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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08 26 10 Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority MINUTES OF THE CAPE FEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY August 26, 2010 Mr. Don Betz, Chair, Presiding MEMBERS PRESENT Mr. Don Betz, Chairman Mr. George Dolan, Vice Chairman Mr. Andrew Koeppel, Secretary Mr. Henry Adams Mr. Chris Hawkins Ms. Linda Pearce Mr. Jeff Petroff Mr. David Scheu MEMBERS NOT PRESENT Mr. Jonathan Barfield Mr. Euran Daniels Ms. Kristi Tomey STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, Executive Director Mr. Arthur Cottrill, Director of Finance & Administration Ms. Jessica Buzzell, Safety & Training Manager Mr. Kenny Patrick, Facilities Manager Ms. Megan Matheny, Apprentice Ms. Kathy Williams, Board & Customer Relations Clerk CONTRACT MANAGEMENT STAFF PRESENT Mr. Andrew Olsen, Attorney Mr. Irvin Cure, General Manager, PTM/Veolia GUESTS PRESENT Mr. Joshua Mello, Wilmington Metropolitan Area, MPO Mr. Ricky Meeks Mr. Glen Wilson CALL TO ORDER  Chairman Betz called the meeting to order at 12:01 pm  Mr. Betz opened the meeting with a moment of silence  Mr. Betz Betz recognized Mr. Eby to introduce new authority employees, Ms. Buzzell, Safety and Training Manager, and Mr. Patrick, Facilities Manager  Mr. Eby briefly described each of their jobs  Ms. Buzzell and Mr. Patrick gave a brief introduction  Mr. Koeppel requested an updated organizational chart be included with the September meeting agenda packet CONSENT AGENDA  Mr. Betz presented the August 2010 Consent Agenda  He stated that staff requested that Item 8 be withdrawn from the consent agenda and represented at the September meeting  Mr. Scheu suggested the System Safety Program Plan (SSPP) be written to be more easily understood at its next update  Mr. Adams was concerned about the fees charged to UNCW  Mr. Eby stated that the UNCW Seahawk Shuttle routes are open to the public which is why the Authority does not request the university pay the full cost of the routes  Mr. Betz inquired about the decrease in UNCW ridership this year  Mr. Eby stated that UNCW ridership is cyclical depending on whether the university adds parking or parking decks, changes routes or modifies the schedules  Ms. Pearce notified the board that she was a member of the UNCW Board of Trustees and she recused herself from voting on the consent agenda  She also excused herself from the meeting during discussion of the consent agenda  Hearing no further discussion regarding the consent agenda, Mr. Betz made a motion to accept the consent agenda with the exclusion of Item 8  Mr. Adams seconded the motion which carried unanimously  Ms. Pearce returned for the remainder of the board meeting PUBLIC COMMENT  Mr. Betz opened the public comment period  Mr. Foster requested a bench on Shipyard Blvd. by the TV 6 office, a sign at 8th and Greenfield Street, and a shelter on Carolina Beach Rd. across from Roses  Mr. Foster also stated he appreciated the new 205 route  Mr. Wilson stated that the bus system was not user friendly, the schedules not easy to follow and the condition of the buses was poor  Mr. Meeks stated that the board does a good job overall  Mr. Meeks stated that he called NCDOT inquiring about the installation of bus stop shelters and benches  Mr. Meeks stated he spoke with Ms. Perry at NCDOT and was waiting to hear back from her regarding the matter  Mr. Wilson inquired about the lack of access to New Hanover International Airport and the beaches  Mr. Eby stated that transportation to the future VA Clinic to be built at the airport will be a priority  Mr. Eby stated that transportation to the beaches is an ongoing request that the Authority is also a priority  Mr. Betz requested that staff meet with ILM officials to discuss service to the airport EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE  Mr. Betz stated that the committee did not meet PLANNING COMMITTEE  Mr. Betz recognized Mr. Adams to present the committee report  Mr. Adams stated that ridership for the months of June and July increased compared to the same months of the previous year  Mr. Adams stated with future GFI training and software there will be a more accurate passenger and fare data available to the board  Mr. Adams stated that over the next few weeks the remaining brown shelters will be installed in designated city right of way  The committee recommended Mr. Betz and Mr. Eby to draft a letter to send to NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Transit Rail and Ferry seeking his assistance in expediting the encroachment approval process for shelters and benches in NCDOT right of way  Mr. Koeppel requested staff send the letter and resolution to other transportation organizations around the State for support  No seconded was required and the motion carried unanimously  Mr. Adams presented the Wave Pool logo design recommended by the committee  Mr. Adams recognized Ms. Matheny to briefly describe the vanpool pilot program  Mr. Eby stated that the authority will