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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority - 02/06/2008 50/66 0/66 7 8 9 7077'L - A � REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY RECEIVED w BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING A art WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 ORn y SUMMARY OF ACTIONS 9etTezti�o�' 1. Held Roll Call 2. Provided Opportunity for Public Comment 3. Heard Presentation on RTA's New Look— Bus Operator Uniforms 4. Heard Presentation on Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) Outreach 5. Heard Update on RTAC Committee Activities 6. Approved Consent Agenda Items: a) Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of January 3, 2008 and the Board Planning Session Minutes of January 24, 2008 as Amended b) Accept Committee Reports c) Approve a Change Order to Trapeze Group_ , Inc. for the Purchase of Additional AVL/CAD Vehicle Systems d) Authorize Issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB) for Staples Street ADA Bus Stop Improvements from Kostoryz to Hayward Street e) Authorize Issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB) for Bicycle Racks for Fixed- Route Buses f) Approve Exercising the First Option Year on the Interlocal Agreement with Del Mar College for Third Party Contractor Assistance with the Paratransit (B-Line) Eligibility Assessment Program g) Award a Sole Source Contract to GFI GenFare for Automatic Fare Collection Peripheral Equipment and Accessories h) Authorize Entering into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Port Aransas for the 2008 Season Port Aransas Ferry Shuttle Service 7. Authorized Issuing Request for Proposals (RFP) for Contracted Fixed- Route and Demand Responsive Services 8. Approved Awarding an Amended Contract to Ocean House for the Harbor Ferry Season Service Contract 9. Amended FY 2009 Federal Appropriations Priority List to Include Seeking Funds for the Harbor Ferry Service 10.Adopted FY 2008 Board Goals 11.Established the following Subcommittees by Adopting a Resolution: (a) Small Cities, Marketing, Governmental Relations, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Development, and Audit, Finance and Health Insurance Subcommittees (b) and Confirmed Appointments by the Board Chair to the Above Committees as Amended 12.Heard Presentation on Status of Bus Procurement 13.Heard B-Line Report 14.Heard General Manager's Report SCANNED onal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 2 15.Held Discussion (in Closed Session) Regarding Pending or Contemplated Litigation 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: Crystal Lyons (Board Chair), Anna Flores (Board Vice- Chair), Dr. Maurice Portis (Board Secretary), Mannti Cummins, John Longoria, David Martinez, Ricardo Ramon, Mike Rendon, Judy Telge, Advisory Board Member Roland Barrera Board Members Absent: John Valls, Sara Salvide Staff Present: Ricardo Sanchez(General Manager), David Seiler, Ponch Carrillo, Eduardo Carrion, Sylvia Castillo, Vangie Chapa, Kristi Pena, Linda Fallwell-Stover, Ramon Sanchez, Lamont Taylor,Martin Trevino, Ruth Willey, Olga Jaillette, Gerardo Garcia, James Grady, Beth Vidaurri Public Present: Peter Davidson, Corpus Christi Marina Superintendent; Keith Arnold, Chief Executive Officer, Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau; Carlos Vargas, Edna Arredondo, Nova Shields, MV Transportation; Rosie Aguiar, RTAEA; Anna M. Garza; Jim. Baker, Connetics; Marco Castillo, Leah Olivarri, Olivarri &Associates; Bob Shulte, Roy Pell, Ocean House; Michael Kovacs, City Manager, City of Port Aransas Call to Order The Board of Directors' meeting was called to order by Ms. Lyons at 8:32 a.m. The roll was called and a quorum was declared present. Opportunity.for Public Comment No one spoke under public comment. Presentation on RTA's New Look— Bus Operator Uniforms Mr. Sanchez introduced bus operators Mr. Jerry Garcia, Ms. Olga Jaillette, and Mr. James Grady. He pointed out that they were wearing the new blue uniforms which have replaced the former grey uniforms worn by bus operators. Mr. Trevino explained that an employee committee had selected the new uniforms. Cintas Uniforms had been the sole proposers on the uniform bid. Their submitted price l\1} xcegional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 3 schedule was comparable to catalog order pricing. The bus operators had started wearing the uniforms in late January 2008. Presentation on Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) Outreach Mr. Carrion introduced Mr. Jim Baker, Vice President for Connetics and:Project Manager for the COA project. Mr. Baker recognized Ms. Leah Olivarri and Mr. Marco Castillo with Olivarri and Associates who were members of the project consulting team. He stated that a third member of the consulting team was AJM Consulting. AJM Consulting would be involved with the data.collection. Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Baker explained that the agency's financial assessment had identified the need for a comprehensive service assessment of the fixed route system which included extensive data collection. He further stated that the system analysis was also needed because the last assessment was performed in 1991; there was a need to respond to changing travel patterns; and a need to identify unproductive services and improve service efficiencies. • Detailing the objectives of the project, Mr. Baker stated that technical data would be collected. Some of the tools used would be collection of demographic and travel data; conducting a ridecheck survey for each trip on each route which would start in March 2008; collecting on-board surveys; and using RTA service reports as a comparison tool for service productivity among peer agencies. The second objective was to receive input from the public as well as RTA employees and Board Members.. He stated that members of his team would be available on February 26 and 27, 2008 before and after the Committee meetings to interview Board Members. Stakeholder interviews.would also be held. Rider/non-rider and web surveys would be conducted. . The third objective was to conduct field work. Mr. Baker stated that this entailed riding and monitoring each route within the RTA service area. Mr. Baker stated that a presentation on the COA project would be made to the Metropolitan Planning Organization on Thursday, February 7, 2008. Identifying the COA key deliverables, Mr. Baker stated that technical memos on the survey results and existing route profiles would be produced; and near-term (1-3 years). plan recommendations along with short-range plan (4-5 years) recommendations would be provided. Tncgona1 Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 4 The project schedule, as identified by Mr. Baker, would provide for a seven month time frame; surveys would be conducted from February through April; the existing conditions assessment would be conducted from April through June; and recommendations would be developed from June through August. In response to Ms. Telge, Mr. Sanchez replied that the focus of the COA would be on the fixed-route system. Ms. Lyons introduced Mr. Abel Alonzo to Mr. Baker as a rider of the RTA system who could provide input on the fixed-route service. Update on RTAC Committee Activities Ms. Fallwell-Stover stated that Ms. Hovda was unable to attend due to family obligations. She had asked Ms. Fallwell-Stover to express her appreciation to Ms. Telge for attending the January RTAC meeting. Reporting on the RTAC meeting of January 17, 2008, Ms. Fallwell-Stover stated that a recommendation would be forwarded to the Board to change the name of the subcommittee to RTA's Committee on Accessible Transportation. The Committee had heard reports on the RFP process for Transportation Services; status of equipment for ADA mandated bus stop announcements; B-Line report; and on the ADA Transition Plan. Consent Agenda Ms. Lyons stated that the items were of routine or administrative nature and had been discussed previously by the Board or Committees. The Board had been furnished with support documentation. She asked if any items needed to be withdrawn from the consent agenda for discussion. There being none, she called for consideration of the following items: a. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of January 3, 2008 and the Board Planning Session Minutes of January 24, 2008 b. Action to Accept Committee Reports c. Action to Approve a Change Order to Trapeze Group, Inc. for the Purchase of Additional AVL/CAD Vehicle Systems d. Action to Authorize Issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB) for Staples Street ADA Bus Stop Improvements from Kostoryz to Hayward Street e. Action to Authorize Issuing Invitation for Bids (IFB) for Bicycle Racks for Fixed-Route Buses gional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 5 f. Action to Approve Exercising the First Option Year on the Interlocal Agreement with Del Mar College for Third Party Contractor Assistance with the Paratransit (B-Line) Eligibility Assessment Program g. Action to Award a Sole Source Contract to GFI GenFare for Automatic Fare Collection Peripheral Equipment and Accessories h. Action to Authorize Entering into an Interlocal Agreement with the City of Port Aransas for the 2008 Season Port Aransas Ferry Shuttle Service Mr. Michael Kovacs, City of Port Aransas City Manager, expressed his appreciation to the Board for providing the Port Aransas Ferry Shuttle service. He stated that the service provided an opportunity for people to use public transportation and supported a smart growth concept in Port Aransas. