Minutes 12 11 03
Wilmington New Hanover Transportation Agency MINUTES OF THE WILMINGTON NEW HANOVER TRANSPORTATION AGENCY December 11, 2003 MEMBERS PRESENT Ms. Christine McNamee, Chair Mr. Jeff Bellows,
Vice Chair Mr. Robert Ronne, Secretary Ms. Nancy Pritchett Mr. John Stukes Ms. Barbara Kane Ms. Fannie D. Freeman Ms. Maureen McCarthy Mr. William Bryden Mr. Howard Capps MEMBERS ABSENT
Ms. Laura Padgett STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, General Manager, WTA Ms. Deborah Houston, Program Manager, NHTS Mr. Mark Tinkler, Senior Transportation Planner, City of Wilmington Mr.
Jonathon David Assoc. Transportation Planner, City of Wilmington Mr. Bob Kingsbury, NHTS Manager, First Transit Mr. Gary Miller, President, CCL Management Ms. Lawless Bean, TDM Coordinator,
City of Wilmington GUESTS PRESENT Mr. Lanny Wilson, Division 3 Representative, NC Board of Transportation Mr. Kemp Burpeau, Deputy County Attorney, New Hanover County Ms. Dolores Williams,
Assistant City Attorney, City of Wilmington Mr. Thomas Herrera-Mishler, Director, Airlie Gardens Ms. Annette Crumpton, Director, New Hanover County Department of Aging Ms. Patricia Melvin,
Assistant County Attorney, New Hanover County Mr. Corey Johnson, Two Plus Inc. Ms. Kris Frasure Mr. Patrick Riddle, Project Manager, NCDOT Division 3 Mr. Robert Garrison, City of Wilmington
Community Services Department CALL TO ORDER Chair McNamee called the meeting to order at 12:06 pm. PRESENTAION FROM NORTH CAROLINA BOARD OF TRANSPORTATION Chair McNamee introduced
Board of Transportation Division 3 Representative Lanny Wilson.
Mr. Wilson introduced DOT representatives in the audience as well as the staff of the Wilmington Urban Area MPO. He also recognized these employees for their service to transportation
initiatives throughout the region. Mr. Wilson updated the Wave Board on the status of the Maintenance/Administration and Transfer facility. Mr. Wilson informed the Board that he
was presently in the process of securing approximately 7.9 million dollars from Governor Easley’s NC Moving Ahead initiative, reviewing the initiative and pointing out the highway projects
approved for the division. He went on to explain that if successful, the Wilmington Urban Area would receive over 10% of the public transportation allocation for the entire state.
He explained that the project had a 10% local match requirement. Approval of the project was anticipated at the 08 January 2004 meeting of the Board of Transportation. Although some
divisions would receive little public transportation funding under Moving Ahead initiative, Mr. Wilson vowed to continue working hard on behalf of the authority to secure the necessary
funding for the much need replacement of the current maintenance/administration and transfer facility. Mr.. Wilson briefly reviewed the Brunswick Connector project. He provided a
brief overview explaining how the project was initiated and the funding arrangement. Oversight of the program is currently being done by Two Plus, Inc. a 5013C transportation provider.
Mr. Wilson explained that Two Plus was having a difficult time acquiring insurance for the project vehicle which was limiting the effectiveness of the program. Mr. Wilson asked the
Wave Board to consider taking over the program in an effort to help ensure its success. NCDOT saw the opportunity for the WNHTA to provide leadership and move public transportation
in the urban area toward regionalism. Mr. Wilson updated the Board on the status of the Multimodal Transportation Center. While not delving into great detail concerning the history
of the project, Mr. Wilson urged all interested parties, including the WNHTA, to put political differences aside and work together to bring the project to fruition for the good of the
entire of the community. Mr. Wilson concluded his presentation with an overview of the departments long range plans, asking for cooperation from involved groups like the WNHTA. The
Board thanked Mr. Wilson for his tireless efforts on behalf of the authority. Ms. Melvin asked for an update on passenger rail service to Wilmington. Mr. Wilson explained that additional
funding had recently been released by NCDOT for additional study. Mr. Wilson asked the Board to consider passing a resolution supporting the state turnpike authority. Mr. Wilson provided
a brief overview of the authority and some of the projects it would be considering in the future. Mr. Bryden asked for a draft resolution which Mr. Wilson stated Mr. Tinkler could
provide to the Board. AIRLIE FESTIVAL Airlie Gardens Director, Mr. Thomas Herrera-Mishler briefed the Board on the upcoming Airlie Festival. Mr. Mishler provided details concerning
the festival and the need for transportation.
