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[Capital Metro Board of Directors Public Hearing on September 11, 2024.]
EVERYONE.WE WILL NOW START OUR PUBLIC HEARING.
TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, AND WE'RE IN THE ROSA PARKS BALLROOM, BOARDROOM OR BALLROOM, UM, AT 29 10 EAST FIFTH STREET.
THE TIME IS NOW 12:00 PM BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR PUBLIC HEARING, I WOULD LIKE TO PAUSE FOR A FEW SECONDS TO REMEMBER THE IMPACT OF THIS DAY IN OUR HISTORY AND TO REMEMBER THE FAMILIES THAT CONTINUE TO BE IMPACTED BY THE EVENTS ON NINE 11.
TODAY'S HEARING, WE WILL BE, WE WILL RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON OUR PROPOSED SPRING 2025 SERVICE CHANGES AS WELL AS OUR PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2025 OPERATING IN CAPITAL BUDGET.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'LL HAVE BRIEF PRESENTATIONS FROM STAFF ON BOTH OF THESE ITEMS AND THEN TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT.
FIRST UP, WE'LL BE OUR PRESENTATION ON OUR PROPOSED BUDGET BY MR. CONLIN.
YEAH, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR ROSS, BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT AND CEO WATKINS.
I'M THE DEPUTY CFO FOR CAP METRO, AND I'M HERE TODAY TO PRESENT HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET FOR OUR PUBLIC HEARING.
I'LL LET THE FAA COMMITTEE KNOW EARLIER TODAY THAT WE HAVE A VERY EXCITING YEAR COMING UP, AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS REFLECTED IN OUR BUDGET.
I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, SENIOR LEADERSHIP, CAP METRO STAFF, AND OUR WONDERFUL BUDGET TEAM FOR THEIR DIRECTION AND HARD WORK IN PUTTING THIS BUDGET TOGETHER.
THE PROPOSED BUDGET TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU AS A BOARD HAVE SET FOR THE AGENCY AND MAKES INVESTMENTS BASED ON YOUR GUIDANCE AND YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE'VE COMPLETED OUR PUBLIC OUTREACH FOR OUR BUDGET, WHICH INCLUDED IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT AT THE LAKELINE STATION, WESTGATE TRANSIT CENTER, NORWOOD TRANSIT CENTER, AND REPUBLIC SQUARE.
IN ADDITION, WE'VE POSTED A VIRTUAL PRESENTATION ONLINE AS WELL, AND THAT'S AVAILABLE THROUGH ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS.
THE WEBINAR IS PRESENTED IN BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH AS WELL.
WE ALSO HAVE A DETAILED BUDGET DOCUMENT POSTED ONLINE ON OUR WEBSITE, WHICH THE BOARD HAS BEEN PROVIDED A COPY OF.
THIS IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE AGENCY'S TOTAL BUDGET.
IT SHOWS TOTAL OPERATING AND CAPITAL EXPENSES OF $704.8 MILLION IN THE CENTER COLUMN TO PROVIDE TRANSIT SERVICE WHILE ALSO ADDING NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS, BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING FOR THE REGION'S GROWTH AS WELL.
THE BUDGET IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND BALANCED AND FUNDED THROUGH VARIOUS REVENUE SOURCES REPRESENTED ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CHART, AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE IS A PROJECTION OF OUR RESERVE AND COMMITMENT BALANCES AT THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025 FOR A TOTAL OF $289.7 MILLION.
I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE'RE PROJECTING TO MEET ALL OF OUR RESERVE REQUIREMENTS WITH NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET AS WELL, AND AS I BRIEFED THE BOARD AND COMMITTEES OVER THE LAST FOUR MONTHS, WE'RE IN GOOD FINANCIAL POSITION AND VERY OPTIMISTIC FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT WE REMAIN VERY GUARDED AS WELL WITH A DOWNTURN IN SALES TAX, THE CURRENT FINANCIAL CLIMATE AND NECESSARY FUNDING FOR LARGE PROJECTS LIKE ZERO EMISSION FLEET, UM, FACILITY NEEDS AND OTHER PROJECTS ON THE HORIZON.
WE'RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE WITH INNOVATIVE MOBILITY INITIATIVES.
WE HAVE $15 MILLION PLANNED IN OUR FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET FOR PICKUP, WHICH IS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ON DEMAND TRANSIT SERVICE.
WE ALSO HAVE $2.4 MILLION IN OUR 25 BUDGET FOR OPERATIONS SYSTEM REPLACEMENT AND EXPANSION OF OUR BIKE SHARE PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
WE HAVE TWO EXCITING PROJECTS TO HIGHLIGHT FOR A FACILITY MASTER PLAN.
WE HAVE $149.1 MILLION OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD FOR A MUCH NEEDED NORTH DEMAND RESPONSE FACILITY, AS WELL AS NORTH AS WELL AS OUR NEW HEADQUARTERS BUILD OUT NEXT DOOR.
WE ALSO HAVE PLEDGED $21.5 MILLION OVER THE NEXT YEAR FOR BUS STOP ENHANCEMENTS TO IMPROVE AMENITIES THROUGHOUT OUR SYSTEM, AND IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE IN CONTINUED GROWTH FOR THE REGION.
PROJECT CONNECT IS THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSIT PLAN THAT WILL EXPAND OUR TRANSIT CAPACITY.
