MINUTES OF THE GLADES-HENDRY JOINT LOCAL COORDINATING BOARD FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED JOINT TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED LOCAL COORDINATING BOARD Staff services provided by Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council -- TD Planning Program 1926 Victoria Avenue, Fort Myers FL 33901; (239) 338-2550-extension 232; fax (239) 338-2560 E-mail: ngwinnett@swfrpc.org *** TD web page: www.swfrpc.org The RPC/DOPA shall appoint one elected official to serve as the official Chairperson for all Coordinating Board meetings. Minutes of the Regular Meeting Wednesday, May 6, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. Department of Health Glades County 1021 Health Park Drive Moore Haven, Florida Representing Voting Member Agency Alternate Member Agency Commissioner Glades County BCC Commissioner Janet Hendry County BCC Donna Storter- Taylor Long A. A local representative of the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) B. A local representative of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) C. A local representative of the Public Education Community which could include, but not be limited to, a representative of the District School Board, School Board Transportation Office, or Headstart Program in areas where the School District is responsible D. In areas where they exist, a local representative of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services or the Division of Blind Services, representing the Department of Education E. A person recommended by the local Veterans Service Office, representing Veterans of the county F. A person recognized by the Florida Association for Community Action representing the economically disadvantaged Debi Stephens Aaron Stitt Michael Carter Victoria Aguilar Gordon Bryant Fred Richards Florida Department of Transportation FL Dept. of Children and Families Glades County School System Goodwill Industries of SWFL, Inc. Commissioner Darrell Harris Richard Shine Vacant Garry Ensor () Florida Department of Transportation Hendry County School System 1
G. A person representing the Elderly in the county H. A person with a disability representing the disabled in the county I-1. [One of Two] Citizen Advocates in the County I-2. [One of two] Citizen Advocates this one must be a person who uses the transportation service(s) of the system as their primary means of transportation. J. A local representative for children at risk K. In areas where they exist, the Chairperson or designee of the local Mass Transit or Public Transit Systems Board, except in cases where they are also the Community Transportation Coordinator. L. A local representative of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs M. An experienced representative of the local private for profit transportation industry. In areas where such representative is not available, a local private non-profit representative will be appointed, except where said representative is also the Community Transportation Coordinator N. A local representative of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration O. A representative of the Regional Workforce Development Board established in Chapter 445, Florida Statutes. P. A representative of the local medical community, which may include, but not be limited to, kidney dialysis centers, long term care facilities, hospitals, local health department or other home and community based services, etc. Kristina Rodriguez Ron Stephens Vanessa Fischel N/A Theresa Davis Joe Martinez Rebecca Meeler Mary Bartoshuk Hope Connections FL Dept. of Health in Hendry Florida Dept. of Elder Affairs Agency for Health Care Administration Bill Iffland Sherry Shupp N/A Angela Wood Karen Brooks Thais Kuoman Nancy Acevedo Hope Connections RCMA Florida Dept. of Elder Affairs Agency for Health Care Administration 2
Guests/Public: Sherry Carver Central Florida RPC John Irvine CTD (via conference phone) Staff: Alan Mandel, Good Wheels, Inc. Nichole Gwinnett, SWFRPC Agenda Item #1 Call to Order and Introductions Chair Taylor called the meeting to order at 10:35 a.m. and then introductions were conducted. Agenda Item #4 Public Comments on Items on the Agenda None Agenda Item #5 Public Comments on Items Not on the Agenda None Agenda Item #6 Minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 4, 2015 Meeting Ms. Fischel referred to page 5 of the minutes where it was stated Ms. Fischel stated that FDOH in Hendry County had approximately 400 students going to the clinic and now they are without care. She noted that she hadn t made that statement. A motion was made by Mr. Stephens and seconded by Mr. Bryant to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 4, 2015 as amended. The motion passed unanimously. Agenda Item #7 Review and Approval of the 5-Year Minor Update of the Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan (TDSP) Ms. Gwinnett presented the item as provided within the summary page of the agenda packet. A motion was made by Mr. Bryant to approve the 2015 5-Year Minor Update of the Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan (TDSP) for Glades and Hendry Counties. The motion was seconded by Ms. Stephens and then carried unanimously. Agenda Item #7b Proposed Amendment to the FY14-15 Trip & Equipment Grant Mr. Mandel presented the item. He explained that he was looking for approval from the LCB to submit to the CTD a proposed amendment for the FY14-15 Trip & Equipment Grant before June 30, 2015. The proposed amendment contains Phase 1 update. The total cost of Phase 1 is $15,000 and it includes the following: 3