be responsible for maintenance, fuel and insurance costs and these costs would be recouped from passengers via a monthly fare  Mr. Eby stated the pilot program would be revenue neutral with the exception of startup costs FINANCE & BUDGET COMMITTEE  Mr. Betz recognized Mr. Dolan to present the finance and budget committee report  Mr. Dolan stated that FY 2009-10 was expected to be completed with a fund balance in spite of beginning the year with a deficit  Mr. Dolan stated that union negotiations between Veolia and ATU Local 1328 were proceeding and staff would have a better idea of the labor and benefit costs for the current fiscal year as well as the term covered by the agreement once the collective bargaining agreement was completed  Mr. Dolan stated that the county had deobligated funds allocated in 2004-2005 for Wave Station  The committee recommended that staff draft a letter to the county manager requesting the $80,000 previously allocated in 2004-2005 by the county  Ms. Pearce inquired about the rise in engine repair work and if the repairs are a result of poor maintenance  Mr. Eby explained that heavy duty diesel engines typically require a mid-life overhaul at around 250,000 miles which is what the authority is currently experiencing FACILITIES  Mr. Betz stated that Mr. Barfield agreed to chair the Facilities Committee for the remainder of FY 2011  In the absence of Mr. Barfield, Mr. Petroff gave an brief update regarding the progress the Wave Station  Mr. Petroff stated that he had toured the facility and was pleased with the design and the progress  He recognized Mr. Eby to give the rest of the committee report  Mr. Eby stated that the committee had met to discuss interior design of Wave Station  Mr. Eby stated that Wave Station is close to its construction schedule and within budget  Mr. Eby stated that a contract for design of the operations and maintenance facility in the amount of $371,000 has been signed with TranSystems  A kickoff meeting for design is being scheduled  A tour of new maintenance/operations facilities is also being planned to allow the committee, staff and the design team an opportunity to gain experience from other systems in the state  Mr. Eby stated that a response to the Authority’s grant application for construction funding in the amount of $6,000,000 is expected in September  The highly competitive grant program was expected to draw significantly more requests than the $750,000,000 that was available  Mr. Eby stated that a feasibility study will be done by the architects on the maintenance facility property to determine the need for additional property  Mr. Dolan inquired about fleet expansion at the new maintenance facility  Mr. Eby stated that there is room for limited growth at the site NOMINATING COMMITTEE  Mr. Betz recognized Mr. Adams to give the committee report  The committee recommended Mr. Betz, Chairman; Mr. Dolan, Vice-Chair; Mr. Koeppel; Secretary for FY 2011  Mr. Betz opened the floor for additional nominations  Hearing none, he closed the request for nominations  Mr. Betz called for a vote on the candidates as presented by the nominating committee  The motion was moved by the committee  No second was required and the motion carried unanimously STAFF REPORT  Mr. Betz recognized Mr. Eby to present the staff report  Mr. Eby presented the NCDOT Compliance Capacity and Proficiency review (CCAP)  Advisory comments and two deficiencies were being addressed and staff was working with the consultant and NCDOT to resolve the issues  Mr. Eby recognized Mr. Olsen to introduce an updated Conflict of Interest Policy  Mr. Olsen said the policy states that action it to be taken if a board member violates the policy  Mr. Olsen also stated that the minutes should reflect all actions regarding any conflict of interest  Each member would have to sign the policy  Mr. Scheu made a motion to accept the Conflict of Interest Policy  Mr. Koeppel seconded and the motion carried unanimously NEW/OLD BUSINESS  Mr. Hawkins also stated that not all the wheelchair lifts work properly causing the driver to operate the lift manually and the stop request signals are not working  Mr. Hawkins said he has spoken with Mr. Hunter about the situations and the drivers complaining having to operate the lift manually  He also stated that the cleanliness issue is still a concern  Mr. Cure stated that the repairs are being done as the parts are delivered  Mr. Cure stated that occasionally it takes several days for delivery of the parts  Mr. Koeppel requested that at the October meeting a new picture of the members is taken  Mr. Betz requested that Mr. Koeppel chair an ad-hoc committee to review Authority policies and bylaws ADJOURN  Mr. Koeppel made a motion to adjourn  Mr. Dolan seconded and the motion carried unanimously SCHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING  The Authority’s next meeting is is scheduled for September 23, 2010 at 12:00 pm in the Wave Transit Conference room located at 1110 Castle Street Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby Director /kw