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS 6a THROUGH 6h. MS. TELGE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. RAMON, PORT'S, LONGORIA, CUMMINS, FLORES, RENDON, MARTINEZ, AND TELGE VOTING IN FAVOR. VALLS AND SALVIDE ABSENT. Discussion on Agenda Item 7 was tabled until after Agenda Item 8. Discussion and Possible Action Concerning Harbor Ferry Season Service Contract Mr. Seiler used a PowerPoint presentation to provide an overview on the agenda item. He stated that the service contract approved by the Board in December 2007 was with Ocean House Charters for a three-year base contract period with 2 two-year options for a 2008 contract amount of$220,356. Contract negotiations had ensued until January 2008. At this time, Ocean House was notified by Skipperliner Industries that they would not be able to secure the proposed vessel. Ocean House was able to locate a used vessel which complied with RTA's RFP specifications. A picture was displayed of the proposed vessel and vessels used previously to provide the service. Mr. Seiler stated that the proposed vessel would be delivered in a "like-new" condition; be 33% more fuel efficient than the original vessel being proposed, would have an upper sun deck plus a lower cabin; was US Coast Guard certified for coastal waters; and could be delivered to Corpus Christi in March. Slides comparing the current contract rates and service rates since 2002 were presented. In conclusion, Mr. Seiler stated that the recommendation was for approval of the amended contract with Ocean House at an estimated amount of$204,410 for the 2008 season and with the use of a revised vessel configuration. The new contract would result in a savings of approximately $15,946 for the 2008 season. - icegonal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 6 - Mr. Seiler introduced Mr. Keith Arnold, CEO.for the Corpus Christi Visitors Bureau; Mr. Peter Davidson, Corpus Christi Marina Superintendent; Mr. Bob Shulte, and Mr. Roy Pell with Ocean House. Mr. Longoria noted that the board document stated that the vessel would be ADA compliant, with the possible exception ofthevessel's restroom for the first year of service. If the modification could not be made, then it was being proposed that public access to the restroom not be provided. He expressed the opinion that if the ADA compliant restroom could not be provided, then he could not support providing the service for the 2008 season. Mr..Rendon concurred with Mr. Longoria.. A varied discussion ensued regarding the barriers preventing completion of the necessary modifications to the existing restroom, availability of restroom facilities at sites surrounding the designated stops along the service route, and the statement that a guarantee was made by Ocean House that the original approved vessel would be delivered for the2008 season. Mr. Roy Pell pointed out that upon arrival of the boat in Corpus Christi, there would be approximately sixty days to refinish the exterior of the boat to comply with the requirement to provide a "like-new" vessel. Additionally,,the extent of renovations required to make the restroom ADA compliant could not be estimated until the vessel was delivered. Mr. Bob Shulte clarified that time constraints could hinder making the restroom ADA compliant. He questioned the statement that delivery of the boat had been guaranteed. Mr. Peter Davidson stated that he would assist Ocean House to ensure that the proper restroom modifications were made to make it ADA compliant prior to the start of the 2008 season. Mr. Roy Pell stated that with the assistance of Mr. Davidson, the vessel would have an ADA compliant restroom by the start of the 2008 season. Mr. Keith Arnold spoke in favor of the Harbor Ferry service. He stated that the service provided an interactive family activity and was in service during a peak tourist time, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, when the service was beneficial to the City. He said that the CVB would assist in promoting the service by providing web site advertising, putting a hot button on their front page, working with hotels to promote the harbor ferry service, and if possible providing for ticket purchase on their web site. MR. MARTINEZ MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE AWARDING AN AMENDED CONTRACT TO OCEAN HOUSE CHARTERS FOR OPERATION OF THE HARBOR ) regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 7 FERRY WATERBORNE TRANSPORTATION SERVICE WITH THE USE OF A REVISED VESSEL CONFIGURATION. MR. RAMON SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. RAMON, PORTIS, CUMMINS, FLORES, MARTINEZ, AND TELGE VOTING IN FAVOR. LONGORIA AND RENDON VOTING AGAINST. VALLS AND SALVIDE ABSENT. Action to Authorize Issuing Request for Proposals (RFP) for Contracted Fixed- Route and Demand Responsive Services Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Seiler briefed the Board on responses to comments and requests expressed at previous meetings: 1) in the RFP the proposers would be requested to identify "added value approaches" in various areas of the - contract; 2) language was-added identifying'the focus on "accessible service" and addressing the requirement for strict compliance.with ADA standards; 3) the training programs submitted by the proposers would be reviewed with attention paid to passenger relations and disability awareness; 4) on-time performance standard would be 96% and other liquidated damages related to late trips and consecutive days when the rate fell below standard would be considered; 5) advance information could be distributed to potential service providers and/or placed on RTA website; 6) the current potential service providers were First Group, MV Transportation, Veolia Transportation, and McDonald Transit Associates; and 7) members of the RFP review committee would be principally senior staff and 2 members of the RTAC Committee. Mr. Seiler added that a missed trip would be considered as denial of service; the contractor would be required to have personnel assigned to assist with evacuations during an emergency; should the contractor reassign their General Manager without concurrence from RTA, liquidated damages would be assessed; and liquidated damages had also been added for dwell time. He explained that dwell time was the amount of time used while waiting to pick up a customer without theactual transit of the customer. In response to Mr. Rendon, Mr. Seiler stated that the RTA General Manager could waive assessing liquidated damages for reassignment of the contracted General Manager. There was discussion concerning the two RTAC members that should serve on the RFP Review Committee. Mr. Longoria expressed the opinion whether the RTAC Chair should serve on the Committee. He also questioned the reasonableness of asking them to score on the entire proposal. Ms. Lyons expressed the opinion that an RTAC member that utilized the service should be on the Review Committee. In responding to Mr. Longoria in a related area, Mr. Seiler replied that the proposed vendor's overall benefit package would be evaluated and scored to ensure that it was comparable to the benefit package offered to RTA employees. icegional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 8 Ms. Lyons cited the potential for a decrease in overall B-Line ridership accompanied with an increase in riders with more complicated issues which could affect the service levels the contractor would be able to provide as well as increasing operational costs. She requested that staff review the proposed contract standards such as for on time performance and passengers per hour to ensure that they were realistic. Mr. Sanchez noted that an addendum could be issued to the proposers to address any concerns during the pre bid meeting — if necessary. Also a two-tiered proposal could be considered. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE ISSUING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) FOR CONTRACTED FIXED ROUTE AND DEMAND RESPONSIVE SERVICES. MR. RAMON SECONDED THE MOTION. RAMON, PORTIS, LONGORIA, CUMMINS, FLORES, RENDON, MARTINEZ, TELGE VOTING IN FAVOR. VALLS, AND SALVIDE ABSENT. Discussion and Possible Action to Amend FY 2009 Federal Appropriations Priority List Mr. Carrion explained that the list of priority projects that would be presented for funding during the annual federal appropriations process had been approved by the Board on September 5, 2007. The consensus of the Board at the January 24, 2008 Board Planning Session had been to amend the list to include seeking funding through the Ferry Boat Discretionary (FBD) Program to allow RTA to purchase a vessel or capitalize the cost of the Harbor Ferry service. Referencing federal allocations, Mr. Carrion reported that President Bush had submitted a 2009 budget that provided for a reduction of funding for transportation. If adopted, it would affect the formula funding levels. Also, in 2009 RTA would be submitting project funding requests for inclusion in SAFTEA-LU. Projects awarded funding through SAFTEA-LU would be written into law and be funded for five or six years. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO AMEND FY 2009 FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS PRIORITY LIST TO INCLUDE SEEKING FUNDS FOR THE HARBOR FERRY SERVICE . MR. LONGORIA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. RAMON, PORTIS, LONGORIA, CUMMINS, FLORES, RENDON, MARTINEZ, AND TELGE VOTING FOR. VALLS AND SALVIDE ABSENT. Discussion and Possible Action to Adopt FY 2008 Board Goals Ms. Lyons referenced the four goals that had been identified at the January 24, 2008 Board Planning Session. She noted that in the support material staff had provided an overview, objectives, deliverables, and estimated completion dates for each goal. ogional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 9 Referencing Goal C — Increase Public Transportation Ridership in.FY 2008, Ms. Lyons stated that staff was recommending adding that ridership be increased by 8 percent. After a brief discussion, the consensus was to not amend the stated goal. Ms. Lyons encouraged staff to set the 8 percent ridership increase as an internal benchmark. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO ADOPT FY 2008 BOARD GOALS. MS. TELGE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. RAMON, PORTIS, LONGORIA, CUMMINS, FLORES, RENDON, MARTINEZ, AND TELGE VOTING IN FAVOR. VALLS AND SALVIDE ABSENT. Discussion and Possible Action to Establish the following Subcommittees:(a) Adoption of a Resolution Establishing a Small Cities, Marketing, Governmental Relations, Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Development, and Audit, Finance and Health Insurance Subcommittees(b) Subject to Adoption of the Above Resolution, Confirmation of the Appointments by the Board Chair to the Above Committees Ms. Lyons, referring to the proposed list of subcommittee members in the packet, explained that four of the subcommittees would meet regularly and the remaining subcommittees would meet on an as-needed basis. She asked if anyone wished to be removed as a subcommittee member.. Mr. Rendon stated that he wished to participate solely on the Governmental Relations subcommittee. MR. LONGORIA MADE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING THE SUBCOMMITTEES AND TO CONFIRM APPOINTMENTS BY THE BOARD CHAIR TO THE SUBCOMMITTEES AS AMENDED. Presentation on Status of Bus Procurement Mr. Seiler reported that the timeline had been revised. The proposals would be due on February 18, 2008 and the item would be presented to the Board for consideration on either April 2, 2008 or May 14, 2008. Mr. Seiler reported that the first new trolley would be delivered during the month of April 2008. 1:4;.onal Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes February 6,2008 Page 10 B-Line Report Ms. Faliwell-Stover reported that for the month of December 2007, ridership had decreased 3.5 %; on-time performance was 96.5%; denials were at 0; and passengers per hour were at 2.47. She concluded that the contractor had met all major measurable performance indicators except for the passengers per hour standard. Mr. Vargas stated that preliminary numbers for the month of January reflected a passengers per hour rate of 2.7 and on-time performance rate of 96.4%. He stated that daily monitoring was being performed. General Manager's Report: Mr. Sanchez reported that ADA Awareness training for RTA employees would be held January 29-February 1, 2008; the bid opening for the renovations to the maintenance facility would be held Tuesday, February 12, 2008; the bid on the bus stop improvements at the Garcia Art Center would be released on Thursday,.February 7, 2008; and the ribbon cutting for the Robstown Tots and Teens bus stop improvements would be held Friday, February 15, 2008. Other items of interest were that public ADA transition plan outreach meetings would be held during the month of February and the Board would be provided with details regarding the dates and times of the meetings. In closing, Mr. Sanchez noted that the RTA would be broadcasting some TV educational segments. Discussion (in Closed Session) Regarding Pending or Contemplated Litigation Ms. Lyons announced that it was 10:45 a.m. and the Board was going into closed session in order to discuss Item No. 15 on the agenda concerning pending or contemplated litigation under Section 551.071. Ms. Lyons reconvened the meeting at 11:29 am. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:31 a.m. Dr. Maurice P i itis, Board.Secretary 3- ,C. 7' '.9c9V Date