[00:00:06]
AND SO I'M GONNA DROP IT WHENEVER WE NEED TO SEE PEOPLE'S FACES, AND THEN I'LL PULL IT BACK UP AND DOWN, JUST SO YOU KNOW.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR THE A TP BOARD MEETING.
UM, I'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
TODAY IS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21ST, AND THE TIME IS 2:05 PM UM, I BELIEVE TODAY WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR THIS MONTH'S ACTION ITEMS, SO THERE WILL BE NO SPEAKERS.
[II.1. Community Engagement and Involvement Update]
INTO OUR MONTHLY PROGRAM UPDATES.SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE AGENDA, WE ARE MOVING ON TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO.
SO OUR FIRST DISCUSSION ITEM TODAY IS THE MONTHLY UPDATE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT FROM JACKIE BERG.
GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD MEMBERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CLARK.
UM, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO GIVE YOU TODAY'S UPDATE ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT.
SO, JUST TO RECAP WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN JANUARY, UH, WE HAD OUR SCOPING MEETINGS.
UM, WE HAD A ORANGE AND BLUE LINE, THE NEPA LIVE AND SELF-GUIDED MEETINGS, WHICH WE HAD A TOTAL PARTICIPATION ON ALL OF THOSE OF 29, 2966, ALMOST 3000 PEOPLE.
UM, AND THEN OUR FEBRUARY MEETINGS FOR METRO RAPID EXPO IN PLEASANT VALLEY LINES, UM, HAD 919 PARTICIPANTS.
NEXT SLIDE TO RECAP WHERE WE ARE ON OUR COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
UM, THE CAC, THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS BEEN, UH, THE MEMBERSHIP HAS BEEN APPROVED, AND WE ARE SET TO HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING ON MONDAY, APRIL 26TH, UH, AT 5:00 PM YOU SHOULD HAVE A CALENDAR INVITATION ALREADY.
IF YOU DON'T, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME.
I'M HAPPY TO SEND THAT AGAIN TO YOU.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING APPLICATIONS FOR THE THREE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES TO THE BOARD, THE ENGINEERING ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE, FINANCE AND RISK ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THE PLANNING, SUSTAINABILITY EQUITY AND DBE ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS FOR THOSE COMMITTEES CLOSE ON FRIDAY.
UM, AND SO YOU WILL BE RECEIVING ALL OF THOSE APPLICATIONS FIRST THING NEXT WEEK.
AND WE ARE WORKING TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING OUR WORKING GROUPS, UM, AND PLAN TO HAVE THE FIRST OF THOSE MEETINGS IN LATE MAY.
SO WE'LL HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU ON THOSE AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING IN MAY.
AND SO, JUST TO SHOW YOU WHERE WE ARE IN OUR TIMELINE WITH BOTH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE, UH, THE BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEES, UM, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE HAVING OUR FIRST MEETING, UH, IN LATE APRIL, AS WAS DESIGNATED IN THAT TIMELINE WE PRESENTED LAST MONTH.
UM, AND WE ARE IN THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THE THREE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES, EXCUSE ME, THE THREE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES TO THE BOARD, UH, THROUGH THIS FRIDAY.
UH, COMMU, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBER APPOINTMENTS WILL BE IN EARLY MAY AND, UM, APPROVED AT THE MAY BOARD MEETING.
AND WE PLAN TO INITIATE THE FIRST OF THOSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN JUNE.
NOW, FOR OUR UPCOMING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING INTO KIND OF A BUSY PERIOD HERE.
WE JUST YESTERDAY HAD OUR FIRST INTERAGENCY TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP MEETING.
THESE ARE ALL THE AGENCIES AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES THAT ARE OUR PARTNERS, UM, IN DEVELOPING THE TECHNICAL, UH, GUIDANCE FOR THE PROGRAM.
UH, ON, UH, TOMORROW, ACTUALLY APRIL 22ND, TOMORROW EVENING, WE HAVE OUR RELAUNCH OF THE PROJECT CONNECT AMBASSADOR NETWORK, THE PCAN PECAN.
ON APRIL 26TH, WE HAVE OUR FIRST COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
UM, AND THEN NEXT WEEK AS WELL, ON THE 26TH THROUGH THE 25TH, WE'RE LAUNCHING OUR SELF-GUIDED VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE, UH, FOR LET'S TALK STATIONS.
WE'RE GONNA DO A DEEP DIVE WITH THE COMMUNITY ON HOW THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CRITERIA THAT GO INTO MAKING THESE TOUGH DECISIONS ABOUT WHERE STATIONS ARE LOCATED, HOW THEY'RE DESIGNED, WHAT AMENITIES ARE INCLUDED, AND, UM, HOW THE CONTEXT OF THOSE STATIONS, WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
AND THIS IS PART OF A STRATEGY TO LET THE COMMUNITY SEE PEEK UNDER THE HOOD, AS IT WERE, TO
[00:05:01]
LET US, TO LET FOLKS SEE HOW WE MAKE THESE TECHNICAL DECISIONS SO THAT WE CAN BRING THE COMMUNITY ALONG THIS JOURNEY WITH US.SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THOSE.
THERE WILL BE THREE LIVE COMMUNITY VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS, UM, STARTING, UH, TUESDAY, THE A APRIL THE 27TH WILL BE THE FIRST ONE, THE 28TH, THE SECOND, AND THE THIRD WILL BE ON APRIL 29TH.
SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AT THOSE NEXT SLIDE.
SO AS FAR AS OTHER, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, WE ARE IN DEVELOPMENT STAGE OF A COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM ON RAIL, TRANSIT AND DESIGN AND ENGINEERING, AND OTHER TECHNICAL TOPICS, UM, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT ON IN JUNE OR JULY.
AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY ALONG IN THIS PROCESS AND TELLING THE STORY OF HOW OUR DECISIONS AND MILES, HOW WE REACH OUR MILESTONES, UM, TO SORT OF DEMYSTIFY THE PROCESS FOR EVERYONE.
UM, WE'RE ALSO PLANNING A CAP METRO, A TP BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL BLEW AN ORANGE LINE ALIGNMENT TOUR VIA BUS TO DISCUSS DESIGN CONCEPTS.
AND WE'RE ALSO DEVELOPING A PLAN TO DO ALIGNMENT TOURS FOR THE PUBLIC OVER THE SUMMER, INCLUDING POSSIBLY A CYCLING TOUR OF THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINE.
AND THEN FINALLY, MAY 11TH, WE ARE DOING AN A TP PRESENTATION TO THE MULTI-ETHNIC CHAMBER ALLIANCE, ALSO KNOWN AS MECCA.
AND NOW I'LL HAND IT OVER TO, UNLESS YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I CAN HAND IT OVER TO DAVE COUCH, WHO WILL GIVE US THE MONTHLY PROGRAM UPDATE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? YEAH, VERONICA.
UH, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE UPDATE, JACKIE.
THESE SEVEN OR EIGHT CANDIDATES IN DECEMBER THAT WERE RECOMMENDED BY CITY COUNCIL AND THE, UM, THE BOARD OF CAP METRO, UM, FOR THESE SUBCOMMITTEES, HAVE WE REACHED OUT TO THEM TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE STILL INTERESTED IN APPLYING FOR THE THREE TECHNICAL COMMITTEES? YES, WE HAVE.
AND WE'VE STARTED TO RECEIVE SOME OF THEIR PREFERENCES FOR WHERE THEY WOULD LIKE TO PLUG IN.
ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR JACKIE? UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, JACKIE.
[II.2. Project Connect Technical Update]
ON TO OUR SECOND DISCUSSION ITEM IS THE MONTHLY PROJECT, UM, CONNECT TECHNICAL UPDATE FROM DAVE COUCH.UH, GOOD AFTERNOON BOARD MEMBERS, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CLARK.
UH, I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU FIRST AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE, UH, WITH SOME OF THE PROGRESS IN THE FIELD AND THE ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES.
UH, COINCIDENTALLY, IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT THE BACK CORNER OF 700 LAVA TODAY, YOU'D SEE A DRILL RIG TAKING SOIL SAMPLES, UH, ON GUADALUPE FOR THE TUNNEL.
UH, THAT WILL RUN UP AND DOWN THE, THESE ARE, THOSE ARE NOT THE PHOTOS THAT ARE HERE, UH, BUT THAT'S THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE BEEN MAKING.
UH, AS WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD, UH, WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THE 15% DESIGN, DOING REVIEWS, UH, DID SOME THIS MORNING, WE'LL DO MORE NEXT WEEK.
UH, SNOWBOARDING FOR THE BRIDGE AND THE LAKE CROSSING WE'RE COMPLETED A WHILE AGO.
UH, WE'RE WORKING ON THE RIGHT OF WAY PLANS AND WHAT THE POTENTIALS ARE FOR SMALL TAKES AND OTHER ACTIVITIES AND THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED FOR THE ALIGNMENT.
CLOSE COORDINATION WITH THE CITY FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE WAYS THERE AND THINGS FOR BIKES, FOR PET, UH, FOR ALL OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE THAT TRANSPORTATION.
UH, WE'VE IDENTIFIED AND COMPLETED THE HERITAGE TREE SURVEY, UH, GONE THROUGH ARCHEOLOGICAL, UH, AND FIELD INVESTIGATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOR ALL OF PHASE ONE.
UH, AND WE'RE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF THE UTILITY STRIP MAPS SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY WHAT THE UTILITIES ARE AND THEN GO FORWARD WITH SEW WORK, UH, TO GET EXACT LOCATIONS FOR UTILITIES, UH, THAT WE KNOW WILL HAVE TO BE RELOCATED OR CHANGED IN ELEVATION AS A RESULT OF THE GUIDEWAY CONSTRUCTION.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE CONTINUE TO PROGRESS THE NEPA PROCESS.
UH, NONE OF US OF INTENT FOR ENTRY INTO THE PROCESS OFFICIALLY IS CURRENTLY WITH FTA FOR REVIEW.
WE EXPECT THAT TO BE PUBLISHED IN, UH, THE FEDERAL REGISTER SHORTLY.
UH, WE'RE CONTINUING COORDINATION WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, IN AGENCIES AND WITH THE PUBLIC TO GO AHEAD AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THE SCOPING PROCESS, UH, TO OBTAIN INPUT AND ALSO THINGS THAT WILL BE COMPILED INTO THE OVERALL SCOPING REPORT.
WE'RE WORKING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, THE PLANNING AND OPERATIONS
[00:10:01]
MODELING AND COORDINATING ON ALL OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES WITH THC.UH, A LOT OF THE FIELD WORK, UH, FOR THE HISTORIC RESOURCES WILL BE DONE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.
UH, IN CON IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT, WE'RE STARTING A SERIES OF THE TECHNICAL REPORTS.
THEY REALLY PROVIDE THE DEEP BACKGROUND THAT IS THERE, UH, BEHIND THE OVERALL, UH, DEIS AND FEIS.
THERE ARE THOSE DETAILED REPORTS FOR EACH ONE OF THE COMPONENTS THAT WE WILL BE GOING AHEAD, UH, AND REVIEWING, WHETHER IT'S ARCHEOLOGICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL.
UH, ALL OF THOSE WILL BE IN DETAILED REPORTS THAT WILL BE IN APPENDIX TO EACH ONE OF THE FEIS AND DEIS DOCUMENTS.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS AND DEVELOPMENT, UH, SINCE IT IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST TIME THAT THERE WILL BE LIGHT RAIL, UH, HERE IN AUSTIN, LOOKING AT WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE AND THE PROCESS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO STAND UP A GROUP LIKE THAT.
UH, AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE RIGHT TIME TIMING AND PEOPLE, UH, TO BE TRAINED AND READY TO GO AHEAD, UH, AND TAKE ON THE OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION, UH, PRIORITIZATION, UH, AND STRATEGY TO GO AHEAD AND GO FORWARD, MINDFUL OF THE FACT THAT THE REAL ESTATE, UH, MARKET CONTINUES TO GROW, UH, AND ADVANCE IN PRICE AS WE MOVE ALONG.
AND IT, IT'S ONE OF THE RISKS THAT WE HAVE.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE OVERALL CAMPUS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO THE MAINTENANCE ON THE RAIL VEHICLES, UH, BUSES, ALSO PLACE PREPARED TRANSIT, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ALSO A TRAINING CENTER, UH, SO THAT WE CAN GO AHEAD AND TRAIN THE VEHICLE MECHANICS, TRAIN THE PEOPLE, UH, THAT WILL BE THERE TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THE SIGNAL SYSTEM.
UH, SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH.
UH, WE'RE ALSO GETTING SET TO DO A SERIES OF CHARETTES FOR DIFFERENT AREAS AND DIFFERENT STATIONS AROUND THE SYSTEM.
SPECIFICALLY, WE'LL BE DOING ONE, UH, THAT WILL BE AT THE CRESTVIEW STATION.
WE'LL BE DOING ANOTHER ONE, UH, THAT WILL BE THERE AT PLEASANT VALLEY ON THE BLUE LINE, UH, AND SEVERAL OTHERS.
SO WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH THAT, UH, TO DEVELOP A SEQUENCE AND A PLAN TO GO AHEAD AND GO FORWARD WITH THOSE CHARETTES.
UH, THE OTHER PORTIONS OF THE PROGRAM FOR THE RED LINE, UH, THE MCCULLOUGH STATION, UH, AT THE SOCCER STADIUM, UH, THAT IS UNDERGOING THE SCHEMATIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS.
UH, THE AGREEMENT WITH THE SOCCER SOCCER TEAM IS NEARLY COMPLETED, UH, ON BROADMOOR, UH, FINISHING UP SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE DRAINAGE AND CONSTRUCTION EASEMENTS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO GO AHEAD WITH THAT PROJECT ON THE ADDITIONAL SIDING TO GO AHEAD AND BE ABLE TO DECREASE THE, DECREASE THE RUNTIME DOWN TO 15 MINUTES FROM 20.
UH, THE A HUNDRED PERCENT DESIGN HAS BEEN COMPLETED FOR THAT.
UH, AND WE'RE IN THE NEXT PHASE MOVING TOWARDS PROCUREMENT, UH, OPERATIONAL AND SAFETY.
UH, THERE IS THE RED LINE OPTIMIZATION STUDY THAT IS ONGOING RIGHT NOW, UH, THAT WILL PROVIDE A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT IT WILL BE, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND GET FROM THOSE 20 MINUTES DOWN TO THE 15 MINUTE FREQUENCY.
UH, AND WE'RE COORDINATING WITH THE CITY URBAN TRAIL, UH, TO BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND FIT THAT IN ALONG PORTIONS OF THE RED LINE.
THE METRO RAPID LINES, THE INITIAL EXPO AND PLEASANT VALLEY LINES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
UH, WE'VE COMPLETED THE 30% DESIGN.
