[I. Call to Order]
[II. Public Comment (Part 1 of 2)]
[00:00:30]
UM, AND I'VE MOVED OUT HERE DURING THE PANDEMIC AND I'M FINDING I CAN'T GET SERVICE, UM, THROUGH, UH, THE, UH, UH, UH, METRO ACCESS SERVICE OR SOME OTHER, UH, EQUITABLE SERVICE LIKE PICKUP.
UM, THE ISSUE IS NOW THAT THOSE OF US WHO WORK OR WHO HAVE WORKED REMOTELY DURING THE PANDEMIC AND WHO HAVE A DISABILITY, UH, CAN'T GET BACK INTO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, I'VE LIVED AT ONE PLACE HERE AT, UH, 11 7 0 1 BIRCHBARK TRAIL.
I AM ABOUT TO MOVE IN A WEEK TO 1, 1, 4, 3, 0 MORNING GLORY TRAIL.
UH, AND I'M STILL OUT OF THE SERVICE.
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAS TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THE PARATRANSIT SERVICE IS THE MOST COSTLY OF ALL OF THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED BECAUSE IT IS A, UH, DOOR TO DOOR OR ALSO AN ON DEMAND SERVICE.
HOWEVER, UM, TWO FACTS HERE, ONE, UH, I'M ELIGIBLE, UH, BEING TOTALLY BLIND AND HAVING A GUIDE DOG TO, I ALSO PAY TAXES, UH, YOU KNOW, ONTO TO THE SALES TAX WITH EVERYTHING THAT I BUY.
UM, AND I SHOULD BE AFFORDED SOME SERVICE EVEN IF NOT TO MY DOOR, IF GETTING FROM THE LAST MILE TO A CAPITAL METRO LOCATION, UH, THERE SHOULD BE AN OPTION FOR ME TO GET THERE SO THAT I CAN GET DOWN AND INTERFACE WITH MY EMPLOYER'S TRANSIT SYSTEM TO GET ON AND OFF CAMPUS.
AND RIGHT NOW I CAN'T DO THAT.
AND, AND, AND, AND THIS IS OF CONCERN.
UM, ANY OF US WHO ARE TOTALLY BLIND OR HAVE ANY OTHER KIND OF A DISABILITY, WE'RE ALL MAKING THE SAME DECISIONS AS ANYBODY ELSE, UH, HAVING TO MOVE, UH, AND MAKE DECISIONS ON WHERE WE LIVE BASED ON HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, UH, UH, LOCALE TO A JOB THAT WE MAY WORK.
UH, AND SO THERE'S NO REASON THAT WE SHOULDN'T BE AFFORDED THE SAME OPPORTUNITY AS ANYBODY ELSE.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF CAPITAL METRO, UH, OR METRO ACCESS SHOULD NOT BE, UH, A BOUNDARY WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT SHOULDN'T BE THE CITY OF AUSTIN ITSELF, UH, ITSELF.
IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE YOUR ZIP CODE IS AN AUSTIN, TEXAS ZIP CODE, UH, OR, UH, COULD EVEN ARGUE, UM, IF YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN A MILE OF CAPITAL METRO, JUST CALL IT AN EVEN NUMBER, UH, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE SERVED, AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION, MR. MAN.
WE WILL CERTAINLY TAKE YOUR, YOUR CONCERNS UNDER CONSIDERATION AND WORK WITH STAFF TO SEE YOU.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE? CA CAN I MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE SOME ACTION ITEMS TO BE, HAVE THIS FOLLOWED UP ON? SO I WILL, I WILL, UH, WORK WITH OUR CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AND, AND, UM, WE WILL REACH OUT TO YOU AT THE S AT THE STAFF LEVEL.
AND, AND WHEN, WHEN, WHEN, WHAT KIND OF A TIMEFRAME SHOULD I EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN? UH, GOOD MORNING.
THIS IS STUDY WHAT CAN STEP INTO CEO? UM, I'M ASSUMING WE HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION FROM WHEN YOU SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UM, SOMEONE REACHES OUT TO YOU THIS WEEK.
SO, SO I, I CAN EXPECT SOME, SOME KIND OF, UH, COMMUNICATION FROM Y'ALL THIS WEEK, AS FAR AS NEXT STEPS.
UH, THE THIRD PERSON THAN I VAIN, SHE IS COMING IN IS, UM, ZENOBIA JOSEPH AND SHE'S NOT HERE YET.
SO, UM, I GUESS WE WILL MOVE INTO, UH, THE NEXT PART OF OUR SESSION, UH, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PUBLIC COMMENT, UNLESS THERE'S ANYONE ELSE IN, IN THE, IN THE ROOM THAT, UM, WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK.
UH, NOT SEEING ANYONE, UH, NEXT
[III. Advisory Committee Updates]
UP WE'LL HAVE OUR BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORTS, UH, BOTH SEASIDE CAN ACCESS AND,[00:05:01]
UH, AS WELL AS OUR NEW PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, MS. POWER, IF YOU WILL, UH, KICK THOSE OFF FOR US.UM, GOOD MORNING, CHAIRMAN TREVELYAN VICE-CHAIR KITCHEN, UM, PRESIDENT CLARK MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS EDNA PARRA, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER HERE AT CAP METRO, UM, AND ALSO STAFF LIAISON FOR ACCESS C SAC AND P SAC.
UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU APRIL COMMITTEE'S UPDATES.
UM, I'M ALSO JOINED BY CHAIR TAYLOR I'M ON TEAMS, UM, AND I WILL BE PROVIDING THE ACCESS AND P ACA UPDATE FOR MR. HUNT AND MR. POWELL AND MR. UM, FOSTER FOR P SAC.
UM, SO I'LL START WITH A HIGH OVERVIEW AND THEN I'LL PASS IT ALONG TO EACH CHAIR, UM, SEASICK AND ACCESS UPDATES.
THEY MET ON APRIL 6TH AND 13TH RESPECTIVELY THIS MONTH.
THEY WERE BRIEFED ON THE POTENTIAL STROLLER POLICY UPDATE BY, UM, MARTIN, UM, UPDATE ON THE TRANSIT SPEED AND RELIABILITY PROGRAM BY
THEY WERE BRIEFED ON THE RED LINE NAMED BY SAM SERGEANT AND CYNTHIA LUCAS.
UM, THEY WERE PROVIDED A BACKGROUND IN HISTORY OF THE RED LINE AND ALSO EXAMPLES, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UM, AND STAFF IN THE COMMUNITY ARE GOING TO CONTINUE CONVERSATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND, UH, MR. WALD ON THAT, UM, FOR ACCESS CHAIR HUNT WANTED ME TO PASS ALONG, UM, THAT HE WAS, UH, HIS CONCERNS FOR ROUTE OH 1, 8 0 1, I'M RUNNING ON TIME.
SO SINCE IT IS ONE OF A CAP METRO'S BUSIEST ROUTES, UM, SO ONTO P SAC, UH, WE HAD OUR SECOND P SAC MEETING APRIL 1ST, UH, LED BY MR. GARDNER TAYVON.
UM, THEY WERE BRIEFED ON PROGRAM AND TRAINING TIMELINE AND MILESTONES, UM, UPDATES ON HIRING FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEY ALSO WERE BRIEFED ON THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT, UM, OF THE COMMUNITY INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS AND AMBASSADORS, UM, AND, UM, BRIAN ROBINSON, SUPERVISOR OF THE AMBASSADORS IN BOTH INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS JOINED US AS WELL.
UH, THE COMMITTEE ALSO APPOINTED OFFICERS, AND THAT IS GOING TO BE MR. ADAM POWELL IS THE CHAIR AND STEPHEN FOSTER VICE CHAIR.
UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR THIS MORNING.
I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON TO, UM, CHAIR TAYLOR FOR M C SEC.
UM, GOOD MORNING MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, UM, CHERISH CIVILIAN AND WHAT'S CLERK, UM, JUST TO REITERATE, UM, AETNA ACTUALLY FAIRLY WELL, OUR MEETING THIS MONTH.
UM, I WILL SAY THERE STILL SOME CONCERNS AROUND ROUTE RELIABILITY, ESPECIALLY WITH CANCELLATIONS AND SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED.
UM, IT WAS WORKING WITH CAP METRO TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF THOSE CANCELLATIONS ON ROUTES.
I KNOW IT'S SORT OF SYSTEM-WIDE AND DEPENDENT BOTH ON, UM, VEHICLE AVAILABILITY AS WELL AS, UM, OPERATOR HEADCOUNT.
SO UNDERSTANDABLY THAT METRO IS IN A POSITION SIMILAR TO THE NATIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEMS IN THAT IT'S JUST KIND OF HARD TO HAVE DRIVERS AND BUSES, UM, OPERATING CONSISTENTLY.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UM, THERE ARE SOME OCCASIONS WHERE SOME ROUTES, ESPECIALLY THE 3 35 HAVE REDUCED FREQUENCY FROM 15 MINUTES TO 30 MINUTES.
WHERE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT CAPRI MAPS PLAN, UM, TO HAVE INCREASED TRANSFERS, TO INCREASE RELIABILITY AND SERVICE ACROSS THE NETWORK, HAVING RELIABLE EAST-WEST ROUTES THAT AREN'T JUST IN THE CORE OF THE CITY DO IMPACT PEOPLE'S LIVES, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CANCEL ONE OF THOSE, WHAT WAS A 15 MINUTE FREQUENCY ROUTE TO A 30 MINUTE FREQUENCY ROUTE? NOW, WHEN YOU CANCEL ONE OF THOSE BUSES YOU'RE TAKING WHAT COULD BE A 30 MINUTE ROUTE OR A 30 MINUTE BUS TO AN HOUR.
UM, AND IF YOU START THINKING ABOUT THAT AS YOU KNOW, NOT JUST THAT ONE RIDE, BUT MAKING A TRANSFERRING, CONNECTING TO ANOTHER, YOUR BUS ROUTE, THEN YOU'RE CERTAINLY IMPACTING PEOPLE MORE THAN YOU WOULD NORMALLY THINK.
UM, SO I WOULD ASK THE BOARD TO BE AWARE OF THAT SITUATION WHEN THEY TALK TO WHEN THEY LAND CANCELLATIONS, AS WELL AS, UM, JUST THE IMPACT THAT'S HAVING ON, ON RIDERSHIP.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I WILL MENTION THAT, UM, OUR MEMBER DAVID SHAPIRO HAS HAD TO RECUSE HIMSELF FROM SERVING AS OUR LIAISON TO THE CAC COMMITTEE.
UM, AND NEXT MONTH WE WILL BE FINDING HIS REPLACEMENT THAT BUYER.
[00:10:01]
MR. CHAIR.I JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS SOMETHING THAT YOU SAID, BECAUSE I'M HEARING A RECURRING THEME HERE, BUT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, TO, TO STAY THANK YOU FOR, FOR WHAT YOU AND YOUR COMMITTEE HAS BEEN DOING AND BRINGING THIS TO OUR FOREFRONT.
UM, HEARD IT ALSO MENTIONED I'VE SEEN IT IN THE RESOLUTION FROM THE COLLEGE STUDENT COMMISSION ALSO, OR HEARD IT MENTIONED FROM ONE OF OUR, UH, FROM, FROM ONE OF THE PUBLIC MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, AS A BOARD AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE, ARE AWARE OF THE, THE, UH, ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH, UM, WITH SOME OF THE, THE DELAYS AND EVEN THE CANCELLATIONS WE RECOGNIZED FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, RECOGNIZE THAT IT, THAT IT IS A CONCERN, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT AS I'VE SAID FROM THIS DICE BEFORE HELP IS ON THE WAY WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GET THERE.
WE'VE I DO KNOW FOR A FACT THAT WE'VE GOT NEW, UM, WE'VE GOT NEW OPERATORS WHO HAVE JUST COME IN A NEW CLASS, I BELIEVE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
UH, MS. WATKINS, WAS IT, UH, 89 NEW OPERATORS THAT JUST WERE ONBOARDED WE'VE ONBOARDED SINCE IT STARTED THE YEAR, JUST ABOUT 50 FOLKS.
UM, AND WE'VE GOT CURRENTLY, UM, UPWARDS OF 60 SOMETHING.
I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER IN TRAINING THAT'S RIGHT.
IT WAS ABOUT ANOTHER 50 ONBOARD AND ANOTHER 60 AND TRAINING.
THERE'S ALSO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION WITH THE, UH, WITH THE MAINTENANCE STAFF THAT NEEDS TO HELP ACTUALLY IMPROVE THE BUSES AND MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSES THEMSELVES ARE RUNNING.
I KNOW I IT'S BEEN PERSONALLY BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, UH, OFF, OFF THIS DIOCESE AS WELL FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO UTILIZE THE COMMUTER BUSES AND 9 85, THAT THEY'VE BEEN GETTING MESSAGES SAYING THAT, UH, THIS, THIS PARTICULAR, UH, TIME, UH, TIMED OF A BUS IS NOT AVAILABLE EITHER IT'S AFFECTING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, BUT I REALIZE THAT IT'S NOT JUST US, IT'S, IT IS, AS YOU NOTED TOO, IT'S HAPPENING TRANSIT TO TRANSIT SYSTEMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
WE HAD THE BOARD HAVE BEEN TRYING TO STAY ON TOP OF THIS AND PROVIDE THE RESOURCES TO THE STAFF TO HELP THEM GET THERE.
AND I KNOW THAT DOES NOT HELP.
SOMEBODY WHO HAS GOT TO GET TO WORK IS SITTING THERE AT THE BUS, STOP WAITING AND GETS THE TEXT MESSAGE SAYING, HEY, SORRY, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T GET, YOU KNOW, YOUR BUSES, AREN'T GOING TO BE THERE ON TIME AND YOU'VE GOT A 30 MINUTE DELAY OR WHATEVER, BUT I DO WANT FOLKS TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE NOT UNAWARE OF THAT.
WE ARE LITERALLY DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THAT, WAIT TIME DOWN, TO GET THOSE BUSES BACK IN CIRCULATION, TO GET THOSE ROUTES BACK UP THERE AND TO GET THIS COMMUNITY MOVING BACK THE WAY WE SHOULD, AND THAT YOU ALL EXPECT AND DESERVE.
UH, IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WITH, WITH MEN AND THE OTHER BOARD MEMBER? I WILL JUST ADD FOR THE SAKE I SHARED MUCH OF THIS WITH THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE THIS MONTH, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ON THE LISTENING PUBLIC, UM, WE DO AS A BOARD MEMBER STRATTON MENTIONED RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WERE SERVICE QUALITY ISSUES.
UM, THIS IS NOT A STATUS QUO THAT WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH.
IT IS THE, UM, 100% OF THE ENERGY AND FOCUS OF ALL OF OUR OPERATIONS STAFF HAS FOCUSED ON, UM, GETTING US THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
WE REMAINED, UM, TROUBLED BY THE CURRENT WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENT.
WE REMAIN UNDERSTAFFED ON BUS OPERATORS, ALTHOUGH WE ARE MAKING STRIDES TO MAKE THAT UP.
UM, WE ALSO ARE ABOUT A DOZEN VEHICLE MECHANICS SHORT, UM, WHICH IS MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO GET THE FLEET, UM, OPERATING.
AND THEN, UM, LIKE ANYONE WHO'S DEALING IN, UH, PARTS INVENTORIES AROUND THE COUNTRY, WE'RE ALSO EXPERIENCING SOME SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES AND HAVING TO EVALUATE ARE THERE OTHER PARTS SINCE WE CAN'T GET THIS PART THAT WE REALLY NEED TO, FOR THIS SERIES OF BUSES, IS THERE ANOTHER FILTER THAT MIGHT WORK ON THESE BUSES? SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING, UM, EVERY SINGLE DAY DILIGENTLY ON.
UM, WE DO HAVE DATA AND WOULD, WOULD BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH C-SAT TO HELP UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW YOU GUYS MIGHT WISH TO SEE THAT DATA.
WE, UM, OUR, EVERY REAL-TIME, UM, MARKETING TRIPS HAS CANCELED, UM, SO THAT OUR PUBLIC CAN BE NOTIFIED.
THE TWO BEST WAYS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO LEARN ABOUT SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS ARE, UM, THROUGH THE CAP METRO APP, BECAUSE THE TRIPS WHEN CANCELED WILL BE SHOWN AS A RED, RED WITH A LINE THROUGH THEM, AS WELL AS TO SIGN UP FOR METRO ALERTS, WHERE YOU CAN GET EMAIL AND, OR TEXT MESSAGE NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT YOUR PARTICULAR ROUTE.
YES, MA'AM I, AND I AGREE WITH THAT, UH, DAUGHTER HERE, UH, WHAT I GAVE HIM INSTRUCTIONS TO MY CITY MANAGER, UH, TO LET ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OUR BUSES AND ESPECIALLY BEING ON TIME, BECAUSE WE, WITH THE LAB BECAUSE OF THE, THE PERSONNEL PROBLEM THAT WE'RE FACING.
AND, UH, I TOLD THEM TO BE VERY PATIENT WITH OUR, WITH OUR EMPLOYEES AND DO NOT USE ANY OF THAT TOO.DOT THERE, THEIR PAY OR ANYTHING, OR EVER PUT ANYTHING ON
[00:15:01]
THEIR RECORDS.AND I HOPE THE EMPLOYERS ARE OUT THERE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT WHERE WE ARE FACING SOME DIFFICULTY, BUT WE ARE GOING TO CATCH UP AND TO BE PATIENT WITH, UH, AND ESPECIALLY DO NOT PUNISH ANY OF THEIR EMPLOYEES OR THE STUDENTS OUT THERE BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO CATCH UP AND IT'S NOT A GOOD TIME TO BE LETTING AND PUNISHING YOUR EMPLOYEES BECAUSE WHATEVER IT'S OUT OF THEIR HAND.
SO, UH, I HOPE, UH, THE EMPLOYERS OUT THERE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT A LITTLE BIT, WE DO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEMS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TAKING A TANGIBLE STEPS.
UM, THIS IS NOT ONLY A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
IT'S A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL PROBLEM.
UH, WHEN YOU'VE GOT, UH, ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES AND WE'VE GOT DEVELOPMENT GOING AS FAST AS IT IS A NUMBER OF CDL, UH, OUR NUMBER OF CDL DRIVERS, UH, IS, IS, ARE BEING SPREAD VERY THIN.
