Minutes 05 13 04
Wilmington New Hanover Transportation Agency MINUTES OF THE WILMINGTON NEW HANOVER TRANSPORTATION AGENCY May 13, 2004 MEMBERS PRESENT Ms. Christine McNamee, Chair Mr. Jeff Bellows, Vice-Chair
Ms. Fannie D. Freeman Mr. William Bryden Ms. Nancy Pritchett Ms. Barbara Kane Ms. Maureen McCarthy STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, Director Ms. Deborah Houston, Assistant Director GUESTS
PRESENT Mr. Ricky Meeks, Citizen Mr. Jonathan David, Associate Transportation Planner, City of Wilmington Ms. Lawless Bean, TDM Coordinator, City of Wilmington Mr. Lamont Jackson, Assistant
General Manager, WTC Mr. Bob Kingsbury, Manager, First Transit Mr. Corey Johnson, General Manager, WTC Ms. Kris Frasure, Citizen Ms. Annette Crumpton, Director, New Hanover County Department
of Aging Ms. Patricia Melvin, Assistant County Manager, New Hanover County Mr. Holt Moore, Assistant County Attorney, New Hanover County CALL TO ORDER Chair McNamee called the meeting
to order at 12:08pm. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion to approve the minutes of the April 08, 2004 regular meeting of the Board was made by Ms. Freeman. The motion was seconded by Ms.
Kane and carried unanimously. REPORT FROM THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE Board Chair McNamee reported in the absence of the committee chair that the committee had prepared a draft personnel
policy for authority employees. The policy is scheduled to be completed and ready for adoption at the June Board meeting. REPORT FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Committee Chair Bellows
reported that the committee met on Thursday May 13, 2004.
He further reported that the committee members present at the May 13 meeting were fully supportive of a change of management contractors for Wave Transit’s fixed route service. He
stated the next meeting of the committee was scheduled for Thursday June 10, 2004 at 11:00am to discuss the authority becoming the grantee. Chairman McNamee asked if there were any
issues before the committee concerning the change to the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority on July 01, 2004. Mr. Bellows stated that the only outstanding issue was the personnel
policies. He also stated that staff would handle the administrative details for the change over. REPORT FROM THE MARKETING COMMITTEE Committee Chair McCarthy reported that the committee
met on May 11, 2004. The committee reviewed a draft marketing plan and assistance RFQ. Mr. Eby outlined the purpose for the study and what staff had hoped to accomplish by utilizing
the services of a professional marketing firm. Committee Chair McCarthy provided information concerning printed information updates that the committee was working on. Additional
points of interest would be added to the route map in order to assist passengers. Pocket maps were also in development for the Monkey Junction Shuttle and the Castle Hayne Shuttle.
Once developed, the committee would begin a program to develop pocket maps for all routes in order to provide passengers with greater detail. Ms. Bean was also developing park and
ride locations to add to the maps. Ms. McCarthy stated that the marketing plan was contingent on the city and county passing the current budgets as recommended by the authority.
The next meeting of the marketing committee was scheduled for May 24, 2004. Some concern for the size of the print of the schedules was mentioned. Ms. McCarthy stated that the committee
was sympathetic to this issue and that the pocket maps would allow for the use of larger fonts and maps. Discussion ensued concerning advertising on the maps as well as the buses.
Mr. Eby stated that staff was discussing the issue with the attorneys and a policy would be presented to the full board in the summer. REPORT FROM THE BUDGET COMMITTEE Committee
Chair Bryden distributed an updated fiscal year 2004-2005 budget for the Board’s consideration. He stated that an agreement had been reached with the city for their contribution to
the FY 04-05 budget. The budget presented to the Wilmington City Council for FY 04-05 contained no increased contribution to the transit authority over the current fiscal year. This
would prevent the authority from enacting its service expansion as proposed. Mr. Bryden went on to explain that the city had agreed to increase the contribution to Wave Transit by
$70,000 over FY 03-04. It was believed that this increase coupled with identified savings that would be explained by the director later in the meeting would be sufficient to provide
the increased services as proposed. Mr. Eby stated that staff would monitor the budget closely during the upcoming fiscal year and would apprise the board of any projected shortfalls
in the revenue or expense projections.
