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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 05 08 08 Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority MINUTES OF THE CAPE FEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY May 8, 2008 Mr. Jeff Bellows, Chair, Presiding MEMBERS PRESENT Mr. Jeff Bellows, Chair Mr. William Bryden, Vice-Chairman Mr. Don Betz Mr. George Dolan Mr. Andrew Koeppel Ms. Aileen Mair Ms. Christine McNamee Mr. John Stukes Ms. Laura Padgett Ms. Nancy Pritchett STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, Director Mr. Arlanda Rouse, Assistant Director Mrs. Kathy Williams, Administrative Assistant Mr. Matthew Kunic, Planner Ms. Catherine Cole, Finance Director CONTRACT MANAGEMENT STAFF PRESENT Mr. Lamont Jackson, General Manager, First Transit Ms. Valerie McElhose, Assistant General Manager, First Transit Mr. Andrew Olsen, Attorney GUESTS PRESENT Mr. Joshuah Mello, Associate Transportation Planner, Wilmington Urban Area MPO Ms. Lawless Bean, Transportation Demand Management Coordinator, City of Wilmington Mr. James Joyner, KCI Engineering Ms. Penny Craver, Drug Impact Court Mr. Pat Gannon, Wilmington Star News Mr. Chris Hawkins, Citizen Mr. Ricky Meeks, Citizen Mr. Chris Hawkins, Citizen Ms. Catawabra Graham, Citizen Ms. Doris Nelson, Citizen Ms. Jan Marina, Citizen Ms. Tracy Moore, Citizen CALL TO ORDER  Chairman Bellows called the meeting to order at 12:10 pm  Mr. Bellows opened the meeting with a moment of silence CONSENT AGENDA  Mr. Bellows presented the consent agenda which included the minutes from the April 10, 2008 Board of Directors meeting for approval  Mr. Bellows made a correction to the Limited English Proficiency Plan on the agenda  Mr. Bellows stated that on the figure 1.665 in the plan on page 18 should actually read 1,665 persons  Mr. Betz made a motion to approve the consent agenda as amended  Ms. McNamee seconded the motion and it carried unanimously PUBLIC COMMENT  Chairman Bellows opened the public comment period  Ms. Penny Craver from the New Hanover County Drug Treatment Center presented a request to purchase bus passes for the clients of the treatment center at a reduced rate  Mr. Bellows then suggested that the request be tabled until the new business portion of the meeting  Ms. Doris Nelson and Ms. Tracey Moore stated that the new bus routes were very inconvenient and they requested assistance with scheduling information  Ms. Jan Marina presented a list of concerns regarding the new bus schedules  Ms. Marina stated that one of her concerns was traveling up the hill to the hospital as well as the routing of the 105 Route  Mr. Meeks thanked the board for adding the 104 East route and requested a second bus on that route as well as the Monkey Junction route  Hearing no further comment, the Chairman closed the public comment period DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON RAIL PROPOSAL  Mr. Bryden presented a PowerPoint presentation on the Wilmington Rail System  Mr. Bryden stated that the proposed downtown rail service would serve the Railroad Museum, the convention center, and the proposed Multi-Modal Center  Mr. Bryden requested support from the Authority for the Wilmington Rail System proposal  Mr. Betz made a motion to support the Downtown Wilmington Rail Proposal  The motion was seconded by Ms. McNamee and carried unanimously EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows stated that it was time for the director’s annual evaluation  Mr. Bellows asked the board to submit in writing any comments regarding the performance of Mr. Eby  Mr. Betz asked if an evaluation form was available  Mr. Bellows stated that the forms used in the past were cumbersome, and the preference was for written comments from the board  Mr. Bellows stated that he anticipated having a report to the board by the next meeting ROUTE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized Mr. Koeppel to give the report for the Route committee  Mr. Koeppel stated that there were two public meetings regarding the new bus routes  Mr. Koeppel stated that many of the concerns from the public were regarding bus shelters at Independence Mall, as well as access to New Hanover Medical Center  Mr. Koeppel stated that no other public meetings were planned, and he felt that most of the concerns from the public were noted and are being addressed MARKETING COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized Mr. Betz to give the Marketing Committee report  Mr. Betz stated that the committee met with consultants and discussed the new budget for July 1, 2008  Mr. Betz stated that the committee was considering advertising on the buses  Mr. Kunic stated that he was investigating both interior and exterior advertising, and the revenue options looked favorable  Mr. Betz stated that the committee will make modifications to the new route maps based upon suggestions received  Ms. Padgett stated that the new bus maps were hard to read, and many of the colors were difficult to distinguish  Mr. Eby suggested that the Authority contract with a map design company when