IT'S NOT ONLY FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING ON THE DEVELOPMENT SIDE, IT'S SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS AS WELL.
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TAKING A REGIONAL APPROACH, WORKING WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD STATE, UH, STATE WORKFORCE COMMISSION, UH, TO TRY TO GET RESOURCES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO TRAIN AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN.
SO WE, WE BELIEVE THAT HELP IS COMING.
UH, BUT WE, WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE GOT TO CONTINUE TO STAY IN THE FIELD THAT WE'VE GOT 60 PLUS PEOPLE IN THE PIPELINE IS REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, THAT ARE FOLLOWING 50 THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN EMPLOYED, BUT, BUT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL PROBLEM.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RATE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT IS OCCURRING AROUND US, WE JUST HAVE TO CONTINUE TO, TO CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, BECAUSE THESE REALLY ARE WELL-PAYING JOBS THAT COULD BE CAREERS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INFORMING PEOPLE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE TRAINED, AND WE WILL REDOUBLE THAT EFFORT.
IS THERE ANY OTHER, UH, IS THERE ANY OTHER CHAIR THAT WE, UH, THAT IS WAITING TO TALK OR OKAY.
PRESENTS WITH THAT SEGMENT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. POWER.
[IV. Board Committee Updates]
ALL RIGHT.OUR NEXT STEP WILL BE OUR REGULAR BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES.
I KNOW FA NO FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING THIS MONTH.
UM, SO JEN KITCHEN, I JUST WANT TO MAKE ONE COMMENT BECAUSE, UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED THE AMBASSADORS AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY.
I MEAN, I JUST WANT TO THANK THE AMBASSADORS AGAIN.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS A RELATIVELY NEW PROGRAM, BUT THEY'RE OUT THERE DOING A FABULOUS JOB.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH SEVERAL OF THEM ON SATURDAY WHEN WE TOOK A TOUR, UH, RELATED TO THE PROJECT CONNECT LINES AND HAD SOME REALLY GOOD CONVERSATIONS AND, UM, STORIES ABOUT HOW THEY ARE WORKING WITH DIRECTLY WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, THE FOLKS THAT ARE RIDING THE BUS, UM, TO HELP THEM OUT AND, AND BE THAT FACE FOR CAP METRO, IN ADDITION TO OUR OPERATORS, OF COURSE, BUT BEING SPECIFICALLY THERE TO HELP PEOPLE GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO.
AND I JUST WANT TO SAY KUDOS TO THEM.
UH, SO THAT, THAT TAKES US TO OUR, UM, OUR BOARD COMMITTEES ON OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY, UH, CHAIR KITCHEN.
I CAN UNDERSTAND YOUR OVERSIGHT SINCE THIS WAS MY FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING AS CHAIRMAN QUITE WELL.
UH, SO, UH, THE OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE HAD OUR MEETING ON APRIL THE 13TH AND ATTENDANCE WAS, AND THIS IS GOING TO GET CONFUSING CHAIR, CHAIR STRATTON WAS CHAIRING CHAIR TREVELYAN AND VICE CHAIR AND KITCHEN.
SO I DO WITH THAT AS YOU WILL.
SO THE THREE OF US WERE PRESENT AND WE APPROVED OUR MINUTES FROM THE JANUARY 12TH MEETING.
WE OFFICIALLY HAD ANOTHER NINE ACTION ITEMS TO CONSIDER.
ONE OF WHICH WAS PULLED FROM THE AGENDA AS IT WAS NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME.
AND THAT ONE WILL BE ON THIS ACTION ITEM FOR CONSIDERATION.
THAT'S THE ONE RELATED TO THE, UH, LAKELINE AND SABOT, UH, UM, UH, SABOT DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATION, ITEM THREE ON YOUR ACTION ITEM, THREE OF MY ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY, CORRECT.
UH, THE OTHER, UH, OF THE REST OF THE, THE OTHER EIGHT ACTION ITEMS, UM, SIX OF THOSE WILL BE APPEARING ON THE CONSENT AGENDA TODAY.
AND THE OTHER TWO WILL BE APPEARING ALSO ON THE ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY AS WELL.
IN ADDITION, MR. CHAIRMAN, WE HEARD PRESENTATIONS FROM, UH, DEPUTY CEO, DOTTIE WALK-INS ON THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PROGRAMS AND POLICIES, THE SERVICE STANDARDS AND PASSENGER AMENITIES, AND ALSO AN, UH, AN UPDATE ON OPERATIONS, WHICH I BELIEVE WE HAVE ALSO KIND OF TOUCHED ON JUST RECENTLY HERE TODAY AS WELL.
THAT'S ALL WE HAVE FOR THE OPERATIONS
[00:20:01]
PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE.WELL, SINCE YOU A WARM, WHY DON'T WE JUST GO AHEAD AND GO INTO THE TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
UH, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP THEN, UH, ATP MATS ON, UM, UH, MATS LAST, LET'S SEE WHAT DAY WAS THAT? YOU'LL HAVE TO DON'T CALL ME A LIAR FOR THIS WASN'T LAST ONES.
THESE ONES, THESE ARE BEGINNING TO RUN TOGETHER, MET LAST WEDNESDAY, THE 20TH AND THE LARGEST ACTION ITEM THAT ATP TOOK ACTION ON WAS THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION OFFICIALLY DECLARING A DESIRE TO ADOPT UNDER THE JPA SECTION 4.2 0.2 AS REQUIRED BY CAP METRO AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND AFTER HAVING STUDIED FOR MONTHS, CAME UP WITH A DETERMINATION TO DO AN INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP MODEL AND FOR GOVERNANCE AND AS SUCH AT THE SAME TIME MADE A DETERMINATION TO, UM, AT THAT POINT IN TIME TO NAME GREG CANALY AS THE INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREG HAS BEEN THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND HIS EFFECTIVE START DATE WILL BE MAY THE SECOND.
AND, UM, SO THAT'S, WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
THE, THEY ALSO IN THE SAME RESOLUTION, THE ATP BOARD ALSO MADE A SUGGESTION OR REQUEST IN ORDER TO, UH, TO IMPROVE COLLABORATION AND FOSTER INCREASED COMMUNICATION AMONG ALL PARTIES TO, UH, RECOMMEND THAT, UH, THAT THE TWO OTHER PRINCIPALS, THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS OPEN UP THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, UH, TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THE GOVERNING DOCUMENT ON THAT END, WHICH ATP CANNOT CONTROL THAT IS DONE BY THE OTHER TWO PRINCIPALS.
AND AMONG THOSE CHANGES, THEY WERE RECOMMENDING THAT THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CAPITAL METRO BE MOVED AND PUT UP TO A POSITION OF A NON-VOTING EX-OFFICIO MEMBER OF THE ATP BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
THAT THEN WOULD BE A DECISION THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DETERMINED BY THIS BODY AND CITY COUNCIL SEPARATELY.
I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING SOMETHING AS SUCH TODAY ON OUR END.
UM, SO THAT WAS THE, THE, THE BIGGEST ACTION ITEM THAT WAS TAKEN CARE OF AND DEALT WITH BY THE ATP BOARD.
IN ADDITION ATP ALSO HEARD, UH, PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES ON THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN JOINTLY FROM, UH, FROM CAP METROS, FROM THE ACAP METRO SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, AND AN INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR ATP GOOD CONVERSATION THERE IN ADDITION TO PASSING OUR MINUTES.
SO THOSE ARE REALLY KIND OF THE LARGE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT.
IN ADDITION TO OUR USUAL RUN OF THE MILL PRESENTATIONS ON UPDATES WITH RELATING TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PROGRAM UPDATES OVERALL FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
AND I CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, BUT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT, ANY QUESTIONS FROM BOARD MEMBERS THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MEETING LONGER THAN 15 MINUTES.
BETWEEN EXECUTIVE SESSIONS AND SUCH.
I BELIEVE THAT WE KICKED OFF AT TWO AND WE WRAPPED IT AT EIGHT.
[V. Consent Items]
NOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE PLACE WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR CONSENT ITEMS. THERE ARE SEVEN ITEMS AVAILABLE FOR CONSENT.HOWEVER, IF ANY BOARD MEMBER WISHES TO REMOVE ANY ITEMS, UH, THEN UH, THEN WE WILL, UH, DO SO AND PUT THEM INTO THE ACTION ITEM CATEGORY.
LET ME READ ALL SEVEN OF THEM FOR THE RECORD.
I HAVE MY WATER AVAILABLE JUST IN CASE THERE'S DRYNESS GOING ON.
UM, NUMBER ONE FOR CONSENT IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 28TH, 2022 PUBLIC HEARING AND BOARD MEETING.
SECOND ITEM AVAILABLE FOR CONSENT APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE CHARTER STATEMENT FOR THE OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE ITEM THREE APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO CEO, OR HIS DESIGNATE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH GT S TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC FOR PASSENGER WIFI TECHNOLOGY, AND THEN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $258,326 ITEM NUMBER FOUR APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE AN AMENDMENT TO THE INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CAPITAL AREA, RURAL TRANSIT SYSTEM, TO CLARIFY ONGOING MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONTRIBUTE $78,834 FOR ADDITIONAL APPROVED, UH, IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EAST SIDE BUS PLAZA LOCATED ON EAST, SAYS R CHAVEZ AND SHADY STREET.
UM, ITEM NUMBER FIVE APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AN EXECUTED CONTRACT WITH, UH, DILIGENT FOR,
[00:25:01]
UM, WITH DILIGENT, FOR A GOVERN GOVERNANCE RISK AND COMPLIANCE SYSTEM, UH, FOR A BASE PERIOD OF ONE YEAR WITH THREE OPTION YEARS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,537,786 ITEM SIX APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO MODIFY THE KPMG LLC CONTRACT NUMBER 2 0 0 6 1 1 FOR ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING CONSULTING SERVICES INCREASING THE PREVIOUS BOARD AUTHORIZED AMOUNT BY $593,980, PLUS A CONTINGENCY AMOUNT OF $750,000 FOR THE ADDITION OF TWO TECHNICAL RESOURCES TO WORK ON INTEGRATIONS, SECURITY AND WORKFLOWS WITHIN THE ORACLE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SYSTEM FOR NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF 4 MILLION, $384,356, AND FINALLY, UH, CONSENT ITEM, NUMBER SEVEN APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH J REESE CONTRACTORS.UH, LET'S SEE, IS THERE ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO PULL AN ITEM OFF OF THE CONSENT AGENDA? IS THERE ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO PULL AN ITEM THIRD TIME? IS THERE ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO PUT AN ITEM HEARING? NONE, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA.
SO IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE ALL SEVEN ITEMS WITHIN THE CONSENT AGENDA.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION HEARING? NONE.
ALL IN FAVOR, LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE OPPOSED.
IT IS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY WITH THE BOARD AND VOTING I AS WELL.
UH, SO, UH, LET US MOVE INTO ACTION ITEMS AND, UH, WE'RE POSTED FOR LET'S, YOU KNOW, THREE ACTION ITEMS TODAY.
UH, I SAW, UH, I SEE FIVE NOW.
[VI.1. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or his designee, to implement the June 2022 Service Changes.]
LET'S SEE.ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO IMPLEMENT THE JUNE, 2022 SERVICE CHANGES.
UH, I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE PRESENTED BY SHAMILA
UM, CHAIR TREVELYAN, UM, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, DEPUTY CEO, DOTTIE WALK-INS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, UM, RANDY CLARK.
UM, THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP OF THE PRESENTATION, UM, THAT WAS MADE AT THE OPERATIONS AND SAFETY COMMITTEE.
AND TODAY WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER PRESENTATION ON JUNE, 2022 SERVICE CHANGE AT THE FULL BOARD.
WITH THAT JUST WANTED TO START WITH AN OVERVIEW WE'LL ACTUALLY, I'LL GO BACK AND START WITH THE INTRODUCTION.
I'M SHARMILA MUKHERJEE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT CAP METRO, AND, UH, SERVICE CHANGE OVERVIEW SLIDE AS THE VERY FIRST ONE.
WHAT I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AND KIND OF GROUND US BACK AGAIN, UH, ALMOST POST COVID TO WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF SERVICE CHANGE.
UM, WHAT WE TRY TO ACCOMPLISH DURING SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS AND HOW OFTEN SERVICE CHANGES OCCUR, UH, PURPOSES TO ESSENTIALLY EVALUATE CURRENT CONDITION AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
AND THEN DURING THIS PROCESS, WE IDENTIFY HOW TO IMPROVE SERVICE, DEVELOP A SERVICE CHANGE PLAN AND PROPOSAL ENGAGE WITH PUBLIC THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
AND IT SERVICE CHANGES CURRENTLY OCCUR, UH, WINTER, SPRING, AND FALL TO CORRESPOND WITH OUR CHANGING CUSTOMER NEEDS AND TRAVEL PATTERNS.
THIS, UM, GRAPHIC HERE INTENDS TO SHOW SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS AND HOW IT FITS IN WITH THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK.
THE GREEN IS WHERE WE IDENTIFY WAYS TO IMPROVE SERVICE, AND THEY COME FROM VERY MANY DIFFERENT SOURCES, CUSTOMER FEEDBACK, DATA ANALYSIS, UH, OPERATOR SUGGESTIONS, AND NEW AND DEVELOPING TRAVEL PATTERNS IN OUR SERVICE AREA.
ALL OF THE BLUE THAT YOU SEE IN DIFFERENT GRADATION ARE AREAS AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE PROCESS WHERE WE ENGAGE EITHER PUBLIC DIRECTLY, OR WE TAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS IN THE PROCESS AND THEN SERVICE
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CHANGE PROPOSAL IS DEVELOPED.AND WITH THAT, WE DO THE ASSOCIATED ANALYSIS.
IDENTIFY IF THERE'S ANY IT'S A MAJOR OR MINOR SERVICE CHANGE.
IF IT REQUIRES, UH, AN FTA TITLE, SIX ANALYSIS, WE CONDUCT THAT, BUT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT HERE THAT THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, CAPITAL METRO SERVICE PLANNING TEAM IN OUR, IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR OPERATIONS, WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AND ENGAGED PUBLIC THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
WE DO THE ANALYSIS BEHIND THE SCENE.
EVEN IF IT'S TITLE SIX IS NOT REQUIRED, WE DO THE SAME ANALYSIS AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND IF LOW-INCOME AND MINORITY POPULATION BIPAP AND OTHERS IDENTIFY.
IF WE IDENTIFY ANY IMPACTS ON THEM, WE ASSESS THAT IMPACT SEPARATELY, SEPARATE AND ASIDE, WHETHER A TITLE SIX, UM, UH, TITLE SIX, UM, ANALYSIS IS REQUIRED.
THE FOCUS HERE TO AVOID MINIMIZE AND MITIGATE, MITIGATE IMPACT, AND ALL OF THE, UH, BLUE COLUMNS THAT YOU SEE ON THE RIGHT ARE DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE COME HERE TO THE BOARD AND THEN WE CONTINUE TO REVISE THE PROPOSAL.
GO BACK BEFORE WE ULTIMATELY IMPLEMENT THE SERVICE CHANGE.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO TALK ABOUT SERVICE CHANGE WITHOUT MENTIONING COVID.
WE COVID ESSENTIALLY UPENDED HOW WE DID OUR TRADITIONAL SERVICE CHANGE.
IT IMPACTED OUR SERVICE WITH IMPACTS TO STAFFING.
WE UNDERSTOOD AND IMPLEMENTED NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS USE THEM AND THEN ADOPTED THEM IN OUR BEST PRACTICES.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO SEEN LARGE SHIFTS IN WORKING FROM HOME, AS WELL AS, UM, HOW WE SORT OF ADJUST TO THIS NEW NORMAL, SO TO SPEAK NOW THAT WE ARE COMING OUT OF IT, SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED IN COVID, UH, DURING COVID WE PLAN TO TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND WE, DURING COVID, WE HAD MULTIPLE DIFFERENT, SMALL TWEAKS AND MADE SERVICE SERVICE CHANGES WERE MADE MORE THAN THREE TIMES OF THE YEAR.
WE WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN SOME, SOME ASPECTS OF THOSE FLEXIBILITY AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED.
UM, NOW WITH IMPROVED SERVICE COVID CONDITIONS, WE ARE GOING BACK TO OUR STANDARD PROCESS OF SPRING FALL AND WINTER SERVICE CHANGES.
AND THIS IS TO BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT THE JUNE 22 SERVICE CHANGE SERVICE CHANGES.
WE ADJUSTED SOME RUNNING TIMES.
THERE WERE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS MADE.
WE MAINTAIN SERVICE LEVELS IN MITCHELL RAIL, MITRA EXPRESS, AND FLIERS CONTINUED TO HAVE REDUCED SERVICE LEVELS AND OUR, UH, E BUSES WORK, UH, THE EXPERIENCE CONTINUED SUSPENSION.
HERE'S THE OVERVIEW OF THE SUMMER 2022 SERVICE CHANGES.
WE HAVE AGAIN, MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO SCHEDULE, UM, SERVE SUMMER SERVICE SCISSORS.
IT'S THIS VERY SIMILAR TO IN PREVIOUS YEARS, WHEN WE NORMAL TRANSITION TO UT ROUTES, SELECT ROUTES, TRIPS WERE CHANGED TO SUMMER WILL BE CHANGED TO SOME, OUR SERVICE LEVEL LEVELS ARE, UH, SERVICE WOULD REMAIN SUSPENDED ON ROUTES 9 81 AND 9 87 MATURE EXPRESS.
AND OUR EBUS SERVICE WILL REMAIN SUSPENDED.
MITCHELL RAIL IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAD, BUT WE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE MORE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE SERVICE.
I ALSO WANTED TO DRAW ATTENTION AND PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS, UM, UM, THE TIMEFRAME THAT'S GIVEN ON THIS SLIDE, IT'S BEEN ADJUSTED SINCE IT'S JULY 15, THROUGH 24TH, WE WOULD HAVE MITCHELL RIO PLANNED MAINTENANCE WORK SCHEDULED.
AND WE ALSO WANTED TO SHARE THAT DURING THIS, UM, JUNE 20, UM, UH, JUNE SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS, NO TITLE SIX ANALYSIS IS REQUIRED.