1. Having trip assignment files placed onto Good Wheels existing system; 2. adding new clients to the PTMS Database; 3. geo-coding map using Google; 4. adding new destinations and addresses into the system with the geo-coding; 5. scheduling records for PTMS; and 6. adjustment of the call trips with no set times. Mr. Mandel explained that the amendment was to increase efficiency. If the system was more efficient it would decrease the costs of both scheduling and fuel. Last year, Good Wheels spent $670,000 on fuel and would be happy with a 5% savings. He explained that if the LCB approves the proposed change then a letter would be sent to the CTD requesting an amendment to the current fiscal year (FY14-15) Trip & Equipment Grant. Chair Taylor clarified that the $15,000 was for IT. Mr. Mandel stated that the full amount of $15,000 would be used for IT upgrades. Mr. Stephens asked Mr. Mandel if there was enough time between now and June 30 to complete everything. Mr. Mandel replied yes, it was guaranteed. A motion was made by Mr. Richards to approve the proposed amendment of $15,000 to the FY14-15 Trip & Equipment Grant. The motion was seconded by Ms. Fischel and carried unanimously. At this time, Ms. Gwinnett noted that a roll call vote for the TDSP was required. Ms. Gwinnett then proceeded with conducting the roll call vote for the recently approved TDSP minor update (Item #6). Agenda Item #7a FY15-16 CTC Rate Program for the Trip & Equipment Grant Mr. Mandel presented the item. He explained that the second request was for an upgrade to Good Wheels system which would have to be done after June. The proposed amendment would automate the capture of trip information; the drivers would have tablets on their vehicles which increase the ability to communicate, and also conduct an automated call to clients to inform them when to expect their ride. Good Wheels is hoping that it would reduce the number of cancellations and/or no shows, which becomes very costly. The proposed cost is $35,700, including the tablets. Mr. Martinez asked for clarification of how the LCB could take action on an item that doesn t happen until the next fiscal year beginning July 1. Mr. Mandel explained that the request is being sent to the CTD who requires the LCB to take action prior to the grant beginning on July 1. This is being submitted to the CTD as an equipment request. The LCB can make recommendations, but the CTD makes the final decision. Mr. Martinez asked for clarification that the LCB is being asked to take action on a proposed amendment. Mr. Mandel said that was correct. 4
A motion was made by Mr. Stephens to approve the proposed amendment of $35,700 to the FY15-16 Trip & Equipment Grant. The motion was seconded by Mr. Bryant and carried unanimously. Agenda Item #8 Florida Coordinated Transportation Program Issues & Distribution Issues Ms. Gwinnett presented the following item. Agenda Item #8(a) 3rd Quarterly Report to CTD (January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2015) Ms. Gwinnett presented the item. Agenda Item #9 Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) News Mr. Mandel presented the item. He distributed the ridership and complaint reports for Glades and Hendry Counties. He was happy to report that there were no complaints reported. Mr. Mandel explained that he has been working on regional transportation and also working with some of the non-profits throughout Glades and Hendry Counties. He was proud to say that the current route from Clewiston to the university in Belle Glade is providing trips for 170-200 riders per day. Good Wheels is working with both Hendry and Lee Counties to prepare a proposal to have a route from Clewiston to Riverdale in Lee County, because that is where LeeTran s service terminates. If it comes to fruition, then Good Wheels would have a complete east-west corridor from Palm Beach to Lee County. He then announced that with some of the non-profits, such as Hope Hospice, Good Wheels has entered into an agreement with Hope Hospice where Good Wheels is using one of their vehicles and providing the meals on wheels service for them because they didn t have any drivers. Also, Good Wheels is working on a proposal with the BCC and the Veterans Administration (VA) where the VA is already providing two vehicles to the county, but the county has been having some difficulty with always having a driver available to travel to either Palm Beach or Lee County. Mr. Stephens stated that the VA has had issues with getting people to and from their facilities for medical treatment. Mr. Mandel explained that Good Wheels is currently working with the county manager where Good Wheels would provide the drivers and the back-up service. Mr. Bryant noted that the issues with VA transportation are that the ridership has to go to Palm Beach, Miami, Fort Myers, Tampa and sometimes Orlando. Mr. Mandel stated that Good Wheels was prepared to provide those trips; however, another issue that Good Wheels is facing is now they are providing Medicaid trips, not only in Lee, Glades and Hendry Counties, but Good Wheels has been asked to do it in Collier County. MTM has also asked Good Wheels to take on parts of Miami-Dade and Monroe County with a partner. Good Wheels did provide trips in Monroe County for FDOT in the past but the contract ended back in February. Good Wheels had developed a relationship with Monroe County and now they are looking at expanding it from Monroe to parts of Miami-Dade. The long trips are going to Tampa, Miami or Palm Beach and if Good Wheels could have a vehicle going from one county through another county there is 5