CAP METRO HAS AN ONGOING COMMITMENT TO PROJECT CONNECT THROUGH OUR NEW CAP METRO RAPID EXPO CENTER IN PLEASANT VALLEY LINES AND CONTINUED PROGRESS ON THOSE TWO RAPID LINES.
OUR NEW SOUTH BASED DEMAND RESPONSE FACILITY AND A PROGRAM OF $21.2 MILLION CONTRIBUTION IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM SEQUENCE PLAN.
AND THAT'S GONNA CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING.
BUT I'D LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE BUDGET PROCESS THIS YEAR AND OPEN IT UP TO ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD AND TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
AND THIS IS A PUBLIC, UH, A TIME FOR PUBLIC
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COMMENT.NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, BUT IS THERE ANYONE IN THE ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH THAT, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
UH, NEXT UP WE WILL, UM, RECEIVE A PRESENTATION ON THE SERVICE CHANGES FROM MR. GONZALEZ.
THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON, MS. ROSS PRESENT, CEO WATKINS, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
I'M A DIRECTOR OF PLANNING FOR CAP METRO.
AND BEFORE YOU, WE WILL GO OVER A PROPOSAL OF SERVICE CHANGES FOR THE SPRING PERIOD.
BUT I WANT TO START OFF BY SAYING, NOT ONLY AM I HAPPY TO BE HERE, BUT I'M PROUD AND, UM, JUST HUMBLED AT THE FACT THAT I'M ABLE TO PRESENT THESE TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S BEEN THE CULMINATION OF WORK THAT'S GONE ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BOTH FROM A PLANNING EFFORT, DESIGN EFFORT, CONSTRUCTION EFFORT, AND WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON PROBABLY OUR LARGEST SET OF CHANGES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UH, TOOK PLACE.
SO THESE ARE SIGNIFICANT IN NATURE AND WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS THAT WORKED DIRECTLY FOR CAP METRO THAT SUPPORT OUR, OUR AGENCY THROUGH CONTRACTS AND, AND, AND, AND STAFFING.
AND THEN OUR SISTER AND AGENCIES AND STA AND STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, STATE OF TEXAS, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, A ISD, AND THEN MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR PUBLIC WHO HAVE BEEN PROVIDING A NUMBER OF, OF IMPORTANT PIECES OF FEEDBACK SO THAT WE CAN BRING THESE PROPOSALS TO YOU.
SO THEY'RE, THESE PROPOSALS ARE REFINED OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW YEARS AND HAVE RECEIVED SOME SIGNIFICANT INVOLVEMENT IN, IN, JUST IN THE RECENT MONTHS AND WEEKS.
SO WITH THAT, LET ME PROVIDE TO YOU A A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF WHAT THOSE CHANGES ARE.
AGAIN, I MENTIONED THE FACT THAT THEY'RE SIGNIFICANT.
ONE PART OF IT THAT IS ROUTINE IN WHICH YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD ME COME BY IN IN PREVIOUS PERIODS BEFORE, IT'S TALKED ABOUT JUST MINOR SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS FOR BOTH BUS AND RAIL.
WE DO THAT ON A REGULAR BASIS JUST TO HELP IMPROVE ON TIME PERFORMANCE AND HELP IMPROVE OUR EFFICIENCIES OF SERVICES.
BUT THIS TIME AROUND, WE'RE PLEASED TO PROVIDE TWO NEW SERVICES OR THREE NEW SERVICES IF YOU, IF YOU COUNT ONE OF THEM TWICE, UH, TO OUR SYSTEM.
UH, PICKUP IS OUR DEMAND RESPONSE SERVICE THAT PROVIDES DOOR TO DOOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOLKS TO REACH DIFFERENT PARTS OF THEIR COMMUNITY.
IT'S THE KIND OF SERVICE THAT WORKS VERY WELL IN PORTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE DISCONNECTED BECAUSE OF INCONSISTENT STREET NETWORKS OR SOME LAND USE CHALLENGES.
AND THIS IS THE APPROPRIATE TYPE OF SERVICE THAT THAT HAS BEEN NEEDED AND HAS BEEN LOOKED AT AND HAS BEEN WORKED ON FOR SOME TIME IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, AND I'LL SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER.
AND THAT'S THE PICKUP DECKER ZONE.
THE OTHER, UH, GROUP OF SERVICES ARE METRO RAPID.
UH, THESE ARE SERVICES THAT THAT WILL NOW BRING SOME IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY, FREQUENCY AND DIRECTNESS TO PORTIONS OF OUR EASTERN, UH, PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, BOTH ROUTES ARE DESIGNED TO BE, UH, MORE FREQUENT, UH, LONGER SPANS OF SERVICE, PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY WITH EXISTING SERVICES, AND THEN BUILD UPON SOME OF THE WORK THAT THAT PROJECT CONNECT HAS, HAS BROUGHT FORWARD WITH THE PROGRAM OF PROJECTS.
THE FIRST LINE IS, IS CALLED ROUTE 8 37, UH, COLONY PARK, WINDSOR PARK.
AND THAT PARTICULAR SERVICE STARTS UP IN THE EXPO CENTER, UH, PARK AND RIDE THAT'S BEING UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW AT DECKER AND, AND LOYOLA.