UM, OPERATOR SHORTAGES, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UM, IN THE OPERATIONS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE, AND IT'S BEEN EXPERIENCED BY TRANSIT AGENCIES NATIONWIDE.
WE ARE NO EXCEPTION SINCE ONSET OF COVID AND ALL SERVICE ADJUSTMENTS WERE SUBJECT TO THIS ONGOING IMPACT.
HAVING SAID THAT CAPITAL METRO HAS TAKEN SIGNIFICANT STRIDES AND DOTTIE HAS BEEN UPDATING, UM, THE BOARD AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ON A, ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND I'M VERY PLEASED TO KIND OF SHARE THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN ACTIVELY RECRUITING, HIRING AND TRAINING EMPLOYEES AT A PACE THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN HERE IN MY LAST, UH, TWO YEARS AT CAP METRO IT'S BEEN UNPRECEDENTED GENERALLY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RECRUIT, ATTRACT, RETAIN, AND, UM, KIND OF UP, WE ARE HAVING THIS OPERATOR AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE TEAM MEMBERS TO DELIVER MORE SERVICE AS NEEDS ARISE AS WE COME OUT OF COVID.
SO LOOKING FORWARD, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE OF WHAT'S AHEAD BEYOND JUNE SERVICE CHANGE IN FALL, WE PROPOSE TO INTRODUCE NEW PICKUP SERVICE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN, UH, REPLACING ROUTE 2 33, WE ARE HAVING EXTENSIVE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, AND WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PRIOR TO THAT.
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SERVICE AS STAFFING CONSTRAINTS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.SOME COMMUTER SERVICE WILL REMAIN, UM, REDUCED DUE TO LOW RIDERSHIP.
AND WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT, TO SEE IF COMMUTER RIDERSHIP, UH, STARTS TO COME BACK WINTER 20, 23 WOULD WE WOULD HAVE WE ANTICIPATE HAVING MINOR CHANGES TO ADDRESS A CHANGING CONDITION.
AND THEN THE NEXT MAJOR CHANGE WOULD BE IN MID 2023 WHEN METRO RAPID EXPLOITED PV, UM, AND OTHER ADJUSTMENTS ASSOCIATED TO THAT INTRODUCTION TO MITCHELL RAPID WOULD TAKE PLACE.
SO WITH THAT, I WOULD WRAP UP THE JUNE, 2022 SERVICE CHANGE PRESENTATION AND OPEN UP TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS BOARD MEMBERS? YES, I DO HAVE ONE.
UM, IN THE COURSE OF THESE CHANGES, I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COMMUNICATION ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT OUR OTHER MEMBER CITIES ARE AWARE OF ANY CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO IMPACT SERVICE AND THERE'S ESPECIALLY OUR SMALL CITIES.
SO I KNOW WE'RE ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC AND WITH CAP METRO STAFF AND BOARD, BUT HAVE WE DONE THE REACH OUT TO THE CITIES THAT COULD BE IMPACTED ALSO? YES.
UM, SO IN TERMS OF DIFFERENT SERVICE TYPES, UM, THAT WE, UM, INCORPORATE IN A SERVICE CHANGE IN ANY IMPACTS TO THAT, WE USUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE ILETS WITH.
AND WE HAVE A STANDARD PROCESS THROUGH OUR REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATION MANAGER WHO USUALLY REACHES OUT AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATION, BUT OUR FOCUS DOING SERVICE CHANGE PROCESS PROCESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT GETTING PUBLIC INPUT.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE TAKEN STAKEHOLDER INPUT AND WE HAVE INTRODUCED THEM IN THE PROCESS.
AND THEN THE GRAPH THAT YOU SAW THAT, UH, THE GREEN ONE, WHERE WHEN WE HAVE TAKEN INPUT FROM CON UH, NOT OUR, UH, CUSTOMERS AND COMMUTERS, AND WE ALSO HAVE TAKEN IT FROM PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER AND OPERATOR SUGGESTIONS.
SO IN THAT EARLY PROCESS, WE HAVE COMMUNITY INPUT, BUT USUALLY THERE'S A LAG, LIKE ONCE WE RECEIVED THOSE INPUT, WE HAVE TO EVALUATE THEM IN CONTEXT OF OUR OTHER LARGER SERVICE NEED AND GOALS AND HOW WE KIND OF ADDRESS THAT HOLISTICALLY.
SO IT'S USUALLY COMMUNITY INPUT COMES IN AND THEN YOU WOULD SEE THAT SORT OF IMPACT OF THAT ONE OR TWO SERVICE CHANGES DOWN.
I WAS JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING IN ANY CHANGES THAT DO NEED TO HAPPEN, THAT THAT IS JUST COMMUNICATED THAT THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
SO THAT JUST EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.
THE POINTS WELL TAKEN, UM, BOARD MEMBER COOPER.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT RIDERSHIP IS DOING HERE LATELY.
IT'S INCHING BACK UP AND ACTUALLY IT'S MORE THAN INCHING BACK UP.
IT'S UM, I WOULD SAY IT'S STOPPED.
WE ARE STARTING TO SEE A POSITIVE IMPACT.
IT'S UH, I WOULD, I, I, THE LAST I CHECKED AND DOTTIE, PLEASE, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
WE ARE ABOUT 60, 60%, UH, 60 TO 65, DEPENDING ON WHICH SERVICE TYPE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, UH, OF OUR RIDERSHIP IS BACK 65%.
SO OUR OVERALL RIDERSHIP IS HOVERING JUST ABOVE 60,000 ON A WEEKDAY.
UM, WE WERE RIGHT AROUND A HUNDRED THOUSAND BEFORE ON A WEEKDAY BEFORE, UM, COVID, WE ARE SEEING, UM, BETTER THAN THAT RECOVERY ON OUR LOCAL BUS SERVICE.
UM, OUR COMMUTER BUS SERVICE IS STILL, UM, SEEING, UM, FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT DECLINES, UH, GIVEN THE CHANGE IN COMMUTER PATTERNS, BUT, UM, WE'RE IN THE 60 TO 65% RANGE FROM COVID, BUT I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO FLEX BECAUSE AS I TALKED TO OUR EMPLOYEES, THE PRICE OF GASOLINE, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LONGER COMMUTES IS, UH, IS PRETTY PAINFUL RIGHT NOW.
AND SO I EXPECT AS COMPANIES START TO ROLL BACK TO WORK, UH, HISTORICALLY AT LEAST AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE, THE PRICE OF GASOLINE HAS BEEN A MAJOR FACTOR IN RIDERSHIP.
AND SO WE HAVE SORT OF AN INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY TO CAPITALIZE ON THAT MEASURED AGAINST THOUGH THE WRESTLING THAT OUR COMPANY AND EVERY COMPANY IS DOING ON WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR BEING IN THE OFFICE.
BUT I THINK WE HAD SOME OF OUR MAJOR EMPLOYERS DOWNTOWN.
I THINK SOME OF THE TECH COMPANIES, UM, DECIDED TO GO BACK TO WORK IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
SO, UM, I'M WONDERING, UH, THERE'S A LOT, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS HERE WITH GASOLINE PRICES AND COMPANIES COMING BACK TO WORK AND INCREASING NORMALCY.
AND YOU SORT OF GAVE AN INDICATION OF THIS, THAT WE DON'T SEE SOME MEANINGFUL INCREASES, PARTICULARLY IN THE COMMUTER, UH, COMMUTER ROUTES, AS PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO GO BACK TO WORK AND ARE FACING DAUNTING GASOLINE PRICES.
IF YOU LOOK AT TOM, TOM, YOU'RE ALSO SEEING TRAFFIC INCREASES ON MOPAC
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AND I HAD 35 BACK TO BACK TO PRE COVID LEVELS.UH, I THINK, OR AT LEAST I THINK WE'RE AT AN AVERAGE MORE THAN 20% CONGESTION AND WE WERE AT 30%.
SO, UH, I'M A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT OUR FLEX IS NOT VERY AGGRESSIVE AND HOPING THAT WE CAN BE IN A POSTURE AS WE SEE TRAFFIC COMING UP TO MAYBE INCREASED FREQUENCY AND GET BACK.
SO, UH, WE MAY NEED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN MY JUDGMENT THAN OUR TRADITIONAL, UH, AS WE, AS WE SEE TRAFFIC AND DEMAND FOR THIS COMING BACK.
SO HOPE WE WON'T BE BOUND BY THE USUAL THREE TIMES A YEAR.
IF WE SEE THINGS, UM, COMING BACK MORE QUICKLY, WELL, I CAN ASSURE YOU ONE OF THE SILVER LININGS OF COVID IS THAT OPERATIONALLY, WE HAD TO LEARN TO BECOME MORE FLEXIBLE AND BE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, FLEX OUR SERVICES MORE OFTEN THAN JUST THREE TIMES A YEAR.
SO WE ARE ALREADY WORKING DILIGENTLY ON SCHEDULING FOR AUGUST AND TO INCLUDE IN THAT SCHEDULING THE CAPACITY TO, UM, HAVE VEHICLES AVAILABLE AS WE SEE OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, ESPECIALLY ON COMMUTER BUS, I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT PLACE, UM, WHERE WE EXPECT IT TO JUST CONTINUE TO GO UP AND UP AND UP THAT THAT WE'LL BE PREPARED TO INSERT ADDITIONAL SERVICES AS THE MEAN BOSS.
WHO'S SAYING IT'S TIME TO COME BACK TO THE OFFICE.
UH, I'M HEARING A LOT ABOUT GASOLINE PRICES AND WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THERE'S GREAT COMMUTER SERVICE AVAILABLE.
UH, AND FOR ALL OF THE OTHER BOSSES OUT THERE, WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT PROGRAM CALLED WORKS THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BUY TRANSIT PASSES FOR YOUR STAFF.
SO CHECK THAT OUT, SHAMELESS PLUG THERE.
UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, SHAMELESS PLUG SHAMELESS PLUG, UM, DOVETAILING OFF OF WHAT BOARD MEMBER COOPER SAID.
UM, I REALIZED THAT, THAT THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIABLES RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE TO, TO, TO REALLY SORT OF ADJUST FOR.
AND PART OF THE ISSUE HERE IS, IS I'M THINKING ABOUT TO WHAT BOARD MEMBER COOPER SAID, LOOKING AT THE COMMUTER EXPERIENCE.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, I I'M GETTING SOME FEEDBACK THAT, THAT COMMUTERS ARE SHOWING UP IN THE MORNING EXPECTING THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE TAKEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SIX, THE 6 47 OUT ON THE 9 85, AND THEY'RE GETTING A NOTIFICATION, YOU KNOW, 15, 20 MINUTES SAYING, OH, SORRY, THIS IS, THIS IS CANCELED.
WELL, THE REASON THAT I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO TAKE THE 9 85 IS BECAUSE THE ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE WAY WE'VE DESIGNED OUR SYSTEM IS THAT THE 9 85 WILL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE DOWNTOWN STATION, BUT WHAT'S THE TRAIN WILL TAKE YOU TO THE DOWNTOWN STATION, BUT WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THE 9 85 IS THAT IF YOU'RE ON THE WEST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN OR ANY PARTS IN BETWEEN, UM, THE 9 85 WILL GET YOU AND SERVICE YOU UP TO UP TO LIKE THE 15TH IN GUADALUPE AROUND KIND OF AROUND THE CAPITOL COMPLEX AREA OF, UH, OF A FASHION AND, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY LONGTERM, THAT'S GOING TO BE, WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT GETTING US PROJECT CONNECT AND GETTING US, YOU KNOW, THE ORANGE RAIN, THE ORANGE LINE, LIGHT RAIL SERVICE, BUT FOR NOW WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
AND SO THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY TAKE THE RED LINE TO THE DOWNTOWN STATION AND EXPECT TO HAVE A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY.
YOU CAN'T WALK IT AND SCHLEP IT ALL THE WAY OVER TO SOMEPLACE.
IT'S ON THE FAR WEST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN AND NORTH WEST SIDE OF DOWNTOWN.
SO THE CONCERN I'VE GOT IS, IS, IS IF WE HAVE TOO MUCH OF THAT HAPPENING, WHERE WE'VE GOT COMMUTERS THAT HAVE BEEN LOYAL CUSTOMERS THAT ARE UTILIZING OUR BUSES FOR COMMUTING OUT OF, YOU KNOW, LAKELINE, LEANDER AREA.
AND NOW THEY'RE GETTING MESSAGES THAT, SORRY, IT, THAT YOU'VE GOT TO WAIT TILL THE NEXT ONE THAT'S COMING IN, YOU KNOW, 30 MINUTES OR EVEN AN HOUR, WE COULD POTENTIALLY BE STIFLING THAT AND FORCING THEM BACK TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES, WHICH MIGHT MEAN THEY'RE GOING TO CHOOSE THEIR CAR OVER AND SPEAKING AS SOMEBODY IN THE OLD DAYS WHO USED TO DO THAT, I, FOR MANY YEARS, I MANY YEARS AGO, I SHOULD SAY I, I USE CAB METRO, AND THEN TILL I DIDN'T, AND I'D BE JUST A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT IF, AND I REALIZE, AGAIN, WE'VE, THIS IS A, THIS A GIVE AND TAKE IT, IT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE DEALING WITH SOME, SOME, SOME FACTORS IN SOME CASES THAT ARE OUT OF OUR CONTROL AND WE GOT TO USE OUR CRYSTAL BALL, BUT, BUT JUST BEING AWARE OF THAT COMMUTER ASPECT, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUTERS COMING OUT OF THE NORTH.
YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THOSE LINES, OUT OF THE NORTHWEST, OUT OF, OUT OF HOWARD STATION AS WELL IN THESE OTHER PLACES AND OUT OF, OUT OF THE SOUTH, THE, THE 900 SERIES BUSES, THE COMMUTE OR THE METRO EXPRESS BUSES, BUT MANAGING THAT SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE THOSE PEOPLE, EVEN AS WE'RE STARTING TO SEE AN UPTICK, BECAUSE IF THEIR ATTITUDE IS WELL, IF, IF THE BUS IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, BROKEN, OR THERE'S ALWAYS A LABOR SHORTAGE, OR I CAN'T GET TO WHERE I'M GOING, WHEN I NEED TO, THEY'RE GOING TO STOP USING IT, THEY HAVE A CHOICE AND THEY MAY CHOOSE TO TAKE THEIR CAR AND SPEND THAT $4
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A GALLON ON GAS.CAUSE THEY HAVE A CAR THEY'RE JUST CHOOSING NOT TO USE IT.
IT'S THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN TOWN THAT MAY NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE ESSENTIAL WORKERS, THEY DON'T HAVE A CHOICE.
WELL, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STRIKE THAT KIND OF BALANCE AND, AND FIGURE OUT THE RIGHT WAY THAT WE CAN STILL MEET ALL THE COMMUTER'S NEEDS.
AND THE, I MEAN, ALL THE, ALL OUR CUSTOMERS' NEEDS, BOTH THOSE LONG DISTANCE COMMUTERS FROM, YOU KNOW, THAT LIVE OUT, THAT LIVE FURTHER OUT THAT ARE USING OUR METRO EXPRESS LINES.
AND THEN ALSO THOSE THAT ARE IN TOWN THAT ARE USING OUR REGULAR LOCAL BUS SERVICE.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS, GANG, BUT WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF IT AND FIGURE IT OUT THAT AS WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH THIS, WHEN WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GET THE, THE MECHANICS, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO ONBOARD THE OPERATORS.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT I FIGURE Y'ALL GOT SOME CALCULUS IN THERE.
THAT'S FIGURING THIS OUT, BUT, BUT I KNOW THAT I'M STILL GETTING FEEDBACK THAT, HEY, WE'RE, WE'RE CUSTOMERS ON THE COMMUTER LINES ARE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THEY'RE SAYING THAT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR ROUTES ARE BEING CANCELED.
AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT LOCAL FOLKS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, GOING FROM 15 MINUTES TO NOW 30 MINUTE ROUTES, BUT SOME OF THESE COMMUTERS ARE GOING FROM ALSO, YOU KNOW, 30 MINUTE BUSES TO NOW OUR BUSES.
AND SO, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I THROW THAT OUT THERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE WHEN WE GET TO THIS SUMMER WITH UT, YOU KNOW, SCALING BACK, SOME OF THOSE OPERATORS WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE TO DEPLOY ELSEWHERE WHILE WE GET NEW OPERATORS THAT ARE COMING ON BOARD.
BUT I JUST KIND OF THROW THIS OUT THERE JUST AS SOMETHING THAT, THAT I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY WE CAN BE COGNIZANT OF AND, AND THINKING ABOUT SYSTEMICALLY AND IN PART OF OUR CALCULUS, I GUESS.
UM, I JUST WANT TO ADD, I'LL ECHO WHAT EVERYONE'S SAYING.
I'VE HAD THAT EXPERIENCE MYSELF, AS WELL AS PEOPLE I'M TALKING TO, BUT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND.
AND WHAT IS OUR NEXT STEP IN TERMS OF THE BOARD UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS ARE BEING TRACKED? I GUESS WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS ASK FOR A REGULAR UPDATE.
UM, I THINK, UH, I THINK WADE, YOUR, UM, YOUR THOUGHT WAS, UH, MADE SENSE.
AND AS YOU SAID, MS. WATKINS TOO, ABOUT, UM, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE ANALYZING MORE OFTEN SO THAT WE'RE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, A REGULAR SCHEDULE FOR CHANGES, BUT I THINK FROM THE BOARD PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS A REALLY, UM, CRITICAL ISSUE AS WE, AS YOU ALL KNOW.
AND WE ALL KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR REGULAR AND, UH, WHAT WOULD BE USEFUL TO UNDERSTAND IS WHAT'S THE PLAN.
AND YOU'VE DONE THAT FOR US WITH REGARD TO THE, UH, OPERATING, UH, YOU KNOW, HIRING OPERATORS.
BUT IF WE COULD SEE THIS IN SOME KIND OF A DASHBOARD OR REGULAR TRACKING MECHANISM THAT SHOWS US, YOU KNOW, HERE'S THE STRATEGY FOR CAPTURING, YOU KNOW, FOR ATTACKING THIS, WE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT, WE KNOW THE BUS OPERATIONS, ONE OF THEM, ET CETERA, AND THEN JUST GIVE US A REGULAR UPDATE, UH, AT EVERY BOARD MEETING ON, ON HOW YOU'RE TRACKING.
