Transportation organization elects new leaders

Marci Larson informed local Historic City News reporters that St Augustine Vice-Mayor, Nancy Sikes-Kline, has been elected chairman of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization Board for the coming year.

The TPO is governed by a 15-member board of elected officials and transportation agency representatives. Sikes-Kline previously served as vice chairman of that Board and succeeds Nassau County Commissioner, Daniel Leeper; who held the post for the past two years.

Other officers include Jacksonville City Council Member, Doyle Carter, elected as vice chairman and Clay County Commissioner, Diane Hutchings, elected as treasurer.

Two committees elected their leadership for 2014.

St Augustine Planning and Building Department director, Mark Knight, completed his term as chairman of the Technical Coordinating Committee. The Committee primarily is comprised of planners and engineers representing various local governments, who evaluate the technical sufficiency, accuracy and viability of proposed plans within the Transportation Planning Organization’s boundaries. He is succeeded by Jeff Beck, Clay County Engineering Department. Beck had been serving as vice chairman. Calvin Burney, Jacksonville Planning Department, was elected vice chairman.

The Citizens Advisory Committee, a volunteer body of residents and business people who review transportation plans from a community perspective, re-elected long-time member Bernie O’Connor of Duval County as chairman and Frank Riner of Orange Park as vice chairman.

The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization handles a wide range of initiatives and projects that include the long range transportation plan; a five-year Transportation Improvement Program; Commuter Services/car and vanpool program; freight mobility and congestion management studies; coalitions for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Clean Fuels; forums on integrating land use and transportation, public private partnerships, alternative fuels, and global trade and transportation, to name a few.