IT TRAVELS THROUGH THE COLONY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, THROUGH THE LBJ, UH, HIGH SCHOOL NEIGHBORHOOD AREA DOWN MAINOR ROAD THROUGH THE MUELLER, UM, COMMUNITY ON ITS WAY DOWN TOWARDS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AND DOWNTOWN, UH, AS IT AS IT ENDS IN IN, UH, REPUBLIC SQUARE.
THE OTHER SERVICE IS CALLED ROUTE 800 PLEASANT VALLEY.
IT STARTS IN THE MUELLER NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WE HAVE KIND OF A CONVERGENCE OF BOTH ROUTES IN THAT AREA.
IT UTILIZES MOST OF THE CORRIDOR OF PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD ALONG THE EASTERN PART OF OUR COMMUNITY AS IT TRAVELS DOWN, UH, PAST A CC EAST EAST VIEW CAMPUS, THE RIVERSIDE CORRIDOR, UH, AND INTO THE DOVE SPRINGS NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE WE JUST INTRODUCED DOVE SPRINGS PICKUP AND THEN TERMINATING NEAR THE GOODNIGHT RANCH EAST SLAUGHTER LANE AREA, WHERE WE'RE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF, OF ACQUIRING PARCEL OF LAND FOR A PARK AND RIDE.
AND SO THE VISION FOR THOSE TWO ROUTES IS TO BRING ABOUT 10 MINUTE SERVICE EVENTUALLY, AND TO UTILIZE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS PART OF THAT SERVICE TO SERVE ALL OF THOSE STATIONS AND STOPS.
AND THOSE TWO PARKING RIDES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE ELECTRIC CHARGING CAPABILITIES FOR THAT NEW FLEET SO THAT OUR FLEET CAN BE IN SERVICE THROUGHOUT ALL THE MOST OF THE DAY.
WHAT WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU OR IS KIND OF OUR STEP APPROACH IN WHICH WE THINK THAT WE'RE CONFIDENT TO BE ABLE TO BRING FORWARD FOR THE SPRING PERIOD, AND I'LL GO OVER THE DETAILS AND WHAT WE'VE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC.
SO WITH THOSE TWO NEW LINES, AS I MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN THE CULMINATION OF YEARS OF WORK.
IT STARTED OFF BEFORE, UH, THE PANDEMIC OR JUST AFTER THE PANDEMIC, WHEN WE WERE WORKING CLOSELY WITH AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP AND THE APPROVAL OF PROJECT CONNECT.
SO THIS IS PART OF THEIR PROGRAM OF PROJECTS.
THERE'S BEEN A ROBUST AMOUNT OF, OF, OF, UH, PUBLIC INPUT THAT'S BEEN PART OF THAT PROCESS, UH, THAT LED UP TO THE VOTE AND THE
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APPROVAL OF PROJECT CONNECT THAT LED US FORWARD TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCES THAT WERE REQUIRED AS PART OF THAT, THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT, UH, SOME CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND CONTINUE TO BE WORKED ON AT THIS POINT.AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO, TO EVOLVE AS WE START TO TEST AND INTRODUCE SERVICE IN THE SPRING OF THIS COMING YEAR.
SO ONE OTHER PARTNER THAT I FORGOT TO MENTION THE VERY BEGINNING IS OUR FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATORS, UH, IN WASHINGTON, WHO HAVE HELPED US, UH, SEEK AND AND ACQUIRE SUCCESSFULLY A GRANT OF OVER $65 MILLION TO HELP FUND THE CONSTRUCTION, UH, OF THE SERVICE AND THE SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO PART OF THAT MONIES ARE BEING USED TO ACQUIRE VEHICLES TO SUPPORT THE CONSTRUCTION OF, OF STATIONS AND THE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE THOSE SERVICES.
UH, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE SERVICES DO PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY TO PORTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY IN, IN EASTERN, UH, AUSTIN AREAS THAT RIGHT NOW HAVE SOME SERVICE, BUT THIS WILL JUST ENHANCE THE SERVICE AND SOME AREAS THAT HAVEN'T RECEIVED SERVICE IN THE PAST.
BUT NOW WE'LL HAVE SOME CONNECTIONS INCLUDING FAR SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, WHERE NOT ONLY WILL WE EXPAND OUR COVERAGE WITH FIXED ROUTE SERVICE, BUT OUR METRO ACCESS, UH, WILL SERVICE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO, TO BE ENTERTAINED IN THAT THOSE AREAS.
OUR INITIAL PHASE OF SERVICE IS ANTICIPATED TO BE IN THE SPRING OF 2025.
WE HAVE NOT DESIGNATED A PARTICULAR DATE FOR THAT.
UH, PART OF THE REASON IS THERE IS SOME TESTING THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED WITH OUR, WITH OUR VEHICLES TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO HIRE STAFF, UH, TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE SERVICE, AND WE ARE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR PORTIONS OF THE ROUTES.
THERE ARE STILL STATIONS THAT ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
OUR PARKING RIDES ARE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA.
AND SO OUR FULL VISION AND OUR FULL SERVICE IMPLEMENTATION IS TO BE IN 2026, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN LAUNCH A SERVICE SOONER THAN THAT AND BRING FORWARD TO, TO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE THAT'S BEEN ASKED ABOUT, THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT.
UH, I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, UH, TO PREVIOUS BOARDS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN COMING FORWARD.
UH, WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN DELIVER THIS SERVICE IN THE SPRING.
