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Committee Staff Report
- Quarterly Status Report from General Manager
Michael T. Burns, General Manager, stated he plans to provide regular updates to the BPAC every three to four months. His intention for the updates is to provide a brief report on current issues at VTA and provide the BPAC with the opportunity to ask questions. Mr. Burns stated he will also provide the BPAC opportunity to request items for discussion or questions that need answering be provided to him prior to the future meetings so he is able to provide a brief report or response.
Mr. Burns stated that in response to Mr. Mallet’s concerns, staff is looking into his issues per the Board of Director’s direction at the May 4, 2006, Board of Directors’ Meeting.
Mr. Burns introduced the following Senior Staff to the BPAC:
Bill Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer, who is responsible for Human Resources activities, benefits, hiring, Workers Compensation, Risk Management, safety, and claims. Mr. Lopez is from the City of San Diego where he performed essentially in the same role and responsibility for the City of San Diego.
Mike Hursh, Deputy Director Operations – Bus and Light Rail, is responsible for all maintenance activities at VTA. Mr. Hursh will be ultimately responsible for investigating the issue of bicycle storage on Light Rail Vehicles. Mr. Hursh is from the City of San Francisco where he served as Deputy General Manager for Maintenance as well as managing the safety and security divisions.
Dan Smith, Deputy Director Operations, is a long-time transportation professional. He has worked for more than 25 years in the City of Boston for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Agency (MBTA), Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (EPTA) in the City of Philadelphia, as well working as a consultant on several assignments.
Mr. Smith will be involved in the planning of new services, looking for new opportunities to increase ridership, and responsible for the Paratransit Operation that VTA contracts with Outreach.
Mr. Burns thanked the BPAC Members who attended the recent VTA Board and Committee tours. Mr. Burns advised that staff has received positive feedback from the tours. Mr. Burns informed Members who were not able to attend that VTA can schedule another tour if there is any interest.
Mr. Burns reported that VTA continues to see significant increases in ridership with bus increasing six percent and Light Rail increasing over 30 percent. VTA is clearly seeing impacts on the transit systems and thinks it is in part due to the price of gasoline.
Mr. Burns noted that VTA is also seeing impacts of a generally improving economy in Silicon Valley.
Mr. Burns referenced the Performance Audit stating that the Request for Proposal (RFP) is out and proposals are expected by the end of May 2006. VTA is extending an invitation to all of the Advisory Committee Chairpersons to serve on the selection panel for companies that will perform the work. It is VTA’s hope to bring a recommendation to the Board of Directors at either August 2006 or September 2006 to the Board of Directors Meeting.
Mr. Burns advised that with the need for an Expenditure Plan the Board of Directors has been working to achieve a consensus on the Plan. Board Chairperson Chavez appointed a Project Advisory Committee that have held several meetings to work towards trying to finalize a list of projects and their priorities. The Project Advisory Committee’s future meetings are scheduled for Thursday, May 11, 2006, Auditorium, 3331 North First Street, San Jose, California at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 25, 2006 and June 8, 2006 with location to be determined. Staff is anticipating presenting the Board of Directors Meeting on June 15, 2006, recommendations from the Project Advisory Committee.
Mr. Burns noted collection of the tax for the 2000 Measure A Program commenced in April 2006.
Member Carpenter took his seat at 6:17 p.m.
Mr. Burns noted that nine months into VTA’s two-year Operating Budget VTA is on solid financial ground.
Mr. Burns stated staff requested approval of a budget adjustment from the Board of Directors to cover the increase cost of diesel fuel, which is significantly greater than anticipated when the Budget was first put together and an adjustment on the interest expense due to the increase in the interest rates over the last seven months.
Mr. Burns stated there while there is a slow and steady rebound in the economy in Santa Clara Valley, the economy is having a positive impact on sales tax receipts, which are higher than budgeted. Mr. Burns reported that there has been no impact on services, fares, or staffing due to the increases being covered by higher than anticipated sales tax receipts.
Mr. Burns advised of the ribbon cutting ceremony for the River Oaks Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge scheduled for May 17, 2006 at Noon at the VTA’s River Oaks Campus. He invited all BPAC Members to attend.
Mr. Burns reported there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 24, 2006, for the State Highway 85/ US Highway 101 Interchange and advised that invitations will be sent out.
Mr. Burns stated he has been struggling with what he will do for Bike-to-Work Day next year and thought it might be an interesting subject for the BPAC to work on.
Mr. Burns advised that VTA is sponsoring an Energizer Station this year for Bike-to-Work Day. Mr. Burns stated that for 2007 he would like VTA to start working on Bike-to-Work Day several months before the actual day to come up with something different to do other than sponsor an Energizer Station.
Kurt Evans, Government Affairs Manager, reported that on Friday, May 5, 2006, the California State Legislature approved an infrastructure bond package that will be placed on the November 2006 Ballot. Mr. Evans stated that the action on the part of the Legislature was a culmination of almost one year’s worth of debate on using General Obligation Bonds to fund California’s growing infrastructure needs.
Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata introduced legislation in 2005 that called for approximately $15 billion in infrastructure bonds and Governor Schwarzeneggar proposed approximately $70 billion in infrastructure bonds in his Strategic Growth Plan in 2006.
Mr. Evans reported that the total amount of the package is approximately $37 billion of which $20 billion will be allocated for transportation, $4 billion for levies and flood control projects, $10.5 billion for education which includes Kindergarten through 12th Grade and higher education facilities, and $3 billion for affordable housing which includes $300 million for Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
Mr. Evans advised that the $20 billion allocated for transportation is broken up into the following 13 separate programs some of which are existing programs that the Legislature felt needed an infusion of new money.
Mr. Evans outlined 8 of the 13 programs; of which the first four are existing programs that would have the following allocated amounts:
1. State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), is the major State Transportation Program that funds a wide variety of Transportation Capital Improvement Projects that would be allocated $2 billion. Mr. Evans noted that bicycle and pedestrian facility projects are eligible expenditures under the STIP.
2. The State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) funds rehabilitation and safety projects in the State Highway system. This Program would be allocated $750 million.
3. The State Local Partnership Program was established to help counties that have approved local transportation sales tax measures by allowing them to take their local sales tax dollars and additional state dollars leveraged for projects in their expenditure plans. This Program has been in hiatus for almost ten years and the bond revenues have really invigorated this Program for self-help counties such as Santa Clara County. This Program would be allocated funding in the amount of $1 billion.
4. Intercity Rail would receive funding in the amount of $400 million.
Mr. Evans noted that in terms of new program to address emerging needs the following would be allocated:
5. The Corridor Mobility Program is a program that funds large projects on the State Highway System that have regional and inner-regional significance and is difficult to accommodate within a county STIP share.
In the County of Santa Clara, Highway 152 is a project that could cost between $600 million to $700 million and would be difficult to fund through the STIP County share. The Corridor Mobility Program will provide an opportunity for VTA to receive funding and move forward with the project. This Program would be allocated $4.5 billion.
6. Goods Movement could receive $3.1 billion in funding in allocations for capital improvement projects to transportation corridors that have heavy volume of freight traffic, Port Security, and Air Quality Improvements at Port Facilities.
7. Public Transit Capital is an existing State Transit Assistance Program Formula that would allocate funds to transit operators across the State of California. The funding would provide the flexibility to transit operators to allocate the funds for whatever project they prioritize. This Program could receive $3.6 billion in funding.
8. Transit Safety, Security and Disaster Response – based on needs the Legislature all transit operators throughout the State of California have a capital need to try to enhance the safety and security of their systems. This Program could receive $1 billion in funding.
Mr. Evans distributed two charts to the BPAC entitled GENERAL OBLIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE BONDS: NOVEMBER 2006 BALLOT which depicts the break down of the $20 billion for transportation and SENATE BILL 1266 (PERATA): HIGHWAY SAFETY, TRAFFIC REDUCTION, AIR QUALITY, AND PORT SECURITY BOND ACT OF 2006 which divides $37 billion amongst four specified areas.
Member Swent stated the California Avenue Energizer Station in the City of Palo Alto is the largest and heavily attended Energizer Station in the whole Bay Area and noted they could use extra help this year.
Member Hagenmaier stated that a few years ago two people from the City of San Francisco signed up to work at the Energizer Station in the City of Los Altos and requested Mr. Burns consider working there.
Chairperson Wadler queried if the Light Rail Operators report when a bicycle falls off of a bicycle rack. Mr. Burns responded that unless the Operator is told, he would never know whether or not a bicycle has fallen. Mr. Burns stated his experience is not that bicycles are falling but rather swinging, if seats are raised high they block aisle, and that if the seats are raised high they also block the aisle.
Member Kobayashi expressed concern that if people cannot reach a certain height they have difficulty hanging bicycles on the racks and requested staff review his concern.
Member Walton stated that commuter trains have their bicycle racks on the floor, which make them secure. Mr. Walton stated that perhaps VTA could undertake a study of the racks affixed to the floor.
Member Swent recommended flat bicycle racks.
Chris Augenstein, Transportation Planning Manager and Staff Liaison, requested Members forward their recommendations to either he or Michelle DeRobertis, Senior Transportation Planner. Once they have received all of the recommendations they will compile a list for staff’s review.
Mr. Augenstein referenced the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Routine Accommodations Issue related to Caltrans’ Routine Accommodations Guidelines and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) staff has been working on. Mr. Augenstein announced that VTA has been the most supportive Congestion Management Agency (CMA) of any of CMAs the nine Bay Area Region.
Mr. Augenstein advised that the BPAC and staff will walk to the River Oaks Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge at the beginning of the meeting before it gets dark.
Chairperson Wadler recommended that Agenda Item #11., Presentation on the County Projects Priority List be taken out of order before visiting the Bridge.
The Agenda was taken out of order.
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