UH, WE'RE CURRENTLY GOING THROUGH A JOINT REVIEW, UH, INTERNALLY AND ALSO WITH THE CITY, UH, AND PREPARING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD TO GET TO, UH, THE A HUNDRED PERCENT DESIGN SO THAT WE CAN GET INTO CONSTRUCTION, UH, AND GET A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.
UH, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THE FTA SMALL STARTS READINESS.
UH, IF YOU RECALL, WE WENT AHEAD AND GOT INTO THEIR PROCESS LAST YEAR, UH, AND HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT.
UH, AND ALSO WE'RE WAITING ANXIOUSLY TO SEE, UH, WHERE WE COME OUT AND HOW WE ARE IN THE ANNUAL REPORT.
THAT'LL BE PART OF THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, UH, COMING UP SHORTLY.
UH, THEY, WE WILL THEN GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH BOTH, UH, THE LINES THAT WE WILL HAVE.
THAT IS THE EXTENSION OF 8 0 3 TO MANCA AND OAK HILL, UH, AS, AS WELL AS THE OTHER PORTIONS THAT ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM WITH THE INITIAL GOAL LINE BEING VRT INSTEAD OF, UH, THE LIGHT RAIL, WHICH WILL BE IN THE FUTURE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCULATORS.
THE EVALUATION PROCESS IS GOING FORWARD,
[00:15:01]
PUBLIC OUTREACH, UH, AND THEN LOOKING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD WITH MORE LINES, SPECIFICALLY, UH, THE PFLUGERVILLE ZONE, UH, WHICH IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING READY TO GO AHEAD AND BE LAUNCHED.AS WE START TO GO FORWARD, ONE OF THE OTHER COMPONENTS THAT'S PART OF THE PROGRAM IS UPGRADE IN CUSTOMER TECHNOLOGY.
UH, IT, IT REALLY IS FOCUSED ON A LOT OF THE FAIR AT THIS POINT.
SO WE'RE LOOKING TO ROLL OUT A FAIR BASE SYSTEM, UH, AND WE'RE ON TRACK TO DO THAT.
UH, IN THIS FALL, UH, IT'LL EXPAND THE ABILITY ALSO, UH, TO GET APP BASED TICKETS AT RETAILERS AROUND TOWN.
SO IT WILL GIVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO GO AHEAD, UH, AND ADD TO THEIR FAIR CARDS.
UH, IT ALSO IS GOING TO BE AN EQUITY BASED PROGRAM, UH, THAT WILL PROVIDE A CAP SO THAT ONCE AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, IF THEY ACQUIRE, IF THEY BUY RIDES ON A DAILY BASIS, UH, WHEN THEY GET TO A CERTAIN POINT, UH, THEN THAT WILL BE CAPPED AND THERE WON'T BE ANY CHARGES FOR THE BALANCE OF THE MONTH.
UH, SO WE'RE ON SCHEDULE, ON BUDGET, AND MOVING FORWARD WITH THE CUSTOMER TECHNOLOGY PORTION OF THE PROGRAM.
WE WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND GO INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL OF HOW WE'RE GOING THROUGH ON THE BLUE AND ORANGE LINES.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD DONE SIMILARLY, UH, AS WE WENT THROUGH THE EARLY STAGE OF THE PROGRAM THAT LED UP TO, UH, THE ADOPTION OF THE SYSTEM MAP AND ONTO THE REFERENDUM.
SO IF I START TO WALK THROUGH THIS TIMELINE, UH, IT STARTS WITH LAST FALL, UH, WITH THE SUCCESSFUL PASSING OF THE REFERENDUM, AND THEN TAKES US INTO THE NEXT BOX WITH THE THREE ACTIVITIES.
UH, THAT IS THE NEPA PROCESS THAT WILL GO ON THROUGH THIS YEAR AND CULMINATE AT THE END OF 22.
THE SCOPING PROCESS IS WHAT WE KICKED OFF AT THE END OF JANUARY.
WE'RE NOW HAVING MORE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, MORE COMMENTS, AND WE'LL BE WORKING THROUGH THOSE SO THAT BY THE TIME WE GET INTO THE FALL, WE WILL HAVE THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT THAT WILL BE OUT AND AVAILABLE FOR CIRCULATION AND COMMENT.
AND THEN BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE END OF NEXT YEAR, UH, WE'LL BE AT THE POINT THAT WE WILL HAVE THAT FEIS AND THE RECORD OF DECISION FROM FDA.
OUR PROJECTION IS TO DO THAT BY THE END OF CALENDAR YEAR 22, AS WE MOVE BEYOND THAT CURRENT SET OF ACTIVITIES, IF YOU WILL, AND OUT INTO THE TIMEFRAME THAT STRETCHES FROM BEYOND THAT, FROM 2023 INTO 2029, THERE ARE A SERIES OF ACTIVITIES HERE THAT START WITH THE ENTRY INTO PRO ENTRY INTO ENGINEERING.
UNDER THE FTA PROCESS, UH, WE WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE COMPLETE THE ENVIRONMENTAL.
SO THAT TAKES US TO THAT NEXT STAGE WORKING TOWARDS AN FFGA.
WE'LL BEGIN AT THAT POINT TO GO AHEAD TO DO THE DESIGN AND CONTRACTING, UH, AND PROCUREMENT AWARDS, WHICH WILL THEN BE FOLLOWED BY A START ON SOME OF THE CONTRACTING, UH, AND SOME OF THE CONSTRUCTION THAT MAY BE EARLY RELOCATION OF UTILITIES.
UH, AND THEN ONTO THE VEHICLE CONTRACT.
THE VEHICLE CONTRACT, UH, TAKES A NUMBER OF YEARS, UH, TO GET THE CONTRACT IN PLACE TO GET FIRST DELIVERY OF VEHICLES, UH, AND OUT THROUGH COMPLETION OF THE FLEET.
SO THAT'S AN EARLY ACTIVITY THAT YOU START.
UH, WE WILL THEN HAVE THE FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT IN PLACE, UH, PROJECTING THAT FOR THE 24 TIMEFRAME.
AND THEN BEYOND THAT, IT GOES TO THE COMPLETION OF THE CONSTRUCTION STAFFING TRAINING, TESTING ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS WITH A PROJECTED START OF REVENUE OPERATIONS IN 2029.
SO THAT GIVES A LITTLE MORE DETAIL, UH, AT, AT A SUMMARY LEVEL OF WHAT WE'VE GOT AND THE SEQUENCE GOING FORWARD.
AND, AND THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL.
SO, AS I SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE IN APRIL, UH, WORKING THROUGH THE NEPA PROCESS WITH A LETTER OF INTENT GOING OUT AND BEING PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER.
UH, THE 15% DESIGN, WE'RE DOING A REVIEW RIGHT NOW ON THE BLUE LINE WITH THE ORANGE LINE TO FOLLOW, UH, WITH THAT TO BE COMPLETED VERY EARLY SUMMER, UH, AND LOOKING TO ENTER THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO.
UH, SO THAT TAKES US THROUGH THAT POINT IN TIME.
AND THEN OUT THROUGH THE REST OF THE YEAR, REALLY WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE COMPONENTS THAT ARE THERE IN NEPA SO THAT WE HAVE GOT THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AND A 30% DESIGN WITH AN UPDATED COST ESTIMATE, UH, PRETTY WELL WITH THE FINALIZATION POINT IN THE SPRING OF NEXT YEAR.
WE, WE THEN GO THROUGH A PROCESS IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER, THE SAME WAY THAT WE HAD DONE WITH THE METRO
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RAPID TO GO FORWARD WITH THE INITIAL FTA RATING.LOOKING AT ALL THE COMPONENTS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF HEATING, OF GETTING AT LEAST A MEDIUM, MEDIUM RATING, UH, THAT ALLOWS A PRO A PROJECT TO ADVANCE, UH, WITH WHAT WE HAVE WITH RESPECT TO THE TRE PASSING, I WOULD EXPECT A HIGHER THAN MEDIUM RATING ON THE FINANCIAL ASPECT.
WE'LL THEN HAVE THE COMPLETION OF THE 30%.
UH, THAT GETS US TO A POINT THAT WE THEN HAVE GOT, UH, THAT UPDATED 30% DESIGN IN THE FINAL COST ESTIMATE IN THE SUMMER OF 22.
UH, WE'LL GET TO THE FINALIZATION OF THE EIS WITH ALL OF THE COMMENTS IN, UH, AND ARE ABLE AT THAT POINT TO START TO WRAP THINGS UP, TO COME UP WITH THE FINAL EIS, UH, IN THE WINTER, UH, AND THEN BE ABLE TO GET THE RECORD OF DECISION FROM THE FTA WHI, WHICH TAKES US THROUGH IN A LOT GREATER LEVEL OF DETAIL WHAT'S GONNA GO ON BASICALLY OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
IF WE START TO LOOK BEYOND THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IT GIVES US THE PROJECTED ENTRY INTO ENGINEERING IN THAT 23 TO 29 TIMEFRAME.
UH, THE VEHICLES, UH, GETTING THOSE UNDER CONTRACT AND STARTING THE OTHER PROCUREMENT ACTIVITIES, UH, REACHING THE FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT, STAFFING TRAINING, ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS, UH, AND THEN THE PORTION THAT GETS US INTO REVENUE SERVICE.
SO WE, WE'VE PUT THINGS IN A PERSPECTIVE OF MORE DETAIL, UH, OVER THE TIMEFRAME THAT GETS US TO THE RECORD OF DECISION.
UH, AND THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UH, WE'LL COME UP WITH, UH, A FINER LEVEL OF DETAIL, UH, FOR THESE ACTIVITIES THAT GO ON BETWEEN 23 AND 29.
UH, BUT WE WANTED TO GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE THAT PICTURE OF WHAT THE DETAIL IS IN THE SHORT TERM, UH, AND THEN WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING TO GO AHEAD AND GO OUT THROUGH THE FUTURE TO DELIVERY OF THE LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM.
WE ALSO HAVE THE SAME THING THAT'S THERE FOR THE METRO RAPID LINES.
THEY HAVE COMPLETED THE 30% DESIGN AND COST ESTIMATES.
THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FINISHING OFF AND OBTAINING APPROVAL FOR THE CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.
BECAUSE OF THAT PROJECT, YOU DON'T NEED TO GO THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF THE FULL ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS.
IT'S A SHORTER CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.
THEY'RE THEN LOOKING OVER THE LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER TO DO THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCUREMENT.
UH, AND IT WILL INVOLVE NOT ONLY THAT AS THE PHYSICAL IN INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE LINES, BUT ALSO THE VEHICLE PROCUREMENT, THE NEW ELECTRIC, UH, BUSES, UH, BY THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, SHOVEL IN THE GROUND AND START OF CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AND THEN WORKING FORWARD TO GET THE SMALL STARTS GRANT AGREEMENT FROM FDA, UH, VEHICLE DELIVERY WOULD BE IN EARLY 23, FOLLOWED BY STAFFING, TRAINING, ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS, UH, AND THEN PUTTING INTO REVENUE SERVICE TOWARDS THE END OR VERY END OF 2023.
SO THAT'S THE COMPARABLE SCHEDULE, UH, TO WHAT WE'VE GOT FOR THE ORANGE AND THE BLUE LINE, UH, TO GIVE YOU THAT SAME PERSPECTIVE OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS AND THE TIMELINE AS WE GO THROUGH THE TWO METRO RAPID LINES.
NEXT SLIDE TAKES ME TO THE END.
THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE END OF THE DAY.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? MR. ELKINS? J JUST ONE QUESTION.
THANKS FOR THE, UH, VERY THOROUGH OVERVIEW, DAVE.
UM, IT'S, UH, REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THE PROGRESS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND THE BORINGS AND ALL THAT.
UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED THE FAIR BASE SYSTEM.
I KNOW THAT OTHER COUNTRIES, UH, AND I, I'VE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED IT IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA, HAVE, UM, KIND OF AN HONOR SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, WHERE THERE, THERE ARE NO, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU PURCHASE YOUR CARDS AT THE STATION.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT COLLECTED.
UH, THEY, THEY SOMETIMES HAVE POLICE COME AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, CHECK YOUR TICKETS AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DIDN'T PURCHASE IT, THERE'S A FINE.
HAVE WE LOOKED AT THAT? AND THE PROS AND CONS OF THAT TYPE OF A SYSTEM, UH, THE EXPECTATION.
AND BASICALLY EVERY LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM THAT I'M AWARE OF, AT LEAST IN THIS COUNTRY, UH, DOES NOT HAVE A SET OF FAIR GATES, UH, LIKE YOU SEE ON A HEAVY RAIL SYSTEM.
UH, SO IT IS MORE OF THE, THE HONOR SYSTEM WITH, WITH CHECKING THE FAIR AT LOCATIONS.
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THE INTENTION IS IT ALL TO BE OFF BOARD SO THAT YOU DON'T WIND UP WITH INCREASING THE DWELL TIME, UH, AND SLOWING DOWN THE OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM.AND THEN, YEAH, THANK, THANK OH, SO BEFORE THE MAYOR? NO, NO, GO AHEAD.
I'LL JUST, UH, I JUST WANT TO, UH, A SECOND DAVE'S PIECE, WHICH WE, EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING IS AN OPEN, OPEN, FAIR BASE SYSTEM.
BUT, UH, THE PART THAT I, OF DAVE'S PRESENTATION, I JUST WANT TO REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, DIP INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE JUST TO KIND OF EMPHASIZE WOULD BE, UM, AND WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR, OBVIOUSLY THE PARTNERSHIP OF THE BOARD AND YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS IS, THIS IS SO NEW TO OUR COMMUNITY.
AND NATURALLY WHEN THINGS ARE NEW OF THIS PROPORTION, IT MAY BE CHALLENGING TO CONVEY THIS MUCH COMPLEXITY AND INFORMATION ON SUCH A NEW TOPIC.
UM, AND SO PART OF THAT SCHEDULE, WHY THAT'S SO IMPORTANT, IS EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING WE DO HAS TO BE LOOKED AT THROUGH THE LENS OF MANAGING RISK, AS YOU ALL WOULD KNOW, RIGHT? AND SO RISK IS BOTH GETTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVAL, BUT ALSO GETTING THE PROGRAM DONE IN A WAY THAT WE CAN BUILD THE MOST AMOUNT OF PROGRAM FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF COST GROWTH AND ESCALATION TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SO WE CAN HIT THE OUTCOMES THE COMMUNITY REALLY WANTS, WHICH IS THEY WANT THESE SERVICES DELIVERED SO PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO THINGS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT SCHEDULE IS SO IMPORTANT.
UM, THE GRANULARITY, 'CAUSE EACH DATE HAS CASCADING IMPACTS TO EVERY OTHER DATE.