Mr. Eby further explained that due to the complexity of the changes to the FY 04-05 budget, careful monitoring would be essential to finishing FY 04-05 within the budget as adopted.
Mr. Bryden further explained some changes to the format of the budget that would make it easier to read. Capital expenditures for the new facility, bus stop signs, vehicles and technology
were included in the budgets presented to council and the county commissioners and their approval appears to be eminent. Board Chair McNamee cautioned that the budget was still a proposal
to the Wilmington City Council and the New Hanover County Commissioners and that until the budgets for each entity were officially adopted, funding at the proposed levels was not guaranteed.
The Chair recognized the Director for an update to anticipated savings in the revised budget. Mr. Eby reported that at the request of the City purchasing director, he had requested
a cost proposal for management services from First Transit, Inc. for management services for fiscal year 2004-2005. He distributed a brief summary of the proposals. Mr. Eby had also
requested costs from Wilmington Transit Company and First Transit for major medical insurance costs passed on to the authority. Mr. Eby reported First Transit had submitted a proposal
for management services for FY 04 for $63,000. This was $18,000 less than the final offer received by WTC. Mr. Eby further reported that based the information submitted, the authority
could realize substantial savings during the upcoming fiscal year. These savings could be enough to offset a less than requested contribution from the city and allow all service improvements
to be implemented as proposed. Ms. Melvin stated that county staff familiar with the proposed change also supported it stating that the change accelerated the new authority’s desire
to contract with a single management company. Mr. Bellows stated that the Legislative committee members aware of the changes were also supportive of the change. A motion to accept
the management proposal of First Transit, Inc. in the amount of $63,000 for the period of July 01, 2004 through June 30, 2005 and a support a resolution to the Wilmington City Council
to also make this change in management contractors was made by Ms. McCarthy. Chairman McNamee inquired as to the disposition of the management company employees and their status with
First Transit. Mr. Eby stated that the employees were covered by a 13C agreement between the city and the US Department of Labor and that their current wage rates, and benefits could
not be changed, unless negotiated by the union and First Transit. Mr. Eby further stated that First Transit had agreed to employ all current staff of WTC including management pending
compensation negotiations. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bellows and carried unanimously. Chair McNamee asked for a motion to accept the revised budget as presented. Mr. Bellows
asked what would transpire from a situation where First transit could not negotiate a labor agreement with the union before the current agreement expired. Mr. Eby stated that his conversations
with First Transit indicate an extension of the existing agreement with negotiations for a new agreement to occur during the summer. This arrangement was used previously by WTC without
incident. Staff is confident that no interruption of service should occur from labor issues should a change in management contractors take place.
