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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority - 03/02/2005 4567097 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING APRS ; WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2005 RFCEv 't) .feESUMMARY OF ACTIONS `('2 o 7ARrs 0.4 1. Provided Opportunity for Public Comment 2. Approved the Board of Directors' Minutes of February 2, 2005 3. Accepted Committee Reports 4. a) Authorized Issuing Invitation for Bids for the Northwest Five Points Bus Stops b) Approved an Advance Funding Agreement with TxDOT for Northwest Five Points Bus Stops c) Awarded a Contract to Corpus Christi Freightliner for Shelter Refurbishment d) Approved the Flour Bluff Station Renovations e) Approved the 2004 Fourth Quarter Defined Contribution Plan f) Approved the 2004 Fourth Quarter Defined Benefit Plan Report • g) Approved the Title VI Report for Submittal to Federal Transit Administration h) Adopted the RTA Investment Policy, Investment Strategies, and List.of Approved Broker/Dealers i) Approved a Bank Resolution Designating Persons to Sign Checks j): Approved the December 2004 Financial Report 5: Authorized-Issuing an:Invitation for Bids:for the Procurement of Benches 6. Authorized Issuing an Invitation for Bids for the Facility Component of the Bear Lane Security Plan 7. Authorized Issuing a Request for Proposals for a Compensation and Classification Study 8. Heard B-Line Report 9. Held Discussion on the Downtown Transportation Study 10.Held Closed Session for Discussion of the Possible Sale of Surplus Land near the Southside Transfer Station and Did Not Take Action Concerning This Subject in Open Session 11.Heard General Manager's Report 12.Adjournment 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.Chaio ,:Rolando Barrera,.John,Buckley, Davie Cissna, Joe Benavides:Crystal Lyons, John Longoria, David Martinez, Wayland Simmons Board Members Absent: Anna M. Flores (Board Vice-Chair), Carmen Arias (Board Secretary) SCANNEDPage 1 1'•.. )nal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2,2005 Page 2 Staff Present: Ricardo Sanchez (General Manager), David Seiler, Eduardo Carrion, Vangie Chapa, Fred Haley, Sylvia Castillo, Sharon Montez, Elias Sissamis, Lamont Taylor, Linda Falwell-Stover, Beth Vidaurri, Gayle Knight Public Present: David Garcia, Greg Salazar JR., Teamsters 1110; Dana Smith, Brenda Fernandez, Edna Arredondo, MV Transportation; Deb Hovda, RTAC Chair; Eloy Soza, RTAC; Stu Elovitz, TLC-4-Teens; Guadalupe Salazar,,,RTAEA; Abel Alonzo; Gina Jimenez, Leadership Corpus Christi 33, STB Jackson, Royston Law Firm Call to Order The Board of Directors's'-meeting was calied o order by Mr. Rendon at 8:35 a.m. Opportunity for Public Comment There was no public comment at this time. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of February 2, 2005 MR. LONGORIA MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 2, 2005. MS. LYONS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. Update on RTAC Committee Activities Ms. Hovda reported on the RTAC meeting of February 17, 2005. The Committee received reports on the paratransit management plan, B-Line and from the Policies & Procedures subcommittee. She,mentioned a concern expressed by a rider that B-Line did not provide door-to-door service especially when a rider needed to get to a doctor's appointment. Mr. Rendon expressed the opinion that there was a need for this type of service in the community. Action to Accept Committee Reports Mr. Rendon called for additions or corrections to the Operations Committee Meeting minutes of January 25, 2005, the Administration Committee Meeting minutes of January 26, 2005 and the RTAC Minutes of January 20, 2005. There being none, the following motion was made: MS. LYONS MADE A MOTION TO ACCEPT COMMITTEE REPORTS AS PRESENTED. MR. BARRERA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. - P final Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2,2005 Page 3 Consent 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. There being none, Mr. Rendon called for a motion on the following consent items: a) Action to Authorize Issuing Invitation for Bids for the Northwest Five Points Bus Stops b) Action to Approve an Advance Funding Agreement with TxDOT for Northwest Five Points Bus Stops c) Action to Award a Contract to Corpus Christi Freightliner for Shelter Refurbishment d) Action to Approve the Flour Bluff Station Renovations e) Action to Approve the 2004 Fourth Quarter Defined Contribution Plan f) Action to Approve the 2004 Fourth Quarter Defined Benefit Plan Report g) Action to Approve the Title VI Report for Submittal to Federal Transit Administration h) Action to Adopt the RTA Investment Policy, Investment Strategies, and List of Approved Broker/Dealers i) Action to Approve a Bank Resolution Designating Persons to Sign Checks j) Action to Approve the December 2004 Financial Report MR. BARRERA MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS 4a THROUGH 4j. MS. LYONS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. Discussion and Possible Action to Recommend the Board Authorize Issuing an Invitation for Bids for the Procurement of Benches Addressing questions asked at the Committee meeting, Ms. Montez explained that the revenue from the bus bench advertising program currently under contract with Cooper Advertising would decrease about $2,340 per year or $72 per bench with the removal of 30 Cooper benches per year. She noted that the benches were not the property of the RTA, did not always have advertising on them and did not have the preventive type "vagrant bars." Mr. Sanchez noted that advertising rates vary according to the bench location. There was a lengthy discussion on the need for benches with "vagrant bars" due to the problem with vagrants especially along the Leopard Street corridor. Ms. Montez referred to an incident where the Corpus Christi Police Department directed the removal of a bus bench at the request of an area business because vagrants were congregating around the benches and causing problems and also sleeping on them. F nal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2, 2005 Page 4 Mr. Barrera inquired about the feasibility of installing benches with "vagrant bars" but would allow