I MENTIONED TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN OUR VISION AS WELL AS THE PARKING RIDES.
UH, THE ATTACK, THE FOLLOWING SLIDE SHOWS KIND OF A DETAILED IN THE GOODNIGHT RANCH SOUTHERN PORTION OF ROUTE 800 PLEASANT VALLEY, WHERE WE ARE GOING TO SITUATE OURSELVES IN A TEMPORARY LOCATION JUST EAST OF THE PARCEL THAT WE'RE SEEKING TO ACQUIRE TO BE ABLE TO BUILD A PARKING RIDE.
UH, THAT'LL ENABLE US TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE THE SURFACE IN THAT AREA INITIALLY.
BOTH ROUTES WILL OPERATE WITH DIESEL VEHICLES, UH, WHILE WE CONTINUE TO TRANSITION OUR ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
IF THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE SEEN SOME OF OUR FACILITIES, UH, RECENTLY HAVE NOTICED THAT ELECTRIC VEHICLES HAVE STARTED TO ARRIVE, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE, ARE HERE IN PLACE.
WE'RE ALSO STARTING CONSTRUCTION HERE AT 29 10 TO HELP, UH, ENABLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE TO BE DEPLOYED HERE.
THAT'S STILL ONGOING AT THE MOMENT.
SO TO BE ABLE TO LAUNCH THE SERVICE, WE'RE GOING TO LAUNCH WITH OUR EXISTING FLEET THAT WE HAVE IN HOUSE.
AND THEN AS WE CONTINUE TO, UH, DEVELOP OUR ELECTRIC FLEET, THAT FLEET WILL SLOWLY TRANSITION INTO SERVICE.
MEANWHILE, AS WE HAVE AVAILABILITY AND WITH ELECTRIC FLEET, THOSE WILL BE USED UTILIZED STRATEGICALLY OR IN AND AROUND OUR FLEET AND OUR, IN AROUND OUR SYSTEM AS WE DO NOW, UH, WITH, WITH WHAT WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT.
EVENTUALLY, BOTH PARKING RIDES WILL INCLUDE PARKING SPACES AND THE LINE CHARGING TO SUPPORT CONTINUOUS DAILY OPERATION OF OUR SERVICES.
BUT THAT IS, UM, TO COME IN THE NEXT YEAR IN THE NORTHERN END, ON ROUTE 8 37 EXPO CENTER, PARK AND RIDE, UH, IS IS GOING TO BE BUILT AND HAS ALREADY STARTED CONSTRUCTION IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO, TO GO LOOK IN THE AREA.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE SITUATED WITHIN THE CONFINES OF WHERE THE EXPO CENTER FACILITY IS AT.
AND THAT'S A, A PARTNERSHIP THAT WE WERE ABLE TO REACH BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY, OURSELVES AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT LAND AND TO BE ABLE TO SITUATE OURSELVES IN THAT AREA.
AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE, WE WILL BE SITUATING OURSELVES ON DECKER LA LANE JUST SOUTH OF, ON LOYOLA LANE, JUST SOUTH OF DECKER.
UM, AS, AS WE, AS WE CONTINUE FORWARD WITH OUR CONSTRUCTION IN THAT AREA.
SO THE MAPS SHOWED A NUMBER OF STATIONS IN THAT AREA.
APPROXIMATELY 80 STATIONS ARE BEING BUILT TO SUPPORT SERVICE ON BOTH ROUTES IN THAT AREA.
THESE ARE LARGER THAN NORMAL STATIONS.
THEY REQUIRE MORE INFRASTRUCTURE TO BE DEVELOPED.
UM, THEY REQUIRE SOME COORDINATION WITH DIFFERENT ENTITIES.
THIS IS PARTICULAR ONE HAD REQUIRED COORDINATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ON CAMPUS.
UH, THEY PROVIDE THE MORE COORDINATION IS REQUIRED BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE THE STRUCTURES A LITTLE BIT LARGER, THEY, THEY ALSO HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE EMBEDDED IN THEM TO ENABLE US TO BE ABLE TO EITHER ILLUMINATE THEM, PROVIDE SECURITY CAMERAS, UH, AND, AND THEN REAL-TIME INFORMATION IN AREAS ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED SOME CONSTRUCTION THAT, THAT'S BEEN OCCURRING.
THOSE ARE TO ENABLE US TO INTEGRATE WITH PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES.
SO THAT REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT COORDINATION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DIVISION, AS WELL AS INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, FOLKS.
SO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE DRAINAGE, NOT AFFECT UNDERGROUND UTILITIES, AND THEN STILL BE ABLE TO, TO, UH, MULTI TO ALLOW MULTI
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USES OF, OF THAT AREA.SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, THAT CONTINUE FORWARD AS WE SPEAK TODAY UPON THE START OF THE SERVICE.
SHOULD THERE NOT BE A A STATION THAT THAT IS READY TO GO, WE WILL BE DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO, TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATE STATION IN AND AROUND ITS VICINITY.
BUT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WITH THE WORK THAT WE'VE COMPLETED TO THIS POINT AND THAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO, TO INSTRUCT, UH, PASSENGERS THAT THEIR STATION WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THEIR SERVICE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, OUR ESSENTIAL ITEMS. YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE, UM, REALTIME INFORMATION AND OTHER PIECES, BUT SHELTERS AND BENCHES ARE BEING PRIORITIZED FOR THOSE, FOR THOSE FACILITIES SO THAT WHEN WE'RE READY FOR OPERATION, THOSE ARE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT THE COMFORT OF OUR PASSENGERS.
