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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority - 04/02/2003 1�'94411:fa14Ar REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY :7441% BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING MAYWEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2003RE�CEAEV D TARYS SUMMARY OF ACTIONS �F►CES' 1. Provided Opportunity for Public Comment 2. Held Personnel Recognition 3. Approved the Board of Directors' Minutes of March 5, 2003 4. Heard Update on RTAC Committee Activities 5. Accepted Committee Reports 6. a) Exercised the One Year Option with Naismith Engineering for Engineering Services b) Approved a Nine-Month Supply Contract to Oil Patch Petroleum for Unleaded Fuel 7. Approved an Inter-Governmental Agreement with Nueces County for the Construction of Transit-Related Improvements at the Nueces County Fairgrounds 8. Approved Changes to Route #94 Port Aransas Shuttle Route and Schedule 9. Approved the Tender, Completion and Release Agreement with Continental Casualty Company and Barcom Commercial Inc. for the Completion of the Southside Station 10.Heard B-Line Update 11.Heard Update on Reinventing Transit 12.Heard General Manager's Report 13.Held Closed Session Concerning Litigation 14.Confirmed General Manager's Execution of Settlement Agreement The Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors met at 8:30 a.m. in the Regional Transportation Authority Facility located at 5658 Bear Lane, Corpus Christi, Texas. Board Members Present: Mike Rendon (Board Chair), Vicki Garza (Board Vice- Chair), Julio Garcia, Jr. (Board Secretary), Abel Alonzo, Rolando Barrera, John Corder, Guadalupe Gomez, Mack Rodriguez; Stan Terry, Carole Wilkinson Board Members Absent: John Buckley Staff Present: Linda Watson (General Manager), David Seiler, Beth Vidaurri, Fred Haley, Kevin Bunce, Stuart Sher, Ricardo Sanchez, Sylvia Mendez, Patricia Collins, Sylvia Martinez, Vangie Chapa Public Present: Dan Hoffman, Barcom; Alan Wulkan, P B Consultants; Rosie — ——Aguiar—Cecil Aguiar—Pablo-Lara,-Brian-Watson, Edna Arr-edondo, David Smith, —---- ---- SCANNED Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 2 Antonio Olivas, Leonard Covington, Greg Salazar, David Garcia, Roland Garza, Lupe Salazar, Ramona Sawyers Call to Order The Board of Directors' meeting was called to order by Mr. Rendon at 8:31 a.m. = _ _ Opportunity_for..Public_Comment :_ _. :,. _ -. Mr. Rendon called for public comment from the audience. Ms. Sawyers commented on RTA employees right to free speech without punishment. She stated that management continued to violate employees' rights and needed to be held accountable for their actions. Mr. Salazar announced that Ms. Sawyers would be handling investigations for the association. Mr. Garza asked for a change of direction when setting policy. He stated different standards existed which allowed management to physically assault employees. He noted that the media would not cover RTA issues. He said that RTA was paying cellular telephone bills for people who were no longer with the RTA. Employees' first amendment rights were being violated. He said that pregnant employees were not being treated fairly and asked that an emergency policy be set that required operators-to call-911-first. Ms. Watson stated that RTA did not pay for cellular telephone bills of terminated employees. Mr. Covington expressed the opinion that a new maintenance facility was needed as quickly as possible. Mr. Watson inquired about the feasibility of RTA initiating issuing a permanent bus pass similar to the one issued by Austin Metro. Ms. Watson stated that this suggestion would be investigated. Personnel Recognition Ms. Watson recognized Mr. Cardenas for fifteen years of consecutive safe driving. That is driving approximately 400,000miles without a preventable collision. She noted that he had participated in several bus roadeos and had placed in the top five in various events. Mr. Rodriguez was recognized by Ms. Watson for qualifying to participate in the operator/instructor program. Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 3 Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of March 5, 2003 MR. TERRY MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BOARD MINUTES OF MARCH 5, 2003. MR. RODRIGUEZ SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Update on RTAC Committee Activities Mr. Rendon stated that Ms. Staley was unable to attend and that the summary minutes were in the packet. Action to Accept Committee Reports Mr. Rendon called for additions or corrections to the RTAC Committee Minutes of February 20, 2003, and the Operations Committee Meeting Minutes of February 25, 2003. Ms. Watson stated that an Administration Committee meeting was not held in February. MR. TERRY MADE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE REPORTS:Mit GARC1A-SECONDED THE MOTION.. THE UNANIMOUSLY. Consent Agenda Items Mr. Rendon called for consideration of the Consent Agenda items which are of a routine or administrative nature. He asked if there were any items that should be pulled from the Consent Agenda. Mr. Alonzo initiated a discussion regarding the low percentage of Hispanic contractors that are awarded RTA engineering