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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 01 11 07 Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority MINUTES OF THE CAPE FEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY January 11, 2007 Mr. Jeff Bellows, Chairman, Presiding MEMBERS PRESENT Mr. Jeff Bellows, Chairman Mr. Robert Ronne, Vice-Chairman Ms. Fannie Freeman, Secretary Mr. William Bryden Mr. Andrew Koeppel Mr. Howard Loving Ms. Aileen Mair Ms. Christine McNamee Hon. Laura Padgett Hon. Nancy Pritchett Mr. John Stukes STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, Director Mr. Arlanda Rouse, Assistant Director Mr. Mike Kincaid, Finance Director Mrs. Kathy Williams, Administrative Assistant Mr. Matthew Kunic, Planner CONTRACT MANAGEMENT STAFF PRESENT Mr. Corey Johnson, General Manager, First Transit Mr. Lamont Jackson, Assistant General Manager, First Transit Mr. Andrew Olsen, Attorney GUESTS PRESENT Mr. Mike Kozlosky, Transportation Planner, Wilmington Urban Area MPO Mr. Joshuah Mello, Associate Transportation Planner, Wilmington Urban Area MPO Ms. Lawless Bean, Transportation Demand Management Coordinator, City of Wilmington Ms. Pat Melvin, Assistant County Manager, New Hanover County Ms. Sarah Fedele, Talk PR Mr. Pat Gannon, Wilmington Star News Mr. Ricky Meeks, Citizen CALL TO ORDER  Chairman Bellows called the meeting to order at 12:05 pm  Mr. Bellows opened the meeting with a moment of silence APPROVAL OF MINUTES  A motion to approve the minutes from the December 14, 2006 regular meeting of the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority was made by Mr. Bryden  The motion was seconded by Ms. Freeman and carried unanimously PUBLIC COMMENT  Chairman Bellows opened the public comment period  Mr. Meeks requested that the Authority place signs that prohibit smoking and alcohol at bus stops  Hearing no further comment, the Chairman closed the public comment period EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows stated that the committee had no report ROUTE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized Mr. Koeppel to give the report for the Route committee  Mr. Koeppel stated that the committee met and he was anticipating that the route restructuring would be completed soon  Ms. McNamee asked about the timeline for a draft of the routes  Mr. Koeppel stated that he anticipated completion of the draft by the end of February MARKETING COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized Mr. Ronne to give the Marketing Committee report  Mr. Ronne stated that the committee was scheduled to meet with TalkPR to review an outline of the long range marketing plan  He presented brochures which will be mailed along with the February and March 2007 City and County water bills  Mr. Kunic then described the brochures and explained to the board that the brochures were meant to inform the public of services offered by Wave Transit prior to the community telephone survey FINANCE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized the Mr. Bryden to present the report  Mr. Kincaid stated that the committee was still working on a resolution to the suggestions made by the auditor  Mr. Kincaid stated that the only unresolved suggestion concerned electronic budget comparison  He stated that staff was attempting to use existing software to perform the comparison rather than purchase new more expensive software  Mr. Bellows inquired about the overall financial status of the Authority so far this fiscal year  Mr. Kincaid stated that farebox revenues were ahead of projections, and he was continuing to work with the State regarding SMAP allocations  Ms. McNamee then inquired about the overages in the salaries and wages categories and wanted to know about any issues which would cause such an increase  Mr. Kincaid responded by stating that First Transit paid in excess of $33k in overtime, and benefits associated with the overtime during the month of October  Ms. McNamee then asked why so much overtime occurred during the month of October  Mr. Kincaid stated that several issues including sick leave and the understaffing of drivers contributed to the overtime amounts  Mr. Kincaid stated that he and Mr. Eby have spoken to First Transit about the issue and have requested a formal response from the contractor to remedy the problem FACILITIES COMMITTEE  Chairman Bellows recognized Ms. McNamee to present the facilities report  Ms. McNamee stated that the Authority was scheduled to close on the land for the transfer facility by the end of January, and that the Authority needed to authorize someone to sign the closing paperwork  Ms. Padgett made a motion to authorize Mr. Jeff Bellows, Chairman to sign the closing documents for the 3.02 acre transfer facility  The motion stated that in the absence of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, Mr. Ronne was authorized to sign the closing documents on behalf of the Authority  The motion was seconded by Mr. Stukes and carried unanimously  Mr. Eby asked for authorization of $10,000 to go into the trust account with the real estate closing attorney Mr. Alan Solana  Mr. Eby then requested a second motion authorizing the Authority to purchase the 3.02 from Corning, Inc. for $400,000  Ms. McNamee made a motion that the Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority enter into a contract agreement with Corning to buy a 3.02 acre partial for $400,000  The motion was seconded by Mr. Koeppel and carried unanimously  Ms. McNamee then made a motion to authorize Mr. Eby to place $10,000 in an escrow trust account as a part of this closing process  The motion was seconded Ms. Pritchett and carried unanimously  Mr. Eby stated that the Authority planned to request $360,000 in advance from NCDOT and that NCDOT was willing to honor the request OTHER AGENCIES  Ms. Bean stated that she was working on several transportation projects and will keep the board posted on the progress STAFF REPORT  Chairman Bellows recognized Mr. Eby to present the staff report  Mr. Eby stated that a bus stop bench located at Northern Blvd and Carolina Beach Rd was removed due to numerous complaints, illegal activities, and lack of use  Ms. Padgett asked if the new bus shelters were equipped with a style of bench that is less appealing to vagrants  Mr. Eby stated that the benches were equipped with anti-vagrant bars, and that the shelters were equipped with solar lighting in order to deter illegal activities  Mr. Eby then mentioned the legislative efforts of the NCPTA  He stated that association was progressing with the introduction of a bill into committee which would allow a $5 car registration fee and the possibly of a rental car tax at the county level which could go directly to transit agencies  Mr. Eby then updated the board regarding the Community Boys and Girls Club Reading Program grant  Mr. Eby stated that he had spoken with the Club’s director and planned to meet with him in order to finalize the requests made to the Authority  Ms. McNamee inquired about the increase in para-transit passengers and the decrease in fixed route passengers  Mr. Eby stated that the fixed route passenger ridership had leveled off from recent highs and decreased slightly  He then stated that the para-transit ridership increased was due to the expanded service area and because more individuals are aware of the services provided by Wave OTHER BUSINESS SCHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING  Hearing no further business, Mr. Stokes made a motion to adjourn the meeting  Mr. Bryden seconded the motion  The motion carried unanimously  The Wave Transit Authority’s next board meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2007 at 12:00 pm in the Castle Street Board Room Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby Director /kw