redesigning the new route maps  Ms. Pritchett then inquired about advertising on the maps  Mr. Kunic stated that the committee would consider advertising opportunities on the new maps FINANCE COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows recognized Mr. Bryden to give the Finance Committee  Mr. Bryden presented the March finance report  Mr. Bryden stated that fuel prices were still increasing and impacting the budget  Ms. Padgett inquired about the decrease in UNCW ridership  Mr. Eby stated that UNCW has more available parking on campus, and less students are using the commuter lots, which has contributed to the decline  Ms. McNamee inquired about the increased paratransit ridership  Mr. Eby stated that since implementing the new routes, there may be an increase in the amount of the paratransit service since the service area is larger  Mr. Eby then stated that if fuel prices continue to increase, agencies may see an increase in their paratransit mileage rates FACILITIES COMMITTEE  Chairman Bellows recognized Ms. McNamee to present the facilities report  Ms. McNamee recognized Mr. Eby to present the facilities report  Mr. Eby stated the Authority had $830,000 in federal dollars earmarked for the new administrative transfer facility,  He stated that after the facilities committee met, the committee determined that the Authority needed $1.9 million in additional funds to build the facility  He stated that he sent Miriam Perry a request for the additional funds and Ms. Perry took the request for to the Board of Transportation for approval  He stated that the NCDOT Board of Transportation approved the Authority’s request for $1.9 million  Mr. Eby thanked Miriam Perry for all of her help with obtaining the grant  Mr. Eby stated that the committee was still working with Corning officials regarding storm water runoff  Mr. Eby stated that Corning would allow the Authority to use their current pond near the switching station for road run off but, they were concerned about the liability in case of a spill  Mr. Eby stated that he was going to continue to work with Corning and their attorneys to develop an agreement that protects Corning and the Authority MANAGEMENT CONTRACTOR SELECTION COMMITTEE  Ms. McNamee stated that the board approved the staff to negotiate a management contract with PTM  Mr. Eby stated that the PTM had begun underwriting employee health insurance  Mr. Eby stated that the committee would present a contract at the June meeting NOMINATING COMMITTEE  Mr. Bellows presented the board with the recommendations from the Nominating Committee for new officers  Mr. Bellows stated that the committee’s nominees were: Mr. Bryden for Chairman, Mr. Betz for Vice-Chair and Mr. Dolan for Secretary  Mr. Bellows then asked for additional nominees from the floor  Ms. Padgett made a motion to close the nominations and accept the committee’s recommendations  The motion was seconded by Ms. Mair and carried unanimously  Mr. Bellows stated that the new officers will begin their terms on July 1, 2008 STAFF REPORT  Chairman Bellows recognized Mr. Eby to present the staff report  Mr. Eby requested direction from the board regarding a policy for organizations requesting reduced or free bus passes  Mr. Eby then recognized Ms. Cole regarding the establishment of 501(c)3 foundation, which would aid organizations requesting free or reduced transportation  Ms. Cole stated that establishing the 501(c)3 fairly straight forward, but the Authority would need money to establish the foundation  Ms. McNamee suggested using the Community Foundation’s services, rather than starting a 501(c)3  Mr. Eby stated that he would ask Stephen Dillon, Director of the Community Foundation, to address the board about the benefits of the foundation  Mr. Eby stated that the staff planned to meet with the Housing Authority next week to discuss the new bus routes  Mr. Eby stated that he met Independence Mall officials regarding the transfer site  He stated that mall officials were concerned about liability and drafted an agreement regarding the use of their facilities  He stated that he anticipated completion of the mall transfer site within 30 days after the agreement is signed  Mr. Eby stated that Lamont Jackson, Contract General Manager, would be leaving soon for a position in Rocky Mount  Mr. Eby thanked Mr. Jackson for all of his hard work with the Authority and wished him good luck OTHER BUSINESS  Mr. Bellows stated that organizations requesting reduced or free bus passes would be considered on a case by case basis  Mr. Bellows stated that Mr. Eby would have a draft proposal to present to the board regarding Ms. Craver’s request by next meeting SCHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING  Hearing no further business, Ms. Padgett made a motion to adjourn the meeting  Mr. Stukes seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting  The motion carried unanimously  The Wave Transit Authority’s next board meeting is scheduled for June 12, 2008 at 12:00 pm in the Castle Street Board Room Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby Director /kw