SO WITH THE, THE INTRODUCTION OF SERVICE, OUR VISION IS ULTIMATELY TO PROVIDE AS PER THE GRANT AND AS PER WHAT WE OPERATE WITH OTHER METRO RAPID SERVICES, NAMELY 8 0 1 AND 8 0 3 THAT ARE IN SERVICE TODAY, IS PROVIDE A HIGHER FREQUENCY LEVEL OF SERVICE.
AND THAT MEANS 10 MINUTES, UH, DURING WEEKDAYS AND 15 MINUTES ON SATURDAYS AND SOME DAYS TO INTRODUCE THESE TWO SERVICES WE'RE PROPOSING AT THE MOMENT TO START OFF WITH 20 MINUTE SERVICE DURING THE DAY, WEEKDAYS, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS, AND 30 MINUTE SERVICE AT THE OFF PEAK THAT IS NAMELY AT THE EVENING.
THAT'S PROBABLY THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF, OF, OF COMMENT THAT WE'VE HEARD THUS FAR FROM THE PUBLIC, EITHER IN, IN MEETINGS OR WHEN WE'VE DONE DIRECT OUTREACH OR VIA, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS PROMISED BEFORE AND WHAT HAS BEEN PROMISED AND WHY ARE WE BEING DELIVERED, UH, A CHANGE IN THAT SERVICE.
WE WANT TO BE ASSURED THAT WE CAN DELIVER UPON THIS SERVICE AS SOON AS WE CAN.
SO WE BELIEVE THAT THIS, THIS SERVICE LEVEL WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE'LL PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY IN, IN SOME CASES IT DOESN'T EXIST, BUT NOW WILL EXIST AT THIS AREA AS WE WORK TOWARDS OUR GOAL TO START TO, TO UPDATE AND UPGRADE OUR SERVICE TO THE 10 TO 15 MINUTE SERVICE.
AND AS WE START TO TRANSITION OUR ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES INTO, INTO THE SERVICE AS WE CONTINUE TO CONSTRUCT OUR PARKING RIDES.
SO NO ONE HAS SAID THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE WITH OUR VISION.
WHAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTOOD IS THAT WE'RE STARTING OFF WITH THIS STEP AS WE MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS THE NEXT STEP.
BECAUSE THESE, THIS IS OUR A MAJOR SERVICE CHANGE.
THIS IS THE INTRODUCTION OF TWO ROUTES INTO OUR SYSTEM.
IT REQUIRES A TITLE SIX ANALYSIS, AND THIS TITLE SIX, UH, REQUIREMENT IS TO, TO TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE INVESTMENTS HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT ON MINORITY AND OR, UH, HOUSEHOLDS WITH WITH LOWER INCOMES.
AND SO OUR CENSUS ANALYSIS IN LOOKING AT THE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE BEING, UH, MADE INTO THESE AREAS, FINDS THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE OR DISPARATE IMPACT ON EITHER ONE OF THOSE POPULATIONS.
IN FACT, THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING WILL ACTUALLY BENEFIT MORE OF THESE POPULATIONS THAN THAN OTHER AREAS.
AND SO THIS IS A POSITIVE, UH, INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THESE ARE AREAS THAT, THAT HAVE SOME NEEDS IN THAT AREA THAT CONTINUE TO DEVELOP, THAT ARE DEVELOPING.
UH, AND SO THESE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND THE RIGHT PATH FOR OUR SERVICE.
I MENTIONED THAT THE, AT THE ONSET, THAT THIS IS THE CULMINATION AND ACTUALLY THE CONTINUATION OF, OF, OF OUTREACH THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME NOW.
IT STARTED OFF JUST BEFORE THE ADOPTION OF, OF PROJECT CONNECT UPON THE ADOPTION.
WE CONTINUED FORWARD TO ADVISE THE COMMUNITY OF WHAT WE WERE OR WHERE OUR PLANS WITH METRO RAPID AND OTHER SERVICES THAT CONTINUED FORWARD INTO PHASE TWO, WHICH WE LAUNCHED EARLIER THIS SUMMER WITH SOME MORE, UH, TARGETED INFORMATION REGARDING THESE TWO ROUTES, UH, FROM THE PROGRAM OF SERVICES THEY INCLUDED AT STOP SIGNAGE, UM, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, DIRECT DOOR TO DOOR, UM, FLYERS, UM, COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UH, ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMITTEES, OPERATOR ENGAGEMENT, JUST A NUMBER OF THINGS, INCLUDING WHAT WE SEE TODAY WITH A PUBLIC HEARING.
AND WHAT WE WILL SEE IN TWO WEEKS WITH A PUBLIC MEETING ONCE THIS PHASE IS, IS COMPLETED, THE WORK DOES NOT STOP.
IN FACT, IT ACTUALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, BUILDS UPON THAT AS WE MOVE INTO PHASE THREE, WHICH IS THE IMPLEMENTATION, IMPLEMENTATION PART.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE BECOME MORE TARGETED AND INTO, UH, WHAT DATES WOULD WE START TO SEE THE OPERATION? HOW WILL THIS WORK IN THE AREA? AND ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC AS TO HOW AND WHEN THE SERVICE WILL BE IN PLACE.