tremendous opportunities to be able to provide trips for many individuals. This is where the idea of what a coordinator should be doing would have some impact. Discussion ensued. Mr. Mandel noted that since Moore Haven is considered to be a food dessert Good Wheels is continuing to provide trips for people in Moore Haven to the Wal-Mart in Clewiston for shopping. United Way is now asking Good Wheels to consider a route from Moore Haven to Buckhead Ridge and then to Okeechobee where there is a Wal-Mart and Publix. Good Wheels is waiting for United Way to complete their promotional materials and then Good Wheels would start providing those trips. Mr. Mandel announced that thanks to Hendry County providing Good Wheels with $27,000, Good Wheels was able to purchase a new bus which will be arriving within the next couple of weeks. Mr. Mandel then asked about the status of the flyer that was being developed which announced the services that Good Wheels provided. Ms. Gwinnett stated that she believed that there was a meeting scheduled in the near future to finalize the flyer and get it ready for distribution. Mr. Mandel announced that there were 500 TD trips provided in April. For Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties Good Wheels provided 2,621 trips to date. Ms. Carver asked Mr. Mandel what are the numbers for the service from Moore Haven to Clewiston for shopping which Good Wheels provides. Mr. Mandel explained that it is very low, only 3-5 people, but he has heard that there may be a group bringing food to Moore Haven. United Way felt that the ridership would increase if the route was expanded to include Buckhead Ridge and Okeechobee. Mr. Bryant noted that the Catholic Church in Moore Haven does provide food boxes. Mr. Mandel noted that Good Wheels was also in the process of entering into an agreement with the American Cancer Society because they are also experiencing a lot of problems since they typically relied on a lot of volunteers to provide the trips. The agreement with the American Cancer Society would be a multi-county agreement. Mr. Bryant noted that with the route from Moore Haven to Buckhead Ridge and then to Okeechobee, there is also Lakeport which is between Moore Haven and Buckhead Ridge. It would probably benefit Good Wheels to have a stop along SR78 in Lakeport. Ms. Carver stated that as far as the CFRPC s Mobility Management Grant which covers the whole Heartland area and also covers Glades and Hendry Counties. The food dessert situation has been discussed and there are great distances, up to 25 miles, that people have to travel in order to purchase food. She noted that CFRPC has in-house graphic support and she felt that under the Mobility Management Grant flyers would be able to be produced. Discussion ensued regarding Medicaid trips and the difference of co-pays. 6
Mr. Martinez thanked Good Wheels for their efforts in expanding Medicaid trips. Agenda Item #10 Member Announcements and Comments Ms. Carver announced that due to the 2010 Census the Sebring and Avon Park area went over the 50,000 threshold in population and as a result they applied to form a transportation planning organization. Their application was approved and now they are eligible for federal funding for transportation and also transit funds. The first meeting of the Heartland Regional Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) was held on April 29 in Sebring. The meeting consisted of the formation of the committees. At the meeting it was decided that the staff of the Central Florida RPC would be the staff for the HRTPO. The HRTPO covers six counties within the Heartland area, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Hardee, Highlands and Okeechobee. She also explained that the area covers three local coordinating boards (LCBs), Glades-Hendry LCB, Hardee, Highlands and Okeechobee LCB and the DeSoto LCB. Ms. Carver noted that there is going to be standing committee within the HRTPO called the Mobility Advisory Committee which will deal with ALL modes of transportation. One of the goals of the committee is to established connectivity between all of the counties throughout the Heartland Region and Southwest Florida. Mr. Stephens asked if the HRTPO is competing with the other MPOs and LCBs. Ms. Carver explained that it wasn t a competing group. She said that the Sebring-Avon Park Urbanized Area would be receiving urban transit funding, which is a separate funding source. It will not be competing for TD or the other transit funds. She sees it as being for better service and coordination. Ms. Stephens stated that she believed that the new HRTPO will be a benefit to the region by being able to provide more services. Agenda Item #11 Date, Time and Topics for Next Meeting The next meeting of the Glades-Hendry Joint LCB was scheduled for September 2, 2015 at 10:30 AM. The location to be determined. Agenda Item #12 Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m. 7