He reported a crowd of approximately 15,000 during the 2003 festival. Estimates were for even larger crowds for the 2004 festival. Jungle Rapids provided satellite parking with charter
trolley service to address parking issues for the festival in 2003. New Hanover Transportation would provide vans for the festival, but Airlie Gardens felt that the need would outweigh
the capacity of the vans provided. Airlie Gardens specifically requested bus transportation services from the WNHTA through Wilmington Transit. A request to implement transportation
services to the Airlie Festival in the longrange plans of the authority was requested by Mr. Mishler. Dates for the 2004 festival are April 30 through May 02. Mr. Mishler explained
that he was aware of communities which were able to provide transportation service through their local authorities for this type of festival. Mr. Bellows asked if Mr. Mishler had a
specific request of the WNHTA Board. Mr. Mishler explained that the request was for additional shuttle transportation service from parking lots to Airlie Gardens in addition to the
service provided by NHTS. Mr. Capps asked staff if Airlie Gardens request could be addressed under the current FTA Charter guidelines. Mr. Eby briefed the Board on the FTA Charter
regulations. Mr. Eby further explained that the WTA had addressed the Charter issue and under the current FTA guidelines, the WTA was prohibited from providing charter services.
Ms. Houston explained the regulations concerning the use of county vans for charter type work and how they differed from the regulations of the WTA. Mr. Mishler asked the Board and
staff to revisit the FTA restrictions in order to possibly find a way around the restriction. Mr. Capps expressed concern that if the charter restriction could be overcome for the
Airlie Festival, other groups would have a legitimate claim to ask for the same type of special treatment. Mr. Eby echoed Mr. Capps concerns and stated this was the main reason staff
desired to steer steer clear of any service that resembled charter service and detracted attention from the goal of the authority to provide fixed-route public transportation. Mr.
Eby stated that a possible future solution to the festival would be additional fixed route service to the Gardens during the festival. Once the master plan is implemented, multiple routes
would serve the Airlie Gardens area at least every thirty minutes. Additional vehicles could be added to the routes during peak times of the festival to move festivalgoers in an orderly
fashion. The service would continue to be fixed route service and all passengers would be required to pay the established fare. Mr. Eby further explained that bus passes could be
bought in advance and distributed to attendees in order to minimize fare collection. Chairman McNamee expressed remorse that the authority could not be of more assistance. Mr. Bellows
explained that FTA enforcement of the Charter regulation has become much more stringent since September 11, 2001, due to the fact that Charter operators had seen a significant decline
in business following the attacks. Mr. Mishler informed the Board he would seek information from other cities and how they address this type of initiative. Chair McNamee informed
Mr. Mishler that staff would continue to seek solutions to the challenges faced during Airlie Festival, and although a solution may not be in place for 2004, a long-term plan may be
achievable.
REPORT FROM THE TDM COORDINATOR Ms. Bean updated the Board on the Park and Ride South TDM initiative. Currently, both NHTS and WTA provide a morning an evening trip from Monkey Junction
to downtown for the service. Current ridership does not support the continued use of two vehicles in the morning and evening to provide service. Additionally, since the programs
inception, no New Hanover County Schools employees have ridden the shuttle. Since the master plan consultant will recommend fixed route service to Monkey Junction, a long-term commitment
to the shuttle is not required. In an effort to continue to serve passengers committed to the program, Ms. Bean requested Board approval to change the Park and Ride Shuttle Service
to one morning and one evening round trip. Approval was also sought to change the current route to exclude New Hanover County Schools from the route. A motion authorizing these changes
was made by Vice Chairman Bellows and seconded by Mr. Bryden. The motion was approved. REPORT FROM THE TRANSIT DIRECTOR COMMITTEE Committee Chair Ronne stated that the closing date
for the transit director position was Friday, November 14, 2003. The committee had met with City of Wilmington Development Services Director, Wayne Clark who would serve as the Directors
day-to-day supervisor at the City level for the first six months. Of the approximately 12 – 15 applications received, the committee had identified 10 that met the minimum qualifications
for the position. Interviews were being scheduled with qualified applicants following the holidays. Board Member Pritchett asked if a possible candidate would be identified prior
to the WNHTA January 08, 2004 meeting. Mr. Ronne stated that with the holiday season, that would be a difficult task. The committee would like to identify a candidate by January
15, 2004. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman McNamee apologized for not addressing approval of minutes from the November 13, 2003 meeting and asked for a motion to approve. Mr. Capps requested
that comments he made at the November 13 meeting concerning the multimodal transportation center be added to the record. Mr. Capps made a motion to approve the minutes as amended.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Stukes and was approved. REPORT FROM THE YEAR TWO INTERLOCAL & LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE Mr. Bellows informed the Board that the committee would be meeting
prior to regular WNHTA Board meetings at 10:30am in the WTA Board room. Mr. Bellows asked Mr. Eby to include an email from Assistant City Attorney, Ms. Dolores Williams to the minutes
from the meeting. Committee Chair Bellows reported that many challenging issues continued to surface. In an effort to address these issues, the committee was seeking a meeting with
county and city finance staffs as well as legal staffs to address these issues.