contracts. Mr. Rodriguez concurred and questioned the current contract rating system that uses experience as a criteria; thereby, making it difficult for a new firm to bid competitively. Mr. Taylor stated that when the contract is re-bid, instead of exercising a one-year option, all firms would be rated on the same level. Mr. Barrera noted that the agenda item was for an option year. He stated that he felt that minority contractors were being given opportunities to bid on new contracts. There being no further comments, Mr. Rendon called for a vote on the following consentitems: ---- — — — -- <— - - - Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 4 a)Action to Exercise the One Year Option with Naismith Engineerinq for Engineering Services b) Action to Approve a Nine-Month Supply Contract to Oil Patch Petroleum for Unleaded Fuel MR. TERRY MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. MR. GARCIA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Action to Approve an Inter-Governmental Agreement with Nueces County for the Construction of Transit-Related Improvements at the Nueces County Fairgrounds MR. CORDER MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE AN INTER- 'GOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH NUECES COUNTY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF TRANSIT-RELATED IMPROVEMENTS AT THE NUECES COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS. MS. GARZA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Action to Approve Changes to Route #94 Port Aransas Shuttle Route and Schedule Mr. Alonzo stated that he could not support providing free service to Port Aransas. His concern was that the General Manager was catering to political pressure. He stated that he would consider making a motion that all services be free especially for dependent riders. He also expressed disapproval of Department heads providing information at the last minute. Ms. Watson responded that the Port Aransas Trolley service was started in approximately 1994. As a cost savings measure, the decision was made to allow Port Aransas to house the trolley instead of returning daily to the RTA facility. She pointed out that the information requested at the Operations Meeting was provided in the agenda packet, but that after the agenda packet was distributed, a Board Member had requested additional information. That information was handed out at the start of the meeting. Continuing with her informational report, Ms. Watson stated that the route change was being requested based on a petition received from residents of an RV park. Public meetings had been held and approximately 20 persons attended to support --- the-proposed-stop.—She-also noted-that-implementation of-the change-would-result in a nominal service cost increase. Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 5 Mr. Barrera asked if ridership demographics had been determined. He expressed the opinion that a fair and equitable process should be followed and that getting the most return for the service should be taken into consideration. Ms. Watson explained that the route was a specialty route, primarily.targeting - tourists. _ Mr. Terry suggested that the Harbor Ferry fare be changed to allow riders to purchase an all-day pass. Mr. Rodriguez stated that Robstown riders, who are generally economically disadvantaged, did not receive free rides unless an agency provides them with a token. He also expressed the need for a fair and equitable service. He expected the fare review to address this issue. He concluded by stating that Port Aransas should continue to operate the trolley service but should have to pay for the service. Ms. Watson pointed out that the Corpus Christi Downtown trolley service also operated at no charge since it was considered a specialty service. , Mr. Corder expressed support for continuing the service without charging a fare. MS:GARZA MA-DE-A-MOTION TO APPROVECHANGES TO ROUTE #94 PORT ARANSAS SHUTTLE ROUTE AND SCHEDULE. MS. WILKINSON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. MR. TERRY ABSTAINING. • Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Tender, Completion and Release Agreement with Continental Casualty Company and Barcom Commercial Inc. for the Completion of the Southside Station In response to Mr. Terry, Mr. Bell affirmed that Mr. Baxter, General Manager at Padre Staples Mall, had provided the signed agreement for the mall side improvements. MR. GOMEZ MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE TENDER, COMPLETION AND RELEASE AGREEMENT WITH CONTINENTAL CASUALTY COMPANY AND BARCOM COMMERCIAL INC. FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE SOUTHSIDE STATION. MR. BARRERA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 6 B-Line Update Ms. Collins, reporting on February 2003 statistics, stated that: 1) ridership was 13,065; 2) weekday ridership accounted for 95.2% of the trips provided to non-wheelchair users and 92.7% of the trips provided for riders in wheelchairs; 3) there were 2,535 ADA eligible riders who used wheelchairs, comparedto 9,418.who did_not use wheelchairs; and 4) no-shows and same day trip cancellations were at 12.3% compared with the 2002 monthly average of 10.6%; and 5) denials were at 