AND SO THAT WILL CONTINUE ON, UH, BETWEEN NOW AND THE START OF SERVICE.
AND LET ME PROVIDE A A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF DECKER, BECAUSE I TOUCHED UPON IT JUST BRIEFLY AT THE BEGINNING.
THE DECKER PICKUP IS OUR 12TH ZONE OF THE, OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE FOR PICKUP SERVICE, THE DEMAND RESPONSE, UM, SERVICE THAT PROVIDES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH AREAS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO REACH WITH TRADITIONAL FIX DROP BUS.
IT PROVIDES CON CONNECTIVITY IN THIS PORTION OF NORTHEAST AUSTIN, BOUNDED BY US TWO 90 ON THE NORTH AT BLUESTEIN ON THE WEST, UH, DECKER LANE ON THE EAST AND EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING FM 9 69 ON THE SOUTHERN PARK.
THERE ARE AREAS THAT KIND OF TRAVEL A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THAT AREA.
THE ZONE IS TAILORED IN A WAY THAT MEETS ALL OF THESE COM, UH, LAND USES THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACH OUT TO.
THERE ARE SCHOOLS IN THE AREA, COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE.
IT WILL BE SERVED BY THIS AREA.
SPRINGDALE SHOPPING CENTER, WHICH HOUSES
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ONE OF THE, THE AREAS LOCAL, UM, HEBS GROCERY STORES WILL BE SERVED BY THIS AREA, PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THAT AREA.AND THEN ALSO OVERLAPS ON EXISTING FIXED ROUTES IN AND AROUND THAT AREA.
ONE THING WE'VE BEEN ASKED BY THE COMMUNITY IS WHETHER OR NOT ANYTHING WILL CHANGE IN THIS AREA ONCE WE INTRODUCE PICKUP AND WILL ROUTES CHANGE UNDER THIS PROPOSAL.
PICKUP SERVICE WILL BE INTRODUCED ON TOP OR UNDERLAID REGULAR FIXED ROUTE SERVICES.
SO THERE ARE NO OTHER CHANGES PROPOSED TO THE FIXED ROUTES IN THAT AREA.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT LATER ON WE COULDN'T SEE SOME EFFICIENCIES AND SOME THINGS TO DEVELOP IN THAT AREA.
BUT FOR NOW, THIS IS THE PROPOSAL.
THE SERVICE WOULD START AND OPERATE SIMILAR AS WHAT WE DO WITH MOST ALL OF THE ZONES, WEEKDAYS FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AND SATURDAYS 10:00 AM TO 6:00 PM AND THIS IS ANOTHER PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'RE PROUD TO, TO ANNOUNCE, AND THAT TRAVIS COUNTY HAS, IS HELPING TO FUND, UH, THIS PARTICULAR SERVICE.
IT WAS PART OF THEIR TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN WORK WHERE THEY MADE SIGNIFICANT OUTREACH EFFORTS TO DETERMINE WHAT THE NEEDS WERE FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
THEY WERE ABLE TO INCORPORATE IT INTO THEIR PLAN BUDGET FOR THAT.
SO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRAVIS COUNTY COUNTY, WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF SOME PREVIOUS, UH, COORDINATION EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE WITH TRAVIS COUNTY.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS IN MAINOR, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO DO PORTIONS WITHIN THE MAINOR CITY LIMITS, AND THEN PORTIONS JUST OUTSIDE DUE TO THE, THE, UH, RESPONSIVENESS AND, AND HELPFULNESS OF TRAVIS COUNTY WITH IN TERMS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
UH, PHASE ONE STARTED ACTUALLY EARLY ON IN THE SPRING.
AS WE GAUGED FROM THE COMMUNITY, THEIR INTEREST IN, IN PICKUP SERVICE, WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE KIND OF A, KIND OF AN AREA OF WHERE WE THINK THE NEEDS WERE AND THEN USE THAT INFORMATION TO HELP REFINE THAT ZONE.
WE WENT BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND ASK THEM AGAIN, IS, ARE THESE THE AREAS THAT YOU TOLD US? ARE THESE THE AREAS THAT NEED TO BE SERVED? AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL MINOR REFINEMENTS BECAUSE OF SOME THINGS WE HEARD.
SO WHAT WE SEE TODAY HAS BEEN PROCESSED THROUGH THE PUBLIC, UH, PROCESS IN THAT AREA.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO, TO ADDRESS, UH, MOST ALL, IF NOT ALL OF THE, THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT CHANGES CAN'T BE DUE IN THE FUTURE, AND WE DON'T SEE DEVELOPMENT THAT MAY, UH, REQUIRE US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THINGS.
BUT WE BELIEVE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE MOST EVERYONE'S, UH, REQUESTS UNDER THE, THE CURRENT, UH, ZONES BOUNDARY UPON APPROVAL, UH, SIMILAR TO WHAT METRO RAPID DOES, WE WILL MOVE TOWARDS OUR IMPLEMENTATION PHASE WHERE WE WILL BE MORE TARGETED IN OUR, IN OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE SERVICE WILL BEGIN.
UH, AND THIS ONE DOES HAVE AN EXACT START DATE.
SO WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE COMMUNITY AS WE GET MOVE FORWARD.