REPORT FROM THE MARKETING COMMITTEE Committee Chair McCarthy summarized the Committee meeting from December 09, 2003. The committee discussed consultant recommendations for route
restructuring. The committee also addressed marketing of the introduction of thirty-minute headways in early 2004. Budgetary issues concerning available funding for the above effort
was also discussed. Specifics on the route changes necessary to implement thirty-minute headways were also discussed. Ms. McCarthy discussed the upcoming pre-production meeting for
the two recently order trolley replica vehicles. At the meeting, staff would be asked to submit final design plans for the vehicle including the exterior and interior colors. Mr.
Eby showed slides of a dark blue trolley from the manufacturer that matched the dark blue in the fixed route buses. A motion from the Committee to paint the trolley dark blue was brought
forward. Mr. Bellows expressed a desire to project a consistent image and the blue color would would allow that. Discussion concerning the logo and how it appeared on the vehicle
ensued. Mr. Eby informed the Board that this decision was not necessary at this time, only the color of the vehicle exterior and interior. Mr. Stukes expressed his support for the
dark blue as proposed by the committee. The motion carried. REPORT FROM THE BUDGET COMMITTEE Mr. Bryden reported that the committee would hold its initial meeting immediately following
the WNHTA Board meeting. He informed the Board that he had met with Ms. Houston, Ms. Crumpton and Mr. Eby concerning their current budgets. He briefly explained some of the challenges
that the committee would face in preparation of the budgets. Budgets for the WTA and NTHS would be prepared separately but presented to the Board jointly. Since the merger is still
ongoing, the City and County would be presented budgets for each entity as has been past practice. Ms. Melvin stated that the local match for the maintenance/administration and transfer
facility would need to be addressed in each entities budget and a formula for the local portion of the project would need to be addressed. Increased transit service and how the local
funding would be addressed would also be a budget issue. Mr. Bryden expressed the need for a planning process to address the budget. Many Board members agreed that some issues concerned
multiple committees and the committees need to work together to assure the goals and objectives remain consistent. OTHER BUSINESS, SECHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING Mr. Capps reviewed the
multimodal project for the Board.