UH, YOU PROBABLY ARE DOING THAT INTERNALLY IN TERM IN TERMS OF YOUR DASHBOARDS.
UM, BUT IT'D BE HELPFUL FOR US AS A BOARD AND WE CAN BE HELPFUL TO YOU THAT WAY TOO, BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WADE'S TALKING TO EMPLOYERS THAT MAY BE TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE TOO, YOU KNOW, I'M TALKING TO MY, MY EMPLOYEES, THEN IT'S HELPFUL TO, UM, TO REALLY STAY ON TOP OF IT LIKE THAT.
WHAT D D DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU, MS. WATKINS? ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE CAN PULL THAT TOGETHER, UM, AND, AND PERHAPS, UM, GO INTO IT IN DETAIL AT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, BUT ALSO OBVIOUSLY MAKE IT AVAILABLE, UM, FOR THE FULL BOARD AND THE PUBLIC TO SEE IN ALL OF OUR MATERIALS.
AND THAT KIND OF REGULAR TRACKING IT WOULD BE, WOULD BE HELPFUL.
YOU COULD DO IT AS A AGENDA ITEM.
UM, I THINK THE FULL BOARD YOU'D GO INTO DETAIL AS OPS COMMITTEE, BUT IN THE FULL BOARD IS USEFUL BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WATCH AND, UM, AND THEN DO IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT HELPS PEOPLE REMEMBER, WHICH IS WHAT A DASHBOARD DOES.
IT'S LIKE, OKAY, HERE'S OUR PLAN HERE.
WE'RE CHECKING OFF AGAINST OUR PLANS.
I THINK THAT IT, IT CERTAINLY, UM, ADDRESSES THE TRANSPARENCY ISSUE AND IT CERTAINLY ADDRESSES THE ABILITY, NOT ONLY FOR THE BOARD, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE CHANGES WHAT'S GOING ON, HOW IT'S GOING TO IMPACT THEM.
UH, AS I LOOK AT THE, UH, THE FALL SERVICE CHANGES AND LOOK AT, UH, THE 2 33, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT GOES UP LOYOLA AND, AND THAT SERVICES COLONY PARK AND OTHER COMMUNITIES, LAKESIDE, COMMONLY PARK, OTHER COMMUNITIES.
AND I THINK THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT ADDITION, UH, BECAUSE THAT IS A ROUTE THAT HAS AN HOUR HEADWAY AND, AND I THINK BEING ABLE TO GO AND, AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THAT COMMUNITY AT THEIR FRONT DOOR IS IMPORTANT.
HOWEVER, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, UH, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE EVENINGS
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AND, AND REALLY EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES ON THE WEEKENDS BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, THAT'S WHEN CHILDREN GO HERE AND THERE.SO IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO DOCUMENT, UH, WHAT TYPES OF CHANGES ARE BEING MADE BECAUSE OF THE ROUTE CHANGES AND, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO, UH, TO IMPROVE AND PERFECT THEM IF YOU WILL, BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT MANY IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS COMMUNITY WILL THAT FROM A TITLE SIX STANDPOINT.
AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER, I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT, UM, YOU ADDRESS COMPLIANCE FROM AN OPERATIONAL STANDPOINT IN MANY PLACES AND FORMS AND, AND, UH, SO, UH, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU ADDRESS IT AND YOU ADDRESS ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THAT ARE ENTITLED SIX, UH, THEN I THINK THAT WE SHOULD DOCUMENT IT IN A WAY THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT TITLE SIX ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED.
WE'VE TAKEN EVERY MATERIAL ITEM AND, AND ULTIMATELY COMPLIANCE WITH TITLE SIX WILL BE GUARANTEED.
I THINK THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT THING AS WE GO FORWARD.
UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE CHANGE, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE TWEAK ROUTES OR WHEN WE, UH, WHEN WE CHANGE ROUTES THAT HAVE A BETTER SERVICE, IN MY OPINION, PICKUP IS BETTER SERVICE.
UH, BUT AS WE ADDRESS EXPANSION OF HOURS, LET'S, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOCUMENTING HOW PEOPLE ARE IMPACTED, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THE WEEKENDS, UM, BOARD MEMBERS STRATEGY.
UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT THE, THE ROUTE CHANGES OR THE SERVICE CHANGE, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE HAD CANCELLATIONS OR DELAYS, DO Y'ALL LOOK AT THAT DATA AS WELL AS YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SERVICE CHANGE, DOES THAT IMPACT THAT OKAY.
KNOWING WHAT OUR, KNOWING, WHAT OUR INPUTS ARE AND KNOWING THAT WE ARE MORE LIMITED, BECAUSE WE HAVE, UM, WE DON'T HAVE AS MANY DRIVERS OR AS MANY MECHANICS AS WE'D LIKE TO, UM, THAT, I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE, THERE ARE TWO, THERE'S THE DEMAND SIDE OF THINGS WHICH COVID IMPACTED, BUT ALSO THERE'S THE SUPPLIES THAT THE, THE, THE LABOR SIDE OF THE EQUATION, WHICH, WELL, IN SOME WAYS COVID ALSO IMPACTED, DO YOU ALL TAKE THAT INTO, INTO ACCOUNT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS SO THAT IT, AT LEAST MAYBE THE PUBLIC COULD LOOK, COULD LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OKAY, THEY GRUMBLE AND GO, WELL, I DON'T LIKE THAT THERE'S THAT THIS BUS ONLY RUNS EVERY 30 MINUTES, BUT BETTER TO SEE IT ON THE SCHEDULE, KNOWING IT'S RUNNING EVERY 30 MINUTES AND EXPECT IT TO RUN EVERY 15 MINUTES SHOW UP AND BE TOLD, OH, SORRY, WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF TODAY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CANCEL IT AND RUN IT NOW EVERY 30 MINUTES.
AND I THINK THE JU JUNE, UH, SERVICE CHANGE PLAN PROPOSAL, THEY, YOU SEE, IT'S ESSENTIALLY THAT IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF MANAGING EXPECTATIONS, AND WE WANT IT TO BE CONFIDENT IN BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICE AND FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO RELY ON, RELY ON IT.
I MEAN, RELIABLE SERVICE IS ONE OF OUR CORE VALUES OF, WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS.
WE ARE CONSTANTLY MONITORING TO SEE IF COMMUTER RIDERSHIP IS COMING BACK AS DOTTIE MENTIONED.
AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PRIORITY WITH OUR CEO AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE SERVICE A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE DEMAND, TO BE ABLE TO SORT OF, UM, BRING FOLKS BACK INTO THE, THAT STARTED WORKING AT HOME DURING COVID.
SO WE ARE VERY MINDFUL, AND IT'S REALLY GOOD TO HEAR THAT ALSO FROM THE BOARD TODAY.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT WE DO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A BALANCE BETWEEN OUR OPERATIONAL RESOURCES AND, AND THE SERVICE WE PUT OUT THERE AND BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT, WHAT TO EXPECT FOR WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS COULD EXPECT.
AND, AND IS IT A QUICK FOLLOW-UP THEN, IF IT TURNS OUT ONCE WE GET THESE NEW, UH, THESE NEW OPERATORS IN THE PIPELINE, UM, DO, DO YOU GUYS HAVE TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD FOR ANOTHER VOTE? IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE INCREASING THE FREQUENCY OF SERVICE ON PARTICULAR ROUTES, OR WHAT'S THE THRESHOLD AT WHICH YOU HAVE TO COME BACK AND HAVE A QUOTE UNQUOTE BOARD VOTE TO APPROVE A SERVICE QUOTE UNQUOTE CHANGE? WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A SERVICE CHANGE THAT WE HAVE TO OFFICIALLY APPROVED? AND SO WE WILL HAVE THIS BOARD APPROVE THE THREE TIMES PER YEAR SERVICE CHANGES AND ANY OTHER CHANGES THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS OR SUBTRACTIONS TO ROUTES.
UM, AS A WHOLE, IF WE ARE ADDING SERVICE IN, IF WE'RE PLUGGING SERVICE IN TO KIND OF FILL, UH, DEMAND HOLES, WE'LL DO THAT ON AN INTERIM BASIS BETWEEN SERVICE CHANGES WITHOUT BOARD AUTHORIZATION, AS JUST AN, UH, OPERATING MITIGATION OF OVERLOADS AND DEMAND, AND THEN CODIFY THAT AS A PERMANENT CHANGE IN THE NEXT SERVICE CHANGE.
SO TYPICALLY YOU, UH, THIS BOARD CAN EXPECT TO SEE SERVICE CHANGES THREE TIMES A YEAR, UM, UNLESS SOMETHING CRAZY IS HAPPENING OFF CYCLE, WHICH YOU MAY RECALL LAST
[00:55:01]
FALL.WE HAD A BIT OF AN, WE HAD AN OFF CYCLE SWITCH IN SEPTEMBER.
UM, BUT TYPICALLY WE'LL, WE, WE KIND OF PACKAGE ANY LITTLE FIXES WE DO IN BETWEEN SERVICE CHANGES AS PART OF THE NEXT SERVICE CHANGE.
YOU'RE DOING TO TRY TO MANAGE, MANAGE ALL OF THIS.
ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, HEARING NONE.
A CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE.
AND IS THERE A SECOND CAN'T BOARD MEMBER RENTERIA.
ONCE AGAIN, ANY DISCUSSION, ANY DISCUSSION, ANY DISCUSSION HEARING? NONE.
LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
SAME SIGN MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY WITH THE CHAIR VOTING I AS WELL RIGHT NOW.
[VI.2. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or his designee, to finalize and execute a Design-Build contract with Modern Railway Systems, Inc. for Positive Train Control Optimization, Engineering, Construction and Support Services in an amount not to exceed $6,000,000.]
SEE.ITEM NUMBER TWO IS APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE A DESIGN BUILD CONTRACT WITH MODERN RAILWAY SYSTEMS, INC FOR POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL, OPTIMIZATION, ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, AND SUPPORT SERVICES, AND AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $6 MILLION.
TREVELYAN VICE-CHAIR KITCHEN, PRESIDENT CEO, CLARK WTO WATKINS, UH, REST OF THE BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M A VICE-PRESIDENT OF RAIL HERE AT CAPITAL METRO COMPANY TODAY SEEKING APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AN EXECUTE DESIGN BUILD CONTRACT WITH MODERN RAILWAY SYSTEMS, UH, FOR POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL, OPTIMIZATION ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION, AND SUPPORT SERVICES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $6 MILLION FUNDING FOR THIS ACTION IS AVAILABLE IN THE FYI 2022 BUDGETS AS WELL AS IN THE FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
AND IT IS BUNDLED WITHIN THE PROJECTS THAT WOULD UTILIZE THIS CONTRACT ON OCTOBER 10TH, 2020 CAPITAL METRO IMPLEMENTED A POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM ON ITS REGIONAL RAIL CORRIDOR IN RESPONSE TO A MANDATE FROM CONGRESS VIA THE 2008 RAIL SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OR THE RSI, THE RSI REQUIRED ALL RAILROADS WITH REGULARLY SCHEDULED COMMUTER RAIL, COMMUTER RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT A POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM THAT INCREASES SAFETY BY REDUCING HUMAN ERRORS.
FOLLOWING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PTC CAPITAL METRO, ALONG WITH ITS ONM CONTRACTOR AND CONSULTANTS HAVE IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES TO OPTIMIZE OUR PTC TECHNOLOGY, TO MITIGATE ITS IMPACT ON COMMUTER AND FREIGHT RAIL OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES AND IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT FOR FUTURE CONSTRUCTIONS THAT MAY IMPACT OUR POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM.
EXAMPLES INCLUDE PTC, UH, WAYSIDE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ONBOARD SOFTWARE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, AND PTC TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT FOR POTENTIAL DOUBLE TRACKING PROJECTS IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS ALONG THE PTC PROTECTED CORRIDOR.
THE PRIME CONTRACTOR WILL MEET THAT GOAL BY UTILIZING, UH, SEVEN DBE CONTRACTORS.
THIS PROCUREMENT FOLLOWS THE DESIGN BUILD PROCUREMENT PROCESS APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN 2016 TO PROCURE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES.
A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS RFQ WAS ISSUED TO DEVELOP A SHORTLIST OF QUALIFIED FIRMS ON AUGUST 17TH, 2021.
ONE SOQ SUBMITTAL WAS RECEIVED FROM MODERN RAILWAY SYSTEMS, MRS. DUE TO THE, UH, BY THE DUE DATE OF SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2021, SINCE THERE WAS ONLY ONE PROPOSAL, THE SCOPE OF THE WORK AND THE PRICING STRUCTURE WERE, WERE DISCUSSED IN SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH MRS. A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL WAS ISSUED TO MRS. ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2022, TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL AND PRICE PROPOSAL.
I'M SORRY, TECHNICAL AND PRICE PROPOSAL, MRS. SUBMITTED A PROPOSED BY THE DUE DATE OF MARCH 4TH, 2020 TO AN AWARD OF INDEFINITE QUANTITY.
INDEFINITE DELIVERY TASK ORDER CONTRACT IS RECOMMENDED TO MRS. THE TERM OF THIS CONTRACT SHALL BE FIVE BASE YEARS WITH ONE OPTION YEARS FROM THE CONTRACT AWARD DATE FOR A CUMULATIVE NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $6 MILLION.
UH, I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE AT THIS TIME.
THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS, UM, BOARD MEMBER COOPER, DAVID, AND WE TALK ABOUT OPTIMIZATION.
I KNOW THE DEVIL TRACKING CHANGES THE POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM, BUT THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION IN THE PAST ABOUT MAYBE AS I RECALL, SHORTENING THE SEGMENTS AS WELL TO OPTIMIZE THE SPEED THAT THE TRAINS COULD GO THROUGH.
AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE WORKED WITH OUR CONSULTANTS AND SOME EXPERTS ON.
SO SHORTENING PTC BLOCKS IS ONE OPTION.
[01:00:01]
THE OTHERS ARE SOME SOFTWARE CHANGES MAYBE GOING INTO TRAIN MEETS WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE THE SPEED OF THE TRAINS GOING INTO TRAIN MEETS.UM, WE HAVE SOME SOFTWARE ONBOARD, THE TRAIN THAT LIMITS US, WE THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN IT SHOULD.
AND THESE ARE KIND OF THE LITTLE THINGS, THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE ON THE NETWORK BETTER, BUT THAT IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE OPTIONS, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO REALLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF OPTIONS.
WELL, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE TALKING ABOUT POSITIVE? I KNOW, YOU KNOW, I WAS, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU ABOUT OPTIMIZING POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL.
SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING MAYBE EVEN I CAN TOLERATE.
UH, YOU BOTH NEED PRAYER, SO, ALL RIGHT.
UH, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON, YOU'RE GOING TO WANT TO PRAY FOR ME WHEN I THROW THIS ONE IN.
THAT'S WHAT I PRAY, WHAT I SAID.
UH, DAVID, AS, AS I, AS I ASKED YOU BEFORE, I'LL, I'LL ASK YOU AGAIN, JUST, JUST FOR CLARITY IS, AS I RECALL, UM, PTC IS A FEDERALLY MANDATED PROGRAM.
CONGRESS PASSED, THEY DID PROVIDE FUNDING TO THE SHORT RAIL OPERATORS TO IMPLEMENT THIS EARLY ON, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, IS THERE ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING AVAILABLE BY CONGRESS TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING PTC OR OPTIMIZING PTC PER WHAT THEIR ORIGINAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE FEDERAL LAW PASSED BY CONGRESS WAS NO, THERE, THERE ARE SEVERAL GROUPS ASKED, UH, OR APTA, UM, THE, UH, AAR LOBBYING FOR SOME PORT THERE.
BUT, UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY SPECIFIC MONEY DEDICATED TO OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OR IMPROVING A POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL.
SO BASICALLY WE, WE REALLY HAVE TO DO THIS BECAUSE, I MEAN, I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT'S NOT A GOOD THING TO DO, BUT REALLY WE HAVE TO DO THIS BECAUSE CONGRESS SAID ALL SHORT RAIL OPERATORS NEED TO IMPLEMENT POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL, AND THEY GAVE US A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY AND TOLD US TO GO OFF AND DO THE REST.
AND THIS IS JUST KIND OF THE NEXT STEP OF THIS PROCESS IN THAT REGARD.
YES, WE, WE WERE, WE WERE MANDATED TO INSTALL POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM.
UH, AND WITH THAT SYSTEM, IT GAVE US A NEW SET OF OPERATING RULES AND, UH, AN A REALLY A NEW REALITY FOR RAIL THAT HAS CHANGED MORE THAN, YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST A HUNDRED YEARS.
AND AS WE'RE ALL LEARNING THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY, UH, WE'RE FINDING WAYS THAT WE CAN KIND OF IMPROVE AND MITIGATE SOME OF THE DELAYS THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM IT.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT AS A RESULT OF DOING THIS, WE'RE LOOKING AT, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE HAVING TO INCUR COSTS WITHOUT FEDERAL FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP, MONEY RE COMPENSATION FOR THIS, THIS, UH, MANDATE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO SO.
WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS THE, THE UP THE UPSIDE OF THIS IS THERE'S GOING TO BE IMPROVED SAFETY AND ALSO IMPROVED EFFICIENCY FOR RUNNING OUR COMMUTER RAIL LINES ON THIS, UH, ON THIS, THIS HEAVY RAIL FREIGHT.
WE DEFINITELY HAVE IMPROVED SAFETY.
THERE WAS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT, AND WE'RE WORKING ON THE IMPROVED EFFICIENCIES AND, AND, AND JUST, JUST AS A REMINDER, THIS IS NOT THE SAME THING AS LIGHT RAIL.
THIS IS IT FOR, TO ANYBODY LISTENING OUT THERE, PEOPLE OFTENTIMES SAY, OH, I'M GOING TO TAKE THE RED LINE.
I'M TAKING THE LIGHT RAIL THAT THIS IS THAT THIS IS HEAVY DUTY, HEAVY GAUGE RAIL LINE THAT WE HAVE PUT A COMMUTER TRAIN ON.
