POTOMAC AND RAPPAHANNOCK TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OFFICIAL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES

Transcription

1 DATE: May 3, 2001 POTOMAC AND RAPPAHANNOCK TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION OFFICIAL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES TIME: 7:30 p.m. LOCATION: PRTC\OmniRide Transit Center Commission Board Room, 2 nd Floor Potomac Mills Road Woodbridge, VA CALL TO ORDER 7:39 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present *Charles Badger *Hilda Barg, Chairman *Maureen Caddigan, left at 8:25 p.m. *Jack Cavalier *Bill Greenup *Ruth Griggs *Bob Gibbons, Vice Chairman *John Grzejka, Treasurer *Mary Hill, arrived at 7:45 p.m. *John Jenkins *Bill Wren, Secretary Alternates Present Steve Dixon *Steve Hajek, voting member at 8:25 p.m. *Sorine Preli Margaret Wilson Staff Present Gina Altis Judy Bizjak Al Harf Joyce Houpt Joe Howard Sheila Larson VDRPT Stafford County City of Fredericksburg Stafford County City of Manassas City of Manassas Park Executive Director Director of Project Development Executive Director Director of Finance PRTC Legal Counsel Director of Marketing & Communications 1

2 Steve MacIsaac Eric Marx Pete Sklannik MEMBERS ABSENT Edward Houck Michele McQuigg Jack Rollison Ben Thompson ALTERNATES ABSENT Harold Bannister David Beiler Leo Bevon Marvin Bolinger Rowland Bowers Sean Connaughton Lawrence Davies Corey Hill Larry Hughes Kenneth Mitchell Bob Oliver Dan Painter Vonna Privett Roger Snyder Edgar Wilbourn VRE Legal Counsel Director of Planning and Operations VRE Chief Operating Officer Virginia Senate Virginia House of Delegates Virginia House of Delegates City of Fredericksburg Stafford County VDRPT City of Fredericksburg City of Fredericksburg VDRPT City of Manassas Stafford County City of Manassas City of Manassas Park City of Manassas Park City of Manassas *Voting Member 3. INVOCATION Led by Commissioner Wren. 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Commissioner Caddigan. 5. CITIZENS TIME Ms. Holly Frisch recounted an incident on April 13 th of waiting for the bus at a PRTC bus stop where she was mistaken by the bus operator as someone just out walking her dog. The bus operator did not recognize her as a person with a guide dog. Ms. Frisch suggested that a colleague of hers be invited to participate in operator training and that additional efforts be made to ensure that operators are better prepared for people with guide dogs. 2

3 6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES RES [PRTC\Minutes] Approved the Minutes of April 5, Commissioner Caddigan moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Griggs seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (CADDIGAN\GRIGGS, WITH MAJORITY CONSENT; CAVALIER/GIBBONS/HILL ABSTAINED) 7. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES RES Approved the Special Meeting Minutes of April 17, [PRTC\Special Meeting Commissioner Jenkins moved for adoption as presented and Minutes] Commissioner Hajek seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (JENKINS\HAJEK, WITH MAJORITY CONSENT; GIBBONS/PRELI/WREN ABSTAINED) 8. AGENDA APPROVAL RES [PRTC\Agenda] Approved the Agenda of May 3, Chairman Barg added Item 12-G. Commissioner Wren moved for adoption as amended and Commissioner Griggs seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (WREN\GRIGGS, UNANIMOUS) 9. CONSENT AGENDA RES Approved the Consent Agenda of May 3, [PRTC\Consent Agenda] Commissioner Wren moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Caddigan seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (WREN\CADDIGAN, UNANIMOUS) RES A. Approved the Treasurer s Report of March 31, 2001 as [PRTC\Finance] presented. Commissioner Wren moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Caddigan seconded. (WREN\CADDIGAN, UNANIMOUS) 10. VIRGINIA RAILWAY EXPRESS (VRE) [VRE\Info] A. Operations Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes of April 20, There were no comments. [VRE\Info] B. Rail Director's Report. Mr. Sklannik reported on-time performance for March and April was 94% and 95%, respectively. He noted complaints have subsided significantly. 3