AND SO AS WE GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL REALLY HOPEFULLY HAVE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOU KNOW, THAT BOARD LEADERSHIP AND CITY COUNCIL LEADERSHIP TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO HELP EMPHASIZE THOSE IMPORTANT DATES AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND MAYOR ALAND, TWO QUICK QUESTIONS.
DAVE, THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT.
UH, GONNA BE SOMETHING THAT, UH, I THINK THE PUBLIC'S GONNA BE INTERESTED IN AND, UH, REALLY, REALLY CLEAR.
UH, WITH RESPECT TO THE TRAINING ISSUE AND THE, AND THE, UH, I GUESS THE SCHOOL THAT, THAT YOU SET UP FOR THE, THE SPECIALIZED WORK, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU END UP COORDINATING THROUGH, UH, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS OR YOU APPROACH, UH, UH, INSTITUTIONS LIKE, UH, HT TO, TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO, TO, TO COME IN? I DON'T KNOW AT WHAT LEVEL THOSE POSITIONS ARE, UH, BUT DO WE TRY TO LEVERAGE THOSE PREEXISTING ENTITY? WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE STARTING RIGHT NOW TO PUT TOGETHER THE, THE SHELL AND THE ROADMAP FOR EXACTLY HOW THAT WILL WORK.
UH, WHETHER IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TRAINING, UH, AND I'VE DONE IT IN OTHER PLACES THAT IS, UH, ATTACHED TO SOMETIMES A COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR WORKFORCE TRAINING.
UH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL BE DEVELOPING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, UH, AS WE GO FORWARD, EXACTLY HOW THAT WILL WORK.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD MAKE A SENSE TO DO AND TO BRING, UH, TAMARA, UH, WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS INTO THAT CONVERSATION.
SHE MAY HAVE PERSPECTIVE OR THOUGHTS OR, OR OPPORTUNITIES.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE TIMING'S GOING TO BE? TO TAKE THE, UH, THE, THE RAPID METRO, UH, 8 0 3 AND MOVE THAT TOWARD, UM, UH, THE BRT, THAT'S THE, THE MANCHAC, UH, OAK HILL SERVICE, THAT, THAT'S OUR NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS.
WE'RE AT THE END OF THE CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION, IF YOU WILL, AND THE 30% FOR EXPO IN PLEASANT VALLEY THAT IS RIGHT BEHIND IT IN THE QUEUE TO GET MOVING.
SO WHAT WOULD THAT BE TIMING WISE, DO YOU THINK? I WOULD EXPECT THAT IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE SIX A IT OPERATING OF SERVICE IS NOT GONNA BE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT DIFFERENT THAN 2023.
UH, AND TIMING TO START THAT PROCESS IS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
YEAH, DR. BURNETT, UM, THEY GREAT PRESENTATIONS.
AND THE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE VISUALS.
UM, MY QUESTION IS ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION STRATEGY.
ARE THERE, HOW ARE THE, HOW DOES THAT PARALLEL WITH THE DISPLACEMENT? THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT'S THERE IS OUR HOPE THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE MINIMAL DISPLACEMENT AS A RESULT OF THE ACQUISITION PROCESS.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH RIGHT NOW.
A LOT OF AREAS WE'RE GONNA NEED WHAT WE CALL SLIVERS THAT MAY BE THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX FEET OF THE FRONT OF A PROPERTY.
BUT AS WE FINALIZE THE ALIGNMENT, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WILL BE GETTING TO IN, IN SOME PLACES, THEY WILL BE FULL TAKES IN OTHER PLACES WHERE WE TAKE A PORTION OF A
[00:30:01]
PROPERTY, THEN THERE MAY BE A REQUIREMENT, 'CAUSE THE REST IS NOT STILL USABLE.UH, BUT, BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT AS WE GET FURTHER AND DEEPER INTO THE ENGINEERING WITH ALL OF THAT, IF THERE ARE TIMES, UH, WHERE THERE HAS TO BE A RELOCATION PART OF THE FEDERAL PROCESS AND PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE UNIFORM RELOCATION ACT IS TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE ASSISTANCE THAT'S NECESSARY TO FIND ANOTHER LOCATION, TO BE ABLE TO GO AHEAD, UH, AND ASSIST WITH THE MOVING.
AND WHETHER THAT'S A BUSINESS OR WHETHER IT IS A, UH, WHETHER IT'S A, AN APARTMENT BUILDING OR A PRIVATE RESIDENCE, THAT'S ALL A PART OF THE, OF THE PROCESS.
UH, SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE WILL WIND UP DOING.
MY MY HOPE IS THAT, UH, THERE, THERE ARE NOT GOING TO BE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF REQUIREMENTS THAT WE WILL TAKE A FULL PIECE OF PROPERTY.
BUT AGAIN, THAT, THAT'S RIGHT NOW IN THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, UH, UNTIL A NUMBER OF MONTHS FROM NOW, WHEN WE GET CLOSER TO THE 30% THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE FINITE ANSWERS, UH, WE HAVE SOME IDEAS NOW THAT, UH, IN THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE, WE'LL START TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT.
UH, BUT RIGHT NOW IT, IT'S JUST, THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT WE WILL BE USING.
UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE ACCOUNT BASED FAIR CARD SYSTEM ROLLING OUT IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR.
IS THAT AN INCREMENTAL ROLLOUT? UM, AND WILL THAT BE INCLUDED IN THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT YOU'RE CONDUCTING BETWEEN NOW AND THEN? RANDY, YOU WANNA TAKE? YEAH, SURE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
SO, UH, PART OF THE PROJECT CONNECT OVERALL FUNDING MECHANISM WAS TO KIND OF ADD SOME FUNDING TO KIND OF DO THAT LAST PIECE OF THAT PROGRAM.
WE'VE ENROLLED UP FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
SO CAP METRO HAS A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM THAT HAVE ACTUALLY ALREADY BEEN ENGAGED PRETTY HEAVILY WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THESE PROGRAMS. SPECIFICALLY THE FAIR EQUITY CAPPING PIECE.
WE'VE BEEN DOING A PILOT, UH, WITH A, A GROUP OF, UH, SOME COMMUNITY GROUPS OVER THERE OVER DURING THE COVID PERIOD ON THAT, WORKING ON KIND OF TWEAKS AND, AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE COULD USE THE SYSTEM AND DO SOME LESSONS LEARNED.
SO, UH, SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DAVE'S DOING ON THE NEPA PROCESS.
WE'LL, IT'S A, IT'S A JUST A REGULAR KIND OF CAP METRO, UH, TECHNOLOGY PIECE IN OUR SERVICE OPERATIONS.
BUT WE'LL BE MAKING SURE THAT AS DAVE'S TEAM, UH, DOES STOP OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, WE WANT TO TOUCH ALL THOSE OTHER CAP METRO OPERATIONAL POINTS AS WELL TO KIND OF CROSS-FUNCTIONAL
'CAUSE IT MIGHT BE TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS, BUT IT'S ONE COMMUNITY AND TRYING TO GET THAT ALL TOGETHER AND ALL THAT TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, MS. MSCA, BECAUSE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE IS WE ADOPTED THE METRO BIKE SYSTEM AS WELL, THAT IS NOW GONNA BE AT THE STATIONS.
I'M ASSUMING THAT SAME FAIR SYSTEM WORKS FOR THE METRO BIKE AS WELL.
IS IT LIKE A SEAMLESS ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS, ALL SYSTEMS REVENUE, UH, UH, FAIR CAR.
SO CHAIR, THAT WOULD BE A CRAWL, WALK, RUN.
SO RIGHT NOW, SO AGAIN, CAP, CAP METRO, NOT AT TV CAP METRO, GOT INTO THE METRO BIKE PROGRAM WITH A, WITH A DEAL WITH THE CITY, UH, CRAWL, WALK, RUN.
THE IDEA IS TO TURN METRO BIKE INTO A, A LARGER BIKE SHARE SYSTEM.
WE OBVIOUSLY WOULD INTEGRATE THOSE WITH STATIONS AS WE PLAN THEM OUT, THAT TYPE OF THING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE FAIR SYSTEM ISN'T, UH, 'CAUSE TREK HAS A PROPRIETARY SYSTEM WITH BCYCLE THAT WE'VE BEEN, SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A SOFT CONNECTION IN BETWEEN OUR APP AND THE APP BCYCLE, BUT IT'S NOT FULL INTEGRATION.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THE TEAM IS WORKING ON.
SO WE HAVE A FULL ROADMAP WITH CAB METRO.
WE HAVE A COMPANY CALLED BITE MARK.
THEY'RE A FAIR VENDING TECHNOLOGY IN, IN THE TRANSIT SPACE.
THAT'S WHO'S DOING THAT WORK FOR US.
AND THERE'S A WHOLE MULTIPLE COMPONENTS OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 18 MONTHS TO TWO YEARS TO BUILD OUT THE ENTIRE FAIR INTEGRATION CUSTOMER, UH, TECHNOLOGY SYSTEM.
SO, UH, IT'S SOFT INTEGRATED NOW.
THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO HAVE FULL INTEGRATION.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. COUCH? I ALSO WANNA THANK YOU MR. COUCH FOR, UH, STARTING THE CONVERSATIONS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, SPECIFIC TO THE AIRPORT AND THE, THE, THE RESPONSIVENESS OF YOUR TEAM AND HOW THEY'VE ADDRESSED SOME QUESTIONS THAT COME DIRECTLY TO US.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, UM, PROMPT RESPONSE,
AND, UM, SO IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN IS, IS THAT IT? THANK YOU.
[00:35:01]
SO[III.1. Approval of minutes from the March 17, 2021 Austin Transit Partnership board meeting.]
THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ACTION ITEMS, AND WE HAVE THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 17TH, 2021 A TP BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING.
AND HAS EVERYONE HAD A TIME TO REVIEW THE LAST MONTH'S MEETING? IF SO, I REQUEST A, A MOTION AND A SECOND ON ACTION.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND KINS.
UH, I'LL HAVE A ROLL, UH, ROLL CALL VOTE NOW.
SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE HAVE YOUR, UH, CAMERAS ON.
AND I BELIEVE, UH, MR. UM, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON, I DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS ABLE TO DIAL IN, BUT IF, IF NOT, UM, WE'LL JUST PROCEED TO TAKE ON THE, THE VOTE.
SO, UM, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND SAY I OR NAY, PLEASE.
UM, MINUTES HAVE BEEN APPROVED, UH, UNANIMOUS WITH MR. UH, UM, STRATTON ABSENT.
[III.2. Approval of the Austin Transit Partnership’s Ethics, Conflicts and Nondisclosure Policy.]
MOVING ON TO, UH, SECOND ACTION ITEM ON THE AGENDA AND IS THE APPROVAL OF THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP, ETHICS, CONFLICT, AND NON-DISCLOSURE POLICY.AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM OUR GENERAL COUNSEL, CASEY BOAK, UH, TO PROVIDE US SOME BACKGROUND ON THIS ETHICS POLICY.
MS. BOAK? YEAH, THANK YOU CHAIR.
UM, UH, ACTUALLY, SO JUST QUICKLY, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF RECAP WHERE WE ARE AND HOW BEFORE WE APPROVE THE, UM, ETHICS CONFLICTS AND NONDISCLOSURE POLICY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF POLICIES TO ADOPT AS WE STAND UP THIS ORGANIZATION.
UM, LUCKILY WE'VE, WE'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS.
UM, WE HAVE OUR SIGNATURE AUTHORITY SO WE COULD START ENTERING INTO SOME, UM, CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTS, UM, AS WELL AS LETTING Y'ALL KNOW ON A MONTHLY BASIS THE ONES THAT WE HAVE ENTERED INTO AT CERTAIN THRESHOLD AMOUNTS, WHICH IS IN A MEMO FOR THIS MONTH'S MEETING.
UM, WE ADOPTED THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHARTERS, UM, LAST MEETING, AND WE'VE ENTERED INTO THE, UH, LOCAL COOPERATIVE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, AND CAPITAL METRO, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE USE OF SOME OF THEIR, UM, ALREADY, UM, PROCURED CONTRACTS TO GET US UP AND RUNNING.
UM, AND SO TODAY, THE FIRST STEP IN, UM, OR THE NEXT STEP IN THIS DIRECTION IS TO ADOPT THE ETHICS CONFLICTS AND NON-DISCLOSURE POLICY.
AND, UM, I'LL JUST RECAP QUICKLY.
I KNOW YOU GUYS, UM, HOPEFULLY HAD SOME TIME TO REVIEW THAT, BUT ESSENTIALLY IT JUST IS INTENDED TO, YOU KNOW, DETECT AND PREVENT CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, IT COVERS DISCLOSURE OF, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENTIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION, UM, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN IN EMPLOYMENT AND SOMEWHAT IN IN PROCUREMENT.
ALTHOUGH WE'LL HAVE MORE DETAIL OF THAT IN THE PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH WE'LL WE HOPE TO ADOPT THIS SUMMER.
UM, THERE'S A PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL ACTIVITY, UM, AND, UM, A COMMITMENT TO CONDUCTING AND DISCUSSING PUBLICNESS TRANSPARENCY.
SO, UM, AND THEN I'LL JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH THESE OTHER POLICIES, AND THEN IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE ETHICS POLICY OR, UM, ANY OF THE UPCOMING POLICIES, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO ASK.
UM, SO THAT IT, THE ETHICS POLICY, AS I STATED, WILL, WHICH IS IN THE BOARD PACKET, WILL BE, UM, UP FOR ABOUT THIS MEETING.
AND THEN WE'RE HOPING IN MAY TO, UM, HAVE, YOU KNOW, KINDA A, A SIMPLE BOARD REIMBURSEMENT AND EXPENSE POLICY, OUR EEO, UM, EQUAL OP EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, WHICH IS AN FTA, UM, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REGULATED POLICY AS WELL AS DIVERSITY POLICY KIND OF COMBINED INTO, INTO ONE FOR, UM, DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT AND PROCEDURES POLICY FOR OUR MEETINGS.
AND THEN, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH IS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, HEAVILY REGULATED UNDER THE FTA AND, UM, STATE LAWS THAT APPLY TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATIONS.
AND SO WE'RE KIND OF WORKING THROUGH ALL THAT NOW, AND WE'LL TAKE US SOME TIME TO MAKE SURE WE'VE CHECKED ALL THE BOXES SO WE CAN PROPERLY DELIVER THE PROGRAM.
SO IF YOU WANNA PULL THE SLIDE DOWN, SAM, WE CAN JUST, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOOK? NO, I'M FINE TOO.
I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THEM.
[00:40:01]
I'LL SECOND.UM, SO LET'S GO THROUGH THE VOTE.
UM, DR. BURNETT, YOU GO FIRST.
UH, BOARD MEMBER ATKINS ELKINS, UH, YES.
AND, UH, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON IS, UH, ABSENT.