IT'S NOT THE SAME THING AS WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE ORANGE LINE AND THE BLUE LINE.
YEAH, THIS, YEAH, THIS IS HEAVY FRA REGULATED RAIL.
SO WE LIVE UNDER THE SAME RULES AS UNION PACIFIC BURLINGTON, NORTHERN SANTA FE, UH, CSX, NORFOLK, SOUTHERN ALL THE, THE BIG RAILROADS.
THOSE REGULATIONS ALL APPLY TO US THE SAME AS THEY DO.
I APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION AND THE WORK Y'ALL ARE DOING ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS AND THE FURTHER QUESTIONS, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS.
HEARING, NONE OF THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM.
NUMBER TWO, I SAID, I WAS EXPECTING THAT WADE, UH, GIVING, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE FACT THAT YOU LOVE POSITIVE RELEVANT, IT GIVES ME, IT'S AN HONOR FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT MOTION.
YOU'RE NOT TO MEET A SECOND FOR HIM.
SO I'LL GIVE EVERYBODY ELSE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, AND ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION HEARING, NONE ALL IN FAVOR.
LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
NONE ON THE MEASURE HAS BEEN APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY WITH THE CHAIR VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
[VI.3. Approval of a resolution authorizing the President & CEO, or his designee, to finalize and execute an agreement regarding Lakeline Park and Ride Improvements with Sabot-Lakeline, LLC, under which CapMetro will grant licenses to Sabot to improve, maintain and share use of the Lakeline Park and Ride driveway and install related amenities, with the construction of such improvements and amenities being at Sabot’s sole cost and expense.]
ITEM ACTION.ITEM NUMBER THREE IS APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENCY OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AN EXECUTED AGREEMENT REGARDING LAKELINE PARK AND RIDE IMPROVEMENTS WITH SABBATH LAKELINE, LLC, UNDER WHICH CAP METRO WILL GRANT LICENSES TO SABBATH TO IMPROVE, MAINTAIN, AND SHARE USE OF THE LAKELINE PARKING AND RIDE DRIVEWAY AND INSTALLED RELATED AMENITIES WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS AND AMENITIES BEING AT SAVAGE SOLE COST AND EXPENSE.
I MS.
[01:05:04]
UM, THANK YOU AGAIN.UM, CHAIR TREVELYAN VICE-CHAIR KITCHEN, DEPUTY CEO, WALK-INS PRESIDENT AND CEO CLARK, AND THE BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M SHARMILA, MUKHERJEE, EVP PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT AT CAP METRO.
AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT THIS RESOLUTION BETWEEN CAPITAL METRO TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY AND SABOT, UM, ON, UM, LAKELINE PARKING, RIGHT.
AND YOU HAVE IN YOUR AGENDA PACKAGE, UM, DIAGRAMS THAT PROBABLY WILL GIVE YOU MORE SORT OF CONTEXTUAL DEPICTION OF WHAT THIS IS, UM, IN THIS RESOLUTION I'M REQUESTING THAT, UM, PRECEDENT, PRECEDENT OR CEO AND ED ARE JUST A SECOND, UM, AUTHORIZING PRESIDENCY OR DELEGATE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT REGARDING LAKELAND PARK, RIGHT IMPROVEMENTS AND SABIC LAKELINE UNDER WHICH CAPITAL METRO WINGATE WILL, UH, GRANT LICENSE TO SABOT TO IMPROVE, MAINTAIN, AND SHARE USE OF LAKELINE PARKING RIGHT ON USE DRIVEWAY AND INSTALLED RELATED AMENITIES, MOSTLY FOR CUSTOMER IMPROVEMENTS AND CONSTRUCTS SUCH IMPROVEMENTS AND AMENITIES BEINGS AT SABOT SOLE COST.
IN YOUR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, YOU WOULD FIND A DESCRIPTION OF THAT.
IT'S B SAVAGES D DEVELOPING A MIXED USE PROJECT NEXT TO LAKE KLEIN IN THE GRAPHIC.
YOU WOULD SEE HOW THAT ALIGNS WITH THE PARK AND RIDE.
AND THROUGH THIS PROJECT, UM, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WOULD BE IMPROVED.
WE ARE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL, IN ADDITION TO BUS LANES, NOT LIMITED TO DEDICATED BUS LANES.
IT ALSO PROVIDES SIDEWALK, UH, PARK, UM, PICNIC TABLE PARK, BENCHES, LIGHT LIGHTING, AND ENTRANCE SIGN.
WE FINDING SIGNAGE AND, UM, UH, CAPITAL METRO SIGN AS WELL.
THE AGREEMENT ALSO PROVIDES CAP METRO, UH, THROUGH THIS AGREEMENT, CABINETRY WILL PROVIDE AND CONVEY A LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE AND USE LICENSE TO SABOT UNDER WHICH SABOT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN MAINTENANCE OBLIGATION AT SABOT SOLE COST.
UM, IT MEETS MULTIPLE, UM, STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, INCLUDING OUR BEING A VALUED, UM, TRANSIT VALUE, INCREASING TRANSIT VALUE, BEING STRATEGIC PARTNER.
WE ARE ALSO, UM, RESOURCE OFF OPTIMIZING RESOURCES WITH THAT AND FOSTERING A CULTURE OF INNOVATION IT'S ALIGNED WITH OUR, UM, INTERNAL, EXTERNAL, EXTERNAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
AND, UM, WITH THAT, I WILL, THERE HAS NO FISCAL BUDGET IMPACT.
AND WITH THAT, I WOULD PRESENT THIS FOR ACTION.
UH, DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS? UM, OKAY.
SO IF WE'LL TAKE A SECOND AND WE'LL GET YOUR QUESTIONS DURING DISCUSSION.
UH, SO IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED, UH, THAT WE, UM, THAT WE APPROVE ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, BOARD MEMBER, KITCHEN, YOUR QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST WANT TO, UM, ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE STATUS OF THIS, UM, UH, CONVERSATION, UH, WHAT WE'RE APPROVING, I THINK IS FINALIZED AND EXECUTED AGREEMENT.
UM, DO YOU HAVE AN AGREEMENT AT THIS POINT, OR WHERE IS THAT IN YOUR PROCESS? WE HAVE AN AGREED UPON, UM, AGREEMENT WITH ALL DEAL POINTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN, UM, AGREED UPON BY BOTH PARTIES BY BOTH PARTIES.
AND THE REASON WE WERE NOT ABLE TO PRESENT THAT AT THE OPERATIONS AND PLANNING COMMITTEE, BECAUSE WE WERE STILL WORKING ON THE DEAL POINTS, WHICH HAVE ALL BEEN AGREED UPON.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS MR. BOARD MEMBER STRATTON? UH, SO SHARMILA, BASICALLY MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS IS REALLY ALL WE'RE APPROVING IS FOR THEM TO IMPROVE OUR DRIVEWAY ESSENTIALLY.
AND ADD A NUMBER OF STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS.
IT'S ALL IMPROVEMENT, RIGHT? EXACTLY.
IT'S THAT, IT'S THAT WHOLE SITE, THAT TINY LITTLE STRIP THERE THAT LITERALLY RIGHT NOW WE DO NOTHING WITH, NOBODY CAN DRIVE ON IT.
I HAVE TO SAY, I AM, I'M EXTREMELY INTRIGUED ABOUT THIS, THIS, CAUSE THIS IS MY STATION.
AND LIKE WITHIN A MILE FROM MY HOUSE, I'M INTRIGUED HOW THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD ALL THAT ON WHAT I, AT LEAST FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S MUCH SPACE, THERE'S ENOUGH SPACE THERE TO BUILD ALL THAT.
BUT I MEAN, GREAT MORE POWER TO THEM.
MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT WE STILL WILL BE ABLE TO IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME, I MEAN, 62 AND A HALF YEARS IS A LONG TIME THAT, THAT, THAT WE STILL HAVE A EFFECTIVE ACCESS IN THE LONGTERM TO THE PARK AND RIDE.
BUT I DO ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE ENTRANCE THAT'S ON THE LAKE, THE LAKE CREEK.
WHAT IS THAT? THE LAKELINE MALL LIKE LAKELINE MALL DRIVE SIDE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER IF THAT'S THE RIGHT.
BASICALLY THE LAKELINE MALL BOULEVARD DRIVE SIDE THAT'S THAT'S THE NEXT PIECE UP.
SO ALL THE STREETS, ALL THE STREETS, THEY HAVE ALL THE, ALL
[01:10:01]
THE LAKELINE MALL DRIVE, LAKELINE BOULEVARD, LAKE LAKE CREEK PARKWAY, ALL OF THEM, WHICHEVER ONE IT IS.IT'S UP THERE ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE, THE SOUTH SIDE THERE, BY WHERE IT SAYS MET FUTURE PLAN, MEDICAL OFFICES, THAT SOUTH SIDE, RIGHT THERE, THERE IS AN ACCESS POINT.
THAT'S AN EVEN BETTER ONE THAN, THAN THIS FRONT ONE.
SO I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY, BUT I MEAN, THIS, THIS LOOKS LIKE A WIN-WIN FOR US, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE AREA THAT, THAT WE'VE GOT UP THERE.
I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT.
AND IT'S VERY TRANSIT, SUPPORTIVE MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE SURROUNDED BY WITH RESTAURANT AND MEDICAL OFFICES AND TO HAVE BETTER ACCESS FROM RAIL TO THOSE FACILITIES WOULD ACTUALLY BE BETTER FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
DO WE KNOW, HAVE WE CONFIRMED WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO PUT THE SIGNAGE SO THAT PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE ALSO AT LEAST FROM THAT MAJOR STREET ACCESS POINT, WHICH IS LAKELINE AND, UM, LINDT AND, UM, LINDBERGH THAT IT'S GOING TO, ALL OF THAT DEVELOPMENT NOW MAY KIND OF BLOCK OUT PEOPLE SEEING WHERE THE ENTRANCE IS FROM THAT MAJOR INTERSECTION.
WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE DEVELOPER TO MAKE SURE THE WAYFINDING AND SIGNAGE ARE CONDUCIVE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND BE ABLE TO BE VISIBLE AS YOU ENTER AND EXIT THE STATION AND PARK AND RIDE.
LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT THIS BRINGS.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS HEARING NONE.
UM, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY SECONDED THAT WE APPROVE.
ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE, ALL IN FAVOR.
PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
NONE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY WITH CHAIR VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
THANK YOU AGAIN, MS. MURKY G ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO, UH, GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
[II. Public Comment (Part 2 of 2)]
WE HAVE, UH, WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY MR. ZENOBIA, JOSEPH WHO HAD SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.UH, BUT, BUT I WAS NOT HERE AT THE TIME THAT THAT OUR SPEAKERS WERE, UH, WERE HEARD.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES TO MAKE YOUR PRESENTATION THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR MEMBERS.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
I HEARD YOU SPEAK ABOUT TITLE SIX EARLIER, AND I JUST WANTED TO REMIND YOU THAT FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION CIRCULAR FOR 7 0 2 0.1 B DATED OCTOBER 1ST, 2012, CHAPTER FOUR, PAGE 16, SPECIFIES THAT YOU ARE TO ANALYZE AND IMPLEMENT THE LEAST DISCRIMINATORY ALTERNATIVE.
AND WHILE I CERTAINLY RESPECT AND UNDERSTAND ROUTE 2 33, A 60 MINUTE HEADWAY, AND THAT THE PICKUP WOULD ACTUALLY PICK PEOPLE UP FROM THEIR HOME.
THAT IS NOT THE LEAST DISCRIMINATORY ALTERNATIVE, BECAUSE IT ONLY OPERATES 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM.
AND SO I WOULD JUST CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION.
MY EXPERIENCE THIS MORNING PICKUP WAS NOT IN MY PLAN AND NEITHER WAS IT IN THE PLAN FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ANSWERED THE PHONE.
WHEN I CALLED TO FIND OUT IF THE 3 92 WAS REALLY CANCELED OR NOT.
AND SO THERE WAS A COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT THE ROUTES BEING CANCELED.
AND I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ROUTES ACTUALLY SHOWED ALL OF THEM BEING CANCELED FROM THE LAST BUS TO THE NINE O'CLOCK WHEN I LEFT THE ATP MEETING LAST WEEK.
AND SO I WASN'T REALLY SURE IF THE BUS WAS COMING OR IF I SHOULD WALK THREE MILES HOME OR WHAT TO DO, BUT THERE WERE ABOUT SIX OTHER PEOPLE.
AND WHEN THE BUS CAME AND ACTUALLY SAID, DO, BUT IT WAS LYING THROUGH.
AND I TOLD THE OPERATOR AS WELL THIS MORNING, HOWEVER, I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT WAS ABOUT SEVEN O'CLOCK.
THE BUS WAS GOING EASTBOUND, THE TECH BRIDGE PARKING LOT.
I WAS GOING WESTBOUND AND STOPPED BY D 5 3, 2, 3, BUT THE BUS WAS CANCELED.
SO BY THE TIME I CALLED CAPITOL, METRO'S GO LINE.
THE OPERATOR DID IN FACT TELL ME THAT THE 7 33 BUS WAS GOING TO BE RUNNING, BUT THAT DELAYED THE TRIP ABOUT AN HOUR BECAUSE IT'S 15 MINUTES OR SO TO GET TO TECH RIDGE PARK AND RIDE ANOTHER 15 MINUTES TO GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
I TOLD TWO STUDENTS WHO WERE SEATED ACROSS THAT THE BUS WASN'T COMING UNTIL EIGHT O'CLOCK, WHICH MEANT THAT THEY ACTUALLY WERE SITTING THERE ABOUT AN HOUR.
SO I JUST WOULD SAY TO CAPITAL METRO, THAT WHEN I GOT TO CRESTVIEW, HOWEVER, THOSE NUMBER SEVEN FREQUENT BUSES WERE MTS COULD BE 40 FOOT BUSES, ALL LINED UP, COMING AND GOING, PLEASE STOP WITH THE MORE FREQUENT, MORE RELIABLE, AND BETTER CONNECTED, BALANCED THE SYSTEM SO THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSIT DEPENDENT, MINORITIES, WHO RELY ON THE BUS CAN GET TO WORK.
DURING THE PEAK HOURS, THE BUSES ARE RUNNING EMPTY AT CRESTVIEW STATION.
THERE IS WIFI AT KRESGE STATION.
I OPENED MY LAPTOP AND I COMMUNICATED WITH MR. EASTON.
[01:15:01]
NO WIFI.HOWEVER, AT THE METRO RAPID STOPS.
AND AS YOU ARE AWARE, IT USED TO BE THERE.
WHEN THE BUSES WERE AT CRESTVIEW STATION AND THE WHITE PEOPLE NO LONGER WANTED THE BUSES THERE, DADDY WATKINS MOVED THEM.
ROBERTO GONZALEZ MOVED THEM IN THREE WEEKS AND THEN LIED AND SAID IT WAS BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO CONNECT THE MINORITIES, STOP USING THE MINORITIES TO GET THE FEDERAL, UH, THE FEDERAL FUNDING.
I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND SPECIFICALLY, AS IT RELATES TO THE, THERE WAS A RESOLUTION YOU HAD IN YOUR BOARD PACKET, AS IT RELATED TO YOUR COMMITMENT TO PROJECT CONNECT.
AND I JUST WANT TO ASK, UH, BECKY ROSS, YOUR BOARD MEMBER FROM LEANDER TO GO BACK AND STRIKE THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE VOTING TO WITHDRAW FROM CAPITOL METRO AND REMOVE THE WORD CONTINUATION AND USE THE LANGUAGE THAT'S IN TRANSPORTATION CODE CHAPTER FOUR OR FIVE ONE, IT SAYS WITHDRAWAL ELECTION.
IT IS NOT A CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.
IT IS A WITHDRAWAL, AND IT NEEDS TO ACCURATELY STATE THAT THE QUESTION'S ACTUALLY ASKED ABOUT WHAT DOES PROJECT CONNECT HAVE TO DO WITH LEANDER? ARE THOSE VOTERS, UH, IMPACTED IN ANY WAY? AND APPARENTLY THE MONIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE OWED TO CAPITAL METRO ACTUALLY IS RELIANT ON THE DATA THAT'S TIED DIRECTLY TO PROJECT CONNECT.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THE LAST QUESTION ON THEIR DOCUMENT FROM APRIL 14TH, 2022, ACTUALLY MENTIONS $43 MILLION ON OR ABOUT THAT AMOUNT.
AND IT ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT THAT BEING A $10 BILLION ESTIMATE, I WOULD SAY TO YOU THAT THAT IS INACCURATE, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS FROM DECEMBER, 2021 IN MR. COUCHES, UH, EMAIL TO THE MEDIA AND HIS INFORMATION INCOME OUT UNTIL APRIL 7TH, 2022.
SO THAT AMOUNT THAT LILY AND HER VOTERS ARE RELYING ON IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ACCURATE AS IT RELATES TO MY SLIDES.
AND I'M TRYING TO SEE, SO THIS OPERATOR RIGHT HERE, AND I HAD A LITTLE EXCHANGE THIS MORNING, AND I WOULD ASK DOTTIE WATKINS TO RETRAIN HER IN CUSTOMER SERVICE.
SO THE OPERATOR ID, LET ME JUST SAY, IF, IF WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH AN ISSUE LET'S STATE THE ISSUE, LET'S NOT BE PERSONAL WITH, UH, MR. CHAIR.
I RESPECT THAT, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE OPERATOR HAD A REAL EXCHANGE WITH ME.
THIS, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN HANDLE THAT OFFLINE.
IT'S NOT NECESSARY TO MAKE THAT CALL FROM WHERE THAT'S FINE.
YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, MR. EASTON.
SO THIS IS THE LANGUAGE THAT ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT WHAT DISCRIMINATION MEANS.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK MS. ROSS, ONCE AGAIN, HOW THE RECIPIENTS OVER IN LANDER ARE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE TITLE SIX COMPLAINT AND WHERE THAT NOTICE IS WRITTEN.
IT SPECIFICALLY STATES DISCRIMINATION REFERS TO ANY ACTION OR INACTION, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL IN ANY PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY OF FEDERAL AID RECIPIENTS, UH, FINANCIAL FUNDS.
AND THERE'S JUST ONE OTHER SLIGHT, UH, MR. EASTON, AND THEN I'LL WRAP UP.