4 Mr. Sklannik reported ridership continues to be in the upper 10,000 ridership range per day. Two Gallery Cars are ready for delivery and will arrive at the Broad Run Station by May 7 th, with other cars arriving later in the month. By May 31 st, VRE will be in possession of five Gallery Cars. A Gallery Car inaugural ceremony will be held on May 30 th with invitations to follow. Mr. Sklannik reported staff has successfully negotiated with CSX to run a special Memorial Day train. Mr. Sklannik stated staff continues with Meet the Management and customers are very satisfied. Customers number one question, when will more trains be added?. Mr. Sklannik reported staff investigated the possibility of putting outdoor furniture in the atrium of the Woodbridge Station. This is being accomplished. The Greyhound Ticket Office operator has guaranteed the security of the furniture. Commissioner Jenkins noted with ridership approaching levels of 11,000 and the continued increase in gas prices ridership may double VRE s capacity. Mr. Sklannik replied with the launch of the five Gallery Cars 800 additional seats are created, however, with the return of the Heritage Cars to Maryland later this summer the net increase is 300 seats. Mr. Sklannik went on to say the strategic planning effort in progress will fully define needs over time, beginning with a rolling stock presentation in June. RES C. Approved Changes to the Plan of Delegation of Contractual [VRE\Contractual Authority to the VRE Operations Board. Commissioner Authority] Gibbons moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Wren seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (GIBBONS\WREN, UNANIMOUS) 11. CHAIRMAN'S TIME Chairman Barg reported the new OmniLink bus arrival event held at Potomac Mills Mall on Thursday, April 26 th, was very exciting. She noted a new OmniLink bus is parked in front of the Transit Center this evening for viewing. 4

5 12. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S TIME [PRTC\Info] A. Executive Director s Report. At this time, Mrs. Sheila Larson gave a brief presentation on the Manassas Mall and Potomac Mills Mall new OmniLink bus arrival events held on Tuesday, April 24 th, and Thursday, April 26 th, respectively. Commissioner Jenkins noted the presence of Mr. Alfred Biddlecomb of the Potomac News at the meeting. Mr. Biddlecomb covered the new OmniLink bus arrival events in the Potomac News and Commissioner Jenkins thanked Mr. Biddlecomb for a job well done. Chairman Barg noted a letter dated April 19, 2001 has been received appointing Delegate Robert G. Marshall to the PRTC for a two-year term commencing July 1, Delegate Marshall succeeds Delegate Jack Rollison. Barring no objections, Chairman Barg directed staff to ready a resolution (testimonial) for Commission action and to arrange for a presentation to Delegate Rollison thanking him for his service. There were no objections. Mr. Harf reported plans to revamp the Metro Direct schedule continued this month, amended to account for the unanticipated availability of approximately $60,000 of Access to Jobs/Reverse Commute funds. Staff is targeting the fall of this year for this schedule change to coincide with other changes envisioned as a result of the Horner Road parkride expansion opening. Mr. Harf stated PRTC received a solicitation from VDRPT for Access to Jobs/Reverse Commute proposals. Staff is readying an application for the Commission s consideration at the June Commission meeting, which will include two service enhancements: an all-day cross-county bi-directional service and an all-day Metro Direct-like service on the western side of the County linking the Manassas area with the Falls Church Metro Rail Station. 5

6 Mr. Harf reported a special meeting was held on April 17 to present to the Commission a piggybacking opportunity with New Jersey Transit (NJT) at which time the Commission authorized the Executive Director to execute an intergovernmental agreement with NJT. The agreement has been fully executed, staff has commenced negotiations with Motor Coach Industries (MCI), and a Commission action will be readied at the conclusion of these negotiations. Mr. Harf reported the first bus of the new OmniLink fleet arrived on April 23. Several more buses will arrive early next week with the balance of buses arriving by the middle of May. Mr. Harf reported WMATA has provided staff with a capital repairs estimate for the next fiscal year and a Commission action will be readied for consideration at the June meeting. Mr. Harf reported PRTC s fleet inspection consultant Apex has completed its audit of the fleet. The audit is one element necessary to prepare WMATA s annual evaluation. Staff is presently reviewing the audit results and completion of WMATA s third year evaluation will follow soon thereafter. While the full results of the audit are not yet available, initial indications are that the fleet is in much better shape than it was a year ago. Mr. Harf stated the Bush Administration has unveiled its Federal FY02 budget. Not surprisingly, the proposed budget funds transit at the TEA-21 minimum guarantee level. However, the Administration s budget proposal would convert both the bus discretionary grant program (that PRTC has relied on) and the Access to Jobs/Reverse Commute discretionary program to formula-driven programs. Virginia has fared very well under both of these programs and if converted to formula programs, PRTC and Virginia would be adversely affected. The Administration also proposed to reduce the new starts program funds from 80% federal participation to 50% federal participation beginning in FY04. Mr. Harf noted the Barry Subcommittee is scheduled to meet on May 9 th regarding the new Northern Virginia Regional Transportation Authority. 6

