8	Close the Lenzen Avenue grade crossing prior to the completion of facility construction.
			A-9	Construction activities will be limited to daytime hours, meaning from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., to the extent possible. Planned activities that have the potential to impact train operations and safety may be performed during restricted timeframes including night time and weekend periods. Activities necessary to address emergency situations, whether or not planned, may be performed at any time.
	Noise (Cont'd)		A-10	At least seven days prior written notice, by regular U.S. mail or hand-delivered fliers, shall be given to the surrounding neighborhoods for any pile driving activities during construction. Contract specifications shall address these requirements.
				APRIL 6, 2001 WORKSHOP COMMITMENTS:
			A-11	Prior to the completion of facility construction, enclose the train washing facility and equipment to the extent possible. This includes the sides of the washer but not the ingress/egress or overhead areas. Pumps and tanks will be housed in an enclosed structure at all times.
			A-12	Provide an alternate method of maintaining engine oil temperature when ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F in lieu of idling the locomotive diesel engine, which alternate method is intended to be and shall be quieter than the noise level produced by the idling engine.
			A-13	Limited curfew on engine load testing: Implement a policy to conduct annual load tests on locomotive engines only during daytime hours of 7 AM to 5 PM. Perform the annual load tests on the east side of the shop building at all times.
		PROPOSALS REVIEWED AFTER 4/6/01 WORKSHOP:		ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS APRIL 25, 2001:
		Extension of soundwall limits south of Lenzen Avenue in area of switches.	A-14	A wall can be accommodated across Lenzen Avenue and shall be constructed and completed prior to the completion of facility construction. Final design will consider height, length and sight distance issues. Design details shall be determined by JPB, in cooperation with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force.
		Design northern lead track and signal system to avoid activating Stockton crossing gates for most yard moves.	A-15	Trains on the maintenance yard lead track that do not pass through the mainline switch will not activate the crossing gates.
		Limit scheduled maintenance activities to only daytime shifts - need to evaluate day shift capacity.	A-16	Prior to the opening of the facility, establish and implement a policy to limit car body repair (as needed) to day shift (7am-5pm) only. Prior to the opening of the facility, establish and implement a policy to limit engine checks for 15-day and 92-day maintenance to day shift (7am-5pm) only. Second shifts will likely be needed upon opening of the facility. Some scheduled maintenance activities are currently performed on second shifts.
		Muffler over horns during daily inspections.	A-17	Prior to opening of the facility, establish and implement a policy to utilize muffling device when performing any horn tests.
		Alternatives to limit engine run-up noise at night as a result of daily inspections.	A-18	Upon opening of the facility, shift performance of the daily engine run-up and horn check from CEMOF to Diridon for trains after 11:00PM. Upon opening of the facility, shift overnight storage of the first four outgoing trains to Diridon.
		Other alternatives for encapsulating noise at the site	A-19	Prior to the completion of facility construction, provide doors on the ends of shop buildings. Details to be developed during final design process by JPB in cooperation with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force.
		Extension of sound barrier south of Lenzen Avenue behind PG&E yard	A-20	Prior to the completion of facility construction, develop and implement (all in coordination with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force) modified fence design to maximize sound attenuation.
	Noise (Cont'd)	PROPOSALS REQUIRING ADDITIONAL EVALUATION:		Evaluations would occur prior to the opening of the facility.
		Alternatives to limit night time noise from train engines		Minimize dispatches from CEMOF prior to 6:30am. Evaluate potential for train storage at Tamien.
		Provide alternate warning mechanism to reduce bell ringing for yard movements.		Audible warnings required for worker safety. Futher investigation needed to determine if pitch can be altered to reduce or eliminate noise heard in the neighborhood. Such investigation to be undertaken an+E45d E36in cooperation with and with input from City monitoring committee or task force.
B.	Air Quality	Minimize diesel locomotive emissions.		PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS:
		Minimize air quality impacts during construction of the facility.	B-1	The facility shall be designed to minimize train movements between the various maintenance and storage sites to the extent possible.
			B-2	Contaminated or hazardous materials will be handled in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Local requirements at all times.
			B-3	Caltrain rolling stock shall conform to existing applicable regulations.
			B-4	Utilize propane or electric fork lifts in lieu of diesel forklifts to the extent possible. Some activities would still require the larger diesel forklifts, but their use shall be minimized to the greatest possible extent.
			B-5	Utilize battery powered personnel carriers at the facility to the extent possible. Other vehicles, such as standard diesel and gas powered pickup trucks, would still be utilized, but their use shall be minimized to the greatest possible extent.