SO THE MOST, THE ACTION ITEM PASSES ON FOUR TWO, UM, FOR VOTE OF APPROVAL AND ONE ABSENT.
[III.3. Approval of the designation of Austin Transit Partnership’s General Counsel as its Public Information Coordinator pursuant to Section 552.012 of the Public Information Act.]
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ACTION ITEM NUMBER THREE, THE APPROVAL OF THE DESIGNATION OF THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP.UM, GENERAL COUNSEL AS PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 2 0.012 OF THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT.
AND MS. BURAK ALSO HAS SOME BACKGROUND FOR US, MS. BORAK? SURE.
SO, UM, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT, UM, REQUIRES THAT WE EITHER, UM, APPOINT A PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR OR THAT EACH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS GOES THROUGH THE TRAINING INDIVIDUALLY.
IF THERE'S AN APPOINTMENT OF A COORDINATOR, WHICH IN THIS CASE WOULD BE THE GENERAL COUNSEL CURRENTLY ME, UM, THEN, THEN I GO THROUGH THE TRAINING, WHICH I'VE ALREADY DONE, SUBMIT THE CERTIFICATION.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, AS AN ORGANIZATION, EITHER WAY, WE'RE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT UNDER THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION, UM, STATUTE.
BUT THAT'S, I THOUGHT WOULD BE THE SIMPLER WAY OF GOING ABOUT THINGS
SO THAT WAY I'M DESIGNATED AND RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY, UM, INQUIRIES IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
DOESN'T ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO MORE RESPONSIBILITY, CASEY.
YEAH, I KNOW
SO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, GENERAL COUNSEL AS, UH, ATP'S PUBLIC INFORMATION COORDINATOR.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? MAYOR RATTLER SECOND THE MOTION.
UH, BOARD MEMBER ELKINS? YES, MAYOR RATTLER.
AND ALSO, MY VOTE IS YES WITH, UH, BOARD MEMBER STRATTON ABSENT.
SO IT, THE MOTION PASSES, UM, OR WITH ONE ABSENT.
[IV.1. Federal Requirements Overview]
CONCLUDE ALL OUR ACTION ITEMS FOR TODAY.AND WE HAVE, UH, ON OUR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR FOR DISCUSSION.
WE HAVE THE OVERVIEW OF THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM THAT WE'RE GONNA HEAR AGAIN FROM DAVE COUCH, MR. JOHN ROH, WHO'S JUST JOINED A TP.
WELCOME, SIR, AND DAVE KU BY CHECK.
I HOPE I PRONOUNCED IT CORRECTLY.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU TO THE BOARD, UH, AND, UH, DIRECTOR CLARK.
THE, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO TODAY IS KIND OF A TAG TEAM FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
UH, WE'RE FORTUNATE NOW TO HAVE AS MY DEPUTY JOHN ROH, UH, JOHN COMES TO US BY WAY OF DART.
UH, HE HAS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE, NOT ONLY AT DART, BUT ALSO IN ST.
LOUIS ON LIGHT RAIL, EVERYTHING FROM PLANNING DESIGN, UH, INTO OPERATION MAINTENANCE, KIND OF THE WHOLE GAMUT FROM ONE END OF THE OTHER ON LIGHT RAIL.
UH, DAVE ACHE, UH, COMES TO US RECENTLY BY WAY OF NEW YORK, UH, BY WAY ORIGINALLY OF DART LA HOUSTON, UH, AND THEN INTO NEW YORK.
AND, AND DAVE BRINGS AN ABSOLUTE TREMENDOUS EXPERIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO VEHICLES FROM ALL DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS AROUND THE WORLD, AND THE VARIOUS KINDS OF SYSTEMS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, AS PART OF THE OVERALL PROGRAM, WHETHER IT'S THE SIGNAL SYSTEMS, WHETHER IT'S COMMUNICATION, UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE THERE.
SO WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE, UH, TO HAVE BOTH OF THEM JOIN THE ORGANIZATION.
SO TODAY, AS PART OF BOARD MEETING NUMBER THREE, THIS IS PART NUMBER THREE, UH, WE HAVE GONE THROUGH THE FEDERAL FUNDING PROCESS.
IN THE FIRST, FIRST SESSION, UH, WE WENT THROUGH NEPA IN THE SECOND, UH, AND NOW WE'D LIKE TO DO THE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THE BEST PRACTICES MANUAL, WE'LL DO DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS, GO THROUGH BUY AMERICA, DAVIS BACON, UH, AND THEN THE OTHER COMPONENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED AS A RESULT, UH, OF THE FEDERAL PROCESS USING FEDERAL MONEY, UH, AND BEING ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND GO FORWARD WITH A FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT.
UH, WITH THAT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO JOHN FOR THAT PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
[00:45:03]
THANK YOU, DAVE.GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBERS.
THE FDA BEST PRACTICES MANUAL IS ESSENTIALLY A GUIDE THAT'S UTILIZED FOR INFORMATION.
IT PROVIDES DETAILED INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS PRIMARILY FOR THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
THE, UH, MANUAL ALSO COVERS THE, THE PROCUREMENT CYCLE FOR PLANNING, SELECTING TYPES OF CONTRACTING METHODS, EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS AND CONTRACT AWARD, AS WELL AS CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION.
TODAY, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IS THE DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AND THE DBE PROGRAM, IT SEEKS TO ENSURE NON-DISCRIMINATION IN THE WARD ADMINISTRATION OF FTA ASSISTED CONTRACTS.
EARLIER YOU, YOU HEARD, UH, MENTIONED TO THE MEETING, UH, WITH MECCA.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DIFFERENT CHAMBERS AND DIFFERENT, UH, CONTRACTING COMMUNITIES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE AUSTIN AREA TO ENSURE THAT IF ANY OF THOSE CONTRACTORS ARE NOT CERTIFIED, THAT WE CAN WORK WITH THEM TO BECOME CERTIFIED TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAM.
THIS IS A REQUIREMENT AS PART OF, UH, THE FTA REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES AND LISTED ARE SOME OF THE CERTIFYING AGENCIES, UH, IN THE AREA THAT WILL ASSIST WITH THAT PROCESS.
AS PART OF THE PROGRAM ROLLING STOCK FOR TRANSIT VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS, THERE'S A REQUIREMENT PER THE FTA THAT PROVIDES A LIST OF THOSE CERTIFIED TRANSIT VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS.
AS, AS PART OF THE ANNUAL PROCESS, THEY ARE APPROVED AND CERTIFIED, AND ONLY THE LIST OF CERTIFIED VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS THAT ARE LISTED ARE ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE AS PART OF OUR PROJECT.
AND THE GOAL AND METHODOLOGY OF THE FTA IS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S A FAIR PROCESS OF QUALIFIED, UH, FIRMS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
THE OTHER CONTRACT TYPES, THE GOALS THAT ARE SET, UH, FOR THOSE CONTRACT TYPES VARY THROUGHOUT BEFORE THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS.
THIS IS SET BY THE FTA, THERE'S A PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION THAT'S REQUIRED, AND THOSE FIRMS, UM, THAT COULD BE CERTIFIED AS DDS REPRESENT ALL OF THE FIRMS THAT ARE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE TO COMPLETE THE DOT ASSISTED CONTRACTING FOR THE WORK TYPES BEING CONTRACTED IN A WEIGHTED FASHION.
ALSO, THE NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CODES ARE UTILIZED, UH, AS WELL AS PART OF THE PROCESS.
AND SO THIS, THIS IS, UH, A IMPORTANT, UH, PART OF THE FTA REQUIREMENTS IN ORDER TO GET OUR FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT.
AND AS WE PROGRESS, UM, THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, UH, WE WILL IDENTIFY SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS, UH, THAT ARE PART OF THE PROCESS AND PRIMARILY DEAL WITH PROCUREMENT.
SO THE NEXT SLIDES WILL START TO GO INTO BUY AMERICA AS IT RELATES TO OUR ORANGE LINE AND BLUE LINE PROJECTS.
NEXT, MR. CCHE WILL TALK TO US ABOUT THE ROLLING STOCK FOR BUY AMERICA.
GOOD AFTERNOON, UM, DAVE KUBEK.
AND, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME PRESENT TODAY TO THE CHAIR AND THE BOARD, UH, AROUND THE BUY AMERICA, UH, FOR THE ROLLING STOCK.
UH, OVER THE YEARS, UM, THE BUY AMERICA CONTENT HAS RISEN, UH, AS OF TWO THOU, OR OUT, OUT OF AS OF 2020 OF THE NEW REQUIREMENT ELEVATED FROM 65% TO THE 70% AS AS PRESENTED.
UM, IT'S A VERY METICULOUS PROCESS.
IT'S PART OF THE CO, UH, MANDATE OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
UH, DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, WHENEVER WE START GOING THROUGH TO START SELECTING VENDORS AND SUPPLIERS AND SUB-SUPPLIERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, ALL THE PARTIES THAT ARE INVOLVED, AS JOHN KIND OF OUTLINED, AS PART OF THEIR, UH, UH, OTHER SCOPE, THEY HAVE TO BE ON THE REGISTRY.
THEY HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY PROVIDE THEIR CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINS OF THE MATERIALS.
AND AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH FREE AWARD AUDITS AS WELL AS POST AWARE, POST-AWARD AUDITS, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WHENEVER WE START BUILDING A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, IF A SUPPLIER ALL OF A SUDDEN AT THE LAST MINUTE SAYS, OH, WELL, I CAN'T REALLY WORK WITH THIS ONE SUPPLIER AND I NEED TO CHANGE IT IS A VERY, UH, VERY BIG CONCERN ON OUR PART BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'LL BE INTEGRATING AND WORKING WITH AS WELL.
UH, ALSO FOR ROLLING STOCK ASSEMBLY, THEY'LL GIVE US A LITTLE
[00:50:01]
BIT OF LEEWAY AROUND THE 70%, DEPENDING UPON THE FIRMS AND STUFF THAT ARE SELECTED IN THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE, WHERE YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BIT OF WORK OVERSEAS.BUT DEFINITELY FOR THE FINAL ASSEMBLY, PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER AND EVERYTHING ELSE, UH, WE'LL BE MEASURED AND MONITORED ON THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
UH, AND IF I COULD GO TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, IT'S DEFINITELY GOTTEN A LOT TIGHTER AS WELL.
UH, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BULLETS IS ABOUT A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH,
SO THIS COULD BE AROUND LIKE STEEL, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, METAL PRODUCTS AND STUFF LIKE REBAR THAT WE'RE GONNA BE USING, UH, IN REINFORCEMENT RAILS, SPECIAL TRACK WORK, ALL OF THESE ITEMS, ALL OF THESE MATERIALS ARE BASICALLY REVIEWED, INVESTIGATED, AND THEY APPLY TOWARDS A, A QUOTA.
AND ALSO, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE AROUND INFRASTRUCTURE.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT I WOULD SAY THE RIGHT OF WHERE WE HAVE LIKE TRACK AND SIGNALS.
THIS IS ALSO GONNA APPLY TO STATIONS.
THIS IS GONNA APPLY TO THE FACILITIES AND STUFF THAT WE'RE BUILDING AND WE'RE ASSEMBLING AND STUFF AS WELL.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN JUST WORK, YOU KNOW, IN ONE SPECIFIC AREA.
THE, UH, CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS IS REALLY AN ALL ENCOMPASSING PROCESS, UH, FROM START TO FINISH.
AND IT WOULD GO THROUGH THE SAME THING WHERE, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THAT MATERIAL AND STUFF IS INSTALLED, YOU BETTER HAVE IT VERIFIED EVERYTHING ELSE, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE AN AUDIT, YOU DON'T HAVE IT ADDRESSED PROPERLY AS WE ASSEMBLE IT AND STUFF.
UM, I HAVE BEEN ON SOME PROJECTS WHERE, UM, SOME VENDORS TRIED TO SNEAK SOME STUFF IN AND WE HAD TO TAKE STUFF OFF.
UH, AND SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE VERY SERIOUS ON OUR PART, UH, WHICH WE DO.
AND WITH ALL THE SUPPLIERS, ALL THE VENDORS AND STUFF THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY MUCH ABOVE BOARD IN OUR ENVIRONMENT.
AND, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN THAT BACK OVER TO JOHN.
SO NOW I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS, UH, THAT ARE REQUIRED BY THE FTA.
ONE OF THE FIRST IS TODAY IS BACON ACT.
AND THIS ACT ESSENTIALLY PRESCRIBES THE PREVAILING WAGES TO BE PAID TO LABORERS AND MECHANICS, FEDERALLY FUNDED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS.
THIS APPLIES NOT ONLY TO ALL OF THE SUBCONTRACTS AND THIRD PARTY CONTRACTS THAT CONTRACTORS MAY HAVE, BUT ALSO IT APPLIES TO ESSENTIALLY ALL OF THE FEDERALLY FUNDED CONTRACTS IN EXCESS OF $2,000.
AND SO THE CONTRACTS THAT WE WILL HAVE AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM, THE ORANGE LINE AND BLUE LINE, DEFINITELY FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY.
AND ESSENTIALLY THIS IS TO ENSURE THAT THE EMPLOYEES, THE LABORS AND MECHANICS ARE, ARE PAID FAIRLY.
NEXT SLIDE BONDING REQUIREMENTS IS ONE OF THE STANDARDS FOR PERFORMANCE BONDS AND PAYMENT BONDS THAT ARE PART OF THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
AND, AND FEDERAL CLAUSES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN OUR CONTRACTS AS IT READS, THE BID GUARANTEE OR OTHER NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENT ACCOMPANYING A BID FROM EACH BIDDER EQUIVALENT TO 5% OF THE BID PRICE AND FOR A PERFORMANCE BOND.
AND THE PART OF THE CONTRACTOR FOR 100% OF THE CONTRACT PRICE IS THERE TO MAKE THE CONNECTION TO ENSURE THAT THAT CONTRACTOR HAS THE APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO FULFILL HIS CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS.
THE PAYMENT BOND IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AND IS 100% OF THE CONTRACT PRICE, AND IT'S TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO PAY THE EMPLOYEES.
THERE HAVE BEEN CASES THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY IN WHICH THE APPROPRIATE BONDING, UH, WAS NOT PROVIDED.
AND SO FOR CONTRACTS IN, IN WHICH THEY GO TO DEFAULT, THEN THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE SAFEGUARD GUARDS, NOT ONLY FOR THE AGENCY, BUT FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS WELL, FOR THE FTA IN THESE CASES.
AND IT ENSURES THAT IN THOSE CASES OF DEFAULT THAT YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CENTRALLY COMPLETE THE PROJECT.
SOME OF THE OTHER SPECIAL CONTRACT PROVISIONS, UH, ESSENTIALLY ENSURE, UH, EQUALITY AND PROPER PAY FOR, UH, FEDERAL, FEDERAL FUNDED PROJECTS.