for advertising. Ms. Montez stated that the architect had conferred with one manufacturer whose design would increase the cost by approximately $100 per bench. In response to Mr. Barrera, Mr. Sanchez stated that Cooper Advertising.was responsible for cleaning the area around the benches. Mr. Sanchez stated that he would communicate with Cooper Advertising and clarify _ guidelines regarding bus bench removal; advertisement; design; and give the Board a report on the outcome of the meeting. Mr. Rendon suggested placing the benches with "vagrant bars" at designated problem locations while utilizing the less expensive benches at the remaining locations. MS. LYONS MADE A MOTION TO RECOMMEND THE BOARD AUTHORIZE ISSUING AN INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF • BENCHES. MR. MARTINEZ SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. Discussion and Possible Action to Authorize Issuing an Invitation for Bids for the Facility Component of the Bear Lane Security Plan Mr. Sanchez stated that Gignac &Associates had made a presentation at the February Operations Committee detailing the Bear Lane Security Plan, which included lighting, fencing, gating, and cameras. The estimated overall cost of this project was $340,910. The architectural/engineering costs are projected to be approximately $25,250. The Plan was not only being developed in response to the Federal Transit Administration's safety initiative, but also to protect employees and property. MR. BUCKLEY MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE ISSUING AN INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR THE FACILITY COMPONENT OF THE BEAR LANE SECURITY PLAN. MR. BENAVIDES SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. Discussion and Possible Action to Authorize Issuing a Request for Proposals for a Compensation and Classification Study Mr. Sissamis reviewed the scope of work being requested in the Request for Proposals. He stated that hiring a third party to conduct the study would ensure objectivity and noted that currently the Director of Human Resources position was vacant. A study was generally conducted every three to five years. Ray & Associates performed the last review in 2000. Mr. Longoria initiated a discussion on the agency's financial resources and the ability to implement salary increases recommended by the study. He recommended that salary • 1._ 'mal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2, 2005 Page 5 increases be phased in, if needed, and that employees be fully informed on the implementation plan. Responding to Mr. Buckley's concern, Mr. Sanchez stated that the goal was to have the Human Resources position filled prior to the RFP being released. This would ensure review by this individual. He reported that two finalists had been interviewed last week and background checks were being performed. Mr. Buckley questioned the timing of the study considering that fare as well as advertising revenue was very low. Mr. Sanchez replied that a proposal for a fare increase would be presented before the end of the year. Mr. Cissna asked if overtime review could be included in the study. Mr.-Sissamis agreed to include the overtime review in the Request for Proposals as a separate component. MR. LONGORIA MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE ISSUING A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A COMPENSATION AND CLASSIFICATION STUDY. MR. CISSNA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. B-Line Report Ms. Fernandez, reporting on the operations for January 2005 noted that data reported from January 1-17 was from the ADART system. The remaining data for the month was retrieved utilizing the Trapeze software. She reported that ridership for January was 13,641, which reflected an increase compared to January and December 2004. Reporting on service performance indicators, she stated that compared to December 2004, No Shows had decreased by 19.4% and cancellations had decreased by 3.1%; and denials were at zero (0). Since the transition to Trapeze on January 18, 2005, on time performance and passengers per hour could now be reported. On-time performance was 86.52% and passengers per hour were 2.59, which was above the contract standard of 2.5. Under Customer Service, the average telephone "wait time" was 25 seconds; no calls were placed on hold in excess of 3 minutes; and CAF's had decreased from 56 to 36 with 21 related to late trips and 2 were commendations. Continuing with her report, Ms. Fernandez reported on employee activities at the B-Line facility. She stated that Ms. Castro, who had addressed the Board on her concern about the service, had 100% on-time service. Ms. Fernandez stated that Mr. Tieskoetter would be arriving next week. Responding to Mr. Benavides on a customer concern he had received, Ms. Fernandez clarified that the B-Line service was curb-to-curb service and not door-to-door service. Discussion on the Downtown Transportation Study Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Seiler updated the Board on the presentation made to the City of Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday, February 15, 2005. He had [ nal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2, 2005 Page 6 outlined the remainingsteps to reach an informed decision as: 1) amending and receiving approval of the Environmental Assessment Administrative draft from the Federal Transit Administration; 2) conducting a notice of availability (NOA) comment period and public hearing; 3) receiving approval of"finding of no significant impact" (FONSI); amending the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to include the streetcar project; and completion of the project management plan (PMP). He stated that the Council's concerns included project cost, fundability, public support and the lack of a master plan. They had requested a detailed project report on March 29, 2005. Continuing with his report, Mr. Seiler stated that meetings had been held with Barry Goodman with the Goodman Corporation and the conclusion was that a $32 million project was not fundable. Several agencies/cities have more advanced Streetcar projects underway and have not received the funding necessary to complete their project from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Mr. Seiler