Minutes 11 08 01
MINUTES OF THE WILMINGTON TRANSIT AUTHORITY 08 November 2001 MEMBERS PRESENT Mr. Howard Capps, Chairman Mr. Dick Scott Ms. Laura Padgett Mr. William Boyd Mr. Harry Forden Mr. Mike Saylor
MEMBERS ABSENT Ms. Rosa Webb Mr. Steve Stein, Alternate STAFF PRESENT Mr. Gary Miller Mr. Albert Eby GUESTS PRESENT Patricia Fox, student, UNC-W CALL TO ORDER Chairman Capps called the
meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Forden made a motion to approve the minutes from the October 11, 2001 meeting. Ms. Padgett seconded and the motion was unanimously
approved. Public Hearing A public hearing was opened for comments regarding changes to the Corning Shuttle Route. No persons came forward to speak to the changes and the public hearing
was closed. Ms. Padgett asked for the publication that the public hearing was posted in. Mr. Eby responded that the hearing was in the Wilmington Star News on Sunday 11/04/01. Report
from General Manager TDM Update -Change to the Corning Shuttle Route
Mr. Eby presented an overhead demonstration of the current Corning Shuttle route and the proposed changes to the route. The changes would eliminate the current lunch route deviation
as well as have the shuttle serve the Smith Creek Plaza, a recently renovated Corning administrative building. A detailed description of the changes were presented to the Board in their
meeting packets. There was discussion about Corning’s plan to build a pedestrian bridge over College Road to the Smith Creek Plaza. Mr. Eby stated that if the shuttle route continued
to remain viable option for employee movement between the each Corning campus, it provided much more flexibility for Corning at a much lower cost than a bridge. Ms. Padgett made a motion
to approve the change to the Corning Route, Mr. Forden seconded and the motion was unanimously approved. -Front Street Free Trolley Mr. Eby reported that the average daily passenger
on the trolley in October was 133 compared to 94 passengers per day in September. As the tourist season came to a close, the number of passengers actually increased. Mr. Eby explained
that the increase indicated that people were becoming familiar with the service and downtown merchants have requested that the service be continued through the holiday season. Mr. Eby
said that funds were available to meet this request and the Board agreed that this was a reasonable request. Ms. Padgett inquired about a cutaway van being used in place of the trolley.
Mr. Eby explained that the trolley had been down due to mechanical problems over the past few days, but it had been fully repaired and was due to be back in service on the following
day. Ms. Padgett suggested that signs be made to put on a vehicle that replaced the trolley. Mr. Eby stated that magnetic signs were being made and would be available if the trolley
were to be down in the future. Ms. Padgett also asked that an email be sent to Board members if the trolley were down. Mr. Eby agreed. There was also a discussion concerning signage
promoting the trolley. Mr. Eby explained that there were few sign posts available for trolley signage. Mr. Eby explained that he was working with DARE to promote the trolley. This included
signs in storefronts and cards promoting the service. A video is also in production that would demonstrate how to use the trolley. The video will be played on GTV and a condensed version
will be available for PSA’s on local cable television. -TDM Coordinator Mr. Eby reported that candidates had been interviewed by city staff for the position and would be hired after
NCDOT had signed the
necessary contracts for their share of the funding of the position. Ms. Padgett reviewed a meeting with representatives from the city and our local NCDOT Board member concerning the
position. Master Plan /Consolidation Study Mr. Eby relayed information from Bill Austin, Senior Transportation Planner, that the study was waiting for the appropriate contracts to
be signed by the city and contractor. It is anticipated that the study would begin before the end of the year. NCPTA Conference Mr. Eby reported the NCPTA annual conference would be
held in Wilmington on June 3 – 5, 2002. The conference will be based at the downtown Hilton. Public Comment Mr. Scott introduced Ms. Patricia Fox. Ms. Fox is a student at UNC-W that
had spoken with Mr. Scott in his capacity as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs for the university, concerning an incident that occurred on the Seahawk Shuttle on 01 November,
2001. Ms. Fox spoke in detail of her alleged injuries and her desire for compensation. She also spoke to to her dissatisfaction with the shuttle operators. The Board and staff thanked
Ms. Fox for coming to the meeting and assured her the matter would be investigated. Executive Session At the request of the Chairman, the Board went into executive session. Mr. Eby admitted
that Ms. Fox had lodged a formal complaint, which was investigated. WTA management could find no corroboration of Ms. Fox’s claim, and staff was waiting to see if Ms. Fox would pursue
the matter further. The Board asked staff to prepare an apology letter to Ms. Fox. Mr. Eby assured the Board that the matter would be turned over to an insurance investigator for further
investigation. Being no further discussion, the executive session was concluded. Report from the Chairman -Park & Ride Mr. Capps was contacted by Wilmington City Councilman Frank Conlon
on behalf of Mr. Chuck Dean concerning the possibility of the WTA providing shuttle services to a parcel of property owned by Mr. Dean. Specific details were not discussed but Mr. Capps
sees this as a TDM opportunity to offset the lack of available downtown parking, as well as reduce congestion at peak times. This could also be an opportunity for
additional revenue for the WTA. Mr. Eby suggested that this would be an ideal opportunity for the incoming TDM coordinator to pursue. -Shelter Advertising Mr. Capps suggested that shelter
advertising should be investigated as an additional source of revenue for the WTA. Mr. Eby was directed to investigate this possibility with the City Attorney’s office to determine the
feasibility. Election of Officers -Mr. Capps brought a motion that Mr. Scott be elected Chairman of the WTA Board. Mr. Forden seconded and the motion passed unanimously. -Mr. Forden
brought a motion that Mr. Boyd be elected Board Vice Chairman, seconded by Mr. Saylor. The motion passed unanimously. -Mr. Forden brought a motion that Mr. Saylor be elected Board Secretary.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Capps and was passed unanimously. Other Business, Scheduling of next meeting -Mr. Forden expressed his concern that the WTA operator uniforms needed
updating. His concern that the appearance of the operator reflects on the system as a whole. whole. Mr. Miller explained that the uniforms were negotiated in the labor contract. Mr.
Eby said that staff was working on minor changes to the uniform that were within the restrictions of the contract that would address Mr. Forden’s concerns. Mr. Eby stated that staff
was consciously monitoring the appearance of the operators for neatness and compliance. -The Board asked Mr. Eby for a list of Board member term expirations. -The next meeting was scheduled
for Thursday December 13, 2001. Being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Albert Eby General Manager