SO, AS THE LIST HERE SHOWS THE ACCESSIBILITY AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, THIS HAS A FOCUS ON OUR REQUIREMENTS IN REGARD TO NOT ONLY OUR HIRING PROCESSES, BUT ALSO OUR DESIGN AND OUR CONSTRUCTION IN THAT REGARD.
ANTI-KICKBACK ACT, THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO, UH, THE DAVIS BACON ACT BECAUSE IN CERTAIN CASES, UH, CONTRACTORS HAVE PREVIOUSLY TRIED TO OVERPAY EMPLOYEES, UH, IN AN EFFORT TO COVER UP, UH, UH, THEIR WAGES IN, IN ORDER TO GET OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTRACTS.
UH, ANTI-KICKBACK ACT DOES MAKE IT A, A CRIMINAL OFFENSE, UH, IN THIS CASE, IF YOU WERE TO
[00:55:01]
ACCEPT ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED, UH, A BRIBE, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, CONTRACT WORK HOURS AND CONSTRUCTION SAFETY, THIS IS ESSENTIALLY TIED TO ENSURING THAT EMPLOYEES THAT WORK OVER 40 HOURS PER WEEK ARE PAID OVERTIME AS WELL.OUR POSITIONS ARE CONSIDERED, IN SOME CASES SAFETY SENSITIVE, AND SO THERE'S A CONSTRUCTION SAFETY, UH, AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED, ASSOCIATED WITH EMPLOYEES AMOUNT OF TIME THAT THEY CAN WORK FOR SOME OF THE, UH, SPECIFIC POSITIONS FOR SIGNALS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ANY OF THESE SIGNAL CONTRACTORS AND MAINTAINERS, THEY CAN ONLY WORK UP TO 12 HOURS OF OVERTIME, AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE AN EIGHT HOUR, UM, PERIOD BEFORE THEY COULD RETURN BACK TO WORK IN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE JUST YOUR, YOUR STANDARDS THAT, THAT HELP US, UH, TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AND ENSURE THAT WE HAVE WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY MONITOR, UH, EQUAL, UH, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
SO THIS, THIS NOT ONLY APPLIES TO A TP, BUT IT ALSO APPLIES TO ANY OF OUR, UH, CONTRACTS, OUR CONTRACTORS, OUR CONSULTANTS, UH, THAT ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM.
AND AS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS, THEN WE WORK WITH THE FTA AND WE HAVE TO PROVIDE TO THEM THAT WE HAVE THE PROCESSES IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING, UH, THIS PROGRAM WITH LABOR NEUTRALITY.
THIS ESSENTIALLY, UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AGREEMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE BETWEEN CONTRACTORS AND, UH, LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, ENSURES THAT THERE'S, UM, NEITHER, UH, ANY, UH, IMPOSED REQUIREMENTS OR, UM, ANY, UH, ANYTHING THAT PROHIBITS, PROHIBITS THE AFFILIATIONS, UH, WITH LABOR ORGANIZATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
AND SO THAT, THAT CONCLUDES, UM, OUR, OUR PRESENTATION PIECE, UH, FOR TODAY.
UM, AND I'D BE WELCOME TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
THANK YOU TO THE THREE OF YOU FOR, FOR PRESENTING A DETAILED OVERVIEW.
UM, AND, UM, I DID NOTICE I DID MISS, MISS, UH, PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME, MR. EK
AND WE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW, IT'S, UM, WELCOME TO THE TEAM.
SO, UH, I JUST WANTED, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL LET THE REST OF THE BOARD SPEAK FIRST.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? YES.
UH, WELL, I GUESS FIRSTLY, JOHN, DAVE, WELCOME TO A TP.
I THINK WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU ON THE TEAM, AND FOLKS WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE IS GONNA BE REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN MAKING THIS, UH, PROGRAM A BIG SUCCESS.
SO, UH, CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME ABOARD.
JUST HAD A COMMENT ON THE BONDING QUESTION.
UM, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, FTA REGS.
IT'S INTERESTING ON BONDING A LOT OF MY EXPERIENCES ON, UM, ROAD AND BRIDGE PROJECTS, A LITTLE LESS SO ON TRANSIT.
IT'S, IT'S BIZARRE TO ME THAT THE FEDS, THE FTA REQUIRES A HUNDRED PERCENT PAYMENT OF PERFORMANCE BONDING FOR TRANSIT PROJECTS WHILE THE FHWA THAT IS OVERSEEING ROADS AND BRIDGES HAS NO SUCH REQUIREMENT MM-HMM
UM, FOR ROAD AND BRIDGE PROJECTS, THE BONDING REQUIREMENTS ARE LEFT TO THE DOTS.
SO THEY HAVE FULL, UM, UH, LEEWAY TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF SECURITY PACKAGE THEY BEST SEE FIT, WHETHER IT BE BONDS, LETTERS, CREDIT OR PAYMENT, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, PERFORMANCE GUARANTEES.
SO I GUESS THE COMMENT IS THIS TYPE OF ONEROUS REQUIREMENT OF A HUNDRED PERCENT PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BONDS ON BILLION DOLLAR CONTRACTS HAS THE RISK OF LIMITING CONTRACTORS THAT MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM BECAUSE BONDING IS A SCARCE COMMODITY.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT ALSO HAS THE ISSUE OF DRAMATICALLY INCREASING COST TO A TP.
SO I THINK IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE WORTHWHILE SPEAKING WITH OUR REGIONAL FTA PEOPLE AND MAYBE EVEN UP TO WASHINGTON TO SEE IF WE CAN'T GET SOME RELIEF OF THIS REQUIREMENT, NOT JUST FOR A TP, BUT JUST GENERICALLY, THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY ANTIQUATED RULE THAT MAKES NO SENSE.
AND I'LL GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE.
THE BONDING HAS TO BE THERE FOR THE FULL DURATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION PERIOD.
IT DOESN'T EVEN DECREASE AS THE CONSTRUCTION ESCALATES.
[01:00:01]
KNOW IT'S A HUGE ISSUE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND OUR CONTRACTORS THAT ARE NOT BIDDING PROJECTS BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY ONEROUS PAYMENT AND PERFORMANCE BONDING REQUIREMENTS FROM AGENCIES.SO I, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD TALK TO THE FT A ABOUT AND SEE WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS ARE ABOUT GETTING RELIEF.
I WILL TALK TO THE FT A IN THAT REGARD.
UH, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU, IT'S TO SAFEGUARD, UH, THE AGENCIES, UH, AND THE FTA, UH, THEY ARE, THEY ARE, UM, UH, ARE MANY, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, UH, THAT ARE OUT THERE TO WORK WITH THE CONTRACTORS.
UH, IN REGARD TO, TO BONDING PERFORMANCE BONDS SPECIFICALLY.
UH, NOT, NOT MANY OF THE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE WILL BE, UM, ONE, UH, CONTRACTOR THAT WILL HAVE THE OVERALL FULL, UH, VALUE OF THE CONTRACT, UH, TO BOND SO THAT THE, UM, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE IS AS WE PROGRESS, UH, AND DEVELOP THOSE CONTRACTING METHODOLOGIES, THEN DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE, THEN IT REDUCES THAT, THAT AMOUNT OF BONDING THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CONTRACT.
NOW WE WANT TO PROTECT OURSELVES BECAUSE IF A CONTRACTOR IS NOT ABLE TO BOND FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHETHER THEY HAVE MULTIPLE CONTRACTS THROUGHOUT THE AREA, IF IF THEY ESSENTIALLY BECOME, UH, DEFAULT AND THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PAY THEIR EMPLOYEES OR PERFORM THEIR CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS, THEN WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
SO, THO THAT BONDING, UH, YOU KNOW, PROTECTS THE AGENCY AND THE DOLLARS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE FT A TO US TO FUND THE PROJECTS, TO TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, JOHN.
I THINK BONDING IS PART OF A BROADER SECURITY PACKAGE.
AND THE SECURITY PACKAGE CAN INCLUDE THREE ELEMENTS.
IT CAN INCLUDE BONDING, CAN INCLUDE LETTERS OF CREDIT, AND IT CAN INCLUDE YES, UH, PERFORMANCE GUARANTEES FROM THE CONTRACTORS.
SO SOME MIX OF ALL THREE COULD BE THE RIGHT THING, YOU KNOW, AND, AND PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BONDS HAVE THEIR PLACE.
UM, THE OTHER ISSUE WITH PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BONDS, YOU GOTTA LITIGATE TO GET THE CASH
SO I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE SOME LEEWAY FOR A TP TO DECIDE ON WHAT THE RIGHT MIX OF THE SECURITY PACKAGE SHOULD BE, AND NOT NECESSARILY MAYBE A HUNDRED PERCENT PAYMENT PERFORMANCE BONDS ISN'T THE RIGHT SOLUTION.
IF I COULD, IF I COULD JUST ADD IN ON THAT BOARD MEMBER ELKINS, UM, WHAT, WHAT IS GO, YOU KNOW, THE LENS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH MAKES, MAKES A LOT OF SENSE RIGHT NOW IN DC UH, I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT CONVERSATIONS SURROUNDING, UH, FAST ACT SURFACE, UH, REAUTHORIZATION THAT HAS EX EXPIRES AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
AND WHETHER THAT'S ONE PACKAGE VERSUS AN INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE, APTA HAS ACTUALLY, UH, PUT TOGETHER A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PROPOSALS OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, BOTH TO THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, TO THIS ADMINISTRATION, TO THE, TO THE CONGRESS OF A LOT OF THINGS TO REVISE, UH, PROGRAM REGULATIONS AND RULES.
I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HAVE TALKED TO, TO CONGRESS ABOUT THE, THESE TYPES OF THINGS, UH, AS WELL.
SO I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATION IS GONNA EVOLVE IN THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR MONTHS, UH, IN, IN DC AND I THINK THERE COULD BE TWEAKS EITHER, YOU KNOW, BY AMERICA IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, THAT THAT CHANGED LAST TIME.
IT COULD FURTHER CHANGE TO BE EVEN A HIGHER PERCENTAGE BASED ON TARIFFS AND TRADE ISSUES INTERNATIONALLY.
I DOUBT IT'S GONNA BE LESSENED.
IT USED TO BE LESS, BUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD NOW? IT'S PROBABLY GOING ONE MORE DIRECTION.
UH, THERE'S THINGS ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, CONTRACTORS AND, UH, APPRENTICE PROGRAMS AND WHAT YOU CAN'T DO AND WHAT OTHER AGENCIES WOULD LIKE TO DO.
AND I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF SOME OF THAT FURTHER EXPANDS FOR A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBILITY OF AGENCIES AND LOCAL WORKFORCE HIRE PREFERENCES AND THINGS THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO NOW.
SO, UM, I, WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP, UH, THIS GROUP UPDATED AS WE LEARN THINGS COMING OUT OF DC BECAUSE THE, THE SAUSAGE MAKING PROCESS IS COMPLICATED, TO SAY THE LEAST.
AND USUALLY YOU FIND OUT 20 MINUTES BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY TAKE A VOTE.
UH, BUT, BUT THERE ARE, THESE ARE ALL THOSE TOPICS ON THE TABLE NATIONALLY, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PROGRAM THAT HAS, UH, HAD THESE TYPE OF COMMENTS, OBVIOUSLY.
SO, UH, I'LL DOUBLE DOWN WITH YOUR COMMENT INTO THE APTA WORK GROUP THAT IS, UH, WORKING ON THE REAUTHORIZATION REGARDING THAT, THAT TOPIC.
I JUST WANT TO, UM, THIS IS NOT A QUESTION, IT'S A COMMENT.
I JUST WANNA COMMEND THE STAFF FOR, UM, REACHING OUT TO THE MULTIETHNIC CHAMBERS AS WE BUILD CAPACITY IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THE DBES.
I, I'D BE INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT MEETING, HOW IT WENT AND HOW THEY SEE THEM, HOW WE'RE ASSURING THEM THAT WE SEE THEM AS A PARTNER IN THIS WORK AS WE BUILD THAT CAPACITY IN THE COMMUNITY.
I ALSO WANTED TO GO AHEAD, RANDY.
[01:05:01]
BEING RESPONSIVE TO MORE MEMBERUH, WE, WE WILL GET YOU A FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
WE ALSO HAD A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, UH, INDUSTRY DAY WITH, UH, MECCA AND THE, AND THE GREATER AUSTIN CHAMBER IN JANUARY, THAT KIND OF PREVIEWED OPPORTUNITIES AT STAFF MEETING THE OTHER DAY.
WE TALKED, TALKED ABOUT MAYBE DOING ANOTHER ONE IN SEPTEMBER, KIND OF POST SUMMER.
AND REALLY NOW, 'CAUSE EVERY DAY WE'RE GETTING MORE AND MORE DETAILS AND WE HAVE BETTER, BETTER REFERENCE POINTS WHEN OPPORTUNITIES WILL EXIST AND THE TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES WE REALLY WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK WITH THE MECCA SPECIFICALLY.
HOW DO WE BUILD A DB BASE? AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN ACCELERATOR TO GET PEOPLE QUALIFIED BECAUSE THERE'S GOTTA BE, AND, AND, AND GET EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT JUST A ONE YEAR SPRINT, IT'S A MARATHON DECADE OPPORTUNITY.
AND, UH, AND IT'S, YOU DON'T GET CERTIFIED OVERNIGHT.
YOU DON'T GET CERTIFIED BY US.
UM, BUT HOW DO YOU GET TO THAT FEDERAL CERTIFICATIONS AND THE PROS AND CONS? THERE ARE SOME, I WILL SAY THERE ARE SOME MINORITY FIRMS THAT I'VE TALKED TO SUGGESTING THEY GET CERTIFIED.
THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF THE CERTIFICATION THAT PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO GO THROUGH.
SOME OF THAT IS PERSONAL DISCLOSURE INFORMATION THAT THEY DO NOT WANNA BE INVOLVED IN.
OTHER TIMES IT PUTS CAPS ON YOUR, UH, REVENUE AND WHAT YOU CAN'T DO.
SOME PEOPLE DON'T WANNA BE INVOLVED IN THAT, BUT NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.
WE NOW WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL DBES OR, OR, OR FIRMS THAT ARE NOT DBES TO BECOME DBES TO CO CONTRIBUTE MIGHTLY TO THIS PROGRAM.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD, MAYBE IT'S SEPTEMBER TO DO THAT NEXT PIECE, BUT I THINK THE MORE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WOULD BE WILLING TO ASSIST IN THAT CATEGORY WITH US IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, WE WOULD, UH, WELCOME, UH, THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND I'VE BEEN REACHED OUT BY SEVERAL FIRMS AS WELL THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THE PROGRAM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DISCUSSED WITH MR. JOHN R AND, AND MR. COUCH DURING OUR BRIEFING WAS THE ABILITY TO HAVE A SUMMIT, TO HAVE WHAT YOU'RE CALLING INDUSTRY DAYS, RANDY, UM, BUT REALLY HAVE A, AN OPEN FORUM TO INFORM EVERYONE OF WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE AND WHAT'S COMING ON BOARD.