7 Mr. Harf reported bids were opened on April 23 and evaluated for the Manassas Park parking expansion. A resolution has been provided this evening for the Commission s consideration. Mr. Harf stated staff has issued an Invitation for Bids (IFB) for parking expansion at the Broad Run Station. Bids are due by May 15. Mr. Harf reported a meeting, hosted by Chairman Barg, was held on April 16 th to invite community reaction to the Woodbridge Station parking expansion proposal. Community reaction was very favorable. Mr. Harf reported staff has ordered property appraisals for the Manassas parking deck that will set the stage for negotiations with the owners to verify their willingness to sell at market value. Assuming that goes well, authorization to proceed with design work will be sought. Construction of the so called Manassas third platform has not yet commenced because of the discovery of undisclosed utility lines. However, this appears to have been resolved and construction is expected to commence shortly. Mr. Harf stated he attended a meeting hosted by City Manager Marvin Bolinger on April 9 th to discuss repairs to the Fredericksburg Station. Mr. Harf reported a major negotiating session was held on April 5 th with CSXT. The VRE Operations Board was briefed on this at its April 20 th meeting and the Board adopted a resolution declaring the Board s expectation of a negotiation outcome. Mr. Harf reported the VTA 2001 Spring Conference will be held June 6-8, 2001 at the Springfield Hilton. Mr. Harf noted he will be giving a presentation on the VTA s future and noted Chairman Barg and Commissioner Griggs will be attendance as each have a speaking role at the Conference. Mr. Harf stated a paper was prepared and forwarded to the Commission s subcommittee to prompt discussion about the Rider Advisory Committee. Mr. Harf introduced Mr. Tim Roseboom, PRTC s new Transit Operations Planner. 7

8 Commissioner Caddigan departed at 8:25 p.m. at the completion of Item 12-A. Commissioner Hajek resumed as voting member in Commissioner Caddigan s absence. RES B. Proposed Amendment to the PRTC Bylaws. Commissioner [PRTC\Bylaws] Gibbons moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Grzejka seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (GIBBONS\GRZEJKA, UNANIMOUS) RES C. Approved Award of New Auditing Services Contract. [PRTC\Auditing Services] Commissioner Gibbons moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Jenkins seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (GIBBONS\JENKINS, UNANIMOUS) RES D. Authorized Execution of VDOT Agreement Providing for [PRTC\Fareboxes] State Funded Deployment of New Electronic Fareboxes on PRTC s Fleet. Commissioner Griggs moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Wren seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (GRIGGS\WREN, UNANIMOUS) RES E. Authorized Contract Award for Manassas Park Construction. [Manassas Park] Commissioner Wren moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Hill seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (WREN\HILL, UNANIMOUS) [PRTC\Info] F. Other Information Items: 1. RTC Service Reports. OmniRide/OmniLink. Ridership and OmniMatch. There were no comments. 2. Statement of Operations for Month and Year-to-Date Ended March 31, There were no comments. 3. Legislative: a. APTA Legislative Alert (4/10/01) Bush Administration Budget. There were no comments. b. APTA Washington Report (4/20/01). There were no comments. 8

9 4. Communications: a. Related to funding: There were no comments. b. Related to jurisdictions: There were no comments. c. General interest: There were no comments. RES G. Approved Easement Encroachment Related to Planned VRE [Manassas Park] Commuter Parking Expansion at Manassas Park Station. Commissioner Wren moved for adoption as presented and Commissioner Gibbons seconded. There was no discussion on the motion. (WREN\GIBBONS, UNANIMOUS) 12. OTHER BUSINESS/COMMISSIONERS' TIME 14. CONVENE INTO CLOSED SESSION A. There was nothing to discuss in Closed Session. 15. CERTIFICATION OF CLOSED SESSION A. N/A. Commissioner Hajek stated he has ridden the past few days on two bus routes and suggested to the bus operators a couple of additional, potential stop locations and asked the operators to pass these suggestions onto Dispatch for management s consideration. Chairman Barg directed staff to provide the Commission with an update on the bus shelters program at the June meeting. 16. ACTION ITEMS REPORTED OUT OF CLOSED SESSION N/A. 17. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Commission, Chairman Barg adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m. 9

10 NEXT MEETING: Thursday, June 7, 2001 LOCATION: TIME: NVTC/PRTC Joint Meeting Springfield Hilton 6550 Loisdale Road Springfield, Virginia 6:00 p.m. 10