He shared his frustration concerning the way the WNHTA was being left out of the project. He asked for greater support from the Board in the form of a committee to ensure the WNHTA
had a voice in the future of the transportation center. Mr. Capps showed the Board aerial photographs and conceptual drawings of a multimodal transportation on property currently owned
and utilized by WWAY Channel 3. Mr. Capps spoke of his discussions with DARE and Channel 3 concerning the availability of the property. WWAY was willing to discuss the possibility
of selling their site if warranted. He pointed out how well the WWAY site would meet the needs of the transportation center. The Board generally agreed with the merits of Mr. Capp’s
proposal, but realize that the issue is extremely political and was closely tied to the convention center proposal. The new City administration would be greatly responsible for providing
leadership on the multimodal center. Mr. Bellows suggested that Mr. Capps idea for a committee could be integrated with the maintenance /administration and transfer facility. Chair
McNamee asked for facilities committee and requested Mr. Capps be the Chair. Mr. Capps agreed and Mr. Bellows, Ms. Pritchett also agreed to serve. Ms. Padgett would also be asked to
serve on the committee since city funding would be an issue addressed by the committee. Mr. Eby agreed to serve as staff representation to the Committee. Mr. Bellows and Mr. Capps
revisited the voting rights issue of the WNHTA on any multimodal transportation facility committee, past or present. Ms. Williams suggested that the committee be aware that the city
was interested in tour bus parking areas and any site should be able to accommodate this type of bus. Whether a current committee exists is uncertain due to the recent change in city
government. Mr. Eby was directed to send Mayor Broadhurst and the TAC Chair a similar request to one sent to Mayor Peterson in August 2003, requesting voting rights for the WNHTA on
any multimodal committee. Mr. Eby apologized for excusing himself during Mr. Mishler’s presentation. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Eby discussed the Brunswick Connector Project with Mr. Wilson
expressing the desire for Wave Transit to take control of the project as soon as possible should the Board concur. He explained the urgency was due to the fact that the state had purchased
a vehicle for the project which was sitting idle due to the insurance procurement problems experienced by the Connector service provider Two Plus, Inc. The communities involved felt
somewhat slighted by the fact that the project was experiencing operational problems. Wave Transit was seen as the only viable option to providing the quality service that was promised
to these communities, and Mr. Eby expressed his appreciation to Mr. Wilson for his confidence in our ability to provide the service. For this reason Mr. Eby requested a motion allowing
the WTA to assume the project. Mr. Eby explained that he had had extensive conversations with Corey Johnson and Byron York of Two Plus, Inc., which were supportive of the agreement.
Mr. Eby proposed that the project budget include funds for marketing which would be the responsibility of Two Plus, Inc. Mr. Eby and Two Plus, Inc. as well as Mr. Wilson and NCDOT were
in favor of the proposal.
Mr. Eby informed the Board that he had not seen the project budget, but assisted Two Plus, Inc. in the development of the budget and was confident that the WTA could provide the service
without expending any current budgeted operating funds. Mr. Bellows and the Board agreed that for his efforts in securing funding on behalf of the Authority, the Board should do everything
within its power to meet any reasonable requests by Mr. Wilson. Ms. McNamee was reluctant to authorize staff permission to take over the program without limitations. Mr. Eby suggested
that in order to get the program on track as quickly as possible, staff be authorized to assume control of the program provided NCDOT staff was in agreement. The motion would stipulate
that no additional WTA operating funds be expended to provide service for the Brunswick Connector, and the authorization was specifically limited to the demonstration period which was
one year from the inception of the service on November 10, 2003. Ms. McNamee also expressed concern that the project implementation could deter from initiatives currently underway.
Mr. Eby assured her that he would work out the details of the program and once the WTA assumed the operation, very little staff resources would be required for its operation. Mr.
Johnson expressed his company’s desire to give up the operation of the program so he could focus on vanpooling. Mr. Tinkler expressed the need for the consultant to include long-range
plans for the Brunswick Connector in the master plan. Staff would work to identify the necessary funding for the long range planning for the project. A motion was made by Mr. Stukes
to approve WTA assumption of the Brunswick Connector with the following stipulations: no additional WTA operating funds be expended to provide service for the Brunswick Connector, and
the authorization is specifically limited to the demonstration period which was one year from the inception of the service on November 10, 2003. The motion was seconded by Ms. Freeman
and carried unanimously. Mr. Eby stated he hoped to implement the service around the first of January 2004. Chair McNamee asked staff for a briefing on the public meeting for the
master plan on December 04, 2003. Mr. Eby stated that turnout was better than the September 09 meeting and the respondents were excited and supportive of the proposed changes. Mr.
Bryden also attended the meeting and reported some of the concerns expressed by the attendees like passenger amenities, hours of service, fares and proposed routes. Mr. Bryden, as
well as staff, was concerned that the consultant presented the proposals as if they were inevitable. Staff would have preferred the consultant to reiterate that what they were presenting
was strictly a proposal, subject to WNHTA Board approval. Mr. Ronne asked how the staff would react to Airlie Gardens request for bus service to the Airlie Festival. The Chair suggested
staff report back to the Board with a solution to the request, even if the solution was to respectfully deny the request. Mr. Bellows, Chair of the Legislative Committee, brought forward
a motion allowing the authority to extend its jurisdictional boundary 30 miles form the Wilmington City limits. There was no discussion and the motion carried.
The Chair thanked the Board for their patience during such a long meeting and passed along wishes for a safe and happy holiday season. Hearing no further business, the meeting adjourned
at 2:14pm. Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby General Manager WTA