SO IT'S, I THINK THOSE ARE REALLY GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT PIECES OF THE PUZZLE.
AND ALSO IN RELATION TO YOUR QUESTION, MAYOR ADLER, WHERE YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE WORKFORCE TRAINING.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME FIRMS THAT HAVE COME FORWARD TO WANT TO HAVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS THROUGH THE SUMMER THAT ARE COMING UP.
SO WE WANNA BE CLOSELY COLLABORATING WITH HOUSTON TILLSON AND UNIVERSITIES, OUR INSTITUTIONS, TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE, WE'RE CREATING THE WORKFORCE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO, FOR THEM TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO MAINTAIN OUR SYSTEMS. AND SOMETHING REALLY FASCINATING THAT'S MOVING FORWARD WITH HOW WE MAINTAIN AND OPERATE OUR, OUR FLEETS IS THE, THE USE OF VIRTUAL REALITY, NEW TECHNOLOGIES SO THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING TRAINED, DON'T FORGET WHAT THAT TRAINING THEY WENT THROUGH, BUT LIKE IN REAL TIME ASSESSMENT OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO DEAL WITH THE NEW EQUIPMENT THAT HAS BEEN ROLLED OUT.
SO THERE'S REALLY VERY FUTURISTIC SCI-FI LIKE WAYS OF TRAINING, UM, OUR WORKFORCE.
BUT WE HAVE GREAT INSTITUTIONS HERE IN AUSTIN AND GREAT TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION THAT CAN HAPPEN.
SO AS WE THINK OF THE MAINTENANCE PROGRAMS, THE MAINTENANCE BUILDINGS, THE TRAINING, BUILDING, OUR TRAINING CAPACITY, I THINK ALL OF THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.
UH, BUT I DO HAVE, IF I MAY, ONE QUESTION FOR, UH, MR. KUBICH, YOU DID MENTION THE STATION FOR THE 100%, UH, BY AMERICA, EVEN WITHIN THE STATION.
SO IF I JUST USE AN EXAMPLE OF LET'S SAY THE REAL TIME ARRIVAL DISPLAYS, THE, THE ME LIKE ALL OF THE, THE PIECES AND, AND TECHNOLOGY THAT'S WITHIN THOSE BOARDS.
I'M JUST USING THAT AS AN EXAMPLE.
HOW, HOW METICULOUS OR TO HOW MANY LAYERS IS THAT PUT INTO AS WE DRESS UP THE STATIONS, AS WE START, UH, ASSEMBLING LIKE THE STATIONS AND WORKING WITH THAT TECHNOLOGY? WHAT THEY'LL LOOK FOR IS THE ORIGIN OF THE FIRM THAT'S INVOLVED IN THAT.
THEY DO KNOW THE, THE, AND IT, IT CHANGES FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND THAT'LL BE, WE'LL HAVE TO WORK VERY CLOSELY, YOU KNOW, WITH THEM.
BUT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE FINAL ASSEMBLY.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE ORIGIN, LIKE SAY A LOT OF SEMICONDUCTORS AND EVERYTHING ELSE ARE MADE OVERSEAS.
SO THAT'S KIND OF LIKE AN EXCLUSION.
BUT IS THAT SEMICONDUCTOR TRANSPORTED TO THE US? IS IT ASSEMBLED? IS IT PART OF AN OVERALL DESIGN AND SYSTEM? THAT'S, THAT'S THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH, LIKE IN A, IN A COMMUNICATION SYSTEM.
AND, UH, WE, WE, AND IT'S JUST A, UH, SINCE YOU BROUGHT UP LIKE A, A, A SIGN, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE SAME TYPE OF REVIEW AT A STATION.
IT COULD BE THE SAME THING IF WE PUT IT IN THE FACILITY, AND THEN WE ALSO WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT IT, UH, ON THE ROLLING STOCK.
[01:10:01]
ON THE APPLICATION OF THAT.AND HOPEFULLY THAT HELP ANSWERS OR HELP CLARIFY YOUR ASK.
YEAH, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY INTENSE BECAUSE TIMING, I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE TO START BACK TO GROUND ZERO ONCE SOMETHING'S BEEN SPECIFIED AND ABS PROCURED.
THAT'S WHY I KIND OF DID TRY TO NOTE THAT ONCE WE DO KIND OF LOCK DOWN THE DESIGN OR THE FREEZE ON OUR PART AS A, AS THE OWNER, UH, AND THE OPERATOR, WE CAN'T CHANGE OUR MIND LAST MINUTE BECAUSE IT DISRUPTS THE TERMS AND THE AGREEMENTS.
UH, BUT AT THE SAME POINT IN TIME, THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING FOR THESE FIRMS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, REPUTABLE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE GOT GOOD STANDING AND, AND THAT ARE GONNA BE AROUND FOR A WHILE.
BECAUSE I WOULD SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING VERY FAST.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ON WHAT WE SELECT HERE AT THIS SYSTEM IS WE WANT TO BE AS ADVANCED AS POSSIBLE, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE INDUSTRY AND STUFF IS THERE AND ABLE TO SUPPORT IT.
AND LUCKILY WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS, YOU KNOW, FROM AN IP ADDRESS STANDPOINT ON A LOT OF OUR SYSTEMS AND STUFF, THERE'S A LOT MORE OPEN ARCHITECTURE THAN WHAT WE WERE DEALING WITH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR 10 YEARS AGO.
SO WE DO HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY, UH, FOR THAT.
WE'LL, WE, WE WILL, IT WILL BE A REGULAR DISCUSSION ON EVERYTHING THAT WE DO.
MS. FNDA, COULD YOU HAVE YOUR HAND OUT? YES.
UM, THANK, THANKS STEPH, FOR THAT GREAT PRESENTATION.
UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON, UM, I KNOW YOU OUTLINED THE SORT OF MADE IT AMERICA PROGRAM.
UM, DOES THE FDA HAVE ANY RE REQUIREMENTS AROUND SORT OF, UM, COMPONENT PARTS OR, OR OR OTHER, UM, SORT OF SUPPLY CHAIN ITEMS THAT ARE PRODUCED USING GREEN PRODUCTION METHODS? THERE, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT IS ANYTHING THAT IS GREEN PRODUCTION.
YOU, YOU HIT A COUPLE OF THE WORDS THAT ARE THERE THAT ARE COMPONENT AND SUB COMPONENT, AND THAT'S REALLY THE DIRECTION THAT MR. ACHE WAS GOING IN BECAUSE WE KNOW SOME OF THE SUB COMPONENTS WILL BE FOREIGN MADE LIKE CHIPS.
UH, BUT NOW THERE, THERE IS NOTHING RIGHT NOW WE DO HAVE AN OBJECTIVE, UH, GOING FORWARD, UH, WITH DOING THINGS THAT ARE GREEN, DOING THINGS THAT GO IN A DIRECTION, UH, THAT ARE LEADS, THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE DEVELOPING AS WE GO FORWARD WITH THE PROGRAM.
UM, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, AND THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE LABOR NEUTRALITY, AND I HOPE I UNDERSTOOD THIS CORRECTLY, MR. R WHEN I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO, WE'RE PROHIBITED FROM ENDORSING JOINING A SPECIFIC LABOR ORGANIZATION.
IS THAT, AND I'LL, I'LL BE MORE SPECIFIC TO MY QUESTION.
AND THIS IS IN REGARDS TO THE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY WITH THE A TX MOBILITY COALITION, THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE WORKERS' DEFENSE FUND.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN AUGMENT THE SAFETY MECHANISMS FOR, FOR THE WORKFORCE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY WORK ON THIS PROGRAM WITH THE BETTER BUILDER INCORPORATING THE BUILDER BETTER BUILDER PROGRAM, FOR INSTANCE.
AND SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS, THEIR, THEIR INTEREST IN REGARDS TO THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF LABOR NEUTRALITY? SO, SO IT PRIMARILY, IT IS FOR, UM, THE AGENCY NOT TO BE ABLE TO IMPOSE ANY OF THE REQUIREMENTS IF A CONTRACTOR WORKS TOGETHER WITH THE LABOR ORGANIZATION SO THAT WE DON'T GIVE THEM AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T WANT TO HOLD IT AGAINST THEM, BUT WE DON'T ALSO WANT TO GIVE THEM CREDIT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER WITH A LABOR ORGANIZATION AND THEN WE RATE THEM OR EVALUATE THEM AND GIVE THEM A HIGHER SCORE BECAUSE OF THAT.
NOW, UM, IT, IT, IT REALLY, UM, THE FTA REQUIREMENT REALLY WANTS TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T PROHIBIT CONTRACTORS FROM WORKING WITH LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
SO IF THEY WERE WORKING WITH THE IBEW, IF THEY WERE WORKING WITH ANY OF THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT, THEY WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT.
AND SO THIS LABOR NEUTRALITY REQUIREMENT IS THERE SO THAT THE AGENCY DOESN'T, UH, HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS OR PROHIBIT A, UH, CONTRACTOR AND A LABOR ORGANIZATION FROM WORKING TOGETHER.
I WOULD JUST, I WOULD JUST ADD IN ON THE, ON THE, ON THE BETTER BUILDER PIECE SPECIFICALLY, UH, THAT THAT'S A CITY PROGRAM.
[01:15:01]
I GUESS WE DID THIS LAST SUMMER AND THE MAY OR MAY RECALL A LITTLE BIT, I, I, I SUGGESTED TO SOME PEOPLE ON THIS TOPIC NOT TO GET NECESSARILY CAUGHT UP ON THAT TERM BECAUSE THAT IS A CITY-BASED TERM, BUT THE INTENT BEHIND THE TERM AND THE INTENT BEHIND THE TERM WILL BE COVERED BY THE TYPES OF HOW WE MANAGE OUR PROJECTS ANYWAY.SO FOR INSTANCE, AT CAP METRO, WE HAVE A SAFETY DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THE CAP METRO SAFETY DEPARTMENT WILL BE REQUIRE BY FEDERAL LAW AND OUR INTERNAL POLICIES TO DO SAFETY ASSURANCE, SAFETY AUDITS ON EVERY ONE OF THESE PROJECTS.
AND ULTIMATELY DO SAFETY CERTIFICATION.
SO ALL JOB SAFETY STUFF WILL BE AUDITED AND WE'LL HAVE ONSITE SAFETY PEOPLE EVERY DAY THAT REPORT TO THE AGENCY TO HOLD ANY CONTRACTOR ACCOUNTABLE FOR BOTH OSHA OR FTA TYPE OF SAFETY SYSTEM STUFF.
SECONDARILY, WHEN IT COMES TO SAY, UH, DETERMINING TO, JOHN MENTIONED FAIR, FAIR WAGE RATES FOR CONTRACTING STAFF, WE WILL HAVE CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION PROFESSIONALS JUST LIKE WE DO TODAY, BOTH ON THE DBE SIDE OR ON THE REGULAR CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION SIDE THAT WILL EITHER BE ON SITE, CHECKING IN WITH STAFF, DID YOU GET PAID, HOW MUCH DID YOU GET PAID, MAKING THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND SECONDARILY PAPER AUDITING TO MAKE SURE ALL OF THOSE DOTS AND I'S AND T'S ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE ALL OF THE MECHANISMS IN PLACE THROUGH ALL OF THE CAPITAL KIND OF CONTRACTS WE DO, OR OPERATING CONTRACTS WE DO.
WE NEED TO BETTER ARTICULATE THAT TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE THOSE CHECKS AND BALANCES.
AND, AND THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, AND THE GOOD THING IS WE HAVE A LONG TIME TO GO BEFORE WE'RE EVEN THINKING OF BREAKING GROUND ON THESE CONTRACTS.
SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF TOPICS I THINK THAT WILL EVOLVE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE FALL AS WE PUT A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, THE OLD SAME MEAT ON THE BONE RELATING TO THOSE TOPICS SO THE COMMUNITY COULD BETTER UNDERSTAND THEM AND WE CAN SHOW THE INTENT OF BETTER BUILDER, BUT THROUGH THE GUISE OF HOW WE ALREADY DO IT THROUGH A FEDERALLY REGULATED PROCESS AT CAP METRO.
SO I HOPE HOPEFULLY THAT, THAT, THAT HELPS CONNECT THOSE DOTS A LITTLE BIT FOR FUTURE.
I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY KEY.
AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS THAT EQUIVALENT TRANSLATION OF THE INTENT OF, AND WE DON'T WANNA CREATE THE COMPLEXITY THAT BECAUSE THERE'S THE LOCAL PROGRAM AND THEN THE FEDERAL PROGRAM OR THAT THEY COULD BE AT A DISAGREEMENT OF SOME SORT OR CREATE A CONFLICT THAT, YOU KNOW, USUALLY THE, THE MOST STRICT OR THE MOST ROBUST OR SAFEST PROGRAM STANDS.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT THE WORKFORCE THAT WILL IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM.
BUT ALSO RELATES TO, AND, AND I THINK YOU MENTIONED IT ALSO ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT THE WORKERS WILL WORK AND THE COMPENSATION BEHIND THIS, BUT ALSO THIS WILL NOT PREVENT US FROM HAVING, I'M JUST GONNA USE THE TUNNEL FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE HAD 24 HOUR SHIFTS, WE WILL ALWAYS BE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK 24 7.
UM, THAT THIS WILL NOT PREVENT US FROM WORKING.
JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE STAFF ASSIGNED IN THE WORKFORCE, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S CORRECT.
WE WILL LET PEOPLE SLEEP THIS DECADE, RIGHT?
THAT IS ONE THING THAT THE, WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH CITY STAFF ALREADY AND THEN ULTIMATELY THIS BOARD AND COUNCIL AND CAP METRO BOARD, THAT JOINT AGREEMENT, WE WILL HAVE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT ON WHAT, UH, WORK HOURS GENERALLY ARE.
BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, WE WILL HAVE TO WORK 24 HOURS TO DELIVER THIS PROGRAM.
AND THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN NORMAL KIND OF CAPITAL PROGRAMS IN, IN THE CITY DEALING WITH THINGS LIKE NOISE AND DISRUPTION AND HOW WE DO THAT TO WORK WITH EVERYONE.
KNOW, WE, WE ALL HAVE TO KIND OF COHABITATE IN THE CITY WHILE WE DO CONSTRUCTION AT THE SAME TIME PEOPLE LIVE HERE AND WORK HERE AND PLAY HERE AND, AND BALANCING THAT.
SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE'RE WORKING ON, UH, KIND OF ALREADY.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DEFINITELY WILL ADD A LOT MORE TO THIS CONVERSATION PIECE, UH, AS, AS WE WORK THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS BASELINE REQUIREMENTS AND I HOPE ONE THING THAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING IS STEPPING STONE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I USE THE PHRASE A LOT, CRAWL, WALK, RUN.
WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THAT EDUCATIONAL BASE TO THEN HAVE THE MOST, UH, BENEFICIAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT BECAUSE NOW THE BASELINE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED ON ALL THESE COMPLEX FEDERAL AND SOMETIMES MAYBE EVEN BYZANTINE RULES, UH, THAT WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH.
THEN YOU'VE ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS, SO I KNOW I'M, I'LL HAVE MORE AS WE PROGRESS AND YOU KEEP ALIGNING US.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE TEAM? MAYOR ADLER, I KNOW AS YOU KNOW, THAT THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LABOR ISSUES ARE RECURRENT, UH, AND, AND, AND THEY'RE STILL BEING RAISED.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU COULD ADD TO YOUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PIECE, UH, JUST A, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC ON THAT ISSUE, UH, SO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE MIGHT BE JUST A SESSION THAT PEOPLE COULD GO TO, TO TALK THROUGH WITH YOU AND,
[01:20:01]
AND THE ATTORNEYS, WHAT THOSE PARAMETERS ARE.UH, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE, UH, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
THAT, UH, MAYBE, UH, KIND OF LIKE THE SAME AS ON THE DBE SIDE, LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF A SUMMIT DAY, SO WE CAN WALK THROUGH THAT.
UH, WE WERE THINKING LATER IN THE FALL, BUT I AGREE WITH YOU THE EARLIER WE GET EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE ON WHAT, 'CAUSE I THINK EVERYONE ACTUALLY INTENT IS VERY MUCH ALIGNED.
IT'S JUST UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISMS OF THE INTENT.
AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU OR OTHER BOARD MEMBERS COULD, UH, PARTICIPATE IN AS WELL AS WE FRAME THAT UP.
AND JOHN, YOUR, YOUR BACKGROUND, IS THAT A SPECIFIC SITE,
HEY, JOHN, THIS, THIS ACTUALLY
AND, AND I TELL EVERYONE THAT I CHOSE THIS BACKGROUND FOR MR. DAVE HICK AND PETER MULLEN THAT'S RECENTLY JOINED, AND TO HELP MAKE THEM FEEL A LITTLE BIT MORE COMFORTABLE BECAUSE THIS UNIVERSITY IS IN NEW YORK.
AND SINCE DAVE CAME HERE FROM NEW YORK, I THOUGHT HE'D GET A KICK OUT OF IT.
AND PETER, I KNOW HE LOVES THE ARCHITECTURE IN IT.
SO, SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT, UH, THAT'S WHAT THE BACKGROUND
I SEND YOU AN HT BACKGROUND TO WELCOME YOU TO AUSTIN
I, I, I ACTUALLY HAVE BACKGROUNDS FOR, UH, FOR ALL OF THE, UH, THE OFFICES, UH, AT UT AND THE OTHER UNIVERSITIES HERE.
SO, UH, HOUSTON, TILLERSON AND, AND ST.
AND, AND THOSE ARE ACTUALLY THE ONES I, I, UH, I LOOKED UP FIRST, SO THANK YOU.
I HOPE WE GET TO MEET YOU ALL IN PERSON SOON.
I KNOW WE'VE CROSSED PATHS BEFORE.
UM, OH, THERE'S MY PUPPY SHOWING UP TO SAY HELLO
[V. Executive Director Report]
TO, UM, RANDY CLARK'S EXECUTIVE REPORT.AND YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST, UH, I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS THAT EVERY BOARD MEMBER MADE ABOUT EACH PART OF THE STAFF PRESENTATIONS.
UM, I, I HOPE YOU ARE ALL FEELING, UM, AS EACH MONTH GOES BY MORE AND MORE CONFIDENCE AS WE BUILD THIS ORGANIZATION.
I FEEL LIKE IN THE LAST 60 DAYS, WE FINALLY CAME OUT OF THE, UH, GARAGE OR THE GARAGE DOOR AT LEAST OPENED UP TRYING TO DO OUR STARTUP.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE QUALITY PROFESSIONALS THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO BRING ON IS AMAZING.
AND, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHILE SOME OF THIS WORK MAY SEEM KIND OF, UH, ELEMENTARY TO SOME EXTENT, I HOPE THE COMMUNITY SEES THAT, UH, THESE ARE THE BASELINES THAT WE'RE TAKING SERIOUS.
WE HAVE TO GET OUR POLICIES CORRECT, WE HAVE TO GET ALL OF OUR ENABLING DOCUMENTATION IN, IN LINE SO THEN WE CAN REALLY, UH, MOVE THE PROGRAM IN EARNEST.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE WITH US AS WE DO THAT.
AND, UH, KIND OF GOING THROUGH THESE COMPONENTS.
I GUESS, SAM, IF YOU COULD GO, GO, I THINK I ASSUME IT'S SAM, THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE PIECE HERE AND I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER, UH, JUST, UH, I THINK CASEY, BECAUSE, UH, WE'LL HAVE TO DO THE SECOND PIECE TODAY.
UH, SO JUST QUICKLY ON THE ED REPORT FOR THE MONTH, UH, BOARD MEMBER ALKINS MENTIONED IT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE BOARD TO KNOW ABOUT REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, FEDERAL MEETINGS.
SO MYSELF AND A FEW MEMBERS OF SENIOR STAFF MET WITH, UH, SHE'S ACTUALLY THE ACTING FDA ADMINISTRATOR NURIA FERNANDEZ A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
AND SHE'S ACTUALLY BEEN NOMINATED BY PRESIDENT BIDEN.
AND I THINK EVERYONE ASSUMES WE'LL GET THE NOMINATION FOR FDA ADMINISTRATOR.
I'VE KNOWN NURIA FOR A LONG TIME.
SHE WAS THE CEO OF VTA IN, UH, IN THE VA IN THE SAN JOSE AREA.
AND SHE'S BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I DON'T THINK WE COULD HAVE A BETTER FTA ADMINISTRATOR RIGHT NOW.
SHE'S, UH, JUST LEFT A JOB DOING A BIG CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION BUILD OUT JUST LIKE WE'RE DOING AND HAS BEEN AROUND THE, UH, INDUSTRY FOR A LONG TIME.
SO, UH, WE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH HER, LAYING OUT, AGAIN, THE PROGRAM.
SHE'S VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROGRAM.
A WEEK BEFORE SHE BECAME DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, SHE ACTUALLY DID AN EVENT WITH US, WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, TALKING UP THE VALUE OF, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE'VE ALSO HAD, UH, NUMEROUS, UH, MEETINGS WITH THE REGION.
UM, GA GAI IS THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF HER STAFF, AND DAVE AND OTHERS MEET WITH HER ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS TO TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE TECHNICAL ELEMENTS, WHETHER IT'S THINKING THROUGH REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION STRATEGIES OR OTHER FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES.
UH, AND ALL OF THOSE, OF COURSE, ARE RELATED TO OUR GRANTS AS WELL, BECAUSE OUTSIDE OF THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINE, WHICH WILL BE THE, UM, WE'LL EVENTUALLY WORK TOWARDS A FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT UNDER THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
AND, AND ESSENTIALLY AT A TP YOU'RE GONNA BE GOING FOR EVERY SINGLE FEDERAL GRANT OPPORTUNITY WE CAN GET AND TRYING
[01:25:01]
TO GET, UH, EVERY DOLLAR FROM DC BACK HERE TO CENTRAL TEXAS TO PUT, TO WORK FOR THIS PROGRAM AT LARGE.REGARDLESS OF THE SPECIFIC, UH, CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM, WE'RE TRACKING, UH, THE PRESIDENT'S $2 TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE PACKAGE VERY CLOSELY.
THERE'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POSITIVE ELEMENTS IN THAT PACKAGE, OR IN THE PROPOSAL, PROBABLY A BETTER WORD, PROPOSAL RELATED TO TRANSIT.
EVERYTHING FROM ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR BUSES TO MORE FUNDING FOR RAIL BUILD OUT, UH, LOTS OF COMPONENTS THERE.
WE'LL SEE HOW THAT ALL SHAKES OUT IN DC.
UH, I DON'T PRETEND TO, UH, KNOW HOW THAT'S GONNA ALL SHAKE OUT, BUT I THINK IT'S AT LEAST POSITIVE THAT MOST EVERYONE AGREES.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS A BIPARTISAN TOPIC, ALWAYS.
THE PAY FORS ARE THE COMPLICATED THING IN DC.
BUT, UH, KNOCK ON WOOD, THIS PROGRAM WILL FURTHER ACCELERATE FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS IN, AND NOT ONLY THE WHOLE INDUSTRY, BUT SPECIFICALLY HERE IN OUR PROGRAM IN AUSTIN.
UH, INSIDE OF YOUR PACKET, YOU SHOULD HAVE GOT YOUR FIRST MEMO, UH, FROM OUR CFO GREG CANE ON CONTRACTS BETWEEN 150 AND $250,000 AS PER, UH, THE BOARD ACTION TWO MONTHS AGO ON, UH, US DOING THAT.
PLEASE, OF COURSE, REACH OUT TO GREG OR MYSELF AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
BUT, UH, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE, UH, EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE WAS AFTER ON THAT MOMENT.
UH, SAM COULD GO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO NOW, UH, JULIANA, UH, WAS, WAS GONNA DO THIS, AND SHE WAS OUR, UH, OUR, OUR LEAD FOR HR THAT'S BEEN FULL-TIME HERE WORKING AT A TP TO REALLY, UH, JUST DOING AN AMAZING JOB.
SHE'S WORKING, UH, SHE'S WORKING REALLY TOO HARD, QUITE FRANKLY.
WE ARE WORKING SO HARD TO TRY TO BRING RESOURCES TO BEAR ON THIS PROGRAM 'CAUSE IT IS SUCH A BIG PROGRAM AND THERE'S SO MANY ELEMENTS WE HAVE TO DO.
SHE, UNFORTUNATELY IS OFF TODAY DEALING WITH SOME REPERCUSSIONS OF HER COVID SHOT, UM, WHICH ALL OF US HAVE GONE THROUGH.
AND SO CASEY BURAK HAS BEEN WILLING TO STEP IN AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO A QUICK REVIEW OF OUR HIRING AND RECRUITMENT UPDATE IN BOTH HOW WE'RE RECRUITING AND THEN JUST THE, THE KIND OF A LITTLE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF WHERE WE ARE WITH A LOT OF, UH, THE DIFFERENT HIRING, UH, STATUS.
SO CASEY, DO YOU MIND JUMPING IN AND TAKING CARE OF THAT? YEAH, SURE.
UM, AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS WILL BE ABLE TO MEET JULIAN ON AT A FUTURE MEETING.
SHE'S REALLY BEEN A LIFESAVER FOR US.
WE'VE KINDED HER OVER A HUNDRED PERCENT FROM CAPITAL METRO JUST 'CAUSE WE NEED SO MUCH SUPPORT IN GETTING FOLKS ON BOARD AND, UM, WE'RE REALLY GLAD SHE'S ON OUR TEAM AND HOPE SHE HAS A SPEEDY RECOVERY.
UM, I HAD MY SECOND SHOT OVER THE WEEKEND AND WAS OUT FOR A COUPLE DAYS, SO I KNOW THAT GOES, UM, ANYWAY, SO HOW ARE WE RECRUITING KIND OF JUST BASELINE.
I KNOW THIS QUESTION HAS COME UP, UM, IN THE LAST MEETING AND DURING THE BRIEFINGS, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW.
I MEAN, FOR CERTAIN POSITIONS JUST, YOU KNOW, BE AWARE THAT WE DO HAVE MORE PINPOINTED, UM, RECRUITMENT EFFORTS.
UM, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THESE ARE THE WAYS THAT WE'VE GONE ABOUT IT.
SO WE DO HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RECRUITER, UM, THAT CAP METRO HAS UNDER CONTRACT THAT'S BEEN HELPING US, UM, WITH LARGELY THE TECHNICAL, THE HIGHLY TECHNICAL POSITIONS THAT WE NEED FROM OTHER TRANSIT AGENCIES WITH JUST VERY SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND ALSO CERTAIN EXECUTIVE LEVEL POSITIONS MOSTLY THAT WE ALSO NEED THAT HAVE, UM, FEDERAL TRANSIT EXPERIENCE AND EX, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCE WITH THE FTA.
UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S BEEN WORKING OUT REALLY WELL.
WE'VE BEEN HIRING QUICKLY THE, UM, THE OTHER, YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF HAVE DIFFERENT ANGLES ON A FEDERAL, OR, SORRY, NOT FEDERAL, BUT NATIONWIDE VERSUS LOCAL BASIS.
BUT, UM, TRYING TO FIND FOLKS WITH TRANSIT EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING, UM, THE WORD OUT THERE TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND, UM, INCLUDING TO THE CONFERENCE OF MINORITY TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS, THE GREATER AUSTIN BLACK CHAMBER OF COMM COMMERCE, THE GREATER AUSTIN ASIAN CHAMBER, GREATER AUSTIN HISPANIC CHAMBER, UM, WORK IN TEXAS, UM, WHICH IS A PLATFORM THAT TARGETS, UM, UH, VETERANS FOR EMPLOYMENT.
LINKEDIN, OF COURSE, WHICH EVERYBODY USES, UM, TRANSIT TALENT AND THE, UH, GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, BOTH NATIONAL AND LOCAL CHAPTERS, AND THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS.
AND OF COURSE, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE WE HAVE ALL THESE POSTINGS UP AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY UPDATING THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH FOLKS OR STILL INTERVIEWING, UM, AND PUSHING EVERYTHING OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
UM, AND SO THOSE, THAT'S JUST GENERALLY A SNAPSHOT OF HOW, HOW WE'RE RECRUITING KIND CHANGE SLIDES.
UM, WHICH POSITIONS ARE WE HIRING
UM, THEY RANGE FROM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS, LEGAL, UM, WE'VE GOT A DEPUTY COUNCIL POSITION OUT THERE THAT'S BEEN POSTED, UM, YOU KNOW, PROJECT MANAGEMENT WORK, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING OF COURSE.