0.47%, year-to-date. Mr. Terry inquired what steps were being taken to address no-shows and same day trip cancellations. Ms. Collins responded that if the passenger was not at the designated pick up location, they were called. Also, the same day trip cancellation policy was being reviewed. Providing an Operations report, Ms. Tackett stated that all customers who had expressed concerns at the February RTAC meeting had been contacted. She noted that in January 2003, 21 Customer Assistance Forms had been received, 15 in February, and 8 in March. Responding to Mr. Terry, Ms. Tackett stated that customer complaint calls received at the MV office were not routed to the RTA customer service line. MV-personnel-handled-therm.TheMVcalt center telephone lines were recorded. Mr. Terry expressed concern that B-Line customer concerns were not documented and requested that staff evaluate the current procedure. Ms. Watson agreed to review the current procedure and report the findings to the Board. Continuing with her report, Ms. Tackett stated that on-time performance was at 88%. She contributed the drop to operating the service with fewer drivers due to illnesses, weather factors, and computer issues that resulted in 1 1/2 days without access to manifests. She stated that on-time performance numbers were expected to increase due to the new shift bid and the addition of more extra board drivers. Reporting on the fare return policy, Ms. Tackett explained that a rider requests a card from the driver, then returns it to the driver or to the MV office. Their fare is either refunded or credited toward their next trip. Three requests had been received. • In response to Mr. Terry, Ms. Tackett replied that eleven operators had just graduated, currently there were a total of sixty-three operators and 44 were full-time operators. • Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 7 Mr. Smith, Vice President of Human Relations at the MV Corporate office, stated that as part of supporting the Corpus Christi staff, he was addressing operational concerns. Update on Reinventing Transit Ms. Watson reported that she would bepresenting:regular..updates..to_the Board on the four goals outlined in the reinventing transit project through the Board summary report. The report would outline the detailed projects for each focus area, a time line for completion and the end result. She asked Board members to provide comments or questions at any time. General Manager's Report Ms. Watson reported on the following items: 1) RTA staff members had been picked up today as part of the ADART on-road testing phase; 2) the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Downtown Transportation Study would be held today at 1:30 p.m. at the Ortiz Center and all Board members were invited to attend; 3) CCISD would be filming a 10 minute presentation about RTA and their environmental contributions to the community; 4) the Hispanic Contractors would be co-sponsoring the Third Annual Exploring the Wave of Opportunity Conference at Texas A&M in June with Senator Hinojosa. There would not be a fee to attend. She - recommended-that-complimentary-passes-to-the-Harbor feryforthe-conferen-cee—v attendees be included with the conference material; 5) RTA had submitted an initial reimbursement request for the Robstown P&R environmental mitigation in the amount of$5,633 and received $2,967. A second submittal of$12,128 was pending; 6) The Latino Education Agency had submitted a letter thanking RTA for hosting Commentarios at their health fair; and 7) announced that the RTA fitness center had opened on Monday and approximately 80 persons had signed up. She invited everyone to attend the open house immediately following the meeting. Mr. Terry asked if the contract operators would be allowed to use the fitness center. Ms. Watson replied that this option had not been addressed. Ms. Garza asked that the Hispanic Contractors Association award be displayed at the next Board meeting. Mr. Barrera referenced the letter in the Caller Times about RTA partnering with CCISD since students also used public transportation. Ms. Watson stated that a response letter would be sent to the newspaper highlighting the other services that RTA is allowed to provide and explaining that we are prohibited by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) from providing dedicated service to only students. • Regional Transportation Authority Board Of Directors Meeting Minutes April 2,2003 Page 8 CLOSED SESSION (Discussion with General Counsel Concerning Litigation) Mr. Rendon announced that the Board was going into closed session in order to discuss Item 13 on the agenda to consult with General Counsel concerning litigation under Section 551.071 of the Texas Open Meetings Act and that action could be taken in open session afterwards. The Board recessed at 10:06 a.m. Mr. Rendon reconvened the Board meeting at 10:34 a.m. Discussion and Possible Action to Confirm General Manager's Execution of - Settlement Agreement - MR. TERRY MADE A MOTION TO CONFIRM THE GENERAL MANAGER'S EXECTION OF THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. MR. GARCIA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:40 a.m. Julio Garcia Jr., Secretary i 5-9- `7-a3 Date