related that Mr. Goodman's proposal is to eliminate the overhead electrical system by using a hybrid diesel/electrical streetcar similar to the one used in Galveston; eliminate the connection to Staples Street Station; provide some type of mini terminal in the downtown or Memorial Coliseum area which would serve as a transfer station connecting to the bus system; and work with local entities to take advantage of potential utility relocation cost savings. The recommended changes would result in a $19.5 million project. Not included in the projected cost estimate was the added partnership value for adjacent improvements since this option has not been fully explored. He stated that Mr. Goodman felt that the $500,000 per year for the operations and maintenance budget identified in the Environmental Assessment was consistent with other operations. Addressing the concern that the Streetcar project could not be constructed to correspond to the City's Shoreline improvement project, Mr. Seiler stated that a Shoreline construction timetable had not been developed. Future plans, as outlined by Mr. Seiler, were to make a presentation on the Downtown Transportation (Streetcar) project to the City Council on March 29, 2005; meet with the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) on March 3, 2005; and hold a Stakeholders' forum possibly on March 10, 2005. The Stakeholders group consisting of representatives from the Port of Corpus Christi, City of Corpus Christi, MPO, Downtown Management District, Convention &Visitors Bureau, Heart of Corpus Christi,.Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, and RTA Board Members would be asked to decide whether to continue with the process or suspend the project indefinitely until the need was fully realized and/or there was more community support. . In conclusion, Mr. Seiler stated that if the decision was not to proceed with the Streetcar project, it was important to continue working with the City of Corpus Christi on the Bayfront park project design. Inclusion of a transit element with an emphasis on an exclusive right of way area designed for a rubber-tire Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system would be desirable. In the future, should the need arise, the area could be transitioned to a streetcar system. . Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2, 2005 Page 7 A discussion on the timeline needed to fully assess the project viability was initiated by Mr. Longoria. He expressed his support for completing the Environmental Assessment (EA) process. Mr. Seiler explained that both the FTA Washington and Texas offices needed to review the EA report and provide their comments, followed by RTA drafting their comments, then it needed to be presented to the RTA Board of Directors for approval and finally presented to the public for review and comment. If no environmental impact issues were identified, a request for a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) would be submitted. He estimated that May 2005 would be the earliest that the EA process could be completed. Mr. Longoria with the concurrence of Mr. Rendon and Mr. Barrera, recommended that RTA issue a letter to the City Council requesting that the March 29, 2005 presentation be delayed. Mr. Sanchez agreed to issue the letter after the Stakeholders' meeting. Mr. Barrera expressed the opinion that community support was essential for the project's success. Also there was a need for cohesiveness by the Board on the project. Public Comment Dr. Stu Elovits, retired optomologist, suggested creating a door-to-door service using community volunteers or the judicial system to transport B-Line riders to their doctors appointments. He stated that while he was in practice this type of volunteer program had been used. Mr. Abel Alonzo stated that he was addressing the Board because Mr. Taylor was the ADA Coordinator but was not addressing issues. He relayed an incident on fixed route which had occurred while on his way to the Board meeting. He stated that he was going to file a complaint with the City of Corpus Christi Human Relations Department. Mr. Rendon stated that a policy was being developed to address wheelchair securement on the buses. General Manager's Report: Mr. Sanchez reported that the Bayfront express would be operating on Friday and Saturday, March 4-5, 2005; renovations to the Port Ayers station had been completed and camera installation was pending; the LCI Alameda project had been delayed due to problems with galvanizing on the structure; the Human Resource position would be filled within the next two weeks; the Paratransit facility would be undergoing renovations; the wheelchair securement policy would be presented to the Board for their approval; a presentation had been made to the Accessible Communities group and the Board would be receiving a presentation on funding options for the proposed improvements; TML made a presentation on back safety during the Quarterly meetings; several RTA staff would be participating in the KEDT pledge drive on March 18, 2005 and at Crocket Elementary on March 7, 2005 during their Public Schools week flag raising ceremony. , • - ,bnal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2,2005 Page 8 Continuing his report, Mr. Sanchez congratulated Ms. Lyons on joining the APTA Access Committee and Ms. Arias and Mr. Taylor for their appointment by the Corpus Christi City Council to the Small Business Advisory Committee. He also congratulated Ms. Knight on her new position with MV Transportation. He asked Board Members to respond to the request for available dates for an April Board retreat. Closed Session for Discussion of the Possible Sale of Surplus Land near the Southside Transfer Station and Possible Action Concerning this Subject in Open Session Mr. Rendon announced that the time was 10:48 a.m. and the Board would go into closed session in order to discuss Agenda Item 10, concerning the possible sale of surplus land near the Southside Transfer Station under Section 551.072 of the Texas Open Meetings Act. Adjournment At 11:03 a.m. Mr. Rendon reconvened the meeting and there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. /16&6,/"A.,(A3 '&—L Carmen Arias Board Secretary Date