SO IN SUMMARY, OUR OUR CHANGES ARE AS FOLLOWS.
UH, WE WILL MAKE SOME MINOR SCHEDULED ADJUSTMENTS TO BUS AND RAIL.
THOSE FINAL ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE, UM, DETERMINED AND WILL BE PUBLICIZED TO THE PUBLIC ONCE WE REACH THAT, THAT POINT.
THOSE WOULD TAKE EFFECT ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2015.
UH, THE NEXT DAY WEEKDAY, WHICH WOULD BE MONDAY, JANUARY 13TH.
THAT IS WHEN WE WOULD LOOK TO INTRODUCE PICKUP SERVICE BECAUSE PICKUP SERVICE OPERATES WEEKDAYS AND SATURDAYS.
AND THEN FOR THE METRO RAPID SERVICES, THE EXACT DATE FOR IMPLEMENTATION IS STILL PENDING, UH, UPON COMPLETION OF, OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE CONTINUING ON RIGHT NOW, AND THEN SOME TESTING THAT STILL NEEDS TO OCCUR WITH OUR VEHICLES AS WELL AS THE CONTINUATION OF HIRING OF STAFF IN THAT AREA.
SO OUR GOAL RIGHT NOW IS TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION AS FOLLOWS, UH, SEEK PUBLIC INPUT THAT AT THIS MONTH'S BOARD MEETING, WE WILL ASK THE BOARD, UH, TO, TO ALLOW US TO, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION FOR OUR PRESIDENT'S, CEO OR HER DESIGNEE, TO, TO APPROVE AND FINALIZE AND EXECUTE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE SERVICE CHANGES.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL HAND IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
SO THIS IS A TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
THERE IS NO ONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? OKAY, WITH THAT, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ANY COMMENTS? JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON THE, ON THE ROLLOUT OF THE, THE 800 AND THE, UH, 8 37, UM, THE, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA PHASED APPROACH WITH THE INITIAL, WITH THE 20 MINUTE SERVICE, FULL SERVICE AT WHAT IS GONNA BE THE TIMETABLE, UH, FOR, UH, YEAH, THE, I'M, I'M SORRY.
LIKE HOW EVERY 20 MINUTES IS THE, THE ROLLOUT, ONCE WE GET TO FULL SERVICE, HOW FREQUENTLY WILL THE BUSES BE RUNNING? SO WE WILL MIMIC WHAT WE DO WITH OUR OTHER TWO METRO RAPIDS.
SO THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE DAY, FROM MORNING UNTIL EARLY EVENING, WE'LL BE AT 10 MINUTES EVENTUALLY WITH WEEKDAY SERVICE, AND THEN FOR MOST OF THE DAY, SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS FROM MORNING UNTIL EARLY EVENING AT 15 MINUTES OKAY.
AND, UH, I GUESS, AND A QUESTION, BUT ONE OF THE, THE REASONS THAT WE'RE ROLLING IT OUT, AGAIN, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING WOULD BE, UH, IN THIS MANNER OF KIND OF A PHASE ROLLOUT IS BECAUSE WE ARE STILL GETTING OUR, UH, OUR ELECTRIC BUSES ON ONLINE.
UH, AND I GUESS THE QUESTION I GUESS WOULD BE RIGHT NOW, DO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES
[00:25:01]
TO DO KIND OF A, A, A, YOU KNOW, A 10 MINUTE, A 15 MINUTE, OR WE NEED TO GET THOSE BUSES, UH, UH, RUNNING BEFORE WE CAN GET UP TO THAT LEVEL OF FREQUENCY? YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION OF DIVISION IS TO OPERATE THIS SERVICE WITH OUR ZERO EMISSION, UH, ELECTRIC BUSES.TO DO THAT REQUIRES THE COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS GARAGE AND START AND COMPLETE THE, THE CONSTRUCTION ON THE, ON THE NORTHERN GARAGE, AS WELL AS THE DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION OF THE BRAND NEW PARK, THE TWO NEW PARKING RIDES THAT I SPOKE OF.
WITHOUT THAT, ABSENT THAT THOSE VEHICLES, THE WAY THEY'RE DESIGNED TO OPERATE DON'T HAVE THE CAPABILITIES TO BE OUT THERE AT, AT FULL PERIOD.
THAT'S WHY WE WILL USE THEM STRATEGICALLY WITHIN THE SYSTEM WHERE THEY FIT.
MEANWHILE, TRANSITION SOME DIESEL BUSES TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE THE SERVICE.
SO THAT IS PART OF THE EQUATION IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION, THEN DO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES? THAT'S PART OF OUR, OUR, UH, ONGOING WORK TO CONTINUE TO HIRE, UH, THE RIGHT STAFF, NOT JUST FROM THE OPERATORS STANDPOINT, BUT FROM THE MECHANIC STANDPOINT AND THE TECHNICIAN STANDPOINT TO SUPPORT THESE SERVICES.
AND SO THE 20 MINUTE SERVICES, WHAT WE, WHAT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN DELIVER UPON IF WE ARE TO STRETCH FURTHER, UH, THERE ARE, I, WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE PIECES IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT AT THIS POINT, BUT WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER SOMETHING TO THE COMMUNITY SOONER RATHER THAN WAIT.
IF I CAN JUMP IN AND, AND ROBERTO, UM, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.