A motion to adopt the amended budget was made by Mr. Bryden and seconded by Ms. Kane. The motion carried. REPORT FROM THE FACILITIES COMMITTEE The Board Chair recognized Mr. Eby
for an update on the maintenance/administration/transfer facility. Mr. Eby stated that a recommendation to contract with Transystems of Kansas City, Mo. for site recommendation and
preliminary planning was on the Wilmington City Council agenda for Tuesday May 18, 2004. He stated that the final contract cost was negotiated by the city and included some work that
would be accomplished by authority and city staff. Mr. Eby stated that the reason for the preliminary planning was not only site selection, but traffic and road impact as well as environmental
compliance and environmental justice. Mr. Eby stated that the multimodal project was still waiting release of the study from DOT Rail concerning passenger rail into Wilmington. STAFF
REPORT Mr. Eby offered copies of the full text Wave Short Range Transit Plan to any members of the Board that requested one. Mr. Eby stated that the Executive Summary sent to all
members of the Board was believed by staff to by an accurate summation of the full plan. He inquired whether the Board was willing to accept the consultant recommendations of the plan
from the Executive Summary. Mr. David stated that the document would continue to be a working document and that modifications to the plan would be taking place during the five year
period. Ms. McNamee reiterated this point especially in reference to budget projections. A motion to accept the Wave Short Range Transit Plan was made by Mr. Bryden. The motion
was seconded by Ms. McCarthy and carried unanimously. Mr. Eby reported that the City had donated four of the surplus buses to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department through a
no-cost title transfer. He stated that there were requests for the remaining four buses from non-profits and from a business wishing to purchase the vehicles. Ms. Houston reported
that funding funding for a new telephone system for 190 Division Drive had been approved. The system would be purchased in July and would be from the same vendor who was installing
equipment at 1110 Castle St. The Castle Street system is scheduled to be installed in June 2004. The system will allow a local telephone system between the two sites as well as DSS
and the Senior Center. It will accomplish the goal of seamless, one access calling for all Wave Transit services. The system was specified and is being bought with transit funds by
the New Hanover County Information Technology Department. Ms. Houston recognized IT Manager Don Ross for all his help in making the project a reality. Ms. Houston reported that the
Blue Line had been dissolved as of May 10 and the Castle Hayne and Monkey Junction Shuttles had taken its place. The shuttles are being operated by First Transit Inc. under contract
to New Hanover County. First Transit Inc. will operate the shuttles under contract to the authority beginning on July July 01, 2004. The new routes offer better coordination with
current Wave Transit fixed routes.
Ms. Houston reported that the Monkey Junction Shuttle operates the same hours as the buses with 30-minute headways. The Castle Hayne Shuttle operates Monday thru Friday with 60-minute
headways. Mr. Johnson reported that since the operation started, some minor details concerning transfers and trip linking were reported, but these incidents were minor and the coordinated
service was operating better each day. Passenger numbers were reported as very light for the beginning of service. Ms. Freeman suggested that a more extensive marketing effort be
undertaken to promote the route, including a possible billboard on South College Road. Mr. Eby reported that a marketing effort, including pocket maps, to promote the new routes was
in development, and numbers should increase. Ms. Houston stated that all NHTS vans were being re-decaled to reflect the Wave Transit name and logo. Chair McNamee stated that the
Wilmington City Council was scheduled to hold a public hearing for the FY 04-05 budget. She stated that the financing for Wave Transit was positive and that members could come to thank
our elected officials for their support. Council also scheduled the management agreement and the site selection for the new facility for a vote. The Chair also invited members of
the Board on a tour of the new trolley. Mr. Bellows asked when the new trolley would be placed into service. Mr. Eby reported that the vehicles were being inspected and registered.
They would be placed into service following these events, most likely Thursday, May 20. OTHER BUSINESS, SECHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING Ms. Freeman asked for an update to the travel training
voucher program. Mr. Eby stated that the providers had been mailed their vouchers and should begin training as necessary. Ms. Freeman stated that the program would benefit from increased
marketing. Staff agreed and stated that the program was part of the marketing plan. Ms. McCarthy stated that those in need of the program should contact her, one of the agencies
providing vouchers or Wave Transit for details. Ms. Freeman also stated that she had been made aware of bus stop signs that were installed in areas that had no bus service. Mr. Eby
stated the issue would be addressed immediately. Mr. Bryden asked for the status of the consultant’s proposed fare increase. Mr. Eby stated that the fares were at the sole discretion
of the Board and should the Board be prepared to increase fares, staff would make preparations for the increase to remain compliant with FTA regulations. He further stated that farebox
revenue in the FY 04-05 budget was based on the current fare structure. Staff felt that the time to increase fares, should the Board wish to make this change, was when the restructured
routing is implemented. Hearing no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Mr. McCarthy. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby Director