UM, AND SO THIS IS THE SLIDE I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT THAT SPECIFICALLY HAS THE AMOUNT THAT IS DUE, AND IT ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT $10 BILLION, WHICH, UM, IS INACCURATE.
AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU, UM, THERE'S ALSO A QUESTION THAT ASKED ABOUT CAN CAPITAL METRO CHANGE THE ANDREW SERVICE.
AND I ASKED THIS QUESTION ON MARCH 28TH, 2022, MR. CHAIR, WHEN WE MET OVER AT TRAVIS COUNTY, I ASKED SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE $9 MILLION THAT WAS ESTIMATED FOR THE SERVICE IN LEANDER IN 2019.
BUT THE TAXES THAT WERE RECEIVED FROM CAPITAL METRO WAS ABOUT 5.2 MILLION.
AND SO NOW THERE'S $10 MILLION THAT THEY'RE, UM, GONNA HAVE ACCESS TO.
AND MY QUESTION IS, WHO'S DOING THE MATH BECAUSE IT APPEARS TO ME THAT CAPITAL METRO IS OWED $4 MILLION AND $460,000 TIMES THREE FOR THE PICKUP SERVICE THAT THEY DIDN'T CHARGE LEANNE BEFORE IN 2019, WHICH MEANS THAT THEIR ALTERNATIVE SERVICE SHOULD BE IN THEIR BUDGET.
AND THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE BECAUSE CAPITOL METRO, APPARENTLY HASN'T ASKED FOR THAT MONEY BACK, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'VE DOCUMENTED YOUR QUESTIONS, AND WE WILL GET BACK WITH YOU WITH THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK, BUT IT JUST TOOK A WHILE, BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT.
THE LAST THING IS, UM, THE BIO HAZARD COMPLAINT THAT I PUT IN, I WOULD JUST ASK DOTTIE WATKINSON.
SHE'S SITTING THERE TO, UH, LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE URINATES ON THE BUS AFTER THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP MEETING, THE SAME BUS THAT I CALLED IN A BIOHAZARD COMPLAINT ABOUT A LADY THAT URINATED WAS STILL IN OPERATION.
USUALLY THEY TAKE THAT BUS OUT OF SERVICE.
AND SO I'M JUST NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE THE SAME LADY GOT ON THE 300 AS I WAS COMING TO THE MEETING TODAY.
[01:20:01]
ALL RIGHT.[VIII. Executive Session]
ALL RIGHT.AT THIS POINT ARE OUR REMAINING ADDRESS, UH, ISSUES WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, SO WE WILL MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, SO, UM, LET'S SEE AT, UH, NINE, 10, UH, 27, UH, THE BOARD WILL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE FOR PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO THE DUTIES OF THE CAPITOL METRO PRESIDENT AND CEO, AS WELL AS SECTION 5, 5, 1 0.071 FOR CONSULTATION WITH, UH, WITH AN ATTORNEY RELATED TO AN, UH, AN AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
THE BOARD IS NOW OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THE TIME IS 1125.
UH, LET'S CALL OUR, OUR, UM, REGULAR BOARD MEETING BACK TO ORDER AT 1125.
[VI.4. Approval of an Amended and Restated Certificate of Formation of the Austin Transit Partnership Local Government Corporation, a Joint Local Government Corporation.]
THAT ARE LEFT FOR DISCUSSION AND VOTE ARE, UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH I'LL READ APPROVAL OF AN AMENDED AND RESTATED, UH, CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION OF THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION, A JOINT LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION.UH, DO WE NEED ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM LAST TIME SOMEBODY NEEDS TO, UM, NEED TO ACTUALLY GET AN EMOTION AND A SUBJECT.
I WAS GOING TO S UH, AFTER I GAVE THE THIRD, THEN I WAS GOING TO THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
I WAS GOING TO SAY, I SAID AFTER WE MADE THEM WELL, I WAS TO, I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU THREE MORE.
I WAS GOING TO GIVE YOU THREE MORE FOR SURE.
THE, THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN THE MOTION TO ACCEPT ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
THE MOTION WAS MADE BY BOARD MEMBER KITCHEN SECOND BY BOARD MEMBERS STRATTON.
IS THERE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION AND LET'S GO AHEAD, PLEASE.
UH, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS TO MAKE, BUT I THOUGHT I'LL DEFER TO OTHERS FIRST.
YOU WANT ME TO GO AHEAD? I CAN GO AHEAD.
UM, I THINK THAT, UM, WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US TODAY IS, UM, IS VERY S VERY, REALLY VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
UH, WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD IS THIS IS FOR RIGHT.
IS, UM, SOME, SOME ADJUSTMENT TO, TO THE BOARD OF THE ATP.
UM, AND IT INCLUDES TWO ASPECTS OF THAT.
WE WANTED TO, UM, MAKE IT CLEAR THAT OUR KEPT METRO, UM, PRESIDENT AND CEO WILL SIT ON THE BOARD EX OFFICIO.
UM, AND LET ME JUST SAY, I WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK HIM FOR THE WORK THAT HE HAS DONE.
UM, GETTING US TO THIS POINT, IT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE AND AMAZING THAT WE'RE AT THIS POINT WITH PROJECT CONNECT.
UM, AND I ALSO, UM, LOOK FORWARD TO HIS SERVICE, UM, AS AN EX OFFICIO BOARD MEMBER.
I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO GIVE US OF THE RIGHT STRUCTURE ON THE ATP BOARD AND A VERY STRONG, UH, POSITION WITH HIS LEADERSHIP, AS WELL AS WITH THE CITY'S LEADERSHIP AS EX OFFICIO ON THE BOARD OF ATP.
UM, I WANT TO SAY AS WELL, UH, FIRST, UH, THANKS TO RANDY BECAUSE, UH, WITHOUT, UH, RANDY'S LEADERSHIP IN CONNECTION WITH PROJECT CONNECT, THERE WAS NO QUESTION THAT WE WOULD NOT BE HERE THAT THAT'S BEYOND DOUBT, AND IT WASN'T, UH, IT WASN'T, UH, A CHAIR OF CAP METRO, UH, INITIATIVE.
IT WASN'T A MAYOR OR CITY COUNCIL.
I MEAN, WE WERE ALL TOGETHER, BUT THE LEADERSHIP, THE DRIVE, UH, THE HARD WORK, THE HARD HOURS CAME FROM RANDY.
AND SO, UH, FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT.
UH, WE'RE IN A POSTURE, WHICH, UH, UM, PROBABLY, UH, WOULD NOT, NOT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MY FIRST CHOICE, UM, BUT, UH, WE'RE ON A, IN A PLACE WHERE WE NEED TO GO FORWARD, UH, WITH ARMS LINKED AS BETWEEN THE CITY AND ATP.
AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, UM, AS MY COLLEAGUE, UH, UH,
[01:25:01]
MEMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBER A KITCHEN, UH, RECOGNIZED THERE ARE SOME CHANGES THAT I THINK ARE HELPFUL ABOUT TO ATP FUNCTIONING INTO THE THREE OF US COLLABORATING AND FUNCTIONING, UH, BEST ON A GO-FORWARD BASIS.AND I THINK THE, UH, PROPOSED CHANGES THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US TODAY ARE NON-CONTROVERSIAL AND THINGS THAT WE SHOULD RAPIDLY DO.
I THINK THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE THAT WE SHOULD DO, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE OPERATIONS OF ATP, UH, AND, UH, AND, UH, FACILITATE THE SORT OF COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP THAT WE NEED ON A GO-FORWARD BASIS.
IT'D BE MY SUGGESTION THAT, UH, IN ADDITION TO THESE CHANGES, WE CONSIDER ADDING ONE ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBER FROM BOTH, UH, CAP METRO AND CITY COUNCIL.
I DON'T THINK THAT, UH, DOES ANY, UH, VIOLENCE TO THE CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE, UM, THAT I SUSPECT I ARGUED FOR AS MUCH AS ANYBODY, UH, DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
AND, UH, SO I THINK WE NOW HAVE 18 MONTHS OR SO OF, UH, EXPERIENCE TRYING TO COLLABORATE.
AND LORD KNOWS THERE'S BEEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF PROGRESS MADE, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME TWEAKS THAT WE CAN MAKE TO THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AS WE'RE SEEING ATP DOING THAT, I THINK WOULD FACILITATE COLLABORATION AND THE EXECUTION THAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS OF US, UH, WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROJECT.
SO I'M, UH, STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF THESE TWO, UH, AMENDMENTS THAT WERE, THAT WE'RE VOTING ON TODAY.
BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT, UH, I WOULD RECOMMEND BOTH THE CITY COUNCIL AND TO THIS BOARD IN THE FUTURE.
SO NOW, UH, I THINK WE REGISTERED STRATTON AND THEN KITCHEN.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I, I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, I'M VERY PROUD OF ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES AT THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, BOTH STAFF AND BOARD, AND MY COLLEAGUES AT CITY COUNCIL, AND HERE ON THIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE DONE, AND ALSO STAFF AT CITY AND STAFF AT, UH, HERE AT CAP METRO, WE HAVE COME AN AMAZINGLY LONG WAY AND AN INCREDIBLE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, AND THAT IS NO SMALL FEAT.
AND IT HAS BEEN IN GREAT PART DUE TO THE AMAZING EFFORTS OF SO MANY AND THE COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION THAT HAS HAPPENED AMONG ALL THREE PARTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
UM, IT, IT IS, IT HAS BEEN JUST MIND BLOWING AND RECORD-BREAKING, AND, UM, IN PARTICULAR I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT, AND I SAID THIS FROM THE PODIUM OR FROM THE DIOCESE, UH, LAST WEEK AT ATP'S MEETING, I WANT TO THANK PRESIDENT AND CEO, RANDY CLARK, FOR ALL OF THE AMAZING EFFORTS THAT, THAT HE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO GETTING US TO THIS POINT AND HIS SERVICE AS THE INITIAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, WE WOULD NOT BE HERE, I BELIEVE WITHOUT HIM AND THE AMAZING TEAM THAT HE HAS PUT TOGETHER AND ASSEMBLED AROUND US FROM JUST THE INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF EXPERTISE, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HE HAS PUT TOGETHER TO HELP US BUILD A WORLD-CLASS NEXT GENERATION SYSTEM THAT WILL HELP BRING A NEW LEVEL OF EQUITY AND BREAK DOWN BARRIERS THAT HAVE LONG HAD BEEN LONGSTANDING WITHIN AUSTIN THROUGH TRANSIT, AND WILL HELP MAKE OUR COMMUNITY MORE INTERCONNECTED THAN EVER BEFORE.
AND I AM VERY, VERY THANKFUL AND PROUD OF HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THAT.
UH, BUT ALSO I AM, I'M, I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE WELCOMING HIM BACK FULLY AS OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO EXCLUSIVELY FOR THIS.
CAUSE I ALSO KNOW, AND RECOGNIZE IT AS NO SMALL FEAT TO BE REPORTING TO NOT ONE BUT TWO BOARDS OF DIRECTORS, THE ENO REPORT ITSELF HIGHLIGHTED THAT AS MUCH THAT AS THEY WERE OUT INTERVIEWING OTHER TRANSIT PROFESSIONALS, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE, THE, THE, THE DATA IS AND WHAT SOME OF THE, UM, INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES AND MODELS WHERE THEY TALK TO OTHER CEOS AND, AND, UH, TRANSIT LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND EVEN INTERNATIONALLY TO SAY, OKAY, SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT SPECIAL PURPOSE DELIVERY VEHICLES LIKE ATP? AND THEY SAID, OH, NO, THAT'S GREAT.
I'D HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.
AND THEY SAID, YEAH, WELL, WHAT HAPPENED IF YOU WOULD BE, IF YOU WERE REPORTING TO TWO BOARDS OF DIRECTORS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE, THE RESPONSE WAS, OH, WAIT, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SECOND, GUESS THAT ONE AND THINK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I WANT TO CONTINUE MY CAREER AT SUCH A LOCATION, BUT, BUT RANDY, FOR ALMOST FOR THE BETTER PART OF ALMOST 18 MONTHS HAS MANAGED TO NAVIGATE, UM, VERY, VERY WELL AND SKILLFULLY CONTINUING TO PUSH THE PROJECT FORWARD REPORTING TO TWO DIFFERENT BOARDS OF DIRECTORS.
[01:30:01]
JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW WHAT AN INCREDIBLE HEAVY LIFT THAT IS AND CONTINUE TO MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD.SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, BECAUSE THIS PROJECT, AS WE HAVE LEARNED AND UNDERSTAND NOW IS, IS, IS JUST, IS TOO BIG AND TOO INCREDIBLE TO, TO, UM, TO LAY ON THE SHOULDERS OF ANY ONE PERSON WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
AND I THINK THAT THAT WHAT THE ENO REPORT TEASED OUT, AND I WANT TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT AND THANK IN PARTICULAR, UH, MY COLLEAGUE AND BOARD CHAIR, VERONICA CASTRO, DEBRA HATTA WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND OUR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF COUNSEL CASEY BARRACK FOR THE HEAVY LIFT THAT THEY PUT IN BECAUSE THEY WERE EXCLUSIVELY RESPONSIBLE FOR DIRECTING AND GUIDING THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE CHARGED UNDER AS ATP BOARD UNDER THE JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT, SECTION 4.2 0.2, TO STUDY INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP AND DETERMINE WHAT IS THAT, OR IS THAT A MODEL? DO WE WANT TO DO INDEPENDENT LEADERSHIP? DO WE WANT TO CONTINUE THIS JOINT LEADERSHIP? THEY WERE THE ONES THAT, THAT HELPED REALLY LEAD AND GUIDE THIS PROCESS AND GET US TO THIS POINT.
AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, I BELIEVE MADE A VERY INFORMED DECISION.
YOU KNOW, BIASES WERE SET ASIDE, THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS ARE SET ASIDE.
WE LOOKED AT THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, DECIDED THAT THE BEST OPPORTUNITY GOING FORWARD FOR PROJECT CONNECT WAS TO DO WAS TO MAKE AN INDEPENDENT DECISION.
AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING THAT WAS SAID IN THE, THE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED AND NOTE THAT IT SAID THE RESOLUTION LANGUAGE ACTUALLY SAID THAT IN ONE OF THE RESOLVED CLAUSES THAT PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 17 OF ATPS, ARTICLE OF INCORPORATION, THE ATP BOARD HEREBY REQUESTS, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE CAP METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONSIDER AMENDING THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF ATP.
AND THIS IS KEY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE ENHANCED COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE PARTIES, INCLUDING THE ADDITION OF ONE NEW EX-OFFICIO NON-VOTING DIRECTOR POSITION, WHICH WILL BE OCCUPIED BY THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
THAT LANGUAGE, I THINK IS KEY THE ATP BOARD IN THE RESOLUTION THAT DECLARED, WE WANT TO TAKE THIS PATH OF INDEPENDENT GOVERNANCE GOING FORWARD, GIVEN WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROGRAM IN THE PROCESS OF NAMING AN INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREG CANALY, WHO'S BEEN THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER OF THE ORGANIZATION, THE ORGANIZATION SIMULTANEOUSLY SAID, AND RECOGNIZING WHILE WE ARE CHARGED AND RESPONSIBLE AS ATP WITH DETERMINING OUR OWN GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, ATP RECOGNIZED THAT CAPITAL METRO AND THE CITY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OVERALL ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND GOVERNANCE DECISIONS AT THAT LEVEL.
AND SPECIFICALLY STATED, LET'S LOOK AT WAYS TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE ENHANCED COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE PARTIES.
PERHAPS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PERHAPS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT IS MOVING, UH, PRESIDENT AND CEO CLARK OVER TO AN EX-OFFICIO POSITION.
AND THAT, THAT I THINK EVERYONE AGREES IS KEY.
THAT THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN THAT, BECAUSE THEN THAT ALLOWS HIM A SEAT AT THE TABLE FROM THE STAFF PERSPECTIVE FOR CAP METRO, JUST AS MUCH AS, UH, GINA FEE AND DACA REPRESENTS THE STAFF PERSPECTIVE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY MANAGER FOR THE CITY COUNCIL OF AUSTIN AND FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
BUT WHAT I THINK IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE AND THINK ABOUT THERE'S ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE IN HERE THAT WE TALK ABOUT THIS IN THIS RESOLUTION, UH, ALLOWING FOR CAP METRO'S BOARD TO, TO, UH, SELECT SOMEBODY THAT MAY NOT MEET THE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT WITHIN THE SERVICE TERRITORY.
I THINK THAT WAS AN OVERSIGHT THAT WE MISSED BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT HAVE BEEN APPOINTED TO SERVE ON CAP METRO'S BOARD, THAT THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY MEET THAT REQUIREMENT OF RESIDENCY, BUT WHO SERVED VERY FAITHFULLY ON THIS BOARD, REPRESENTING THE COMMUNITY VERY FAITHFULLY.
AND THAT'S BASED ON THE WAY THAT THE TRANSPORTATION CODE HAS SET UP CAP METRO, BUT BEYOND THAT, AND I THINK WADE BOARD MEMBER COOPER HAS MADE RAISED A VERY IMPORTANT POINT.
THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW AND IMPROVE AND FOSTER AND PROMOTE THAT ENHANCE COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE PARTIES.
AND I DO THINK THAT'S WHY IT IS WORTH INVESTIGATING AND LOOKING INTO, AND I DO THINK IT IS THAT IT IS WORTH ADDING AN EXTRA BOARD MEMBER FOR CAP METRO AND FOR THE CITY, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT THE TWO BODIES COULD, COULD CONSIDER APPOINTING.
AND I WILL JUST SPEAK TO THAT FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE, THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A FIVE MEMBER BODY LIKE ATP, IT IS VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO HAVE REAL, TO HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF COMRADERY AND
[01:35:01]
COLLABORATION BEHIND THE SCENES BECAUSE OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT.YOU CAN KNOW, YOU CAN NOT GET MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE TOGETHER BEHIND THE SCENES, EVEN TO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE WITHOUT RUNNING THE RISK OF VIOLATING A QUORUM.
AND WHILE SOME MAY SAY, WELL, THAT'S GREAT, CAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE, YOU'D BE DISCUSSING BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, BUT AS, AS SOME OFFICIALS UPON THIS PANEL PROBABLY RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO EVEN FOSTER A SENSE OF COLLEGIALITY AND COMRADERY.
IF ALL YOU'RE ABLE TO DO IS MEET PUBLICLY ON A DIET AND NOT HAVE ANY KIND OF DISCUSSION OR RUN THE RISK OF, OF, OF YOUR DISCUSSION RUNNING A FOUL, AND YOU POTENTIALLY HAVING A CONVERSATION THAT COULD BE IN VIOLATION OF OPEN MEETINGS, BUT THERE'S AN EVEN, EVEN A COUPLE OTHER DIFFERENT POINTS THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT AND WORTH NOTING.
AND THAT IS, UH, ONE POINT IF A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ATP CAP, METRO OR CITY CANNOT BE PRESENT FOR ALL OR A PORTION OF THE MEETING, THEN UNDER THE CURRENT BREAKUP OF THE BOARD, THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD, THEN THAT PRINCIPAL ENTITY LOSES ITS VOICE.
THEY DO NOT HAVE A VOTE AT THE TABLE AT THE DIOCESE FOR THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.
AND THAT TO ME IS A BIG CONCERN.
UM, AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE, I'M THE REPRESENTATIVE TO CAP METRO FROM WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
I AM NOT A, AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.
I, IT IS NOT MY FULL-TIME JOB.
THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE I DO FOR MY COMMUNITY AND I HAVE ANOTHER FULL-TIME JOB.
AND MY OTHER FULL-TIME JOB AS A NURSE, I AM AN EDUCATOR.
I, I PERIODICALLY WILL HAVE COURSE ASSIGNMENTS IN CLASSES, AND THERE MAY COME A TIME WHEN I WILL HAVE REASONS IN WHICH I CANNOT ATTEND A BOARD MEETING, OR I MAY BE LATE TO A BOARD MEETING.
AND MY FEAR IS, IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN CAP, METRO WILL NOT HAVE A VOTING SEAT AT THE TABLE.
AND IF CAP, METRO DOESN'T HAVE A VOTING SEAT AT THE TABLE, THEN TO ME, THAT'S A PROBLEM JUST AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD BE A PROBLEM.
IF THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOES NOT HAVE A VOTE AT THE TABLE, A VOICE AT THE TABLE BECAUSE SOMETHING HAPPENS AND, UM, AND MAYOR ADLER CAN ATTEND.
IF YOU BUMP IT UP TO TWO MEMBERS FROM EACH, IT PROVIDES MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THERE TO STILL BE THAT VOICE.
I WOULD EVEN SUBMIT THAT PERHAPS ANOTHER WAY OF DOING IT IS TO STAGGER THOSE TERMS SO THAT YOU DON'T LOSE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THE VOTING BODY.
UM, THE, THERE, THERE IS A VERY STEEP LEARNING CURVE TO GETTING INTO THE ATP WITH AS MUCH AS WE ARE INVOLVED IN AS MUCH AS WE DO, AND AS MUCH AS WE ARE CHARGED WITH, WITH, UH, TAKING CARE OF FOR PROJECT CONNECT.
AND SO I THINK THAT WHAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TOO, IS, IS GETTING TWO BOARD MEMBERS FROM EACH OF THE PRINCIPAL PARTNERS THAT WORK WITH ATP, THE CITY COUNCIL AND CAP METRO.
AND BY HAVING THOSE TWO BOARD MEMBERS AND STAGGERING THEIR TERMS, YOU CAN ALWAYS GUARANTEE THERE'S AT LEAST ONE OF EACH OF THE PRINCIPLES THAT HAVE THAT INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN AS A VOTING MEMBER THAT CAN HELP WORK WITH THE OTHER PERSON TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BROUGHT UP TO SPEED.
SO WE DON'T LOSE IT AS I'VE THOUGHT MORE ABOUT THIS.
MY CONCERN IS I, AS I SAID BEFORE, WITH MY SCHEDULE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I'M GOING TO BE COME JANUARY.
I DON'T KNOW IS YOUR CURRENT CAP, METRO REPRESENTATIVE TO ATP.
IF I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE SERVING Y'ALL MAY NOT WANT ME TO CONTINUE SERVING COME JANUARY AND MAYOR ADLER WILL NO LONGER BE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, UH, COME JANUARY.
AND SO THE CITY IS GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A REPLACEMENT FOR HIM.
SO NOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT A POSITION WHERE BOTH MAJOR PRINCIPLE PARTNERS THAT ARE FUNDING THIS OPERATION FUNDING PROJECT CONNECT WILL HAVE TO FILL THOSE SLOTS POTENTIALLY AND FILL THEM WITH NEW INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE VOTING MEMBERS WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE BROUGHT UP TO SPEED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THAT IS A FEAR FOR ME IS THAT THAT WILL PROVIDE A DISCONNECT POTENTIALLY AT LEAST FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME AT A CRITICAL TIME IN THE PROGRAMS AND JUNCTURE.
ALL THE MORE REASON I'D SAY THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BLOW IT UP OR TO GROW IT OUT, TO HAVE TWO BOARD MEMBERS AND GET THEM BROUGHT UP TO SPEED SO THAT THERE IS LESS LIKELIHOOD THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE SOMETHING.
AND AGAIN, GETTING BACK TO EVEN WHAT THE RESOLUTION SAID, I FEEL LIKE THIS COULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP FOSTER AND PROMOTE ENHANCED COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION AMONG THE PARTIES.
SO THAT'S MY 2 CENTS THAT THAT'S MORE THAN MY 2 CENTS, BUT I JUST, I'M KIND OF PACKAGING UP THE, THANKS TO EVERYBODY THAT GOT US HERE AND KIND OF LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT STEPS.
AND NEXT CHAPTER, SINCE THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY TAP METROS AND THE CITY COUNCIL'S RESPONSIBILITY, I KNOW WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN FRONT OF US IS KIND OF WHERE WE'VE LANDED AT THIS POINT, BUT I'D LIKE TO SAY, I THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE'S MORE THAT THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE THOUGHT ABOUT AND DONE TO MAKE THIS EVEN BETTER TO OPTIMIZE WHERE WE GO FROM HERE IN THE FUTURE.
BUT WE APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR PERSPECTIVE AND THE GREAT AMOUNT OF TIME THAT YOU'VE PLACED HERE.
AND, AND, UH, THE WAY THAT YOU'VE REPRESENTED THE BOARD, UH, MY THOUGHT WAS YOUR, YOUR, UH, YOUR TWO CENSUS HAS GONE THROUGH INFLATION.
[01:40:02]
UM, I'M GOING TO ADD THIS BEFORE, BUT LET ME JUST SAY I, UM, UM, I APPRECIATE AND AGREE WITH THE COMMENTS THAT, UM, THAT DIRECTOR, UM, THAT MY COLLEAGUES, MY TWO COLLEAGUES HAVE HAVE, UH, MADE AT THIS POINT.
AND SO, AND I WOULD JUST ADD A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.
UM, I WANT TO CONSIDER TODAY THE DAY THAT WE VOTE TO TAKE CARE OF THE IMMEDIATE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO, UH, TO, UM, TO IMPROVE THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATP BOARD AND TO FOLLOW UP ON THE REQUESTS THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE ATP BOARD.
UM, I THINK TODAY IS ALSO THE DAY THAT WE INTRODUCED THE CONVERSATION, UH, WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR COLLEAGUES, WITH THE CITY, WITH ATP, WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT IMPROVING THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATP BOARD.
AND BY THAT, I MEAN, ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED.
UM, I THINK THAT THE, THE KEY THING FOR US TO THINK ABOUT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THIS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT BOARD IS WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET THE JOB DONE? AND FROM A STRUCTURE PERSPECTIVE, AND THE JOB DONE MEANS GETTING PROJECT CONNECT BUILT WITHIN BUDGET AND TIMELY.
IT ALSO MEANS THOUGH THAT HAS TO BE DONE AS A, AS A COLLABORATION.
ISN'T EVEN THE STRONGEST WORD.
WE HAVE TO ALL HAVE TO OWN THIS PROJECT.
THIS IS THE CITY'S PROJECT THAT KEPT METRO'S PROJECT, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY'S PROJECT ATP'S PROJECT.
SO WE ALL HAVE TO OWN IT TOGETHER, WHICH MEANS MUCH MORE THAN JUST COLLABORATION.
WE ALL HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER.
SO THE STRUCTURE WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE NEED TO LOOK AT, AND NOW'S THE TIME TO BE, TO INTRODUCE THAT CONVERSATION AND, YOU KNOW, UM, IN A TIMELY, QUICK WAY, UH, THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE BOARD.
AND SO, UM, SO A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS ON THAT.
I DO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBERS, UM, BEING APPOINTED AS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED A COUPLE OF POINTS I WANNA MAKE ABOUT THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, STRATTON HAS MADE GOOD POINTS RELATED TO THE ABILITY TO, FOR QUORUMS AND THE ABILITY FOR, UH, FOR PEOPLE TO BE AT THE TABLE, REPRESENTING THE CITY AND CAP METRO.
BUT THE OTHER THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS THAT FIVE, FIVE PEOPLE IS A PRETTY SMALL BOARD FOR A HUGE, ENORMOUS PROJECT.
UM, AND MY, MY HEART AND MY HAT GOES OUT TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE ATP BOARD.
THEY'VE BEEN REALLY WORKING HARD.
I WANT TO THANK THE CHAIR, VERONICA CASTRO,
SO, AND IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET MORE, IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET MORE COMPLEX AND MORE TIME CONSUMING.
AND, UM, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS ON THAT BOARD TO GET, TO GET THAT JOB DONE.
SO, UM, I THINK FIVE IS, IS TOO SMALL.
AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION.
I THINK IT'S A CONVERSATION AMONGST ALL OF US, AS I SAID, THE CITY KEPT METRO, THE ATP AND THE COMMUNITY, UH, BECAUSE THIS IS, UH, OUR PROJECT TOGETHER ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND I AGREE WITH WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SUGGESTED AS A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD TO, UM, TO IMPROVE THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATP BOARD.
UM, I THINK I SEE, UM, BOARD MEMBER ON COOPER.
WELL, I'LL JUST, UH, I'LL JUST PIGGYBACK BY SAYING, UH, YOU KNOW, TH THIS REALLY IS ABOUT TRANSFORMATION.
UH, THIS REALLY IS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BECOME.
UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU CAN HAVE A GREAT CITY WITHOUT HAVING A GREAT PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM.
I KNOW THAT IT SERVES THE NEEDS OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PEOPLE WHO WORK HERE, PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE, UH, PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO GO TO TWO DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN TO EXPERIENCE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT, THAT, UH, AUSTIN PROVIDES.
UH, I CERTAINLY WANT TO, UH, TO COMMEND, UH, RANDY FOR THE WORK THAT HE'S DONE.
UH, IT'S, IT'S NOT ONLY HIS COMPETENCY, UH, BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR THAT HE DOES UNDERSTAND PUBLIC TRANSIT, BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, DURING A PANDEMIC MAKING THINGS WORK, UH, IT'S GETTING PPE TO PEOPLE.
IT'S SERVING A MILLION MEALS, IT'S HIRING THE RIGHT PERSONNEL, UM, BRINGING PEOPLE IN SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE COMPETED WITH HIM FOR THIS JOB.
AND, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T BRING FOLKS IN LIKE THAT, UH, THAT, THAT TO ME IS CRITICAL.
TELL IT TELLS ME THAT IT'S NOT ABOUT EGO, IT'S ABOUT PERFORMANCE.
UH, WHEN WE, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO THE CHANGE THAT HAS TO HAPPEN, UH, AND WHEN, AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE STAFF THAT HAS BEEN BUILT, NOT ONLY AT CAP METRO, BUT AT ATP AND, AND THE WAY THAT WE'VE HAD TO WORK WITH AND COLLABORATE WITH THOSE,
[01:45:01]
UH, OUTSIDE OUR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE DO GO, UH, TO A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS THAT WE DO GO TO CHURCHES, THAT WE DO GO TO PTA MEETINGS.ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE NEW, AND I WANT TO COMMEND THEM, UH, FOR WORKING ON THOSE THINGS ALSO THAT WE HAVE FOCUSED ON THE PARTS OF TOWN THAT GENERALLY HAVE NOT BEEN COMMUNICATED WITH FIRST, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WILL BE CONNECTED TO, UH, THE, THE LARGER THINGS THAT ARE BEING BUILT OVER TIME.
UH, THAT IS IMPORTANT IN AUSTIN, BECAUSE BACK FROM THE, SINCE, I MEAN, FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS, THAT JUST HAS NOT HAPPENED.
SO, UH, SO I, I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE WORK THAT IS, HAS BEEN DONE.
UH, BUT THIS PROBABLY STILL IS ONLY A STEP OF INFANCY.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO A LOT OF GROWTH TO DO, AND WE, AND WE DO HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE INTERESTS OF THE FUNDERS AND THE INTEREST OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE FIDUCIARY INTEREST OF THOSE ENTITIES ARE, ARE GUARANTEED BY THE STRUCTURE THAT WE EMPLOY.
SO, UM, WE, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, WE MAKE THE STATEMENT.
WE ARE INTERESTED IN EFFECTIVELY RUNNING THIS PROCESS SO WE CAN TRANSFORM THIS CITY.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SHOWN A TREMENDOUS INTEREST IN WORKING WITH EVERYBODY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE LISTEN TO PEOPLE AND THAT WE, AND WE DO THE BEST THAT WE CAN TO IMPLEMENT, UH, WHAT THE WILL OF THE BODY IS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE.
AND I WILL ASK IS, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO COVER? ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO COVER? JUST ONE BRIEF COMMENT.
AND I AGREE WITH WHAT MY COLLEAGUE HAD BEEN SAYING, NO, AND NOT HAD A LOT OF, I HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN GRANDY.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN HE CAME BEFORE US, I, I REALLY SAW THAT HE HAD THE EXPERTISE TO LEAD, UH, AUSTIN INTO THE NEXT STAGE OF TRANSPORTATION.
AND I REALLY THINK THAT HE HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB DOING THAT.
AND ALSO THE CALIBER OF EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN HIRED ON FOR, FOR THE PARTNERSHIP.
YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF BARS, BEST STAFF MEMBERS LEAVE AUSTIN JUST TO, TO JOIN PROJECT CONNECT.
AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE NOT ONLY EXPERTS, BUT THEY KNOW HOW TO BUILD SOMETHING UNDER BUDGET, WHICH IS JUST AMAZING.
SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK Y'ALL AND I'M, UH, I'M ON BOARD FOR THE INCREASING THE, THE BOARD MEMBERS ON THE ATP.
SO, UH, I'M, I'M THERE AND I'M GOING TO SUPPORT THAT AND YOU HAD SOMETHING ELSE PLUGGED IN, BUT, UH, JUST VERY QUICKLY.
AND, AND YOU TOUCHED ON THIS CHAIR AS DID OTHERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UM, THE TRANSIT SYSTEM, OUR BUS SYSTEM, OUR PICKUP BRIDES ARE OUR PARATRANSIT.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE FUNDAMENTAL AND CORE TO THE SERVICES OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW.
I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THE, FOR THE TALENT, UH, THAT, UM, THE RANDY HAS BUILT IN OUR TEAM.
BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY TO YOU, RANDY, WE NEED YOU AT CAPITAL METRO.
SO THIS IS, I DON'T WANT, I THINK THE PEOPLE NEED TO, PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE THAT THAT TRANSIT SYSTEM INCLUDES AND IS BUILT ON THE FUNDAMENTAL BUS SERVICE.
AND WE NEED THIS TO BE THE ABSOLUTELY BEST BUS SERVICE IT CAN BE.
AND THESE ARE CHALLENGES CHALLENGING TIMES RIGHT NOW.
SO WE NEED ENERGY AND CREATED CREATIVITY, UM, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AS THE CHAIR SAID, UM, AND REALLY BUILD THE BEST BUS SYSTEM THAT WE CAN.
I THINK SHE SAID WELCOME HOME.
UM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE NEED TO DISCUSS FOR THE VOTE? THEY NEED TO DISCUSS ANYTHING ELSE? A THIRD TIME HEARING NONE.
ALL IN FAVOR OF, UH, PROPOSITION NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE LET IT BE KNOWN BY SAYING AYE.
AS WELL, THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
[VI.5. Approval of a Resolution Affirming Capital Metro’s Commitments and Requirements Related to the Project Connect High-Capacity Transit Expansion Program.]
ITEM, NUMBER OF ITEM NUMBER FIVE APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING CAMP METRO'S COMMITMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO THE PROJECT HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT EXPANSION PROGRAM.DO WE, SO WE ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO, UH, TO ACCEPT THE ITEM AND THEN WE'LL HAVE DISCUSSION.
[01:50:01]
OKAY.UH, SOME OF MY BOARD MEMBERS STRATTON, UH, K UH, AND LET'S SEE BOARD MEMBER COOPER HAS GIVEN US A SECOND.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT ITEM NUMBER FIVE? OKAY.
BOARD MEMBER KITCHEN, UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THEM, NUMBER FIVE, JUST WANT TO SAY THIS IS W REITERATE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CAP METRO.
UM, THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT ARE SET OUT IN OUR JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY, UM, AND RECOGNIZE THIS, THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT IS THE DOCUMENT THAT OUTLINES THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF ATP OF CAP METRO AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO WHAT WE'RE, UM, WHAT WE'RE PASSING TODAY, UH, IS A WAY FOR EVERYONE TO RECOGNIZE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES AND, UM, AND JUST REITERATE THOSE THAT WE'VE ALREADY AGREED TO AS PART OF OUR JOINT POWERS AGREEMENT.
THANK YOU ALL RECOGNIZED BOARD MEMBER COOPER.
A NUMBER OF THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE DISCUSSED, UH, IN CONNECTION WITH THE PREVIOUS MOTION APPLY HERE, AS WELL AS, UH, WE SEE A RECONFIGURATION OF ATP AND, AND RANDY'S ROLE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US IN THIS MOTION TO CLARIFY WHAT WE WANT OUR EXECUTIVE OR A PRESIDENT.
NOW WHO'S WEARING ONE HAT TO DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS, UH, COLLABORATION EFFORT AMONG THESE THREE ENTITIES AND TO CLARIFY HIS ROLE AND OUR ROLE.
AND I THINK, UH, THESE ITEMS SPEAK TO, UH, AN ISSUE THAT I THINK HAS GOTTEN MUDDLED IN THE PUBLIC CONVERSATION OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH THE NATURE OF INDEPENDENCE OF ATP.
UH, HAVING BEEN, I THINK, IN MOST OF THE MEETINGS RELATED TO THE, UH, BIRTH OF ATP AND HAVING SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL ADVOCATING FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF ATP.
UH, I THINK I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OR UNIQUE, UH, COMPARED TO SOME OTHERS ON THIS, UH, DYESS, UH, WE'RE EQUALLY ACTIVE AND ALL THAT, BUT, UH, HAVING BEEN THERE FROM THE GET GO, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THIS, IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT ATP SHOULD BE INDEPENDENT, THAT, UH, THAT'S WRITTEN INTO AN AWFUL LOT OF THE DOCUMENTATION.
UH, THE QUESTION IS, UH, WHAT'S THE LANE FOR INDEPENDENCE.
WE RAISE OUR KIDS, WE WANT THEM TO BE INDEPENDENT.
IT DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T WANT THEM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE WANT THEM TELL THEM MOM AND DAD WHAT TO DO, BUT WE WANT THEM TO BE INDEPENDENT AND, AND FULSOME IN THEIR ROLE.
AND SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS TO CLARIFY, UH, BOTH FOR RANDY AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, THOSE THINGS THAT FROM THE GET GO IN THE COMMITMENTS WE MADE TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE CONTRACT WITH THE VOTERS AND THE, AND OUR CORRESPONDING COMMITMENT, THERE WERE CERTAIN ROLES THAT WERE RESERVED FOR THE CITY.
UH, THEY'RE GOING TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.
THEY'RE GOING TO PROTECT HOUSING.
THEY'RE GOING TO DO THINGS THAT CITIES DO.
THERE ARE CERTAIN ROLES RELEGATED TO CAP METRO, UH, RELATED TO THE OPERATION AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF THIS NEW AND IMPROVED SYSTEM THAT WE WILL HAVE.
AND SO I THINK WHAT'S CLARIFIED HERE TODAY IS JUST THE CAP METRO LANES, UM, AND THE DIRECTION BY THIS BOARD TO RANDY, TO CONTINUE TO DO HIS GREAT JOB AND PURSUING THE LANES WHERE WE HAVE, UH, OUR OWN SET OF CONCERNS AND WHERE THE PUBLIC EXPECTS US TO PROTECT SAFETY AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN OPERATING SYSTEM.
SO, UH, THIS IS NOTHING MORE THAN THAT.
IT'S NOT ANY ATTEMPT TO CONSTRICT THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT OF INDEPENDENCE.
IT IS SIMPLY TO CLARIFY, TO CLARIFY THAT.
SO I THINK THIS IS A NO BRAINER AND, UH, WOULD EXPECT WHILE THE CITY IS NOT IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE NOW OF HAVING AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WHO WAS WEARING ANOTHER HAT AND, UH, IS NOT AS IMPACTED AS WE ARE, BUT, UH, UM, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF THIS MOTION AND, UH, WANTED TO MAKE THOSE CLARIFYING COMMENTS FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN HANGING AROUND THIS PLACE A GOOD WHILE.
UH, COUNTY, BOARD MEMBERS STRATTON.
I, I WOULD JUST CONCUR WITH WHAT WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID HERE FROM THE DIOCESE.
AND JUST NOTE THAT, UH, AGAIN, RANDY, UM, WELL, WELCOME
[01:55:01]
BACK THAT, UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOW GOING TO BE REPORTING JUST TO ONE BOARD AND WEARING ONE HAT, BUT, BUT LET'S, LET'S BE CLEAR THAT, UH, TO THE, TO THE COMMUNITY AND, AND TO EVERYBODY HERE PRESENT, AND THEN ESPECIALLY TO, TO RANDY, THAT, UM, THAT THIS RESOLUTION IS BROUGHT FORTH, UH, WAS GENERATED AND BROUGHT FORTH IN LARGE PART, JUST AS A REMINDER, THAT, UM, THERE IS STILL AN AWFUL LOT TO BE DONE, THAT THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT THAT THIS BOARD EXPECTS OF OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO.THERE'S STILL A LOT OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN CARE OF, ESPECIALLY IN THE ROLE THAT, UH, THAT, THAT CAP METRO HOLDS AND ITS PLACE AS THE PROJECT FOR, UH, THE PROGRAMS OR FOR THE VARIOUS PROJECTS, UH, BEFORE FTA, UM, AS THE OFFICIAL FEDERAL SPONSOR AND AS THE DESIGNATED TRANSIT AGENCY WITHIN THE CENTRAL TEXAS COMMUNITY WITHIN THE AUSTIN AREA.
UM, WE APPRECIATE, AGAIN, EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
AND, AND AS I, AS I AM FOND OF SAYING TO MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY, UM, RANDY LET'S HAVE FUN AND DO GOOD THINGS.
I SHARE THE, THE PERSPECTIVE OF MY COLLEAGUES, THAT IT IS REALLY, UH, GOING TO BE IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND OUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND, AND THAT WE LAY OUT A CLEAR FUNCTIONAL PATH AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT AND, AND HOW WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ALL HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MAKE EFFECTIVE DECISIONS.
UH, SO, SO I THINK THAT IT, THAT CLARITY IS TRULY IMPORTANT AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE, UH, THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE ROOM, UH, WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE CITY'S, UM, UH, ROLE IN RELATIONSHIPS, UH, HOUSING IS, UH, IS A SIGNIFICANTLY IMPORTANT THING NOW, AS THE CITY BECOMES MORE AND MORE UNAFFORDABLE, MAKING SURE THAT WE LIVE UP TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE IS, IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT, UH, THAT AS WE ARE DRAWING DOWN FEDERAL DOLLARS AND SAFETY STANDARDS NEED TO BE MET.
AND, AND THAT, UH, THE, THE, UH, THE, WHATEVER IT IS WE RECEIVE WILL FIT THE FUNCTIONAL NECESSITIES OF THE END-USER THAT WE ARE PROVIDING THIS FOR WILL BE MET.
SO IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT, UH, THAT, UH, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE ARE COORDINATING WELL YET MAINTAINING, UH, THE, THE, UH, THE JOBS AND FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES THAT HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO US BY THE PUBLIC.
UH, SO, UH, I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ARE FIDUCIARIES FOR A COMMUNITY, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS ARE MET CONSISTENTLY EFFECTIVELY.
AND, AND, AND I THINK THIS LAYS A FOUNDATION FOR THAT.
SO, UH, WITH THAT BEING SAID, IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE BEFORE THE VOTE? IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE BEFORE THE VOTE? UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION HEARING NONE, UH, ALL, LET IT BE KNOWN BY, UH, BY THE SIGN.
I, IF YOU APPROVE OF ITEM NUMBER FOUR, OPPOSED, SAME SIGN HEARING, NONE.
THE CHAIR MAKES IT UNANIMOUS THAT WE APPROVE ITEM NUMBER FIVE.
SO NOW, UH, WE, UH, LET'S SEE, I THINK THE, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF BANGS LEFT AND WE'VE GOT OUR EYES ON THE CLOCK, BUT, UH, WE HAVE A MONTHLY
[VII. Report]
FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO.DO YOU MIND, I JUST GOING TO MAKE A QUICK COMMENT AND I'M GOT TO HAND IT OVER TO DOTTIE.
UM, I WANT TO REITERATE MY, THANKS TO THE STAFF FOR ALL THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK THAT, UH, KIND OF ALLOWED ME TO, TO WEAR TWO HATS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THE CLARITY THAT THE BOARD HAS PROVIDED.
UM, I FEEL VERY, UH, ENCOURAGED AND PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE.
AND, UH, WE ARE LASER FOCUSED ON, ON, UH, ON OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, UH, MAKING THAT IMPROVE EVERY DAY AND OBVIOUSLY BEING PART OF AN AMAZING TRI-PARTY PARTNERSHIP TO DELIVER THE EXPANSION PROGRAM FOR THE FUTURE.
UM, I APOLOGIZE, IT CAN BE WITH YOU TODAY.
I'M IN, UH, I'M IN QUARANTINE, UNFORTUNATELY.
UH, BUT, UH, I AM REALLY ALSO PROUD TO SEE DOTTIE ON THE DAYAS BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A GOOD TESTAMENT TO THE GREAT TEAM THAT WE HAVE WHERE, UH, EVERY DAY, WHILE WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO WAS BUILD RESILIENCY IN OUR TEAM.
AND, UH, I'M GOING TO ASK DOTTIE TO GO THROUGH OUR MONTHLY PRESIDENT OF REPORT, WHICH WE HAVE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS TO MENTION THIS WEEK.
SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL THE STAFF AND TO THE BOARD.
UH, I AM AVAILABLE OBVIOUSLY, BUT I CAN'T PHYSICALLY BE WITH YOU AND DOTTIE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS
[02:00:01]
TO JUMP IN AND SIT IN, SIT IN THE CHAIR OF THIS MONTH.AND WILL I GET TO TALK TO Y'ALL ABOUT ALL THE FUN STUFF THAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON? SO, UM, FIRST OFF, UM, UH, AS, UH, CHARITY CIVILIAN WAS ABLE TO JOIN US, UM, FOR OUR CELEBRATION OF KIDS, ART, UM, CAPITAL METRO AND PARTNERSHIP WITH CREATIVE ACTION.
UM, FOR THE SECOND TIME NOW HAS INSTALLED WRAPS.
UM, THIS TIME ON FIVE DIFFERENT VEHICLES.
UM, WE ASKED A STUDENT ARTISTS WERE ASKED TO CREATE PIECE PIECES DEPICTING TEXAS FLORA AND FAUNA, AND THE VA, THE RESULTING VEHICLE WRAPS ARE JUST BEAUTIFUL.
UM, THE SELECTED STUDENTS HAD THEIR ART FEATURED ON THE VEHICLES.
THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, A CEREMONY AT THEIR SCHOOLS SO THAT ALL OF THEIR FRIENDS COULD SEE THE, THEIR ART ON THE BUSES.
UM, AS WELL AS WE HAD AN EARTH DAY EVENT CELEBRATING, UM, THE WORK THAT, UM, THE STUDENTS HAVE DONE TO HELP RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS CAPITAL METRO'S COMMITMENT TO THE FULL ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR FLEET.
UM, SO THIS TIME AROUND, WE WERE, UM, EXCITED TO HAVE PARTICIPANTS FROM THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL METRO SERVICE AREA.
UM, WITH TWO SCHOOLS FROM LEANDER ISD, A SCHOOL IN MAYNOR, A SCHOOL IN THE DEL VALLEY DISTRICT, AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL IN THE AUSTIN DISTRICT.
SO MANY THANKS TO THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY AT BAGHDAD ELEMENTARY, BLUEBONNET ELEMENTARY, CC MASON, ELEMENTARY DEL VALLEY ELEMENTARY AND NORMAN SIMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, IT WAS A FABULOUS PROGRAM AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME CELEBRATING IT.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO TOMORROW, CAPITAL METRO TOMORROW AFTER TOMORROW AFTERNOON, UM, IS JOINTLY HOSTING WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP STAFF.
UM, WHAT WE'RE CALLING A TRANSIT INDUSTRY DAY.
UM, WE HAVE OVER 300 VENDORS THAT ARE REGISTERED TO JOIN US FOR A FEW HOURS TOMORROW AFTERNOON TO GIVE FOLKS UPDATES ABOUT FUTURE CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE, UM, THROUGH THE PROGRAM OF PROJECTS THAT, UM, ALL FALL UNDER THE PROJECT CONNECT UMBRELLA.
UM, THIS ALSO GIVES OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, THE OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK WITH SOME OF THE MAJOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FIRMS AND ALL OF THE FIRMS PRESENT TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S COMING OUT, UM, WHAT THE PROCUREMENT GUIDANCE IS GOING TO BE AND, AND, AND WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS CAN BE.
SO THAT THERE'LL BE PREPARED IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO PARTICIPATE IN.
WHAT'S GOING TO BE, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITY.
THIS'LL BE THE FIRST OF MANY SUCH OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, BUT GIVEN WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROGRAM, WE, UM, EACH ORGANIZATION HAD BEEN RECEIVING A LOT OF QUESTIONS FROM THE VENDOR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT WAS COMING UP, AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS BEST TO GET THEM ALL TOGETHER IN ONE ROOM AND START THE CONVERSATION.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
SPEAKING OF PROJECT CONNECT, UM, WE HAVE SOME UPDATES ON OUR CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANTS.
SO, UM, LATE MARCH ON MARCH 25TH, THE SMALL STARTS GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR THE TWO METRO RAPID LINES THAT WILL LAUNCH, UM, IN A LITTLE OVER A YEAR.
THE EXPO IN PLEASANT VALLEY LINES.
THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE SUBMITTED, UM, OUR ORIGINAL SMALL STARTS APPLICATION.
WE FIRST ENTERED THE PROGRAM REQUESTED A 50, 50 LOCAL FEDERAL SPLIT.
UM, BUT OUR FINAL APPLICATION INCLUDED AN 82% INCREASE IN FEDERAL FUNDING WITH THE REQUESTED 65% FEDERAL TO 35% LOCAL SHARE.
AND THAT COST SPLIT IS ACTUALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE NEWLY RELEASED PRESIDENTIAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 22 FUNDING.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO REINVEST FUNDS IN THE REGION, OUR LOCAL FUNDS, AS WELL AS THE INDICATION THAT THAT SHOWS THAT THE FTA IS, IS PLEASED WITH THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND THAT THEY THINK IT'S A PROGRAM WORTH SUPPORTING.
SO ADDITIONALLY BEYOND THAT, UM, WHO, SO WE'RE HOPING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, THIS SUMMER TO GET ASSIGNED SMALL STARTS GRANT APPLICATION, UM, ON THOSE TWO PROJECTS, UM, CAPITAL METRO ALSO REQUESTED AND WAS GRANTED AN EARLY ASSIGNMENT FOR A PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT CONTRACTOR BY THE FTA, THE FTA ON ALL OF THEIR CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROJECTS, ASSIGNS A PMOC TO HELP OVERSEE THE PROCESS AND REALLY GET INTO THE WEEDS AND ENSURE THAT ALL OF THE I'S ARE DOTTED AND T'S ARE CROSSED AS PERTAINS TO THE SPENDING OF FEDERAL MONEY.
SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN ADVANCE OF ENTRY INTO ENGINEERING FOR THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINES.
AND WE ASKED FOR THE EARLY ASSIGNMENT, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX AND DETAILED PROGRAM, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO WASTE ANY TIME.
AS SOON AS WE WERE READY TO START THE ENGINEERING PHASE OF THE PROGRAM, WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE RIGHT INTO IT.
SO WE'RE, UM, WE'VE ALREADY HELD KICKOFF MEETINGS WITH THAT TEAM AND GETTING THEM UP TO SPEED ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEN, UH, NEXT UP IS OUR, UH, CLIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPIONSHIP RECOGNITION.
SO CAPITAL METRO JOINED THE FTA CLIMATE CHALLENGE IN 2021.
UM, AND AS THIS BOARD IS WELL AWARE, WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT.
THIS BOARD, UH, RECENTLY ADOPTED OUR SUSTAINABILITY VISION STATEMENT AND, UM, GIVING POLICY DIRECTION.
AND LAST WEEK ON FRIDAY, WE WERE RECOGNIZED BY
[02:05:01]
THE FTA AS THE LARGE AGENCY CLIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION, UM, DURING A NATIONAL WEBINAR.UM, SO THIS CLIMATE CHALLENGE WILL NOW BE EXPANDED TO THE ENTIRE USD OT.
UM, BUT WE ARE, UM, NOT ONLY COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE, BUT ALSO HONORED TO HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR OUR EFFORTS WHERE THIS IS CONCERNED, UM, AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD WAS AWARE.
AND THEN LASTLY, BEFORE WE CONCLUDE TODAY, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF INTRODUCTIONS TO MAKE OUR EVER GROWING, EXPANDING, UM, IT LEADERSHIP TEAM.
WE HAVE STARTING WITH US TODAY.
WE LOVE TO LET PEOPLE START ON BOARD MEETING DAYS.
I JUST SEEMS TO BE THE WAY IT HAS FALLEN LATELY.
I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UM, TO YOU GUYS, UH, TANYA ACEVEDO, WHO IS OUR NEW CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.
UM, SHE IS A FAMILIAR FACE TO SOME, THIS IS NOT HER FIRST FORAY IN PUBLIC SERVICE, UM, IN THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION, BUT SHE, UM, STARTS TODAY AS OUR CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER.
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO HER EXPERIENCE IN LEADERSHIP AND MOVING US FORWARD, UM, WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY PROGRESS PROGRAMS. SO WELCOME.
UM, AND ALSO WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME MOLLY KING, UM, WHO IS OUR NEW EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF PROJECT CONNECT INTEGRATION.
AS WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT A LOT TODAY, THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN CAPITAL METRO AND THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP STAFF, WE A FEW MONTHS AGO IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR AN EXECUTIVE LEVEL STAFF MEMBER TO REALLY HELP HER, THE CATS ON THE CAPITAL METRO SIDE AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE RIGHT CAPITAL METRO STAFF AND EXPERTISE IS BROUGHT TO THE PROGRAM.
AND SO MOLLY COMES TO US MOST RECENTLY FROM THE NEW YORK MTA, WHERE SHE HELD A SIMILAR, A LOWER ROLE, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HER ON BOARD, SO WELCOME MOLLY.
AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR TODAY.
UM, I, UH, I'M JUST PROUD AND PLEASED WITH THE STAFF THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE, UH, THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE ARE BUILDING, CONTINUING TO BUILD.
UH, I THINK IT SPEAKS VOLUMES.
SO, UM, WELL I THINK NOW, UH, THIS IS ALL THE BUSINESS THAT WE HAVE FOR TODAY.
UH, IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS THAT WE HAVE? IS THERE ANY FURTHER BUSINESS HEARING? NONE.
I GUESS WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED AT 12, 12.