UM, AND, UM, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
[01:30:01]
OF THESE POSITIONS ARE KIND OF IN DIFFERENT, UM, UH, DIFFERENT PLACES ALONG THE HIRING SPECTRUM.SO SUMMIT, WERE, WERE, WE'RE INTERVIEWING CERTAIN, WE, CERTAIN FOLKS WERE ABOUT TO START INTERVIEWING, WE'RE EITHER, AND THEN, UM, THERE CERTAIN POSITIONS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN TO THE NEGOTIATION PHASE, UM, AND WE'RE HOPING BY THE NEXT MEETING TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE A WHOLE SLEW OF CANDIDATES TO YOU BASED ON THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO, AND I GUESS, UM, PART OF, PART OF THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION WAS ALSO, IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY, UM, WELL, A, TO GET IT OUT TO THE PUBLIC THAT ALL THESE POSITIONS ARE, UM, ARE FOLKS THAT WE'RE RECRUITING FOR, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE MORE AND WE WANT TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT ALSO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY OTHER, ANY FEEDBACK OR FOLKS THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE INTERESTED, YOU KNOW, PLEASE, PLEASE FORWARD TO ON.
AND I WOULD JUST JUMP IN AND SAY, ON THE CAB METRO SIDE, THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF OPENINGS AS WELL, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY CAB METRO IS DOING A PART OF THIS PROGRAM.
UM, AND, AND, UH, THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM, UH, WE WERE LOOKING FOR BUS OPERATORS, BUS MECHANICS, RAIL MECHANICS, CFOS, PROJECT MANAGERS, YOU NAME IT.
THERE'S, UH, WE ARE HIRING A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS RIGHT NOW, UH, TRYING TO BUILD UP THE, THE RESOURCES HERE TO DELIVER THIS PROGRAM FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, JUST THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT HERE TO, TO SHOW, UH, ALL THE WORK THAT STAFF IS DOING, UH, AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT.
AND I REALLY, REALLY THANK STAFF FOR HOW MUCH THEY'VE DONE HERE.
UH, A SMALL MIGHTY TEAM THAT, UH, AS YOU'LL SEE WITH SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE HERE PRESENTING TODAY, UH, YOU KNOW, GOOD QUALITY PEOPLE THAT CARE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND, UH, READY TO GO TO WORK HARD FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT CHAIR, UH, THAT IS OUR, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT FOR THE MONTH.
HAPPY TO TAKE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, UH, OR, UH, OR, OR SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS FOR, UH, FUTURE ITEMS TOO.
UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, APPRECIATE THE UPDATE.
UH, RANDY, I KNOW THIS IS A BIG PROGRAM, RISK, UH, GETTING THE RIGHT TALENT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ENCOURAGING TO SEE SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT HAVE ALREADY COME ON BOARD, YOU KNOW, JOHN, DAVE, PETER, PEOPLE LIKE THAT.
BUT, UH, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE PEOPLE THAT WE GOTTA GET ON BOARD AND, UH, GETTING THOSE PEOPLE ON BOARD, GETTING THE DIVERSITY IS GONNA BE CRITICAL.
YES, MS. BAKA, UM, GREAT UPDATE.
UM, THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION AND THEY HAVE A TEXAS CHAPTER, IT'S WOMEN IN TRANSPORTATION, AND, UH, THEY DO HAVE A CAREER ASCENSION.
THEY HAVE A VERY ACTIVE TRA CHAPTER HERE IN TEXAS.
YEAH, AND I CAN SAY, GINA, THAT OUR LIST IS, UH, MULTIPLE CAP MENTOR MEMBERS ARE ON THE LEADERSHIP OF WTS, SO HAVE BEEN PUSHING THAT INFORMATION AS WELL.
SO, UH, I THINK WE GOTTA GET CASEY INVOLVED IN THAT GROUP AS WELL.
SO THAT'D BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD.
BUT THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR MENTIONING THAT, AND I THINK WE UNINTENTIONALLY LEFT THAT OFF THE LIST, BUT I'M, I'M 99.9% SURE THAT, UH, THEY'VE BEEN ENGAGED ON, ON THIS LIST AS WELL.
YEAH, THEY'RE A GREAT ORGANIZATION.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
I HAVE, UH, UM, SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT I COULD RECOMMEND.
SO CASEY, WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION OFFLINE THAT I, WE CAN, I CAN ADD YOU AND THE PEOPLE THAT I THINK WOULD BE GOOD CONNECTION.
AND SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, WHEN THEY HAVE A JOB BOARD, DO THEY, DO WE HAVE A BUDGET SET IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN PAY FOR THEIR JOB BOARD FOR THESE ADVERTISEMENTS TO GO ON THEIR JOB BOARD? YES.
WE HAVE ENOUGH FUNDING ALLOCATED FOR RECRUITING THAT WE CAN, UM, PAY, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT'S THROUGH LINKEDIN OR A DIFFERENT ORGANIZATION SO THAT THEY, WE CAN HIGHLIGHT THE JOBS SO THAT FOLKS ACTUALLY SEE THEM.
AND THE OTHER, THE SECOND PART IS AFTER, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THAT FAR FROM HAVING A CONTINGENT OF A TP PEOPLE HIRE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA IS NOT TO HAVE A TON OF FTES LONG TERM AT A TP.
A LOT OF THE KIND OF QUOTE UNQUOTE STAFF WILL BE CONTRACTED STAFF FOR OBVIOUS REASONS 'CAUSE OF THE, THE PROJECT NATURE, UH, THAT WE HAVE.
BUT CONTACTS OR PEOPLE LOOKING TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS FIELD OR THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS FIELD LOOKING TO BE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO CONNECT TO OUR CONSULTANTS AND CONTRACTORS AS WELL.
SO REGARDLESS IF IT'S AN A TP HAT, I KNOW GINA WOULD BE LOOKING FOR MORE PEOPLE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, CAP METRO HAT, UH, CONTRACTORS, CONSULTANTS.
THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO, I THINK WE ESTIMATED
[01:35:01]
OVER, OVER THE 10 YEARS, IT'S GONNA CREATE A HUNDRED THOUSAND JOBS.UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION, BUT THERE'S GONNA BE ALL THESE OTHER COMPONENTS AS WELL THAT MAY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH JUST DIRECT A TP HIRE.
SO THE MORE THAT WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WANNA BE INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT GETS FED TO THE LARGER KIND OF THE PROGRAM ORGANIZATION AS WELL.
AND THE QUESTION I HAD ALSO, JUST THE CURIOSITY IS THAT SOME OF THOSE JOB POSTINGS, SOME OF THAT WORK, IT'S READY TO GO AND SOME OF THAT WORK IS GONNA BE PENDING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING INTO THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, SO IT'S NOT STUDIED RIGHT AWAY.
SO IT'S, UH, A TIMING ALIGNMENT THAT HAS TO WORK OUT.
SO, UM, AND THANK YOU FOR POINTING OUT MR. CLARK AS WELL, OF ANY ITEMS FOR THE UPCOMING BOARD MEETING THAT ANYBODY ON THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT WANTS TO PRESENT NOW SO THAT THE STAFF CAN GET READY FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY ITEMS? UM, I BE, I'VE MENTIONED ONE TO SAM AND GREG, AND THAT'S MORE OF A BUDGET TO ACTUAL UPDATE, WHICH I THINK, UH, GREG'S GONNA BE DOING IN THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'LL BE A QUARTERLY, UH, THAT WAS THE ONLY ONE I HAD, CORRECT.
BOARD MEMBER THAT WILL BE, WELL, THERE'LL BE AN UPDATE ON THAT IN MAY.
AND THEN MAY AND JUNE, WE'RE GONNA START DRILLING THAT IN SOME SERIOUS WEEDS ON BLUE LINE IN MAY AND ORANGE LINE IN JUNE TO A PRETTY, YOU KNOW, GOOD SIZE LEVEL WITH OUR 15% DESIGN.
UM, AND, UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH YOU ALL, UH, LEADING UP TO THAT.
BUT ALSO AT THAT CONVERSATION, UH, WE'RE AT THE PIVOT.
WE'RE GONNA BE AT THAT STARTING POINT TO REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, TAKE IT TO THAT NEXT LEVEL WITH THE COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE ALONG THESE ALIGNMENTS, UM, AND HOW THE COORDINATION IS ALL GONNA HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AND WORK.
SO I THINK THE NEXT TWO MEETINGS, WE SHOULD ANTICIPATE A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE ON THE TECHNICAL ELEMENT OF THE GUIDEWAY AND, AND, UH, RIGHT OF WAY IMPLICATIONS.
WELL, IF NOBODY ELSE HAS ANY MORE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, UM, IS THAT IT? WHEN ARE WE MEETING IN PERSON?
WE GOTTA GET THAT ON THE DOCKET.
WELL, THAT'S ONE THING THAT I, I KNOW I MENTIONED IT TO THE CHAIR.
I KNOW ON THE CAP METRO SIDE, I BELIEVE WE, WE WILL BE MEETING BACK IN PERSON IN MAY.
THE CHAIR HAS KINDA INDICATED THAT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF STANDS READY IF YOU ALL WANNA MEET IN MAY, WE'RE CERTAINLY READY TO SUPPORT THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, UM, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU COME ON THE SERVICE TO, UH, GET TO THE MEETING AS WELL.
YEAH, I MEAN, IS THIS AN SOMETHING WE WANNA PUT OUT FOR VOTE OR JUST GET EVERYBODY'S, UM, COMFORT LEVEL? UM, WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK? DO WE WANNA PRESENT THAT AT THE, AT THE MAY MEETING FOR A POTENTIAL MEETING IN PERSON IN JUNE? OR DO WE START DISCUSSING THIS NOW? WELL, I'M WONDERING IF THERE ARE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT PERHAPS ARE NOT COMFORTABLE MEETING IN PERSON, IS IT, UH, POSSIBLE THAT THEY COULD DIAL IN VIRTUALLY SO THE REST OF US COULD BE THERE? UH, I, I'M HAPPY TO BE THERE IN PERSON, BUT, UH, WE MAY HAVE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE YET WE CAN DO THAT.
I WILL SAY LOGISTICALLY IT IS MUCH MORE CHALLENGING TO DO.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE EASY.
WE'VE TRIED THAT AND THERE IS COMPLICATIONS.
IF IT'S VALUABLE, WE COULD, UH, SO WE DON'T DO THIS IF YOU SAY PUBLICLY, WE COULD CERTAINLY REACH OUT TO EVERYONE INDIVIDUALLY AND CHECK EVERYONE'S COMFORT LEVEL AND SEE WHEN PEOPLE WOULD BE COMFORTABLE.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC DISCUSSION.
IS THAT WHATEVER, AGAIN, YOU OR OTHERS.
AND THE BOARD PREFER JIM MAYOR ADLER? YEAH, I, I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE ASKING RANDY AND STAFF JUST TO COME BACK TO US WITH, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS.
I KNOW THAT, UH, WE'VE ASKED THE CITY STAFF TO TELL US THE SAME QUESTION WITH RESPECT TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND PART OF THE QUESTIONS ALSO RELATE TO STAFFING AND, AND THEIR, THEIR TOLERANCES TOO.
AND, AND THEN EQUIPPING A SPACE WITH THE DIVIDERS AND THE LIKE.
AND SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF LOGISTIC THINGS INVOLVED, BUT I, I ALSO AGREE THAT, UM, UM, I WOULD ALSO BE COMFORTABLE DOING THAT IN A, IN A, UH, COMPLIANT WAY.
UM, WOULD I BE COMFORTABLE JUST ASKING STAFF TO KIND OF CHECK IT OUT AND COME BACK TO US WITH THEIR RECOMMENDATION ON THAT WAY YOU GET THERE? YES, DR. BURNETT, I'M IN THE SAME POSITION AS THE MAYOR.
UM, I'M COMFORTABLE MEETING IN PERSON, YOU KNOW, UM, ALL OF THE RIGHT THINGS IN PLACE.
DISTANCING MAY IS A LONG WAY AWAY.
[01:40:01]
SCIENCE AND WAIT FOR A, JUST THE STAFF TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, BUT I, I'M COMFORTABLE MEETING IN PERSON IN THAT CASE.WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL SEND SOMETHING OVER.
BUT THE, UM, FROM A STAFF POINT OF VIEW, I THINK WE DO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN MAY.
'CAUSE AGAIN, I THINK WE, ON THE CAB METRO SAID WE FEEL COMFORTABLE AS WELL, AND WE WOULD BASE THAT ON CDC GUIDANCE.
CDC GUIDANCE HAS BEEN PRETTY CLEAR THAT SAYS ONCE EVERYONE'S VACCINATED, I MEAN, THEY, THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, YOUR GROUP OF FIVE, 10 PEOPLE IN A ROOM WITHOUT MASKS ON IF YOU'VE BEEN VACCINATED.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE, WE, I THINK WE FEEL LIKE STAFF-WISE, WE ARE VERY ADVANCED ON VACCINATIONS.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ONE MEMBER OF THE TEAM HERE TODAY THAT ACTUALLY, I THINK I'M THE LAST ONE TO GET MY SECOND SHOT.
EVERYONE ELSE HAS BEEN FULLY VACCINATED, SOME FOR LIKE, UP TO A MONTH AND A HALF ALREADY.
SO I THINK WE'RE PRETTY GOOD SHAPE ON THAT POINT OF VIEW.
BUT WE WILL DO A LITTLE DUE DILIGENCE FOR THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDATION, MAKING SURE WE CAN COMFORTABLY FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING AND GET THAT OUT TO EVERYONE IF, IF, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION.
SORRY, GINA, I DON'T KNOW IF I, I, I APOLOGIZE.
YEAH, NO, I, I'M, I I, I'M CERTAINLY COMFORTABLE MEETING IN PERSON, UH, WITH CDC GUIDELINES, UM, JUST TO, UM, HAVE STAFF CONSIDER WHAT, UH, THE PROVISIONS WILL BE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND, UM, YEAH, BECAUSE I THINK IT GOES BACK TO THE LOGISTICS, MR. CLARK ON THE, IF THE PUBLIC HAS FOUND A GOOD VENUE TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, AND DO WE HAVE A HYBRID TYPE OF MEETING OR DOING IT ALL IN PERSON.
SO THE LOGISTICS BEHIND THIS, I THINK, I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM THE PANDEMIC THAT WE WANNA KEEP, IS THAT THERE, THERE WERE SOME SILVER LININGS IN, IN HOW ACCESSIBLE THIS VIRTUAL WORLD DID, DID BECOME FOR SOME OF OUR CONSTITUENTS AND, AND WRITERS.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE A, A, A TRANSITION OF A MEETING THAT CAN WORK FOR EVERYONE WELL, SO YES.
SO WE WILL DO THAT AND, UH, SEND A, GET A NOTE OUT TO THE ENTIRE BOARD ON HOW WE WOULD GO ABOUT THAT AND OUR RECOMMENDATION, UH, FOR THAT.
SO IF THERE'S NO MORE, UM, DISCUSSION, THIS CONCLUDES THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP MEETING.
AND I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE STAFF AND HEROES BEHIND THE SCENES THAT WORK REALLY HARD TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND TO ALL THE COMMUNITY THAT, UM, IS SO INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM.
SO WITH THAT, THE TIME IS, UM, 3:48 PM AND MEETING STANDS ADJOURNED.