THE REAL LINCHPIN FOR OUR ABILITY TO GET TO THE FREQUENCY RIGHT NOW IS THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE PARK AND RIGHTS.
UM, BECAUSE A BATTERY ELECTRIC BUS DOESN'T HA CAN'T STAY OUT ALL DAY, IT CAN ONLY STAY OUT ABOUT HALF THE DAY.
UM, WE CAN'T USE THE BATTERY ELECTRIC BUSES WE BOUGHT FOR THESE LINES EXCLUSIVELY TO RUN THESE LINES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO INSTEAD WE'LL SPRINKLE THOSE THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE SYSTEM.
BUT THAT KIND OF DOMINO SHUFFLE WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY CHARGING AT THE END OF THE LINE, WE CAN'T GET TO THE FREQUENCY.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY, UM, THE LONG PULL IN THE TENT AS THEY MIGHT SAY AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND THE THING THAT IS, IS HOLDING US UP THE MOST, UM, AS ROBERTO MENTIONED, WE ARE, UM, UNDERWAY AT THE EXPO CENTER, AND WE ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO FINALIZE THE LAND ACQUISITION AT GOODNIGHT RANCH.
UH, AND, UH, I APPRECIATE THE ANSWER AND I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND, UH, ESPECIALLY THE ROLLOUT WITH, UH, ELECTRIC BUSES, AGAIN, FOR VARIOUS REASONS HAS BEEN SLOWER THAN, THAN WE WOULD LIKE.
AND THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, OPERATIONAL CONCERNS.
AND AGAIN, WE GOTTA GET THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO PLACE.
UH, LAST, UH, A QUESTION ON THIS, AND THIS IS REALLY MORE HONESTLY FROM THE, THE OPERATORS, UH, UH, SOME HANDFUL OF OPERATORS THAT I, I SPOKE WITH, BUT, UH, ARE THERE GONNA BE BATHROOMS AT DECKER? YES.
UH, AND THE GOODNIGHT RANCH? YEAH.
AND SO ALL OF OUR NEWEST FACILITIES, AND IN MY TIME HERE THAT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH HAVE INCLUDED FACILITIES FOR OUR OPERATORS.
I MEAN, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE KNOW THAT HELPS US BOTH FROM A PERSONAL NEED, BUT IN AN OPERATIONAL NEED AS WELL TOO.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A CHALLENGE AND IT'S A BURDEN.
AND USING PRIVATE FACILITIES OR GETTING PERMISSION OR PAIN IS CHALLENGING.
SO WE'VE ALWAYS, UH, ERRED ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION AND SAY, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO, TO PROVIDE THOSE FACILITIES FOR OUR, OUR STAFF.
THAT'S A, A VERY, UH, REASSURING AND I'M VERY GLAD TO, UH, TO HEAR THAT.
I SAID A HANDFUL OF IT, BEEN AT VARIOUS EVENTS AND, AND TALKED TO A HANDFUL OF OPERATORS WHO EXPRESSED THAT AS A CONCERN.
'CAUSE ESPECIALLY THE GOODNIGHT RANCH ONE THAT'S WAY OUT THERE.
AND, AND WE HAVE MADE THE COMMITMENT TO OUR WORKFORCE THAT WE WILL IDENTIFY UNTIL WE GET THOSE FACILITIES BUILT AT THE PARK AND RIDES.
WE WILL IDENTIFY LOCATIONS ALONG THE ROUTE, WORK WITH PRIVATE BUSINESS OWNERS, SCHOOLS, WHOMEVER WE NEED TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE ADEQUATE RESTAURANT FACILITIES.
THAT'S JUST A, AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT, UM, FOR THE WELLBEING OF, OF OUR STAFF AND, AND JUST OUR ABILITY TO RUN THE SERVICE.
SO WE WILL NOT START WITHOUT A PLAN FOR WHERE THEY CAN, UM, TAKE CARE OF THEIR PERSONAL NEEDS WHEN NECESSARY.
AND JUST OUTTA, BECAUSE I KNOW THE SOUTH CONGRESS TRANSIT CENTER AND THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER BOTH HAVE, UH, RESTROOMS FOR OPERATORS, RIGHT? YES.
UH, AND THEN, SO GOODNIGHT RANCH, AND THEN, UH, THE, THE DECKER, UH, UH, CORRECT.
UH, END OF LINE, RIGHT? THERE ARE, ARE THERE OTHER FACILITIES? UH, AGAIN, JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, WEST'S THE TRANSIT CENTER, LEANDER PARK AND RIDE TECH RIDGE DECK.
IT'S ACTUALLY EASIER TO SAY WHICH ONES DON'T.
SOME OF OUR OLDEST, LIKE PAVILION PARKING, RIDE PAVILION, PARKING RIDE, NOT HAVE, DOESN'T.
AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, A CHALLENGE AT THAT PERIOD AND STUFF.
BUT WHEN WE ARRIVED AND, AND MOST OF THE STAFF IS HERE, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE, THAT WE WORKED ON, AND WE FELT THAT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, THAT SHOULDN'T BE THE, THE NORM AS WE MOVED FORWARD WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF OUR NEWEST FACILITIES.
AND AGAIN, VERY HAPPY TO, UH, TO HEAR THAT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? OKAY, WELL WE THAT
[00:30:01]
WE WILL CALL THIS HEARING TO A CLOSE AT 1230.