				APRIL 6, 2001 WORKSHOP COMMITMENTS:
			B-6	Prior to the opening of the facility, develop and implement a policy to utilize smaller engines or other transporting equipment to move locomotive and cars within the limits of the maintenance facility to the extent possible instead of using the locomotives to move unit trains. Some train movements would still be accomplished with the locomotive engine, for example but not limited to: arriving and departing from the yard, or in cases when the number of moves exceeds the available equipment. Prior to the opening of the facility, provide a budget to purchase this equipment.
			B-7	Prior to the opening of the facility, establish and implement a policy to utilize ground power instead of diesel engine power whenever possible during storage or layover of trainsets. The new operating contract includes the following statements: "Locomotives shall not be allowed to idle unnecessarily.", "Any train in active service having a layover of more than one hour shall be connected to standby ground power. Train shall be retained on ground power during any cleaning and/or inspection process which requires electrical power. Locomotive Head-End power shall not be used for the equipment prior to twenty minutes before scheduled departure time." Note, it is necessary to begin warm-up of the locomotive engine approximately 20-30 minutes prior to departure.
			B-8	Prior to the opening of the facility, provide an alternate method of maintaining engine oil temperature when ambient temperature is below 40 degrees F in lieu of idling the locomotive diesel engine, which alternate method is intended to reduce emissions.
	Air Quality (Cont'd)	PROPOSALS REQUIRING ADDITIONAL EVALUATION:		ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS APRIL 25, 2001:
		Alternate Fuel switch engines to move equipment within the yard limits.		LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) powered switching engines available. Incremental cost needs to be identified and agreed to by the JPB Board.
				PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS:
C.	Lighting	Minimize light intrusion	C-1	The height of external overhead lighting masts shall be minimized to the extent possible.
			C-2	All external facility lighting shall be designed and installed to minimize intrusion of light into surrounding residential areas.
D.	Safety	Minimize fuel storage at the facility	D-1	Fuel storage at the site will be minimized at all times in anticipation of future electrification.
			D-2	Any proposed fuel storage would be located as far away from any residential areas as is feasible.
		Provide adequate security for the facility	D-3	Security gates and fences will be erected where determined appropriate through the design process prior to the completion of facility construction.
E.	Traffic	Minimize facility related traffic on west side of facility. Conform to local traffic ordinances	E-1	Employee parking will be located on the east side of the mainline railroad tracks with access via the Autumn Street extension.
			E-2	Construction specfications will require conformance to local traffic ordinances.
F.	Construction Phase	Construction activities to conform to local ordinances. Minimize construction activity impacts on neighborhoods.	F-1	At least seven days prior written notice (via regular U.S. mail or hand-deliverd fliers) shall be given to the surrounding neighborhoods for any pile driving activities during construction. Contract specifications shall address these requirements.
			F-2	Construction activities will be limited to daytime hours, meaning from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., to the extent possible. Planned activities that have the potential to impact train operations and safety may be performed during restricted timeframes including night time and weekend periods. Activities necessary to address emergency situations, whether or not planned, may be performed at any time.
			F-3	Construction contracts shall require dust control, sound control, air and water pollution control measures.
G.	Aesthetics	Construct and maintain a facility that is aesthetically compatible with the surrounding area	G-1	The design process will provide opportunity for timely and thoughtful community input regarding aesthetics of the shop buildings. Aesthetic treatments will be focused on the portions of the buildings that are visible from the residential areas.
			G-2	A landscaping plan will be developed for the ingress and egress points of the facility (3 locations). Landscaping shall be installed prior to the completion of facility construction and shall be maintained by Caltrain or its agents.
			G-3	Prior to opening of the facility implement a graffiti maintenance program at the maintenance facility. This program will focus on the areas that are visible from surrounding residential areas. At a minimum, this program will provide for graffiti removal on areas visible from the surrounding residential neighborhoods within 48 hours of discovery of the graffiti tagging.
				PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS:
H.	Ongoing Community Communication	Implement the concept of an Oversight Committee in accordance with the Cooperative Agreement between the City and JPB	H-1	The JPB and the City agree to work with the community on identifying and implementing traffic calming mechanisms along Stockton Avenue.
			H-2	Upon the start of facility construction, and at all times thereafter, JPB will provide a staffed 24-hour community complaint telephone line that is a local contact and local telephone number.
			H-3	JPB will respond to community complaints within 72 hours of receipt. JPB shall keep a written log of all community complaints received, which log will include the date and time the complaint was received, a summary of the complaint, and the action taken to resolve the complaint. JPB will make this log available to the City or a member of the public upon request. JPB will regularly report complaints from the community to the Maintenance Facility Monitoring Committee including description of complaint, date and time received, and any action taken to resolve the complaint.
			H-4	JPB to provide adequate staff support to Maintenance Facility Monitoring Committee, including funding for newsletters and neighborhood notices.
I.	General	Support future electrification of Caltrain system and future fourth track installation.	I-1	Facility will be designed to accommodate future electrification and fourth track alignment.

HFL: