* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] ALL RIGHT. VERY WELL. UH, WELCOME AFTER A WELCOME EVERYBODY AND GOOD MORNING OR GOOD AFTERNOON. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THIS REMOTE MEETING OF THE CAPITAL METRO OR TO DIRECTORS. I'LL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. TODAY IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, AND OUR TIME IS 1205. AS WE GET STARTED, JUST A REMINDER, BEST PRACTICE. KEEP YOUR MICROPHONE ON MUTE UNLESS YOU ARE SPEAKING. AND THEN, UH, PLEASE TRY AND REMEMBER TO MUTE YOURSELF AGAIN ALSO, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, WHEN OUR VOTING ITEMS COME UP, I'LL BE ASKING BOARD MEMBERS FOR A VERBAL VOTE OF YAY OR NAY, UH, FOR EACH ITEM INDIVIDUALLY, UH, BOARD MEMBERS. I'VE ALSO BEEN ASKED TO REMIND YOU THAT IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH TEXAS LAWS, WHEN REMOTE MEETINGS WE'LL NEED YOU TO STAY VISIBLE BY LEAVING YOUR CAMERA ON AT ALL TIMES, IF POSSIBLE IN PARTICULAR, UM, WE'LL NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE YOU WHEN YOU'RE CASTING A BOAT. UH, THE FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TODAY WILL BE A FEW SPECIAL [I. Recognition] MOMENTS OF RECOGNITION FOR A SPECIAL PERSON TO ALL OF US HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS. WE HAVE SENATOR KIRK WATSON WITH US TODAY AND NOW DEAN, SENATOR KIRK WATSON, OR SENATOR DEAN KIRK WATSON. AND, UH, YEAH, SOMEBODY WHO, UH, HAS MEANT A LOT TO THIS AGENCY OVER THE YEARS. UH, ONE BOARD BOARD CHAIR WAS QUOTED AS CALLED HIM THE GODFATHER OF A CAPITAL METRO. AND HE IS, UH, HE HAS BEEN A KEY, UH, ELEMENT IN OUR JOURNEY AND OUR RECENT SUCCESS AND, UH, HAS PICKED US UP BY THE COATTAILS A FEW TIME TO A FEW TIMES TO GET US, UH, BACK UP AND RUNNING. SO WE WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TODAY TO WISH HIM WELL IN HIS NEW JOB AND TO THANK HIM FOR ALL HE HAS MEANT TO US OVER THE YEARS. AND WE HAVE A RESOLUTION WHICH WE'VE PREPARED [VI.1. Approval of a resolution recognizing Senator Kirk Watson for his service to our community.] IN HIS HONOR AND, UH, AND, UH, COLLEAGUES, IF, UH, THERE'S NO OBJECTION. I'D LIKE TO REACH OUT OF ORDER AND READ THIS RESOLUTION AND THEN ASK FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE IT. I'M HEARING NO OBJECTION. LET ME JUST READ THE RESOLUTION. WHEREAS SENATOR KIRK WATSON IS SERVING THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL TEXAS FOR DECADES AND ROLES, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. AND WHEREAS SENATOR WATSON WAS ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AS MAYOR AND PLAYED AN INTEGRAL PART IN BRINGING TOGETHER COMPETING COALITIONS TO PROMOTE THE REGION'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECT ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. AND WHEREAS HE WENT ON TO WORK FOR THE REGION AND THE ENTIRE STATE FOR 14 YEARS AND THE TEXAS SENATE PROVIDING A CONSISTENT AND STEADY VOICE FOR THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL TEXAS. AND WHEREAS HE HAS MADE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC TRANSIT A PRIORITY IN HIS TIME WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THE STATE OF TEXAS AND IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. AND WHEREAS KIRK WATSON DISPLAYED VALUABLE LEADERSHIP AND CAMPAIGNS AND CAMPAIGNS FOR TRANSIT PROPOSITIONS IN 2000 AND 2004 PAVING THE WAY FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE METRO RAIL RED LINE. AND WHEREAS HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PROTECTING TRANSIT'S PLACE IN CENTRAL TEXAS THROUGH THE BUILD GREATER AUSTIN PROGRAM AND THE CREATION OF THE TRANSIT WORKING GROUP, ALONG WITH THE RESTRUCTURE AND THE CAP CAPITAL METRO IS BOARD AND ENTRY INTO THE SUNSET REVIEW PROCESS. AND WHEREAS HE HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF PROJECT CONNECT AND A STRONG LEADER FOR THIS TRANSFORMATIONAL TRANSIT PROGRAM. AND WHEREAS SENATOR WATSON WAS THE LEADING FORCE BEHIND THE CONSOLIDATION OF MULTIPLE EFFORTS TO BUILD A NEW MEDICAL SCHOOL ON THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. AND AT THE SAME TIME GREATLY EXPAND THE REGION'S ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE. AND WHEREAS KIRK WATSON IS A PILLAR OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY AS SOMEONE TO WHOM WE'VE ALL TURNED FROM MORE THAN TWO DECADES. AND WHEREAS SENATOR WATSON HAS STEPPED DOWN FROM HIS POST IN THE SENATE AND STEPPED UP AS THE FOUNDING DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON'S HOBBY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED AT THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOGNIZES SENATOR KIRK WATSON ON HIS YEARS AS A STALWART SUPPORTER OF THE AGENCY DURING THIS TIME AT THE TEXAS STATE SENATE AND COMMENDS HIM FOR HIS YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS WISHES SENATOR WATSON. WELL AS THE FOUNDING DEAN OF THE HOBBY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, THE RESOLUTION, UH, WE HAVE A MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND, UH, MEMBER MITCHELL, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, I'D LIKE TO HAVE THIS MOTION APPROVED BY ACCLAMATION. UM, LET ME JUST SAY OUR GENERAL COUNSEL FROWNING OVER THERE. UH, JUST SO THAT WE GET THE RECORD CLEARED UP. CAN I GET, UH, A, UH, NO OBJECTION FROM, UM, UH, [00:05:01] COMMISSIONER TREVELYAN CERTAINLY, UH, FROM COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, RINSE MARIA. YES. FROM, UH, THAT WAS A NO OBJECTION. COUNCIL MEMBER. NO OBJECTION TO THAT. WELL MAN, AND PASS SENATOR KIRK WATSON, RIGHT BOARD MEMBERS STRATTON. NO OBJECTION, ABSOLUTELY. NO OBJECTION OR MEMBER MITCHELL. NO OBJECTION, NO OBJECTION. UH, BOARD MEMBER HILL. NO OBJECTION. NO OBJECTION. ALL RIGHT. THE MOTION PASSES, UH, BY ACCLAMATION SENATOR. UH, AND LET ME JUST PERSONALLY SAY, I'VE BEEN WITH YOU, UH, AND A LOT OF THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE AND I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT. UM, I OCCUPY ONE OF THE SEATS THAT YOU REARRANGED AND, UH, I THINK THAT WORK PUTTING US THROUGH THE SUNSET WAS HUGELY VALUABLE TO US. AND I THINK THOSE WERE THE SEEDS THAT HAVE GERMINATED INTO A LOT OF THE SUCCESS THAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY. WE'D BE HONORED IF YOU WOULD SHARE A FEW WORDS WITH US, WELL, I'LL START OFF BY TELLING YOU THIS IS VERY NEAT FOR ME. UM, I AM MORE TOUCHED THAN, YOU KNOW, IT IS, UH, IT IS A SPECIAL THING THAT YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE A PLACE THAT YOU LOVE AS MUCH AS I LOVE AUSTIN AND CENTRAL TEXAS. IT'S A RARE THING THAT YOU GET TO SERVE IN THE CAPACITIES THAT I HAVE, UH, HAD THE GREAT, GOOD FORTUNE TO SERVE IN. AND THEN WHEN IT'S OVER AND THEY CARE SO DEEPLY ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO AND NOT JUST Y'ALL, BUT THE FOLKS AT CAPITAL METRO, UH, EVERY, EVERY ONE OF THEM TO BE RECOGNIZED. UM, AND SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IT'S, UH, IT'S MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE EMOTIONAL FOR ME. I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY I HAVE LOVED WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU. UM, SOME I KNOW VERY, VERY WELL. SOME HAVE BEEN HAVE BEEN BY MY SIDE, HELPING ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S FUN TO WATCH YOU AS YOU TAKE OFF ON WHAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL, UH, REFERENDUM THAT WILL RESULT IN A CHANGE TO OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS, UM, LONG, LONG PAST DUE. UH, BUT YOU HAVE PUT THE WORK INTO BRINGING US TO THIS POINT. I WAS PLEASED TO GET, TO BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THE BEGINNING PHASES OF THAT. MAYBE NOT JUST THE BEGINNING PHASES. UH, I STILL GET QUITE A BIT OF PHONE CALLS I MIGHT HAVE HAD, I FEEL LIKE MICHAEL CORLEONE AND GODFATHER THREE THAT, UH, PEOPLE KEEP TRYING TO PULL ME BACK INTO ALL THAT. UH, BUT I'M HAPPY TO BE A SUPPORTER OF PROJECT CONNECT AND, UH, I'LL BE VOTING FOR HIM IN, IN NOVEMBER. SO, UH, I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT THAT IS GOING INTO THAT. UM, LET ME JUST END BY SAYING THIS, THE WORK THAT CAPITAL METRO DOES IS SOME NOT TIMES, NOT FULLY APPRECIATED IN MY VIEW, BUT I THINK PEOPLE ARE COMING TO REALIZE THAT TRANSPORTATION IS IN FACT, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT CHANGES, NOT JUST HOW ONE PERSON GETS FROM POINT A TO POINT B, BUT IT CHANGES HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY COME TOGETHER AND HOW WE VALUE ONE ANOTHER. AND THE ROLE THAT WE, THAT EVERYONE PLAYS IN OUR COMMUNITY, IT CHANGES THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE AFFORDABILITY. IT CHANGES THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THINGS SUCH AS DISPLACEMENT AND GENTRIFICATION. IF WE HAD MADE AS A COMMUNITY, SOME OF THE DECISIONS DIFFERENTLY 20 YEARS AGO, THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH DIFFERENT THIS COMMUNITY WOULD BE ON ISSUES BEYOND JUST GETTING FROM POINT A TO POINT B, BUT THINGS LIKE THE AFFORDABILITY OF OUR COMMUNITY, THINGS LIKE DISPLACEMENT AND GENTRIFICATION. SO WHAT YOU ARE ENGAGING IN IS FUNDAMENTAL TO THE WAY WE WILL SEE OURSELVES IN 20 YEARS. AND I REALLY CONGRATULATE YOU ON TAKING THAT ROLE SERIOUSLY AND MOVING AGGRESSIVELY TO ACHIEVE IT. SO THIS IS A WONDERFUL RECOGNITION. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SENATOR. [00:10:01] WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU'VE DONE AND ALL YOU WILL DO. AND I, AS I GOT OLDER, ONE OF THE THINGS I APPRECIATE IS THE NEEDS FOR TRAIN LEADERSHIP AND THE JOB YOU'RE DOING NOW, IT GOES BEYOND THE PASSING BILLS. IT MOVES INTO TRAINING, A GENERATION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE PREPARED TO CARRY THE MANTLE. AND LIKE ALL OF US RECOGNIZE THAT REALLY GOOD LEADERSHIP IS A SCARCE COMMODITY THESE DAYS. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE CONTINUING TODAY. THAT MEANS A LOT TO ME. I GOTTA TELL YOU, I CONTINUE TO LEARN MYSELF. IN FACT, JUST NOW WATCH IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT I COULD CHAIR A MEETING WHERE I COULD TELL ALL OF THE OTHER MEMBERS TO JUST MUTE THEMSELVES. I THOUGHT REALLY A NEAT THING. UM, AND IT SEEMED TO BE EFFECTIVE. SO I LOVE YOU ALL. I APPRECIATE YOU. IF YOU CAN'T TELL, I LOVE BEING YOUR STATE SENATOR. I LOVE BEING YOUR MAYOR AND I LOVE BEING A CONSTITUENT OF Y'ALL TAKE CARE. YOU'RE WELCOME TO HANG WITH US FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE MEETING, BUT, UH, MAYBE YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE YOU COULD DO IN THE MEANTIME. ALL RIGHT. HE WAS GONE BEFORE YOU STARTED THAT SENTENCE. I KNOW YOU FIGURED OUT HOW TO EXCUSE HIMSELF RATHER QUICKLY. DIDN'T THEY? WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, MR. CHAIRMAN, DID YOU SAY TRAIN LEADERSHIP, MORE TRAINING LEADERSHIP? I GOT CONFUSED THERE. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TRAINS OR WE'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT TRAINS. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU ALL THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR [II. Public Comment (see note on registration below)] PUBLIC COMMENT. I UNDERSTAND WE HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TODAY THAT MISS DOSES ARE YOU ON THE LINE WITH US? AND, UH, ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN YOUR COMMENTS? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN I'M ZENOBIA JOSEPH AND BOARD MEMBERS. MY COMMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO TITLE SIX OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964 AND SPECIFICALLY ITS DISPARATE IMPACT. AND SO I'M JUST GOING TO READ THE DEFINITION INTO THE RECORD. DISPARATE IMPACT REFERS TO A FACIALLY NEUTRAL POLICY OR PRACTICE THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS MEMBERS OF GROUP IDENTIFIED BY RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN WHERE THE RECIPIENT'S POLICY, OUR PRACTICE LACKS A SUBSTANTIAL LEGITIMATE JUSTIFICATION, AND WHERE THERE EXIST ONE OR MORE ALTERNATIVES THAT WOULD SERVE THE SAME LEGITIMATE OBJECTIVES, BUT WITH LESS DISPROPORTIONATE EFFECT ON THE BASIS OF RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN, THAT'S FROM FTA CIRCULAR FOUR, SEVEN OH 2.1 V CHAPTER FOUR. THAT 16 AS YOU ARE WELL AWARE, THERE ARE STILL INEQUITIES SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO PROJECT CONNECT. AND WHILE I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS BY FORMER SENATOR KURT WATSON, I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO REMEMBER THE EFFIE EFFECT THAT HE TALKED ABOUT ON DECEMBER 17, 2018, WHERE YOU ALSO MENTIONED YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER CECILIA AND YOUR OTHER GRANDDAUGHTER. AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO GROW UP, TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS A RACIST SYSTEM, RACIST, REGIONAL REMAP. AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE $10 BILLION PROJECT CONNECT PROPOSAL THAT WENT DOWN THE $7 BILLION, YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THAT THE THREE METRO RAPID LINES THAT WERE ELIMINATED ARE ALL IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN, SPECIFICALLY PALMER EAST-WEST DESA TO DOWN. WELL, IT WASN'T DOWNTOWN. IT WENT TO TECH RIDGE AND ALSO TO AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THAILAND, AND THE THIRD WAS DECKER TO DOWNTOWN. IF YOU WILL RECALL THE DECORATIVE DOWNTOWN SPACE SPECIFICALLY CRAIG WOOD IS WHERE BLACK PEOPLE WAIT 60 MINUTES. AND I WOULD JUST CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO COLONY PARKS, WHICH IS ALSO THE 60 MINUTE BLOCK GROWTH SPECIFICALLY. WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND MR. CHAIRMAN IS THAT THERE'S A LACK OF WILLPOWER ON THE PART OF CAPITAL METRO ROUTE TWO, ONE SEVEN WAS CREATED FOR THE HOMELESS. THAT ROUTE EXISTS NOW FROM ABOUT FOUR 50 IN THE MORNING, FOUR 45 TO 11 AT NIGHT. THAT'S A NEW BUS ROUTE. IF YOU CAN CREATE NEW BUS ROUTES FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE TO GET DOWNTOWN AT FOUR IN THE MORNING, SURELY BLACK PEOPLE TRYING TO GET TO WORK SHOULD HAVE SERVICE AT SIX O'CLOCK, THE FOUR, SIX, O'CLOCK ALL THE WAY TILL ALMOST MIDNIGHT, LIKE THE HOMELESS PEOPLE. IT IS MORE IMPORTANT STILL TO THIS DAY TO CONTINUE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL FREQUENCY WHERE THE PEOPLE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN HAVE LOST EAST-WEST CONNECTIVITY. I WOULD JUST CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION IN 2013, SPECIFICALLY, APRIL, 2013, WHEN MUELLER WAS BEING DEVELOPED, THE HEB, MR. GONZALES MENTIONED EAST WEST CONDUCTIVITY IS WHAT'S IMPORTANT. ONE SEED, RIGHT? YOU FAST FORWARD TO 2016, [00:15:01] MR. DIETER TOLD YOU THE SAME THING AND ALSO MR. CHISM, AND THEN YOU ELIMINATED EAST-WEST CONNECTIVITY. AND SO I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE OPTIONS THAT EXIST. AND MY LAST COMMENT WOULD BE THAT WHERE YOU HAVE NEW METRO RAPID LINES IN SOUTH AUSTIN, SPECIFICALLY. OKAY. AND THE BUS ROUTE THAT WILL GO FROM THAT AREA UP TO BURN IT. YOU COULD USE THAT RESOURCE AND PUT IT IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE A FLYER. ONE OH THREE FLYER WAS RESTORED. AND YOU ALSO HAVE THE FLYER ONE 71, WHICH OPERATES NINE TO 14 MINUTES. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, MS. JOSEPH'S. YOU'RE WELCOME. I JUST WANT TO SAY IN RESPONSE THAT I THINK PROJECT CONNECT WILL BE A GREAT, UH, IMPROVEMENT, UM, TO THE LIVES OF A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE BOTH POOR AND DIVERSE. THE ORANGE LINE, UM, IN PARTICULAR, UM, HAS 54% OF THE PEOPLE WITHIN A HALF MILE WALK SHIRT ARE IN THE MINORITY POPULATION. AND 21% BELOW THE POVERTY LINE, THE BLUE LINE, LIKEWISE 54% OF THE FOLKS WITHIN A HALF MILE WALK, UH, ARE MEMBERS OF A MINORITY AND 23% ARE IN A POPULATION BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. 8% OF THE FOLKS ON THE ORANGE LINE HAVE NO CAR. 9% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE BLUE LINE HAVE NO CAR. I THINK PROJECT CONNECT IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVE IN THE LIVES OF AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO, UH, I'M PROUD OF THE WORK THAT OUR STAFF HAS DONE. I'M PROUD OF THE PROPOSAL AND I THINK IT WILL HAVE A VERY POSITIVE EFFECT ON OUR COMMUNITY. UH, NEXT STEP, UH, WE'LL HAVE OUR ADVISORY [III. Advisory Committee Updates] COMMITTEE UPDATES FIRST, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE YONIS. YES, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON. CHAIRMAN COOPER, UH, BOARD MEMBERS UNITED AS BANKS, UH, METRO, UH, GIMME ENGAGEMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT. SO WE'VE PLAYED, YOU SAID CUSTOMER SERVICE DECK WE'LL DO CS AT FIRST. UH, THEY WERE GIVING THEM SORT OF, SORT OF A BRIEF UPDATE BY MY, BY ME ON, UM, THE TBMS UPDATE THAT WE'RE DOING. AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVING SEAN COME IN FOR AN EXTRA MEETING TO GIVE A DEMONSTRATION. UM, WE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT GETTING SOME NEW C-SAT MEMBERS. I BELIEVE WE HAVE THREE OPENINGS, UH, CURRENTLY. AND SO, UH, PUT IT OUT TO THEM TO SEE IF THEY KNEW ANYBODY AS WELL AS WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR MARKETING DEPARTMENT. AND THERE'S BEEN SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS. I HAVE YOU FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK ON TWITTER. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME TOTALS AND SOME POSTS AND CURATES AND PEOPLE. AH, OH, UH, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SOME POSTS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE ABOUT APPLYING TO JOIN CSX. SO THREE OF Y'ALL WILL BE, UH, PICKING NEW MEMBERS. UH, AND I GAVE HIM A REALLY BRIEF PROJECT CONNECT UPDATE AS THERE HASN'T BEEN TOO MUCH, UH, SINCE THE LAST TIME SHE STILL, EVERYTHING WE'RE STILL KNOWING. SO, UH, THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH IT FROM CSUN BACK AT ACCESS COMMITTEE, UH, THEY WERE GIVEN THE ACCESS ENROLLMENT UPDATE OF HOW THAT'S BEEN WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC. UH, I WASN'T AT THIS MEETING, SO I DON'T KNOW ANY KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT MAY HAVE COME FROM IT, BUT, UM, I KNOW THEY HAD WANTED TO GIVE UPDATES TO HOW ENROLLMENT WAS HAPPENING SINCE THERE HAD BEEN A DISTANCING THING. AND, UH, WE KNOW WITH, WITH THE DIFFERENT PROTECTIONS WE HAVE AT OUR FACILITIES, I JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW THAT PROCESS WORKED. UH, SEAN WAS THERE TO GIVE HIM A TV UPDATE AND DEMO TO SEE HOW THAT WOULD WORK FOR THEM OR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS WELL. AND, UM, THEN ALSO, UM, MARTIN GAVE HIM AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE ACCESSIBILITY TRAINING THAT SOME OF US WENT THROUGH WHEN IT COMES TO JEREMY DOING POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, WORD DOCUMENTS. AND, UH, THAT IS IT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. YES, SIR. UM, [IV. Board Committee Updates] BOARD COMMITTEE UPDATES, UH, OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE. MR. TREVELYAN. ALRIGHT. I'LL UNMUTE. UM, WE HAD OUR MEETING ON THE 16TH AT 12:30 PM. UM, WE, UM, WE, AS WE WENT THROUGH OUR AGENDA, WE ADDED, UH, 11 ITEMS THAT WOULD, WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA. ONE ITEM THAT WILL NOT BE, UM, BUT, UM, WE, UH, WE WENT THROUGH, WENT THROUGH THE, UM, WENT THROUGH THE MEETING AND COVERED ALL THE BUSINESS. IT WAS NECESSARY AND MOVE THINGS TOWARDS THE BOARD AGENDA. [00:20:02] VERY GOOD. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, NEXT, OUR FINANCE AUDIT AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE UPDATE AND CAMPO UPDATE WE'RE MEMBER MITCHELL CAMPO DID NOT MEET THIS MONTH. SEPTEMBER 14TH MEETING WAS CANCELED THE FAA MEETING. WE HAD ONE ACTION ITEM OTHER THAN THE MINUTES, AND THAT WAS TO BRING THE RESOLUTION WHERE WE RECOMMENDED APPROVAL FOR THE 2021 OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT YOUR CAPITAL. THAT'S IT. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. [V. Consent Items] UH, BOARD MEMBERS, WE HAVE 11 ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA TODAY. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO WISHED TO REMOVE AN ITEM FROM THAT AGENDA AND HAVE THAT ITEM CONSIDERED AS AN ACTION ITEM SEPARATELY? NO, VERY WELL. UM, IF NOT, I'LL READ THE CONSENT ITEMS AND I UNDERSTAND MISS JOSEPH'S HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. SO LET ME READ THESE, WE'LL LET HER SPEAK AND THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN. THE CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION THAT CONSENT ITEM AGENDAS ARE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE JULY 27, 2020, AND AUGUST SEVEN 2020 JOINT MEETINGS WITH AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AND THE AUGUST 24, 2020 BOARD MEETING NUMBER TWO APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT WITH QRIS. BUT I SAID THAT RIGHT, USA INC FOR PROFESSIONAL CONSULTING SERVICES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ENTERPRISE DATA WAREHOUSE AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM, ITEM THREE APPROVAL OF AN INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO CONTRIBUTE $75,000 EACH YEAR OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD FOR THE INSTALLATION OF PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACON UNITS, ITEM NUMBER FOUR APPROVAL OF AN INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN FOR OPERATION OF TRANSIT SERVICE ITEM NUMBER FIVE APPROVAL OF AN AGENDA TO THE INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL AREA, RURAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR THE PROVISION OF TRANSIT SERVICES TO THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN ITEM SIX APPROVAL OF AN AMENDED AND RESTATED IN A LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH TRAVIS COUNTY FOR TRANSIT SERVICES IN URBANIZED AREAS AND UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE COUNTY AND FOR CONTINUED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN ITEM SEVEN APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT. NUMBER ONE TO SUPPLEMENT NUMBER 10 TO THE MASTER REGIONAL MOBILITY AGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL AREA, WORLD TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR THE PROVISION OF TRANSIT SERVICES, TRAVIS COUNTING NUMBER EIGHT APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT. NUMBER THREE TO CARTS SUPPLEMENT NUMBER EIGHT TO THE MASTER REGIONAL MOBILITY AGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL AREA, WORLD TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR THE PROVISION OF TRANSIT SERVICES TO THE MINOR AREA. NUMBER NINE, A APPROVAL OF AN INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE FOR OPERATION OF PICKUP PILOT SERVICE, NUMBER 10 APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT. NUMBER TWO TO THE CONTRACT OF SERVICE SUPPLEMENT. NUMBER TWO WITH CAPITAL AREA, RURAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOR THE OPERATION OF ROUTE TWO 14, NORTHWEST FEEDER AND NUMBER 11 APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT. NUMBER TWO TO CART SUPPLEMENT NUMBER FOUR TO THE MASTER REGIONAL MOBILITY AGREEMENT WITH CARDS FOR THE OPERATION OF ROUTE NINE 90 MADER EXPRESS. FIRST, CAN I GET A MOTION AND THEN A SECOND TO IMPROVE THOSE? AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM MS. JOSEPH'S OR EMOTION. DON'T MOVE MOTION BY MEMBER STRATTON. SECOND, UH, A MEMBER RENTERIA, UH, MS. JOSEPH'S, UM, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES, OF COURSE. AND THEN, OR MEMBERS OF SOME OF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR CAMERAS ON WHEN WE HAVE THIS BOAT. AND JUST A SECOND, I'D ASK THAT YOU TURN YOUR CAMERAS ON SO WE CAN COMPLY WITH, UH, STATE LIMITS, UM, STATE REQUIREMENTS. MS. JOSEPH'S. GO AHEAD, MS. JOSEPH'S WHERE THOSE ARE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS I'M AS ENOVIA JOSEPH. I WAS MUTED. AND SO MY APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY, I WANTED TO SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO TWO ITEMS THAT WERE IN THE MINUTES, AS IT RELATED TO THE COMMENTS THAT I MADE ON PAGE 18, IT SAYS APPLICABLE GUIDELINES. AND I WOULD JUST ASK RESPECTFULLY THAT YOU ADD SEIDEL SIX BEFORE APPLICABLE GUIDELINES. THAT'S PRETTY GENERIC. AND I WAS PRETTY SPECIFIC ABOUT THE GUIDELINES THAT I WAS REFERRING TO. IF YOU LOOK ON PAGE 18 AS WELL, IT SAYS AREAS OF TOWN. AND AS YOU ARE AWARE, I AM PRETTY SPECIFIC IN SAYING NORTHEAST AUSTIN. SO IF YOU [00:25:01] WOULD PREFER TO JUST ADD ONE WORD, IT WOULD BE NORTHEAST AREAS OF TOWN. UM, THE GENERIC LANGUAGE, JUST, UH, ACTUALLY DECONTEXTUALIZES WHAT I'VE SAID. AND THEN ON PAGE 24, IT REFERENCES THE K Z I FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. IT'S SPECIFIES NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER. MY OPPOSITION WAS ABOUT NORTH LAMAR, THE ORANGE LINE. SO THERE IS A DIFFERENCE THERE BECAUSE IN YOUR MARCH 9TH, 2020 PACKET ON PAGE 29, IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS THAT THAT AREA IS 24 TO 30 YEARS. AND SO THAT IS MY OPPOSITION TO THE RADIO AD BECAUSE IT SAYS NORTH LAMAR AND IT DOES NOT SPECIFY WHICH PART OF NORTH LAMAR. SO IT IS VERY MISLEADING. AND THEN I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT AS IT RELATES TO THE CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN, AND I MADE THESE COMMENTS BEFORE TO TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, THERE IS NO RIDERSHIP DATA. AND WHILE YOU HAVE COUCHED IT AS PILOTS, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR HORNSBY BIN, AND THERE IS NO RIDERSHIP DATA THERE, THERE'S ALSO NO RIDERSHIP DATA FOR TWO, ONE EIGHT. HOWEVER, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU CALL THAT OUT, ALTHOUGH YOU MAY HAVE, UM, THAT'S A THREE, ONE EIGHT IS SLAUGHTER. AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT. I MADE THIS COMMENT BEFORE THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, AS IT RELATED TO THE BENCHES, THE SHELTERS. AND WHAT I SAID SPECIFICALLY WAS THAT ON SPRINGDALE AND TOUCHSTONE, THERE'S AN EMPTY AREA. THERE IT'S UNDEVELOPED LAND. AND WHEN MR. CARTWRIGHT PRESENTED THE ITEM, HE SAID THAT THESE SHELTERS MEET THE SERVICE GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS, BUT IN THE BOARD PACKET FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, 3,500 PECAN SPRINGS IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE UNDEVELOPED LAND. AND IT ACTUALLY SPECIFIES THAT IN THE PACKET. AND I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, AT BREAKER AND NORTH LAMAR NORTH OF THAT AREA, I MENTIONED THIS IN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS IT RELATES TO PEDESTRIAN HYBRID DEACONS, THAT AREA IS NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY TYPE OF PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACON IN A WHITE GENTLEMAN WHO WAS IN HIS WHEELCHAIR HAS BEEN KILLED IN THAT AREA, HIS SERVICE DOG LIVED, BUT HE DIED. AND SO I WAS JUST ASKING FOR YOU TO INCLUDE THAT THERE WERE TOP 10, UM, AREAS THAT WERE LISTED IN THAT WASN'T IN IT, AND IT'S NOT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN CORRIDOR FUNDING. SO I JUST WOULD CALL THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION AS WELL. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. YOU'RE WELCOME. UM, MEMBERS, UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION CHAIR MEMBER RENTS, MARIA, GO AHEAD. PEDESTRIAN BEACON. UM, WHERE ARE YOU? I, HOW THAT WORK WORK WITH THE CITY OR THE CITY, OR WE'RE JUST ALL IN THE CITY. I MEAN, WE'RE DESIGNATING SOMETHING TO BE INSTALLED AND THE CITY'S DOING IT FOR US OR HOW'S A CLARK, CAN YOU A MEMBER OF STAFF? TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE. YEAH, I THINK A, CAN I THINK THERE'S THE LEAD ON THIS. SO CAN, MAYBE YOU CAN JUMP INTO THE SPECIFICS OF HOW WE'RE OUR ILI WITH THE CITY. THANKS. SURE. I'LL BE HAPPY TO, YES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION. UM, BOARD MEMBER, RENTER RENTERIA, WE, UM, THE AGENDA ITEM IS, UH, HAS AN INNER LOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. IT'S ACTUALLY A CITY OF AUSTIN PROJECT. SO IT WILL BE MANAGED BY THE CITY AND CAPITAL. METRO HAS BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE CITY ON THE LOCATIONS. THEY'VE IDENTIFIED 10 LOCATIONS, EIGHT OF WHICH ARE ADJACENT TO BUS STOPS. AND SO WE WILL BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE CITY AS PART OF A CAMPO GRANT IN ORDER TO GET THOSE 10 PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACON INSTALLED AT THOSE LOCATIONS THAT WERE AGREED UPON. I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY GREAT, YOU KNOW, CAUSE I I'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT A LOT OF THEM AROUND MY DISTRICT AND I KNOW THEY'RE, THEY COST A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN A 75,000 SO, UH, PER YEAR, BUT, UH, UH, IT'S REALLY GREAT TO, TO HAVE THESE PEDESTRIAN UNITS WALKING UNITS, UH, INSTALLED. UH, I THINK IT'S HELPING UP A LOT. I HELPED A LOT, YOU KNOW, AND KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE. SO I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? AND THEN, THEN, UH, WE'LL CALL, UH, CALL FOR VOTES. UM, LIKE VICE CHAIR. GARCIA'S ABSENT. UM, MAYOR HILL, [00:30:02] MAYOR HILL. SORRY IT WAS MUTED. YES. DO YOU MIND? OH, YOU'VE GOT YOUR CAMERA ON. GREAT. THANK YOU. YES. UM, A MEMBER KITCHEN, I THINK IS, UH, ABSENT, UM, MEMBER MITCHELL, A MEMBER RENTAL MARIA. YES. A MEMBER STRATTON. I REMEMBER TREVELYAN AND COOPER IS AN I AS WELL. THE MOTION CARRIES SIX TO ZERO WITH, UH, TWO ABSENT THAT ACUTE NEXT MEMBERS. UM, WE'LL TAKE UP OUR ACTION ITEMS. ACTION ITEM. NUMBER ONE WAS A RECOGNITION FOR SENATOR WATSON. SO FIRST UP NOW IS [VI.2. Approval of contracts for Construction Observation and Coordination Services with Aken Industries, LLC, Freese and Nichols, Inc. and Square One Consultants, Inc.] ACTION ITEM NUMBER TWO APPROVAL OF CONTRACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OBSERVATION, A COORDINATION SERVICES WITH AIKEN INDUSTRIES, LLC FREESE AND NICHOLS, INC. AND SQUARE ONE CONSULTANT SITE. IT'S LIKE MR. CARTWRIGHT IS BRINGING THESE TO US. YES. THANK YOU. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR COOPER BOARD MEMBERS, PRESIDENCY. YOU HAVE CLARK I'M KEN VICE PRESIDENT OF CAPITAL PROJECTS. AND AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS ACTION ITEM IS REQUESTING APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AND EXECUTE CONTRACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, OBSERVATION AND COORDINATION SERVICES WITH AIKEN INDUSTRIES, LLC, REASON, NICHOLS, INC, AND SQUARE ONE CONSULTANCY FOR ONE TWO YEAR BASE PERIOD AND THE FIVE ONE YEAR OPTION PERIODS FOR A COMBINED SEVEN YEAR TOTAL AMOUNT, NOT TO EXCEED $14 MILLION. AND BY WAY OF BACKGROUND ON THIS, SINCE 2013, CAPITAL METRO HAS UTILIZED CONSTRUCTION, OBSERVATION COORDINATION SERVICES AS OUR ONSITE QUALITY CONTROL PRESENCE. DURING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, THESE FIRMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING ONSITE DURING CONSTRUCTION TO ENSURE THAT THE WORK IS COMPLETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PLANS SPECIFICATIONS. SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY COORDINATE WITH THE CONTRACTOR WITH CITY INSPECTORS, WITH MATERIALS TESTING, THEY DOCUMENT THE WORK AS IT PROGRESSES. AND THEY ALSO NOTE ANY DISCREPANCIES ONSITE FOR ANY SAFETY ISSUES THAT ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE TIME FACTORS SAY WE PLAN. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY UTILIZING THESE SERVICES ON OUR DOWNTOWN STATION PROJECT AS WELL. OUR BUS ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT AT OUR NORTH OPS FACILITY. WE CURRENTLY HAVE CONTRACTS WITH AIKEN INDUSTRIES AND FREESE AND NICHOLS, AND THOSE CONTRACTS ARE EXPIRING. SO WE ISSUED A NEW REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND RECEIVED THREE PROPOSALS, INCLUDING THE TWO CURRENT INCUMBENTS. IT CAN AND FREESE AND NICHOLS AND ONE NEW FROM SQUARE ONE CONSULTANT. AND WE HAVE NOT WORKED DIRECTLY WITH SQUARE ONE CONSULTING IN THE PAST, BUT YOU'LL, YOU'LL BE FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THEIR PROJECTS. THEY HAVE A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE OR ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORACLE CAMPUS, THE NEW ORACLE CAMPUS, AS WELL AS THE AUSTIN CHILDREN'S SHELTER AND THE CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK, JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THEIR PROJECTS. SO AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS A CONTRACT FOR TWO YEAR BASE PERIOD. AND ONE OF YOUR OPTIONS FOR UP TO $14 MILLION IN SERVICES, HOWEVER, THROUGH THESE CONTRACTS WHERE WE'RE NOT REQUIRED TO SPEND ANY AMOUNT ABOUT, WE ARE ASKING FOR UP TO THE $14 MILLION AMOUNT, BASED ON OUR FORECAST, THE FUNDS FOR THESE SERVICES ARE INCLUDED IN EACH CAPITAL PROJECT. THEY'RE NOT BUDGETED SEPARATELY. AND THOSE CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE INCLUDED IN OUR FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, AS WELL AS OUR 20 YEAR LONG RANGE FINANCIAL PLAN. THE, UM, 9% DBE GOAL WAS ESTABLISHED FOR THESE CONTRACTS. AND EACH OF THE FIRMS IS EXCEEDING THAT WITH ONE FROM AIKEN INDUSTRIES BEING A HUNDRED PERCENT EASY. AND THIS ACTION ITEM WAS, UH, AS A BOARD MEMBER TO REVEAL, YOU HAD MENTIONED, UH, PRESENTED TO THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE EARLIER IN THE MONTH AND WAS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL AND I'LL STOP THERE AND SEE IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PROPOSED CONTRACTS. THANK YOU, KEN QUESTIONS FROM MR. CARTWRIGHT, NO QUESTIONS, BUT WELL, CHAIR WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION WITH RESPECT TO ACTION ITEM NUMBER TWO, MOVE APPROVAL MOTION BY MEMBER TREVELYAN. IS THERE A SECOND? OKAY. SECOND BY MEMBER STRATTON. THANK YOU. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION AND THEN, UH, I'LL CALL ROLE VICE CHAIR, GARZA, I THINK IS ABSENT. [00:35:01] UM, SO PERHAPS LATER IN THE MEETING, UM, MEMBER HILL. HI, THANK YOU. MEMBER KITCHEN, I THINK WAS ALSO ABSENT TO LATER IN THE MEETING MEMBER MITCHELL. YES. UM, MEMBER RENTER. MARIA. YES. REMEMBER STRATTON? YES. REMEMBER TREVELYAN COOPER IS A YES AS WELL. THE MOTION CARRIES SIX TO ZERO WITH TWO ABSENCES. THANK YOU, KEN. I GUESS YOU'RE UP AS WELL. [VI.3. Approval of a contract with Tolar Manufacturing for the fabrication and delivery of bus stop shelters with solar lights.] AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE IS APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT WITH SOLAR MANUFACTURING FOR THE FABRICATION AND DELIVERY OF BUS STOP SHELTERS WITH SOLAR LINES. AND THANK YOU AGAIN, CHAIR COOPER, BOARD MEMBERS, PRESIDENT CEO, CLARK. UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS IS REQUESTING APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OR HIS DESIGNEE TO FINALIZE AN EXECUTE A CONTRACT WITH TODDLER MANUFACTURING FOR THE FABRICATION AND DELIVERY BUS STOP SHELTERS WITH SOLAR LIGHTS FOR ONE BASE HERE, AND FOUR OPTION YEARS IN THE AMOUNT OF 800, $70,760 PLUS $435,380 REPRESENTING A 50% CONTINGENCY FOR TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF 1,000,300, $6,140. AND I'LL EXPLAIN THE REQUEST FOR THE 50% CONTINGENCY MOMENTARILY. BUT I WILL POINT OUT THAT BACK IN 2019, WE'VE REPORTED TO THE BOARD THAT THE AGENCY HAD ACHIEVED COMPLIANCE WITH THE BOARD ADOPTED SERVICE STANDARDS FOR BUS STOPS, INCLUDING, UH, SHELTERS AT LOCATIONS, BUS STOPS WERE THAT HAVE 50 OR MORE BOARDINGS PER DAY AND BENCHES WITH 15 OR MORE BOARDINGS PER DAY. AND EACH YEAR DURING SERVICE CHANGES, WE ADD BUS STOPS. WE CAN RELOCATE BUS STOPS OR WE, UH, REHAB, UM, SOME OLDER BUS STOPS AS WELL AS WE REVIEW THE RIDERSHIP AT OUR LOCATIONS TO SEE WHICH BUS STOPS WARRANT ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS. AND SO THIS CONTRACT WOULD BE FOR A SHELTER INSTALLATION, A SHELTER FABRICATION, EXCUSE ME. AND OVER THAT FIVE YEAR, TOTAL PERIOD, THE REASON FOR THE 50%, UH, CONTINGENCY REQUEST IS THAT WE EXPECT, OR WE HOPE TO HAVE EVEN MORE POSTOP IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS IN THE FUTURE. SO WE WANT IT TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO ADD EVEN MORE SHELTERS UNDER THIS SPECIFIC CONTRACT. OVER THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD, A 10% SBE GOAL WAS ESTABLISHED FOR THIS PROJECT. AND THE FIRM TOLD LAR IS MEETING THAT GOAL AND THEN TELLING HER, BY THE WAY IS ALSO OUR CURRENT MANUFACTURER. THE FUNDS FOR THESE SHELTERS IS INCLUDED IN THE FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND THIS AGENDA ITEM ALSO WAS PRESENTED TO THE OPS COMMITTEE EARLIER IN THE MONTH AND IT WAS RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL. I'LL STOP THERE TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PROPOSED CONTRACT QUESTIONS FOR DON'T HEAR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. CAN SHARE THEM WITH ENTERTAIN A MOTION WITH RESPECT TO THIS ACTION ITEM. NUMBER THREE APPROVAL OF THE CONTRACT WITH SOLAR MANUFACTURING, FOR THE FABRICATION AND DELIVERY OF BUS STOP SHELTERS TO SOLAR LIGHTS, MOVE APPROVALS MOTION BY MEMBER TREVELYAN. IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND BY MEMBER HILL, LIKE YOU, UH, ANY DISCUSSION WITH RESPECT TO THE MOTION CARRY NONE VERY WELL. THEN I WILL, UH, CALL ROLL, UH, GARZA, I THINK, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER OUT TILL LATER, UM, MEMBER HILL, I REMEMBER KITCHEN, I THINK IS OUT TIL LATER, A MEMBER OF MITCHELL, A MEMBER RENTER MARIA. YES. REMEMBER STRATTON. HI, REMEMBER TREVELYAN UH, AND COOPERS AND I AS WELL. THE MOTION CARRIES SIX TO ZERO WITH TWO ABSENCES. THANK YOU. [VI.4. Approval of a resolution adopting the Fiscal Year 2021 Operating and Capital Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan.] THANK YOU. UH, LAST ACTION ITEM IS AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET. AND FIVE-YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR NET MARTA WIC, UH, WAS PRESENTED OR ON THAT FLOOR IS YOURS. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN'T HEAR YOU VERY WELL. IF YOU COULD GET CLOSER TO THE MIC, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. LET'S SEE. MAKE SURE MY SETTINGS ARE STILL, UH, WHAT I HAD IT AT. JUST GIVE ME A SECOND. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? UH, WE CAN, UH, WELL LET ME JUST GET AN INDICATION. IF YOU CAN GET THE MIC A LITTLE CLOSER. I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. IT'S STILL A LITTLE BIT FUNNY. IT'S ABOUT [00:40:01] AS CLOSE AS IT'S GOING TO GO. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, THAT'S BETTER. OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. BOARD MEMBERS AND PRESIDENT AND CEO CLARK I'M , I'M THE CFO OF CAPITAL METRO. AND I'M BEFORE YOU TODAY TO ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2021 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET AND THE FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. NEXT PAGE, PLEASE. ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET WILL PROVIDE AN APPROPRIATION OF $390.5 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2021 FOR OPERATING AND CAPITAL EXPENSES THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY PROJECTED REVENUES AND OTHER FUNDING SOURCES. THE PROPOSED 2021 BUDGET IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND BALANCED, AND IT IS AN OVERALL 15 MILLION REDUCTION FROM THE FISCAL 2020 BUDGET. AND THIS IS REFLECTIVE OF THE CAUTIOUS FISCAL MANAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE TO DO IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION. WE HAVE SET ASIDE SOME POTENTIAL PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES WE WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE IN THE EVENT OF AN EARLY ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND MAY NEED TO COME BACK TO THE BOARD NEXT YEAR TO ASK FOR A BUDGET INCREASE IF WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE EARLIER RECOVERY, THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET INCLUDES FUNDING TO MAINTAIN CAPITAL METRO'S CURRENT SERVICES WHILE ALSO FUNDING INITIATIVES AND THE BOARD STRATEGIC PLAN, ADDING NEW INNOVATIVE MOBILITY INITIATIVES, CUSTOMER SERVICE ENHANCEMENTS, AND BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE AS NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE REGION'S CURRENT AND FUTURE GROWTH. THE AGENCY, YOU WENT INTO THE COVERT 19 CRISIS IN A STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION AND WITH QUICK BUDGET ACTIONS AND CARES FUNDING, WE WERE ABLE TO PREVENT LAYOFFS AND FURLOUGHS. WE PLAN TO MAINTAIN THAT STRONG FINANCIAL FOOTING AND UNDERWRITE. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AGENCY'S RESERVES ARE FULLY FUNDED WITH A PROJECTED ENDING BALANCE OF $184.7 MILLION AT THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2021. NEXT PAGE FUNDING HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET WITH A FOCUS ON THE AGENCY'S RESILIENCY AND COVID-19 RESPONSE AND THE CARE RECOVERY PLAN. THE BUDGET WILL ENABLE CAPITAL METRO TO RETURN TO FULL CAPACITY SERVICES ON BUS GROWL. AND PARATRANSITS WHILE ALSO KEEPING THE BOARD'S RESERVES INTACT FUNDING IS INCLUDED FOR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND ALSO FOR ENHANCED CLEANING PROCEDURES. WE ALSO HAVE ADDITIONAL BUS FREQUENCY AS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE SOCIAL DISTANCING ON OUR SERVICES AND, AND ALSO, UM, ALL DOOR BOARDING WILL SOON BE ENABLED WITH THE INSTALLATION OF THE ONBOARD VALIDATORS ON THE BUSES ON ALL DOORS. AND WE ARE ALSO EXPANDING OUR CONTACTLESS PAYMENT OPTIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR SAFETY ON THE VEHICLES. NEXT PAGE. YEAH, CAPITAL MAITRE PREPARED A FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT ITS STRATEGIC GOALS. THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN IS UPDATED ANNUALLY AND ADDRESSES VEHICLE REPLACEMENTS AND FACILITY REPAIRS, OR WHAT TO BE ALSO CALLED STATE OF GOOD REPAIR REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND ENHANCEMENTS ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN CAPITAL METRO PLAN TO INVEST 106 MILLION IN CAPITAL PROJECTS DURING FISCAL YEAR 2021 WITH A TOTAL SPEND OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS OFF $307 MILLION YEAR ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR PROJECTS INCLUDE IT IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AROUND NEW INNOVATIVE MOBILITY ISSUES. FIRST, WE HAVE THE CONTINUATION OF THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE TRANSIT BUS FLEET THAT WAS STARTED THIS YEAR WITH 12 BUS PER PURCHASES, AND WILL CONTINUE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WITH ANOTHER 71 ELECTRIC BUS PURCHASES AND THE ELECTRIFICATION OF OUR SITE EXPANSION AT OUR NORTH FACILITY OR A TOTAL SPEND OF 85 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS, CAPITAL METRO WILL ALSO [00:45:01] CREATE A NEW MOBILITY HUB AT THE HIGH FREQUENCY PLEASANT VALLEY STOP AND OPEN THE NEW EAST SIDE BUS PLAZA. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CARTS, WE WILL ALSO START THE RENOVATION OF THE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER AND RELOCATE OUR MAJOR TRANSFER CENTER AT THE ACC RIVERSIDE CAMPUS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COLLEGE NEXT PAGE, WE CONTINUE WITH OUR PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE AND OUR NEW CUSTOMER PAYMENTS SYSTEMS UPGRADE. AND WITH A COMBINATION OF THE ACCOUNT BACK BACK ACCOUNT-BASED BACK IN SYSTEM WITH OUR ONBOARD VALIDATORS ON OUR FLEET, WE WILL BE EXPANDING OUR CONTACTLESS PAYMENT OPTIONS AND WE'LL THEN HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL ENABLE NEW MODERN FARE MEDIA AS WELL AS EQUITABLE PAYMENT SOLUTIONS CONSTRUCTION. WE'LL ALSO START ON THE NEW BROADMORE STATION FOR METRO RAIL, WHICH WILL SERVE A NEW, LARGE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP NEXT PAGE, AND THEN LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST SHOULD VOTERS APPROVE CITY TAX RIGHTS ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO THE PROJECT CONNECT INITIAL INVESTMENT WITH 73 MILLION TO FUND THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN AND NIPA WHERE THE ORANGE AND BLUE LINES, AND TO ALSO FUND THE RED LINE PHASE ONE IMPROVEMENTS AND TO DO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW METRO RAPID LINES FOR THE EXPO CENTER, PLEASANT VALLEY AND SOUTH LAMAR. AND IN ADDITION TO THAT ALSO CONTRIBUTE FUNDS TO THE AUSTIN TRANSIT PARTNERSHIP. OKAY. BUT THAT'S OUR WISH TO THANK THE BOARD AND OUR PRESIDENT FOR YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP, YOUR SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS. AND ALSO THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR OUTSTANDING BUDGET DIRECTOR, KEVIN CONLIN, AND HIS FINANCIAL ANALYSTS FOR THE CONSISTENT, EXCELLENT WORK AND DILIGENCE. THE AGENCY DEPARTMENTS AND LEADERSHIP ARE ALSO SO ACCOMPLISHED AT BUDGETING AND THEY ARE MASTERS OF RESILIENCE WHEN WE HAD TO DRASTICALLY COURSE AND FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THE BUDGET IN THE MIDST OF ALSO NAVIGATING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC RESOLUTION IN FRONT OF YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL. UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? QUESTIONS FOR OUR CFO? NONE VERY WELL. SHARON WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION WITH RESPECT TO ACTION ITEM NUMBER FOUR APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTING OUR FISCAL YEAR 2021 OPERATING THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND OUR FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. IS THERE A MOTION MOTION BY MEMBER STRATTON THE SECOND, SECOND MONTH? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, RENTER MARIA, ANY, UH, DISCUSSION WITH RESPECT TO THE MOTION THAT MAY JUST, OH, YOU'RE RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER, MS. JUSTICE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS. I'M ZENOBIA JOSEPH. MY COMMENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO FYI 2021 BUDGET AS IT RELATES TO NORTH MEMORIAL TRANSIT CENTER ON PAGE ONE 95. I ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE, AS IT RELATED TO THE RESTROOM, I JUST WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THAT YOU'RE GOING TO PUT RESTROOMS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSIT DEPENDENT AND THE TRANSIT STATIONS LIKE NORTH LAMAR TRANSIT CENTER COULD USE THE RESTROOM TOO, AND ALSO MADE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT HOMELESS PEOPLE COULD BE USED TO MAN, THAT AREA, UM, AS IT RELATES TO RESTORING THE ROUTES. I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT THE CONTINGENCY FUNDS THAT YOU HAD FOR CAT REMAP, WINTER PROJECT CONNECT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS I, THAT PROJECT CONNECT IS THE OVERLAY FOR CABARET MAP. AND IF I CAN JUST RECALL JANUARY 28TH, 2019, YOU ADMITTED THAT THERE WERE DISPARATE IMPACTS. AND SO I'M SIMPLY ASKING YOU TO CHOOSE THE LEAST DISCRIMINATORY ALTERNATIVE. I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE DESA ON YOUR BOARD PACKET FOR THE NEXT BRIEFING AS IT RELATES TO, UM, SOME IMPROVEMENTS, BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE SPECIFICALLY IT WAS DOING 15 2016 WHEN RUSS CHISM SAID, IF YOU HAVE TO TRANSFER, THAT MEANS THE [00:50:01] WAIT TIME HAS TO HAPPEN TWICE. SO PICK UP ZONES ARE NOT THE LEAST DISCRIMINATORY ALTERNATIVE. IT IS NOT THE SAME AS A CONTINUOUS FIXED ROUTE. AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK ONCE AGAIN, AS I HAVE BEFORE FOR YOU TO RESTORE THE SERVICE AT TWO 40 RUTLAND TO SAINT DAVID'S AND ALSO THREE 90 TO 1.9 MILES TO THE ARBORETUM, THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ARBORETUM IS THAT YOU HAVE THE 2014 NORTH NORTH CORRIDOR STUDY PROJECT CONNECT THAT ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT THE JOB GROWTH IN THE NORTH CORRIDOR. AND JOLLYVILLE SPECIFICALLY THROUGH 2035. AND AS IT RELATES TO RUTLAND, I JUST WANT TO CALL TO YOUR ATTENTION THAT COUNCIL JUST APPROVED, UM, A LOW INCOME HOUSING UNIT. THAT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT 200 PLUS UNITS. IT'S TWO MILES THAT THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO WALK BECAUSE THAT BUS STOP ON RUTLAND WAS ELIMINATED. IT'S ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS, ACTUALLY WAS 945,000. AND MY RECOMMENDATION WAS FOR YOU TO TAKE A THOUSAND MILLION, EXCUSE ME, FROM THE CARE ZACK FUNDING, OR I ALSO MENTIONED THE SECURITY BUDGET. UM, YOU COULD NOT NECESSARILY DEFUND THE POLICE, BUT AS IT RELATES TO RE REALLOCATING FUNDS THAT A MILLION COULD COME FROM THERE AND USE IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE AT THE METRO RAIL STATIONS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AS MUCH SECURITY. AND ALSO AS IT RELATES TO THE NIGHT OWL, THOSE ROUTES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED TEMPORARILY. SO THERE IS SOME LATITUDE AND I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO MAKE THE SYSTEM EQUITABLE AND NOT TO JUST SAY EQUITY. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL ANSWER THEM AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU, MS. JOSEPH. YOU'RE WELCOME. JUST FOR THE RECORD. I DON'T THINK I EVER SAID THERE WERE DISPARATE IMPACTS. I THINK THERE WERE COMMENTS THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE WERE GOING TO HAVE ROUTES MOVED AWAY FROM THEM. AND CERTAINLY WE RECOGNIZE THAT. AND CAN WE MAP ROUTES FOR CHANGE WIDE BENEFIT TO OUR RIDERSHIP? UM, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, UH, BOARD MEMBERS ON THE TEND TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR APPROVAL OF THE RESOLUTION FOR THE BUDGET? MR. CHAIRMAN, REMEMBER STRATTON? YES. I, I JUST WANT TO THANK THE STAFF AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN A, UM, A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING, BUT, UM, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN HERE, WE ARE ON TRACK. THIS IS A VERY FISCALLY SOUND BUDGET. WE HAVE A VERY FISCALLY SOUND AND WHAT I THINK RESPONSIBLE PLAN GOING FORWARD FOUR OR FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN. I THINK THAT, UH, THAT THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN VERY TRANSPARENT, VERY UPFRONT. UM, EVERYTHING IS OUT THERE FOR EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY TO SEE, JUST GO TO CAP METRO.ORG AND SCROLL DOWN AND LOOK AT THE FAST FACTS. THERE'S A, THERE'S A LITTLE LINK YOU CAN CLICK AND YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING. AND TH THIS, THIS I BELIEVE IS GOING TO BE A BUDGET THAT PUTS US ON SOUND FINANCIAL FISCAL FOOTING. AND I TRULY BELIEVE AFTER ALL MY YEARS OF BINNING BEING IN AND AROUND GOVERNMENT AND WORKING AROUND DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL METRO IS IN REALLY GOOD SHAPE, UM, AND IS IN A GREAT POSITION GOING FORWARD, UM, THAT, AND THEN ESPECIALLY IF THE COMMUNITY COMES ALONG BEHIND US AND BESIDE US AND AGREES WITH, UM, UH, THE NEED FOR PROJECT CONNECT, MOVING FORWARD WITH A FUNDING PROJECT AND GOING FORWARD IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, WE'RE EVEN BETTER SHAPE GOING FORWARD AFTER THAT. SO I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THAT THIS IS A VERY GOOD POSITION, A VERY TRANSPARENT PROCESS AND A VERY WE'RE IN A VERY STRONG BUDGET FOOTING. UH, DESPITE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH WITH, WITH COBAN, WITH, WITH THE CHANGES IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, UM, RAYNET AND YOUR TEAM, YOU'VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB, UH, ESTIMATING AND, AND FIGURING OUT WHAT PORT, WHAT THE NEEDS ARE AND WHERE WE NEED TO BE GOING. RANDY, YOU HAVE BEEN LEADING AS WELL. AND I THINK THAT THAT, THAT ALL OF OUR, EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM HAS BEEN DONE AN AMAZING JOB, UH, TO GET US TO THIS POINT AND BRING THIS FORWARD TO US, TO HELP US BE ON SOUND FOOTING, GOING FORWARD INTO THE NEXT YEAR, AND THEN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS AS WELL. SO, THANKS. THANK YOU, MEMBER STRAT, OTHER COMMENTS, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT WITH A MEMBER STRATTON'S COMMENTS, KUDOS TO THE STAFF FOR ABSORBING THE ONE, TWO PUNCH OF COVID AND RECESSION ON THE ONE HAND, AND THEN, UM, THE NEEDS THAT WE ALL HAD, UH, FROM STAFF RELATED TO PROJECT CONNECT AND HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WENT INTO DEVELOPING PROJECT CONNECT PROPOSAL AT THE SAME TIME. SO I CAN'T IMAGINE A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE WE COULD MAKE THE WORLD MORE COMPLEX FOR OUR STAFF AND THEY'VE RESPONDED TO SUPERBLY. UH, SO THANK YOU. [00:55:01] UH, RONNETTE RANDY AND KEVIN AND EVERYBODY WHO WORKED ON THIS BUDGET. AND AT THE SAME TIME, UH, DID ALL THE WORK ON PROJECT CONNECT. LIKEWISE, I FEEL LIKE, UH, THIS, UH, BUDGET GIVES US A REALLY GOOD ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE. IT FELT GOOD. THE PRIORITIES THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED HERE AND THE WORK THAT WE WILL DO INSIDE PROJECT CONNECT AND OUTSIDE PROJECT CONNECT. SO I FEEL VERY GOOD ABOUT THE FINAL PRODUCT AND APPLAUD STAFF FOR GETTING THIS ORGANIZED AND STAKING OUT THIS COURSE IN THE OTHER COMMENTS, IF NOT, THEN I'LL CALL ROLL FOR A VOTE TO APPROVE THIS OR VOTE ON APPROVAL OF ACTION. ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UM, ICE CHAIR GARZA. I THINK IT'S NOT YET WITH US MEMBER HILL MEMBER KITCHEN, I THINK HAS NOT JOINED US YET. REMEMBER MITCHELL? I REMEMBER RENTERIA. YES. A MEMBER STRATTON. I REMEMBER TREVELYAN I, AND COOPER'S AN I AS WELL. SO THE MACHINE CARRIES SIX TO ZERO WITH TWO ABSENCES. THANK YOU, RONETTE. THANK YOU, KEVIN. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CLARK AND EVERYBODY ONWARD BRAVELY INTO 2021. SO THANK YOU ALL THAT CONCLUDES OUR ACTION [VII. Discussion Items] ITEMS. WE HAVE ONE DISCUSSION ITEM. THAT'S A PROJECT CONNECT UPDATE FROM DAVE COUCH. DAVE, IF YOU'RE WITH US, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. I'M HERE. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN COOPER MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, PRESIDENT AND CEO CLARK. I'M DAVE COUCH, THE PROJECT CONNECT PROGRAM OFFICER. UH, AND I'LL BE GLAD TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE TODAY, UH, ON THE STEPS WE'VE TAKEN. AND AS WE'RE GOING FORWARD WITH PROJECT CONNECT, UH, WE'VE TAKEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STEPS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, AND NOW WE'RE STARTING TO MOVE INTO HOW WE GO AHEAD AND GO FORWARD IN PARTICULAR WITH THE METRO RAPID LINES. NEXT FIVE. SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS ADVANCING THE THREE METRO REP AND LINES THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL INVESTMENT AND ALSO PREPARING FOR NEW PICKUPS OWNS MORE THAN WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AS THE NEXT SERIES OF THOSE ROLL OUT X, Y, UM, BY WAY OF THE WAY THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH AND COME UP WITH AN ADDITION, AN INITIAL INVESTMENT SEQUENCE, UH, WHAT ARE YOU CAN SEE ON METRO RAPID UNDER PHASE ONE, UH, ARE THE INITIATION OF THE THREE LINES THAT, UH, WILL BE PART OF THE INITIAL INVESTMENT WITH THE OTHER, UH, FOUR LINES LATER ON WHEN THE FULL SYSTEM GETS BUILT OUT. AND WITH THAT ALSO COMES A SERIES OF 15, UH, DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WHERE THE CIRCULATORS TO PICK UP SERVICE WOULD BE PROVIDED NEXT. WHY, UH, LOOKING SPECIFICALLY AT THE NEW METRO RAPID LINES, THERE'S THREE THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL INVESTMENT. UH, AND THE FIRST ONE WHO IS FROM EXPO CENTER, UH, THAT COMES IN FROM EAST AUSTIN TO DOWNTOWN THE SECOND ONE PLEASANT VALLEY THAT GOES TO THE SOUTH, UH, FROM THE MOODLE OR DEVELOPMENT DOWN TO GOODNIGHT AND GOODNIGHT RANCH. UH, AND THEN THE THIRD ONE IS AN EXTENSION OF WHAT OUR CURRENT EIGHT OH THREE SERVICES, UH, DOWN TO THE SOUTH TO BE ABLE TO GET TO MANCHESTER AND TO OAK HILL NEXT LINE, THE EXPO INVOLVES 12 MILES, 22 STATIONS AND 44 PLATFORMS. UH, THE PLATFORMS WILL BE ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE STREET, UH, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE DOUBLING, UH, ON PLEASANT VALLEY. IT'S 14 MILES WITH 19 STATIONS AND ON THE EXTENSION OF THE EIGHT OH THREE TO OAK HILL, UH, IT'S FIVE MILES, 14 STATIONS, AND 28 PLATFORMS, AND THE SAME NUMBER OF PLATFORMS AND STATIONS FOR WHAT THE MAIN CHECK IS. WE'VE STARTED TO GO AHEAD AND ADVANCE THE FEDERAL PROCESS. IF YOU RECALL, PREVIOUSLY, WE HAD GIVEN YOU A PRESENTATION ON THE SMALL START, THE PROGRAM, AND THAT'S WHAT THESE PROJECTS FIT INTO. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE TO ADVANCE THE PROCESS IS WE'VE GONE AHEAD AND GOTTEN APPROVAL FROM THE FDA TO ENTER THE FIRST PHASE OF THAT SMALL STARTS, WHICH IS PROJECT DEVELOPMENT. WE ALSO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO AHEAD AND GET THE EXPO IN PLEASANT VALLEY. THOSE ROUTES SET UP AND INTO THE PROCESS. THEY WILL RESOLVE IN THE FTA ANNUAL REPORT, WHICH IS PUBLISHED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO CONGRESS. SO THOSE ARE THE STEPS THAT WE'VE [01:00:01] GONE AHEAD AND TAKEN TO JUMPSTART, IF YOU WILL, UH, THE FIRST SERIES OF PROJECTS WITHIN PROJECT CONNECT, UH, FOR THE PIECES THAT ARE THERE RELATED TO METRO RAPID NEXT LINE. AND THIS IS WHERE I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND ASK YOU TO REMEMBER, TO PICK UP THE NEXT STEP, PLEASE. THANK YOU, DAVE. UM, JUST WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IN PLANNING AND OPERATIONS OF A DEMAND RESPONSE WE ARE PREPARING FOR THE NEXT, UH, PICK UP ZONES, PLEASE. SO JUST AS A REFRESHER OF, UM, FOR, FOR EVERYONE ELSE, JUST WANTED TO KIND OF TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT PICKUP IS IT'S, UM, ZONE BASED NON, UH, FIXED ROUTE AS IN REGULAR SERVICE ROUTES. AND IT'S THROUGH REAL TIME TRIP REQUEST AND SHARED RIDE. UM, TODAY'S PRESENTATION. I MEAN, CHAD'S GONNA WALK THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, ON, ON THE PROPOSED THREE ZONES, I WANTED TO TOUCH UPON A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, ON THE, ON THE PLANNING CONTEXT, THE PLANNING PREVIEW, IF YOU WOULD, UH, FOR THE, UH, FUTURE PROPOSED PICK UP ZONES. SO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE BENEFITS BEFORE I CAME TO CAPITAL METRO, I HEARD ABOUT, UH, KEVIN METRO'S PICKUP AS AN EXAMPLE OF MOBILITY, NEW DEMAND MODEL, UM, IN, IN ALL ACROSS UNITED STATES, ALONG WITH THE SACRAMENTO RTS MODEL. SO IT IS WELL RECEIVED AND VERY WELL KNOWN, BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT BETTER ABOUT THE BENEFITS IT'S, UH, IN ADDITION TO SORT OF, UM, JUST ADDING A FIRST, LAST MILE CONNECTIONS WHERE IT'S NEEDED. IT FEELS SERVICE GAPS INCREASES ACCESS AND MOBILITY. IN SOME CASES, IT ALSO OFFERS TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS. AND THEN AGAIN, IT'S ONE OF IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE A SMALLER FLEET. AND, UM, THE OTHER BIG BENEFIT OF PICKUP THAT I SEE IS THAT IT'S KIND OF ADHERES TO THEIR APPROACH, THAT ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL. AND I THINK AS WE GO THROUGH OUR PRESENTATION, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE EVIDENT TO YOU ALL. SO, UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO THESE ARE A LITTLE BIT, LITTLE BIT OF SORT OF SEQUENCING AND HISTORY ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD ZONES THAT ALL FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCULATORS THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE, THE FIRST PILOT WAS IN MUELLER IN JUNE, 2017 TO 2018. IN THAT ONE YEAR, IT SERVED, UM, APPROXIMATELY 20,000 TRIPS. AND THE FIRST COUPLE, FIRST COUPLE MONTHS IS ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT OF REFINEMENT AND FINE TUNING AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS AND KIND OF MATCHING THAT WITH THE RIGHT SIZE OF SERVICE. AND WE LEARNED A LOT FROM THAT. IT BECAME AN APP BASED TOOL FROM THAT, AND THEN CAME MAINER. IT IS, UM, IT REPLACED A SERVICE THAT WAS NOT VERY WELL USED AND IT BECAME MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH 10 TIMES THE RIDERSHIP, UM, AFTER IT GAINED GROUND. AND, UM, THE EXPO LINE CAME, UH, FOLLOWED IN AUGUST, 2019, ALONG WITH LEANDER IN DECEMBER OF 2019. LEANDER TO ME IS MORE ONE OF THE MORE, UH, FIRST AND LAST MILE SOLUTION ALONG WITH SOME USE THAT FOR KIND OF A WAY TO GET AROUND. SO JUST HOW DOES, UM, THIS NEIGHBORHOOD CIRCULATORS FAIR IN CONTEXT OF COVID? YES, OUR RIDERSHIP HAS GONE DOWN A LOT, BUT I WANTED TO MENTION THAT THE METRO ACCESS REQUESTS AND THE GROCERY DELIVERY, UM, CONTINUED ON THE VERY INNOVATIVE SERVICE MODEL OF GROCERY DELIVERY THAT, UH, THAT WAS DONE BY CHAD AND CHAD'S TEAM. IT DELIVERED 650,000 MEALS SINCE MID-MARCH TILL ABOUT NOW. SO WHAT THAT, WHAT DOES THAT TELL US THAT TELLS US THAT IT IS AGILE FLEXIBLE AND IT ALLOWED A LOT OF FOLKS TO STAY AT HOME WHILE WE WENT TO THEM. UM, SO I'M NOT PROVIDING IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, I'VE PROVIDED, UM, AN UPDATE ON CARE PROGRAM AND I'M NOT PROVIDING ONE NOW, BUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING HERE IS VERY MUCH TIED TO THE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH OUR CARE PROGRAM AND THE SERVICE PLANNING PROCESS DURING COVID NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THESE ARE THE THREE POTENTIAL PICKUP ZONES THAT CAME ABOUT IN OUR PLANNING PROCESS. AND WE'LL, UM, WE WILL, CHAD WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE LATTER PART OF THE PRESENTATION. THESE ARE NARCOTICS. SO NORTH OAK HILL AND SOUTH MACHACA, AND OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE 10 PICKUP ZONES BY MARCH OF 2021. AND I WOULD EACH OF EACH ONE OF THE ZONES THAT ARE [01:05:01] BEING PRESENTED TODAY, WE WILL TALK MORE ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND THE DESTINATION THAT THEY WOULD SERVE IN THE, IN CHANCE PRESENTATION LATER ON IN THE NEXT LIFE. I WILL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHITE PICKUP, WHICH I COVERED A LITTLE BIT EARLY ON, BUT WHY NOW? SO IT'S ALL ABOUT CONNECTIVITY. IT, THE GAPS HAD CAPITAL METRO SERVICE AREA AREAS THAT NEVER HAD SERVICE IN THE PAST. IT ALLOWS US TO FILL THE GAP IN THOSE AREAS ZONES WHERE A FIXED ROUTE 40 FOOTER IS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION BASED ON THE LAND USE AND THE DISPERSED DESTINATIONS. AND IT WOULD CONNECT TO OTHER CAPITAL METRO SERVICES, CURRENT LOCAL ROUTES, FREQUENT ROUTES, AND FUTURE PROJECT CONNECT MITCHELL RAPIDS ROUTES. BUT THE LAST ASPECT THAT I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WE LEARNED MORE THROUGH THE COVID SERVICE PLANNING PROCESS. IT'S THROUGH OUR CARE PROGRAM THAT WE LEARNED THAT ACCESSIBILITY TO ESSENTIAL PLACES ARE SO IMPORTANT TO US. WE LEARNED THAT AS WE UNDERSTOOD WHERE ESSENTIAL TRIPS ARE TAKING PLACE AND WHERE OUR OPERATIONAL RESOURCES SHOULD GO THROUGH A LENS OF EQUITY, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE ARE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, GROCERY STORES, MAJOR RETAILERS, AND OTHER MEDICAL PROVIDERS THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE BETTER ACCESS TO. AND WE ARE CALLING THEM AS ESSENTIAL PLACES. NEXT SLIDE. SO DURING OUR CARE PROGRAM PLANNING PROCESS, WE UNDERSTOOD MUCH BETTER ABOUT OUR ESSENTIAL TRIPS ARE ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS. AND THEN NOW WE ARE KIND OF TYING THEM THROUGH THE LENS OF EQUITY AND SERVICE GAPS TO OUR EXISTING SYSTEM EXPANSION PLAN THAT IS PROJECT CONNECT. SO IT'S NOT ONLY GOING TO BUILD BETTER CONNECTIVITY. NOW WE'RE ALSO KEEPING AN EYE ON WHAT IT'S GONNA DO FOR FUTURE, UH, PROJECT CONNECT. UM, WHEN METRO RAPID AND OTHER IMPROVED MOBILITY OPTIONS WILL, WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE WITH THAT. I'M GOING TO PASS IT UNDER CHAD, CHAD'S GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT EACH INDIVIDUAL ZONE AND HOW THEY WOULD BE IN TOGETHER AND IN ISOLATION WOULD PROVIDE BETTER CONNECTIVITY TO PROJECT CONNECT AND, UM, AND OUR CURRENT REPS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SHAR MILLER. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M CHAD BALLANTINE, VICE PRESIDENT OF DEMAND RESPONSE. SO I'LL TALK THROUGH THESE PROPOSED, UH, THREE, UH, POTENTIAL ZONES THAT, UM, WE WOULD LIKELY GO FORWARD WITH. ASSUMING WE'RE TOLD TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PROJECT CONNECT. THE FIRST ZONE IS THE NORTH DECILE ZONE IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING IT. UM, THIS IS A, UM, VERY FAR NORTHEAST AUSTIN. SO THE NORTHERN BORDER BOUNDARY OF THIS IS AROUND WELLS BRANCH, SOUTH, UH, BOUNDARY OF THIS WOULD BE AROUND PARMER AND JAEGER. UM, AND ON THE, ON THE EAST SIDE, THIS, UH, THE BOUNDARIES, ESSENTIALLY THE CAP METRO SERVICE AREA, THIS ONE IS IDEALLY SUITED TO, UH, CONNECT FOLKS IN THIS AREA TO THE, UH, THE PARK AND RIDE THAT WE HAVE UP THERE. THE TECHBRIDGE PARKING LOT. THE ZONE IS ABOUT 3.8 SQUARE. YEAH, MILES. SO IT'S KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT OUR ZONES ARE. GENERALLY. WE, WE, WE HAVE ZONES THAT ARE FROM AROUND TWO SQUARE MILES ALL THE WAY UP TO A LITTLE BIT OVER SIX SQUARE MILES. SO THIS FITS NICELY WITHIN THAT AREA. THE ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ZONE IS THE POPULATION. IT HAS A REALLY HIGH POPULATION. UM, AND SO WE THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY HELPFUL. WE ALSO SEE WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEMOGRAPHICS, WE SEE A VERY DIVERSE POPULATION, SO HIGH MINORITY PERCENTAGE, WE SEE, UM, ECONOMICS ECONOMICALLY. IT'S ACTUALLY VERY MIXED AS WELL. AND THEN, UM, DISABILITY, UH, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND, UM, ALSO METRO ACCESS ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS, UH, ARE PRETTY HIGH IN NUMBERS IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA. UM, THE, THE LAND NETWORK AND THE ROAD NETWORK DOESN'T SUPPORT A FIXED ROUTE SERVICE. AND SO PICKUP IS A REALLY PERFECT SOLUTION FOR THIS AREA UP HERE. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS FOR A LITTLE WHILE. UM, AND SO WE THINK NOW'S THE TIME TO, TO MOVE FORWARD. AND, UM, AND SO WITH THESE, AS I'VE JUST KIND OF TALKED THROUGH THE DEMOGRAPHICS WITH EACH OF THESE ZONES, ONCE WE LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE SIZE, THE POPULATION, ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, THEN WE ESTABLISH OUR GOALS THAT WE EXPECT TO HIT AT THE SIX MONTH MARK FOR EACH OF THESE ZONES. SO WITH THESE, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND 60 AVERAGE DAILY RIDERS, THESE RIDERSHIP NUMBERS ARE, UM, WE'RE NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE ON THE RIDE OR SHIFT NUMBERS DUE TO COVID. UM, DURING NORMAL TIMES WE'VE GOT REALLY GOOD PROCESSES FOR IDENTIFYING RIDERSHIP, BUT WE'RE GOING TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON RIDERSHIP, AND WE'RE HOPING TO GET [01:10:01] HIGHER THAN THAT. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT A REDUCTION IN METRO ACCESS, PASSENGER TRIPS, UM, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS DOESN'T IMPACT ANYONE'S ELIGIBILITY FOR METRO ACCESS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT WHAT THIS DOES IS IT PROVIDES SAME DAY IMMEDIATE SERVICE AND WITH AN APP BASED, UM, AN APP BASED SERVICE. AND SO FOLKS CAN TRAVEL TO, AND FROM WHENEVER THEY WANT, THEY DON'T HAVE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS THE DAY BEFORE. AND WE'VE SEEN OTHER ZONES THAT THAT'S A LOT MORE DESIRABLE FOR PEOPLE, UH, WHO ARE METRO ACCESS ELIGIBLE. AND SO WE ANTICIPATE SEEING AN INCREASE IN WRITERS ON METRO ACCESS. ALSO METRO X, THE ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE OVER THE PAST YEAR HAS RECOMMENDED THAT THIS BE THE AREA THAT WE IDENTIFY, UM, FOR FUTURE EXPANSION. SO THIS IS MEETING THEIR REQUESTS AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE SEE HERE THE NEXT YEAR AREA WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE, UH, NORTH OAK HILLS ZONE. SO IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH SOUTHWEST AUSTIN NEAR THE Y, THIS IS NORTH OF, UM, I 71 AND EAST TWO 90. AND THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF THIS IS SOUTHWEST PARKWAY GIVE OR TAKE A LITTLE BIT THERE. UM, THIS AREA IS A LARGER ZONE. IT'S ABOUT 6.3 SQUARE MILES. THIS IS A UNIQUE AREA. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN THROUGH HERE, IT'S VERY HILLY. IT'S GOT A, IT DOESN'T HAVE A GOOD SIDEWALK NETWORK THROUGHOUT HERE. WE'VE BEEN HEARING FOR A LONG TIME THAT THERE IS A DESIRE TO HAVE SERVICE IN THIS AREA, JUST NORTH OF 71. UM, WE HAVE A TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, GOVERNMENT OFFICE. WE'VE GOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS. WE HAVE A, UM, A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF NEED IN THIS AREA, BUT AGAIN, IT'S A DISCONNECTED ROAD NETWORK AND IT'S NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE OF FIXED DROP. THAT'S. WHAT MAKES THIS SUCH A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR, UM, PICKUP SERVICE? WE WERE, UM, IT, IT'S GOT ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE IN THIS AREA, SO, UM, IT'S PRETTY DENSE. IT'S PRETTY GOOD AREA HAS A SURPRISINGLY HIGH, UH, MINORITY POPULATION, 12.8% MINORITY POPULATION. SO WE'RE ALSO INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE SERVE THIS AREA AS WELL. AND THE HIGH AGING POPULATION. THIS IS ONE OF THE HIGHER POPULATIONS OF, UH, AGING ADULTS, 65 AND OVER SO 9% OF THIS WHOLE POPULATION. SO WE'RE ALSO HOPING THAT THAT WILL IMPROVE MY, UM, MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, AGING. AND, UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, UH, GOALS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ZONE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP LOOKING AT THEM. WE LOOK AT THEM ON A DAILY AND WEEKLY BASIS, BUT OUR, OUR, UM, ACTUAL, OUR DEEP DIVE LOOK WILL BE AT SIX MONTHS FOR EACH OF THESE ZONES TO DETERMINE HOW SUCCESSFUL THEY ARE AND IF THEY REALLY ARE MEETING THE METRICS, NEXT SLIDE. AND THE THIRD AREA THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE SOUTH MEN CHAKA AREA. AND, UM, SO THESE MAPS ARE A LITTLE CONCEPTUAL. SO THESE, THESE, UH, ZONES ARE NOT SET IN STONE BY ANY MEANS. IF WE, UH, DO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE, WE WOULD DO A LOT OF PUBLIC OUTREACH AND, AND TALKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, TALKING WITH, UM, CITY LEADERS, COUNTY LEADERS, AND MORE, BUT, UM, IN GENERAL, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING HERE AT IS A CHAKA SORT OF ON THE, ON THE EASTERN SIDE BRODY LANE ON THE WESTERN SIDE. AND IT GOES ALL THE WAY UP, UP TO, UM, SLAUGHTER LANE. SO WEST SLAUGHTER LANE UP THERE, WHICH IS WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF SERVICES. WE HAVE A LOT OF SHOPPING. WE HAVE ACCESS TO, UM, A LOT OF OUR, OUR ROUTES, OUR BUS ROUTES. SO THIS REALLY CONNECTS A LOT OF PEOPLE AND ESSENTIALLY THIS EXTENDS OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM. SO, UM, RATHER THAN DRIVING, YOU KNOW, OUR OPERATING OUR BUSES DOWN INTO THIS AREA, WE CAN BRING FOLKS TO THE TRANSIT SYSTEM. SO WE DON'T DEGRADE THE SPEED AND THE RELIABILITY OF THE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE UP THERE RUNNING. THIS IS A SMALLER ZONE. YOU MIGHT NOTICE, IT'S ONLY 2.3 SQUARE MILES. THIS IS OWN IS SMALLER BECAUSE THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECTED AREA. UM, IT'S HARD TO SEE FROM THE MAP, BUT YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF GREENBELTS. WE HAVE RAILROADS GOING THROUGH HERE AND DISCONNECTED NEIGHBORHOOD STREET NETWORKS. AND SO FOR THAT REASON, THIS ZONE IS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER. UM, BUT WE DO ANTICIPATE SOME GOOD RIDERSHIP. WE'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF FOLKS IN THIS AREA, UM, THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR THIS KIND OF TRANSPORTATION DOWN THERE. UM, WE DO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, LOOKING THROUGH OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, IT DOES MEET A LOT OF OUR REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, IT, IT HAS A HIGH MINORITY POPULATION OF 17% IN THIS AREA. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A GOOD AMOUNT OF AGING ADULTS AND, AND A GOOD AMOUNT OF POPULATION. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 11,000 PEOPLE IN THIS, IN THIS SMALLER AREA. SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SERVICES THAT CAN BE, UM, PROVIDED IN THIS AREA AND THEN THE NEXT LINE. SO ONE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP IS THAT WE ARE [01:15:01] STILL STUDYING AND LOOKING AT A ZONE IN THE SOUTH EAST PART OF TOWN. UM, THIS HAS BEEN AN AREA OF PARTICULAR FOCUS FOR A WHILE. NOW. WE KNOW IT'S A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AREA. THIS MAP HERE IN THE PICTURE IS REALLY JUST FOR A PURELY FOR CONTEXT. UM, THERE IS NO SPECIFIC ZONE THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, BUT WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS A MAP OF THE AREA ALONG WITH THE, THE GREEN OR THE SHADED AREA IS OUR CAPITAL METRO SERVICE AREA. SO IT'S PRETTY CHOPPY THROUGH HERE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS VERY UNIQUE AND A CHALLENGE, AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK. WE'VE BEEN TALKING WITH TRAVIS COUNTY. EVERYONE AGREES THAT, UH, WE CAN COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS. AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES WE FACE IS A NONLINEAR DEVELOPMENT. WE HAVE CLUSTERS OF DEVELOPMENT. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW TO CAPTURE THAT, UM, AND HOW TO MAKE A GOOD UNIFORMED AREA THAT MAKES SENSE THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO. UM, AND WE ALSO KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF INVESTMENT HAPPENING IN THE AREA. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE COORDINATING A TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT ALONG WITH THE DEVELOPMENT SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS OF FOLKS IN THIS AREA. UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO STUDY IN THE AREA AND, AND ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND TRAVIS COUNTY FOR SOLUTIONS IN THIS AREA, BUT WANTED TO JUST BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION AND JUST MENTIONED THAT THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON, UH, PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE FUTURE AND NEXT LINE. ALL RIGHT. SO, UM, SO THIS, FOR OUR NEXT STEPS, WE'RE REALLY, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE, UH, UH, TRANSIT REFERENDUM IN NOVEMBER OF 2020, UM, THAT WILL, UH, INFORM THE DIRECTION OF WHERE WE GO WITH ALL OF THIS. AND THEN IN DECEMBER, 2020, WE'LL FINALIZE THE SERVICE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES. SO, AS I'VE MENTIONED IN THE PAST, WE HAVE SERVICE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES, WHICH HELPED INFORM OUR GOALS THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED. WE'LL BE BRINGING THOSE TO YOU, TO FORMALIZE AND FINALIZE THOSE IN DECEMBER. AND WE'LL DO A DEEPER DIVE INTO, UM, ALL OF THE METRICS AND WHAT IT TAKES TO, UM, DETERMINE SUCCESS OF EACH OF THESE ZONES. WE'LL FINALIZE THESE NEWS OUT A ZONE BOUNDARIES. LIKE I MENTIONED, THESE AREN'T THE FINAL AREAS, BUT WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHERS TO IDENTIFY A REALLY, JUST TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THESE BOUNDARIES ACCURATE AND WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING ON THE SOUTHEAST ZONE COORDINATION. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR STRICT COUCH OR SHARMILA OR MYSELF, WE WOULD GLADLY TAKE THOSE AT THIS TIME. QUESTIONS, COLLEAGUES. I REMEMBER STRATTON, I BELIEVE A MEMBER KITCHEN. I HAD HER HAND MR. CHAIR. SO I'M HAPPY TO GO WHENEVER YOU GO LAST. THANK YOU, ERIC. I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT YOU HAVE THE HONORS. WELL, UM, I, I JUST WANT TO THANK STAFF FOR THE TIME AND THE CARE THAT WAS GIVEN TO, UH, TO THESE AREAS. YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING, UH, IN, IN, UH, NORTHEASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY AND PARTICULARLY PRECINCT ONE. AND WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SINCE CAP REMAP. AND, AND WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN THE LIST OF THINGS THAT HAVE A LENS TOWARDS EQUITY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT, THAT WE HAVE BEEN ADDRESSING EQUITY CONSISTENTLY. UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, THE NORWOOD TRANSIT CENTER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF BUS STOP AMENITIES AND ACCESSIBILITY PROJECTS, UM, AND, AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD, THE QUESTION BECOMES WHAT IS NEXT IN PROJECT CONNECT? I THINK THAT, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, NORTH DUS, OUR PORTION OF THE PROJECT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS SPECIFICALLY BEEN ASKED FOR BY THE COMMUNITY. WHEN YOU ASK THE QUESTION, UH, WHAT GOES ON BETWEEN RUN BIRD AND IT HAD BEEN PALMER, BUT NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RUNDBERG, UM, ALL, ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH WELLS BRANCH. I THINK THOSE ARE AREAS WHERE YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF DISCONNECTED COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT, THAT NEED A PICKUP TYPE PROGRAM THAT WILL GET THEM TO A BUS. THAT'S GOING TO GET THEM TO WORK THAT WILL GET THEM TO THE D A BUS THAT'S GOING TO GET THEM TO THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE. WE'LL, WE'LL DO THE CIRCULAR TRANSIT FOR, UH, FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES. AND [01:20:01] I THINK THAT IT IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT NORTH DESK AREA, UH, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN RUNDBERG AND, AND A WELLS BRANCH, BECAUSE THERE'S A HUGE POPULATION, UH, MOVING UP THERE. AND A LOT OF IT IS LESS A FLUENT. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ADDRESS THAT AREA. I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE POINTED OUT, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UH, SOME STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE EXPO CENTER AREA, AS WELL AS WE TALK ABOUT, UH, MAKING IT A PARK AND RIDE. AS WE TALK ABOUT PUTTING A METRO RAPID THERE, AS WE LOOK AT, UH, THE, THE DELCO CENTER, THOSE ARE ALL CORRIDORS THAT HAVE THE SAME, UH, THAT, THAT ARE SPREAD OUT PRETTY GOOD, AND THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF STORES AND AMENITIES THAT PEOPLE NEED. SO THAT WE'RE BEGINNING TO THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THOSE AREAS IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT AS WELL. AND I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT AS WE TALK ABOUT, UH, THE PEDESTRIAN HYBRID BEACONS, UH, FROM, FROM MY ESTIMATE FROM 21 TO 23, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT RIGHT, UH, RIGHT AT $840,000 OF, OF, OF INVESTMENT IN, IN HIGH AND HYBRID BEACON BEACONS IN PRECINCT ONE. SO I THINK THESE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR. I'M, I'M GLAD THAT YOU HAVE BEEN LISTENING AND FOCUSING ON, ON, ON THESE, UH, TYPES OF ISSUES, BECAUSE FOR MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA, THE BUS IS THEIR CAR. SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT WAS DONE. AND, AND I, AND, UH, AND I HOPE THAT, UH, THAT WE CONTINUE TO CONNECT AUSTIN WITH PROJECT CONNECT. NEVER TREVELYAN REMEMBER KITCHEN. I JUST WANTED TO SAY, THANK YOU ALSO, I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THESE PICKUPS SERVICES, UM, AND THE AREAS THAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED. AND I APPRECIATE, UM, THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE SHARED. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED FROM TIME TO TIME ABOUT THE LESSONS LEARNED AND THE BENEFITS WE'VE BEEN SEEING FROM THEM. AND SO, UH, LAYING OUT THESE LIKE THIS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE, UM, UM, THE FACTORS THAT YOU ALL LOOK AT ON AND IDENTIFYING AREAS AND THE SUCCESS YOU'VE SEEN. UM, SO I WANTED TO JUST KEY IN, ON ONE PART. AND, AND IN WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT, UM, IN THE FACTORS THAT YOU ALL HAVE LAID OUT, AND AS A MEMBER, TREVELYAN MENTIONED THAT LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY IS ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT YOU LOOK AT, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, AS WELL AS EQUITY AND THE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE AREA, THE GEOGRAPHY IN THE AREA, UM, UH, TO REALLY PINPOINT AREAS THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL LAYING THAT OUT. UM, I WANTED TO TALK FOR A MINUTE ABOUT THE ONE IN SOUTH AUSTIN, UM, IN THE MAIN AREA. UM, AND I THINK I WANTED TO CONFIRM JUST WHAT I THINK I HEARD YOU ALL SAY THAT THESE ARE THE BOUNDARIES THAT ARE CON CONSIDERATION RIGHT NOW, AND APPEAR TO MAKE THE MOST SENSE. BUT I THINK I HEARD YOU ALSO THAT THERE'LL BE MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREAS, UM, UH, AFTER A PROJECT, UH, AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION AND HOPEFULLY THE PROJECT CONNECT, UM, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH. SO I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT BECAUSE I THINK THE EASTERN SIDE IS THE RAILROAD TRACKS. IF I COULD UNDERSTAND THAT, YEAH, RAILROAD TRACKS ARE, THERE ARE A FEW COMMUNITIES THAT ARE MAYBE JUST EAST OF THAT, THAT PERHAPS, UH, WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. I LIKE THEM, THE BOUNDARIES THAT YOU'VE DETERMINED. I'M JUST WANTING TO CONFIRM THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN THOSE AREAS. UM, IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT CHAD, UH, YES. MA'AM, THAT IS DEFINITELY WHAT WE WANT TO DO. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REACH OUT TO YOU, YOUR OFFICE, AS WELL AS ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO TALK, TALK WITH US ABOUT THESE ZONES. THESE ARE NOT SET IN STONE, AND THAT'S WHY THE PICTURES, THE MAPS ARE A LITTLE BIT VAGUE SO THAT WE WOULDN'T, WE DIDN'T PRESCRIBE EVERYTHING. AND IT MAKES PEOPLE THINK THAT IT'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED AND FIGURED OUT, WELL, YOU GOT ENOUGH? I'LL GO AHEAD. SORRY, GO AHEAD. NO, I JUST WANTED TO CHIME IN, JUST MENTION, I ACTUALLY FORGOT TO MENTION THAT EARLIER THAT WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE PLANNING, UM, SORT OF MORE DATA DRIVEN APPROACH, THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, THAT ALL, ALL THE MARKERS THAT CHAD PRESENTED, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE WERE TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE QUALITATIVE SIDE OF THINGS, THE TRIP PLANNING REQUESTS THAT HAVE COME IN THROUGH OUR PROCESS, AND WE'RE AT THE GROCERY DELIVERIES HAPPEN WHERE THE METRO ACCESS REQUESTS ARE COMING FROM. AND IN ADDITION TO ANY SORT OF PHYSICAL FEATURES, THE GAPS AND SO FORTH. SO, SO THERE IS A QUALITATIVE SIDE OF THING THAT KIND OF GIVES US A BASELINE FOR WHERE WE NEED TO START OUR OUTREACH. BUT, UM, AS CHAD MENTIONED THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE TAKING THOSE ON, AS WE FINALIZE THE BOUNDARIES. [01:25:02] WELL, IT LOOKS, IT LOOKS VERY GOOD. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS FOR ALL OF THESE AREAS. AND I, I SECOND, WHAT A BOARD MEMBER TREVELYAN SAID, I THINK IT'S, UM, IT REALLY SHOWS, UM, A LOT OF PROGRESS IN THIS AREA. I REMEMBER THIS IDEA, UM, STARTED WORKING ON IT A FEW YEARS BACK, AND SO IT WAS REALLY SHOWED A WONDERFUL EVOLUTION. SO THANK YOU. REMEMBER STRATTON? YES. FIRST QUESTION FOR, UH, FOR MR. COUCH, JUST TO, UM, UH, KIND OF MAKE SURE I'M, I'VE GOT CLARITY ON THIS AS WELL. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, THE INITIAL INVESTMENT IN PROJECT CONNECT, AND AGAIN, THERE ARE STILL SOME IFS WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, THE VOTERS HAVE TO APPROVE PROJECT CONNECT FIRST, BUT THE INITIAL INVESTMENT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE FUNDING FOR UP TO EIGHT ADDITIONAL PARKING RIDES AS PART OF THE SYSTEM. IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE BLUE LINE, THE ORANGE LINE AND THE ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, METRO RAPID, UH, BUS, RAPID TRANSIT LINES THAT WE'VE, WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED IT, IT ALSO INCLUDES THESE PARKING RIDES AND THEN AS WELL AS PICKUP SERVICE. YEAH, IT, IT INCLUDES, UH, THREE NEW, UH, EXPRESS ROUTES AND INCLUDES NINE PARKING RIGHTS. OKAY. SO I'M LOOKING AT THAT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, THE HOLISTIC SYSTEM, BUT ALSO KIND OF MOVING OUT THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN AREAS IS KIND OF WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION IS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AREAS THAT WE HAVE NOT HISTORICALLY SERVICED OR SERVICED VERY WELL. I WANT TO FLIP THE MAP A LITTLE BIT AND LOOK AT, LOOK BACK, I'LL LOOK OVER ONTO THE WEST SIDE. AND I REALIZED THAT, YOU KNOW, SOCIOECONOMICALLY, THE DEMOGRAPHICS ARE DIFFERENT, BUT THE SERVICE IS STILL AN ISSUE. UM, HISTORICALLY WE'VE HAD FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE FOUR POINTS REGION OF, OF, UH, CAPITAL METRO SERVICE TERRITORY THAT, THAT HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING TRAFFIC OUT THERE IS, IS A REAL MASS, ESPECIALLY DURING OUR TIMES DURING RUSH HOUR TIMES. I KNOW THAT THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S 2016 MOBILITY BOND WAS WORKING TO, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THAT. UM, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT FOLKS OUT THERE ALONG SIX 20 FELT, YOU KNOW, FELT KIND OF HURT BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE THEY LOST SOME FUNDS TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF SOME CHANGES THAT WENT ON WITH REALLOCATION OF FUNDS FROM TAMPA TO . IT JUST, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAD TO HAPPEN, BUT, UM, TAP METRO CAN PLAY A ROLE IN THIS AND TRYING TO HELP ADDRESS THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES. AND I SEEM TO REMEMBER DON'T WE HAVE ON THE MAP AND AS PART OF THIS INITIAL SYSTEM INVESTMENT, A PARK AND RIDE, AND, UH, I BELIEVE EVEN A PICKUP SERVICE SLATED FOR THE WEST SIDE OF OUR SERVICE TERRITORY. SO TO GET OUT THERE AND HELP ADDRESS THOSE PEOPLE, THOSE FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN CAP METRO SERVICE THEM IN THE PAST BEFORE, OR DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT THEY HAVE AN OPTION WITHOUT HAVING TO GO ALL THE WAY UP AND ACROSS TO GET UP TO SAY THE LAKELINE STATION OR PERHAPS TO THE O'CONNELL PARK AND RIDE FROM ALL THE WAY DOWN AT, UM, YOU KNOW, STEINER, RANCH, RIVER PLACE, AND FOLKS IN AREAS LIKE THAT. YEAH. UM, EXACTLY. UH, ON THE WEST SIDE, THERE IS ONE NEW ROUTE, UH, THAT STARTS AT FOUR POINTS AND COMES IN 22, 22, UH, WOULD THEN HAVE A PARK AND RIDE THAT WOULD BE IN THE GENERAL AREA OF THE 22, 22 AND THREE 60 INTERSECTION, UH, THAT WOULD THEN GO STRAIGHT INTO TOWN. SO THAT AREA IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT IS ONE OF THOSE ROUTES THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL INVESTMENT PLAN. OKAY. THAT'S I THINK GREAT NEWS FOR FOLKS OUT THERE AND THEN TO KIND OF DOVETAIL ON THAT SHARMILA AND CHAD LOOKING AT IT, WHAT YOU'VE JUST LAID OUT HERE AND SORT OF YOUR METRICS AND THE DATA DRIVEN APPROACH THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT FOR CREATING, CREATING THE, THE PICKUP ZONES, UM, IS, IS ONE OF THOSE KEY POINTS THERE, YOU KNOW, IF, YOU KNOW, ONCE, ONCE THAT PARK AND RIDE GOES IN OUT THERE, UM, HAVE WE SEEN, AND MAYBE I'M KIND OF THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT LEANDER AS AN EXAMPLE, WE'VE GOT BOTH THE LEANDER PARK AND RIDE AND STATION UP THERE, AND THEN WE'VE GOT THE WE AND, OR PICKUP THAT'S HA THAT'S GOING AROUND UP THERE. UM, DO YOU FORESEE THAT? AND I THINK THIS IS MAYBE KIND OF SLATED ON THE MAP AS WELL. OUR SYSTEM PLAN THAT ONCE THAT PARKING RIDE, WHERE TO GO OUT THERE INTO AN AREA, YOU KNOW, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, FOUR POINTS THAT THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE'D BE AN OPPORTUNITY AND OPTION TO HELP SERVICE THE LAST MILE UTILIZING AND PUTTING IN A PICKUP SERVICE FOR, YOU KNOW, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THAT AREA, FOR THE FOUR POINTS AREA TO HELP ALLEVIATE FURTHER TRAFFIC, GET MORE CARS OFF THE ROAD IN AN, IN A TRUCK, IN A VERY CONGESTED AREA BY, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET FOLKS FROM THEIR HOMES, YOU [01:30:01] KNOW, TO THAT STATION TO CATCH THAT METRO EXPRESS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE DATA-DRIVEN, UH, INFORMATION YOU'D COLLECT TO LOOK AT HOW YOU MIGHT PLACE THOSE GOING FORWARD? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT PROJECT CONNECT IS REALLY A PLAN FOR EVERYONE IN THE REGION. AND I THINK IT, IT'S GOING TO MEET A REALLY GOOD NEED OUT THERE AS WELL. AND I FREQUENTLY DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, EQUITY COMPONENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ADDRESSING WITH PICKUP AND I, AND WE ARE DEFINITELY DOING THAT WITH ACCESSIBILITY, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO HAVE FOOD INSTABILITY, THAT KIND OF THING, BUT PICK UP AS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST THAT. I MEAN, THAT'S A BIG ELEMENT OF IT, BUT, UM, SO FOLKS OUT IN THE WEST, SO TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NINE PROPOSED PARK AND RIDES, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT WHAT, FOUR POINTS AND LOOP THREE 60. SO WE'VE GOT THOSE TWO THAT ARE OUT THERE, PICK UP IS AN EXCELLENT SOLUTION FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO AND FROM THE PARK AND RIDE. UM, ESPECIALLY AS A PARKING LOT, IT GETS MORE AND MORE POPULAR. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, PARKING RIDES ARE HISTORICALLY LIMITED BY THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES, BUT PICK UP CAN ALLOW US TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE CAPACITY WITHOUT HAVING TO ADD A LICK OF PAVEMENT, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH OVERNIGHT. AND SO THEY FIT REALLY WELL WITH PARKING RIDES, UM, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, AND THE RESPONSE, AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN SOLVE A PROBLEM PRETTY QUICKLY. SO, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH LOCATIONS THAT AREN'T EVEN AT CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, CAPACITY IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE CONSIDER. BUT, UM, WE KNOW PEOPLE LIKE USING CAT METRO FROM THEIR FRONT DOOR TO THEIR FINAL DESTINATION. AND THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU BROUGHT UP IN LANDERS VERY ACCURATE, WE SAW THAT, UM, THAT PHENOMENON HAPPENED IN LEANDER. WE SAW RAPID INCREASE IN POPULARITY FOR PICKUP. UM, THE PARKING RIGHTS STILL HAS SOME CAPACITY LEFT, BUT PEOPLE ACTUALLY ENJOYED HAVING A PICKUP FROM THEIR DOOR USING PICKUP SERVICE TO GO TO THE, TO THE RE TO THE TRAIN AND EXPRESS BUS, AND THEN HOPPING ON THE EXPRESS BUS, NEVER HAVING TO EVEN USE THEIR CAR ONCE. SO IT REALLY FITS NICELY IN THAT CONTEXT AS WELL. BUT I DON'T, WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT AS MUCH, BUT IT REALLY IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX AND EQUITY IS A HUGE PIECE, YOU KNOW, IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND A HUGE THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE WITH THIS TOOL, BUT WE CAN ALSO DO A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WITH THIS TOOL. SO IT'S REALLY FLEXIBLE. AND I, I LOVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT PICKUP IS A GOOD SOLUTION TO THESE KINDS OF THINGS. OKAY. THANKS. THANKS, CHAD. I JUST WANT TO SAY, I THINK ALL OF THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO, TO THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. AND I THINK THAT THIS CONVERSATION, WHAT, UM, WHAT BOARD MEMBER PAVILION AND BOARD MEMBER KITCHEN HAS SAID, WHAT STAFF HAS SAID, AND THE, THE POINTS THAT I, THAT I'M BRINGING UP ARE, ARE WHAT'S CRITICAL TO, TO WHY, IN MY OPINION, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS PROJECT CONNECTED, LOOKING AT THE SYSTEM MAP IS SO IMPORTANT GOING FORWARD AND JUST HIGHLIGHTING WHAT WE GET, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IT MEANS TO EVERY ASPECT OF OUR COMMUNITY AND WHETHER, YOU KNOW, FOLKS, FOLKS LIVING OUT IN FAR WEST AUSTIN, UM, THAT, THAT ARE IN A, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT SOCIOECONOMIC, UH, YOU KNOW, HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC BRACKET VERSUS SOMEBODY THAT LIVES IN, YOU KNOW, IN PRECINCT ONE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT TENDS TO BE IN A, YOU KNOW, AN EASTERN CRESCENT AND A LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC BRACKET. THEY MAY NEED THE SERVICES FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, BUT THE SERVICE CAN BE USED AND SHOULD BE USED. AND, AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A WAY THAT WE CAN, WE CAN GET THAT. AND IF WE CAN CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, THAT, THAT LOOK THAT THIS MAP, THIS PLAN, YOU KNOW, AND THE WORK THAT, THAT, THAT CAP METRO IS DOING NOT JUST IMPACTS AND HELPS WITH EQUITY AND FOLKS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED, YOU KNOW, SOCIOECONOMICALLY AND WITH EQUITY AND ISSUES LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO CAN, CAN IMPACT THOSE WHO FEEL LIKE THAT, THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION, THAT THEY ALSO FEEL LIKE THAT THEY'VE BEEN UNDERREPRESENTED BECAUSE THEY'RE PAYING FOR IT, BUT DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'VE GOTTEN ANY SERVICE IN THE PAST BEFORE TOO. I THINK THAT THAT IS CRITICAL TO HELP BRING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO RECOGNIZE, YES, INDEED. THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT WE, AS A BOARD SUPPORTS FORWARD, THAT IS FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE AUSTIN REGION. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT Y'ALL WERE DOING WITH THAT. AND, AND, AND ANSWER MY QUESTION ON THAT FRONT, THAT THE, THAT ALL OF THESE ARE PIECES IN TERMS OF HELPING TO, TO BRING IT TOGETHER FOR MOVING US ALL FORWARD. THANK YOU. REMEMBER, STRATTON OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? LET ME JUST ADD, GO AHEAD. I GUESS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY HERE. UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, APPROVING OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TRANSIT PUBLIC TRANSIT DESERTS, AND, UH, IT'S BEEN VERY HARD TO GET THREE VOTES, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THIS KIND OF SERVICE. THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG PLUS, ESPECIALLY, I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL BAD ABOUT VOTING FOR BUILDING AND, UH, AND, AND THESE, UH, PICK UP AREAS, BUT ALSO JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON THE [01:35:01] SOUTHEAST ZONE. IS, IS, IS IT DESIGNED W RIGHT THERE AROUND ONE 30, UH, IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S THE, UH, THE CITY LIMITS OR IS IT, ARE WE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY? CAUSE I KNOW THAT WITH TESLA'S COMING IN, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT GOING ON IN THAT AREA, ESPECIALLY A LOT OF DEMAND FOR HOUSING. AND I'M JUST SO CURIOUS, I SAID THE WAY YOU HAVE IT DESIGNED WITH ALL THESE GAPS IN BETWEEN IS THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE CITY LIMITS, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UM, SO THIS WAS REALLY FOR CONCEPTUAL. SO YOU CAN SEE THE, THE, THE JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES THAT WE'RE RUNNING ACROSS, BUT IT JUST MEANS WHERE WE HAVE TO WORK CLOSER WITH THE COUNTY AND THE COUNTIES ON BOARD WITH WORKING THROUGH THIS. SO IT'S NOT A PROHIBITION OF RUNNING SERVICE BY ANY MEANS. IT'S JUST SHOWING THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLEXITY TO IT. UM, WHEN IT'S WITHIN OUR ZONE AND OUR SERVICE AREA COMPLETELY, IT'S A LOT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD. THIS TAKES A LOT MORE COORDINATION. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, JUST LIKE YOU MENTIONED, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A MAJOR AUTO MANUFACTURER COMING IN. WE HAVE A LOT OF HOUSING THAT IS THERE, BUT EVEN MORE IS GOING TO BE SHOWING UP. AND SO COORDINATING THAT AND COORDINATING THE GROWTH OUT THERE IS GOING TO BE HUGE. AND I THINK THE COUNTY A HUNDRED PERCENT UNDERSTANDS THE STAKES AND HOW, AND HOW HIGH THEY ARE. AND WE DO TOO. THERE'S JUST SO MUCH GOING ON DOWN THERE. THAT'S WHY WE REALLY WANTED TO JUST BRING, BRING IT TO THIS, UH, DISCUSSION, JUST SHOWING THAT WE ARE STUDYING A SOUTHEAST ZONE AND IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN ONE. IT MIGHT BE SEVERAL, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS AN AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR SURE. YEAH. I MEAN, THIS IS GREAT BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE BE IN, UH, EVEN SOME OF MY FRIENDS THAT LIVE OUT THERE CAUSE YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE, ARE SELLING OUT HERE ON THE, IN THE EAST INNER CITIES AND MOVING OUT THERE TO A DELL VALLEY AREA. BUT SOME OF THAT IS OUTSIDE THE CITY LIMITS, BUT THE ONLY BUS SERVICES THAT YOU HAVE GOING DOWN THERE IT'S USUALLY TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR TO DO, TO GET ALL THE WAY BACK INTO THE TOWN AND DO YOUR CERT THROUGH YOUR, TO YOUR JOB. SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW. I REALLY JUST AM ENCOURAGED THAT YOU ARE LOOKING INTO THIS AREA HERE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT. ABSOLUTELY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, LET ME JUST ADD, UH, APPRECIATE THIS GREAT REPORT. IT'S BEEN FUN TO SEE THE EVOLUTION OF OUR PICKUP. AND I THINK ABOUT IT, UH, IN A COUPLE OF CONTEXTS, ONE IS IT'S REALLY A GREAT SOLUTION, UH, AND PROVE AND IMPROVE IN SOLUTION ON HOW TO DEAL WITH CONNECTIVITY VERSUS FREQUENCY. UM, AS WE GO DOWN THIS ROAD, AS YOU SAID, UH, MATCHING, UH, WE'RE NOT IN A ONE FITS ALL ENVIRONMENT, THE 40 FOOT BUSES, I'VE SAID A LOT OF TIMES, ISN'T THE SOLUTION TO EVERY PROBLEM. AND HERE WE'RE DEMONSTRATING THAT. I THINK WE'RE SEEING IF I MAY BE BOLD, THE RE IMAGINING OF TRANSIT IN MANY RESPECTS, I THINK THIS TREND AND LEVERAGING THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE HAVE NOW THAT WE COULDN'T HAVE USED, DIDN'T HAVE 10 YEARS AGO TO CONNECT PEOPLE AND RIDES, AND THEN THE ALGORITHMS TO MAKE THOSE MORE EFFICIENT, UH, OVER TIME AS THOSE DEVELOP. AND AS WE CAN FIND TO, I THINK WE WILL SEE A GREAT RE-IMAGINING. AND THEN YOU ADD TO THAT THE ADDING OF BICYCLE SERVICES CONNECTED ANOTHER LAST MILE SOLUTIONS. WE REALLY ARE LIVING UP TO, I THINK OUR TITLE OF TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, NOT JUST BUS COMPANY. AND I THINK THAT'S THE MANTRA THAT WE REALLY WANT TO STRIVE FOR HERE IS LET'S BE CREATIVE AND THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW IT CONNECT PEOPLE AND DELIVER PEOPLE TO. I LOVE THE PHRASE, ESSENTIAL LOCATIONS, UM, USING ALL TOOLS IN OUR TOOLBOX AND MA AND MAXIMIZING OUR EFFICIENCY. I THINK THAT'S FABULOUS. I MEAN, ONE LITTLE THING THAT YOU KIND OF SKIPPED BY THAT STRUCK ME, UM, WAS THE ABILITY TO HELP METRO ACCESS CUSTOMERS, A SUBSET OF THOSE WHO CAN GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE AND GET TO THE BUS WITHOUT A LOT OF CARE, WE'RE PROVIDING MUCH BETTER SERVICE FOR THEM. IF WE'RE HAVING AN AVERAGE, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK WAIT TIME WAS 12 MINUTES, UM, OR AT LEAST ASPIRATIONALLY, AS OPPOSED TO HAVING A PICKUP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE DAY IN ADVANCE AND HOPE THAT THE BAND, THE BAND GETS THERE ON TIME. BEING ABLE TO LEVERAGE THE TECHNOLOGY FOR THESE FOLKS IS A HUGE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT FOR THEM AS WELL AS A HUGE COST SAVINGS FOR US. SO I REALLY APPLAUD THE EFFORTS OF STAFF TO, AND WANT TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO GO FAST AND GO HARD [01:40:01] HERE, BECAUSE I THINK, UH, WE'RE LEADING THE COUNTRY IN MANY RESPECTS, BUT I THINK WE'RE LIVING UP TO OUR OWN POTENTIAL. AND OVER TIME, AS I'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD, THE CHALLENGE OF FREQUENT GOOD QUALITY SERVICE VERSUS CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OUTLYING AREAS, UH, BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES AND NEW SPECS, THIS REALLY HAS GIVEN US A VERY POTENT, UH, TOOL THAN OPPORTUNITY. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN TO WATCH, UH, WE'LL HAVE, UH, ADJUSTMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. BUT I THINK HERE, AS I SAID, WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO SEE A REIMAGINING OF HOW TRANS AND TRANSPORTATION WORKS. AND WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN THIS PROJECT CONNECT FROM HIGH DENSITY, UH, RAIL TO PARKING LIVES TO PICK UP SOME REMANDED BICYCLES. AND SO IT WAS OFFERING REALLY PUTTING A WHOLE PANOPLY OF SOLUTIONS OUT THERE TO CONNECT PEOPLE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS. SO KUDOS TO STAFF. IT GETS ME MORE EXCITED AS MUCH AS I'VE TALKED ABOUT PROJECT COMMIT TO THINK ABOUT BRINGING A WHOLE PALLET OF THINGS OUT THERE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE SOME CARRY ON, GO HARD, GO FAST. LET'S, UH, LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN. UH, WELL, THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU, DAVE AND SHARMILA AND CHAD FOR THAT GOOD REPORT LAST BUT NOT LEAST OUR PRESIDENT'S [VIII. Reports] A REPORT, WHICH I THINK IS ALSO GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES, PRESIDENT CLARK. THANK YOU, CHAIR. APPRECIATE ALL YOUR COMMENTS. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY AND AS USUAL, AND JUST WANT TO THANK THE STAFF AND CHAIR. I THINK YOUR COMMENTS WERE SPOT ON WITH HOW CHALLENGING THIS HAS BEEN OF A YEAR WITH ALL THE COBRA ASPECTS, THE RECESSION ASPECT OF DOING ALL THE PROJECT PLANNING, LET ALONE BEING NIMBLE ENOUGH TO WORK ON THINGS LIKE THESE PICKUPS ZONES. AND WE'LL SEE HOW THESE COULD ADVANCE. I HAVE A FEW TOPICS AT THE END. WE'RE GONNA PLAY A VIDEO. IT'S, UH, HAS A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT TO IT, BUT IT'S OUR STATE OF TRANSIT VIDEO FOR THE YEAR. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SHOW, BUT IN THE START LET'S, UH, LET'S START OFF WITH A METRO METRO BIKE AND THAT'S THE REBRANDING AND PARTNERSHIP THAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND THEY'VE BEEN JUST A FANTASTIC PARTNER AS USUAL AND, UH, THE NONPROFIT BE SET GOAL. SO PHYSICAL WILL BE, UH, KIND OF LIKE OUR SERVICE PROVIDER OR CONTRACTOR THAT RUNS THE SERVICE FOR US. THAT'S KIND OF A SETUP WE DID. I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT LAST WEEK. WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED WITH THE BRANDING, BUT ALSO IT'S INTEGRATED TO THE APP RIGHT NOW AS WELL. SO I'VE ALREADY ATTACHED CHAD WITH LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY SOME ELECTRIC BIKE EXPANSION. UH, WE HAVE SOME FINANCIAL SAVINGS AND A COUPLE OTHER INNOVATION, INNOVATIVE MOBILITY CATEGORIES. SO WE'RE SEEING HOW FAST WE COULD POTENTIALLY DEPLOY MORE ELECTRIC BIKES, UH, IN THE NEAR TERM. SO I'LL UPDATE YOU AS, AS THAT COMES TOGETHER, BUT JUST REALLY GOOD TEAMWORK BY THE CITY AND CAB METRO AND THE BICYCLE TEAM ALTOGETHER ON THAT, UH, THIS MONTH AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, IT'S HISPANIC, HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. AND, UH, IT ALWAYS STARTS ON SEPTEMBER 15TH. UH, I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT THIS YEAR IS WE HAD A CAP METRO THEME OF BE, UH, BE PROUD OF YOUR PAST AND PREDICT THE FUTURE. AND, UH, THAT'S PRETTY SYMBOLIC OF NOT JUST A HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, BUT 2020, FOR SURE. SO WE'VE GOT TO PLAY TWO QUICK VIDEOS BY TWO OF OUR GREAT BOARD MEMBERS, UH, OR BOARD MEMBER RENTERIA, UH, VICE-CHAIR AT GARZA ABOUT, UH, WHAT HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH MEANS FOR THEM. WE'LL TAKE THAT AWAY. HI, I'M MAYOR PRO TEM, DAHLIA GARZA, HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH FOR ME, HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH IS ABOUT PRIDE AND TRADITION. AND ONE OF THE THINGS IN OUR HISPANIC CULTURE, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE TRADITIONS IN MY FAMILY WAS GOING TO VOTE TOGETHER. MY MOM AND MY DAD WOULD MAKE SURE TO TAKE MY SISTERS AND I TO VOTE WITH THEM AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY HAD AND TO TALK TO US ABOUT WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT. AND SO WE'VE MADE THAT A TRADITION IN OUR FAMILY BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. WE TOOK OUR LITTLE GIRL TO VOTE WITH US EVERY SINGLE TIME AND AFTER THIS PANDEMIC, BECAUSE WE WILL, WE WILL GET OUT OF THIS. THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE. UM, I KNOW THAT WE WILL TAKE OUR LITTLE GIRL TO VOTE WITH US AGAIN BECAUSE OUR VOICES ARE IMPORTANT. SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS NOVEMBER ELECTION IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL, BUT IT WILL NOT BE MEANINGFUL IF OUR LATINO, IF OUR HISPANIC VOICES ARE NOT HEARD. SO VOTO SOVOS. [01:45:01] SO I ENCOURAGE YOU. IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE A SIMILAR TRADITION IN YOUR FAMILY TO MAKE IT A TRADITION TO GO TOGETHER WITH YOUR FAMILY. ANOTHER THING WE DO IS WE TEXT EACH OTHER. NOW THAT WE'RE A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY FROM EACH OTHER. WE TEXT EACH OTHER. OUR, I VOTED AND I VOTE ITSELF. YOU MEAN MY SISTERS AND MY PARENTS DO THAT. NOW THEY VOTE BY MAIL, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAYBE HAVE A SIMILAR TRADITION. I ALSO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THE PRIDE THAT YOU TAKE IN THE WORK THAT YOU DO, OUR COMMUNITY COULD NOT GET THROUGH THIS, THIS PANDEMIC WITHOUT YOUR HELP, WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT, WITHOUT YOUR HARD, HARD WORK. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY, HAVING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. THANK YOU. HI, I AM COUNCIL MEMBER OF FIELD IN INDIA AS AN AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE ON CAPITOL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS. AS WE CELEBRATE ANOTHER HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, WE MUST LOUDLY CELEBRATE THE HISTORY AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE CONTRIBUTION THAT HISPANIC AND LATINO AMERICANS HAVE MADE TO OUR COUNTRY, OUR CITY AND OUR CAPITAL. METRO ALSO WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE CAPITAL METRO EMPLOYEES WHO KEEP OUR CITY MOVING. YOUR WORK IS VITAL TO THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF OFTEN FAMILIES WHO DEPEND ON YOU EVERY DAY. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A DIFFICULT YEAR. I'LL CALL IT, YOU KNOW, DIFFICULT TIMES. WELL, BUT WE ALSO KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE EVEN IN THOSE MOMENTS. AND AS I REFLECT ON THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY, THERE ARE CHALLENGES AHEAD AS WELL AS UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY TO YOUR HARD WORK AND PERSISTENCE THROUGH THESE DIFFICULT TIMES, MAKE ME OPTIMISTIC FOR OUR FUTURE, HAVE A WONDERFUL AND MEANINGFUL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH. OKAY, THANKS. THANK YOU FOR THAT GO. THE, UH, THE VIRTUAL CLAP, UM, AND OF COURSE, A BOARD MEMBER RIZZARIO IS ROCKING THE BEST SHIRT IN AUSTIN, UH, WHICH I WANTED TO SEE ON THE VIDEO AND AT THE BOARD MEETING. SO, UH, THANK YOU BOTH FOR DOING THAT VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. AND I KNOW OUR STAFF APPRECIATES HEARING, UH, FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS. UH, NEXT THING I WANTED TO MENTION WAS THE APTA SAFETY AWARD. SO THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR IN THE ROW. UH, APTA, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION HAS RECOGNIZED CAB METRO WITH THE 20, 20 APTA BOSS' GOLD SAFETY AWARD. SO FOR A LARGE TRANSIENCY, WE WON THE GOLD, UH, SAFETY AWARD HIGHLIGHTING OUR SAFETY, SAFETY, AND SECURITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM, WHICH WE, UH, WHICH WE WERE STARTING. UH, WE'VE DONE A COUPLE PROJECTS, BUT REALLY STARTED IN EARNEST. AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK GARDNER TAYVON AND HIS TEAM THEY'VE TAKEN THE LEAD ON THAT BROUGHT IN SOME, UH, WE HAVE A NEW SAFETY ENGINEER. WE BROUGHT IN SOME SAFETY ENGINEERING SERVICES THAT WE DIDN'T PREVIOUSLY USE. AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE THE INDUSTRY RECOGNIZING, UH, CAPITAL METRO AS A SAFETY LEADER. UH, SO KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE TEAM. AND, UH, I KNOW SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE MISSION ALL DAY EVERY DAY. AND, UH, WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR THE COMMUNITY. ANOTHER AWARD LAST WEEK THAT IT SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED WAS PLAZA , WHICH MANY PEOPLE, UH, OF YOU ON THE BOARD WERE INVOLVED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. ONE PROJECT OF THE YEAR FROM THE ABJ AUSTIN BUSINESS, GERALD 2020, UH, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AWARDS. SO, UH, IT WAS REALLY THE HIGHLIGHT THAT PROJECT, UH, TALKS ABOUT HOW IT'S BECOME A KIND OF A BIG, UM, ACTIVITY CENTER ON THE EAST SIDE AND HOW IT WAS, YOU KNOW, A DILAPIDATED BUILDING AND A 10 ACRE SITE. THAT'S HOW THEY HAD A VACANT SITE, HOW THEY, THEY FRAMED IT. AND NOW IT HAS, UH, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF UNITS OF HOUSING. IT'S A WORK PLAY ENVIRONMENT, OFFICE, THERE'S WHOLE FOODS, TARGET, LOTS OF OTHER RETAIL, UH, DEVELOPING, UH, PROPERTY TAX, OBVIOUSLY GENERATION AND ALL CONNECTED INTO OUR TRANSIT NETWORK. SO JUST A GREAT PROJECT TO BE RECOGNIZED LAST BUT NOT LEAST. UM, THIS YEAR, THE LAST FEW YEARS, I, I REALLY WANT TO ALWAYS DO A STATE OF TRANSIT AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES THE CHAMBER HAS A MOBILITY SUMMIT. UM, AND THIS YEAR, OBVIOUSLY LIKE EVERY EVERYTHING THIS YEAR, WE HAD TO TWEAK A LITTLE BIT. SO WE, IT SAID, UH, THIS YEAR WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO A VIDEO OF STATE OF TRANSIT. AND I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AGAIN. AND BOARD MEMBER STRATTON BROOK EMPHASIZE ONE KEY WORD IS TRANSPARENCY. I THINK WE DO A JOB HERE AT CAP. METRO OF BEING TRANSPARENT. EVERYTHING WE DO IS ON OUR WEBSITE. EVERYTHING WE DO IS IN A INDUSTRY LEADING PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS. I WOULD ARGUE THE BEST IN THE ENTIRE TRANSIT INDUSTRY OR HOW WE DISPLAY ALL OF OUR INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE [01:50:01] TO LOOK UNDER THE HOOD. AND, UH, THE STATE OF TRANSIT, I THINK, IS AN IMPORTANT WAY TO DO THAT AS WELL, TO GIVE THE COMMUNITY AN UPDATE ON WHERE THEIR TRANSIT SYSTEM IS. WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF MANAGING AND OPERATING IT EVERY DAY. UH, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITIES, UH, AMAZING ASSET. SO, SO FROM THERE, UH, I THINK THE VIDEOS WILL 15 MINUTES LONG. UH, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO MAYBE SHARE IT WITH YOUR NETWORKS. I KNOW OUR TEAM WILL BE SHARING IT WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, UH, BUT I ASKED YOU TO ENJOY THIS, UH, STATE OF TRANSIT VIDEO. IT'S GOING TO HIGHLIGHT IT REALLY THE YEAR THAT WE HAD AND KIND OF THE FRAMEWORK OF WHERE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. SO WITH THAT, ED, PLEASE, PLEASE ROLL THE TAPE. AS THEY SAY, I GUESS EVEN WITH A GLOBAL PANDEMIC CAPITAL, METRO HAS BEEN ABLE TO CELEBRATE A COUPLE OF INCREDIBLE MILESTONES IN 2020 WITH OUR 1 BILLION TRIP IN JANUARY, OUR 35TH ANNIVERSARY IN JULY. AND BY THE TURN OF MARCH, WE HAD SEEN 17 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF RIDERSHIP INCREASES. THIS YEAR HAS BEEN LIKE NO OTHER. WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN TRANSIT. ISN'T AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE. AND DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT HAS BECOME EVEN MORE EVIDENT. OUR TEAM CONNECTED OUR COMMUNITY AND ESSENTIAL WORKERS TO HEALTHCARE, FOOD SERVICES, AND EVEN MORE. I'M SO PROUD OF THEM. OUR COMMITMENT TO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ENABLES US TO FOCUS ON CONTINUALLY IMPROVING OUR SERVICES AND FACILITIES. AND IT WILL LEAD THE WAY AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WHATEVER THE FUTURE HOLDS. WE'LL BE READY WITH THIS VIDEO. WE'LL HIGHLIGHT CAP METHODS, INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, HOW WE'RE SERVING OUR CUSTOMERS AND A LITTLE BIT OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. WE'LL ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR STAFFING CUSTOMERS AND THE RELIABILITY OF OUR SERVICES. I'M HONORED TO LEAD THIS TALENT AND DIVERSE TEAM OF OVER 2000 INDIVIDUALS. SOME OF MY FELLOW COLLEAGUES HERE AT CAP METRO ARE GOING TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE INITIATIVES WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE PAST YEAR. AT CAPITAL METRO. WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN BEING AN INTEGRAL PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT HAS TRUSTED US TO PROVIDE GREAT SERVICE FOR 35 YEARS. OUR MULTIFACETED RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC EXPANDED OUR CAPACITY TO TAKE CARE OF THAT COMMUNITY. EVEN BEYOND PROVIDING SAFE, SECURE, AND NECESSARY TRANSPORTATION. OUR METRO ACCESS TEAM PARTNERED WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO PROVIDE MOBILE WIFI HOTSPOTS TO COMMUNITIES WITH THE MOST NEED. SO STUDENTS COULD GET SCHOOLWORK DONE ONLINE. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH LOCAL FOOD BANKS AND GROCERS TO DELIVER FOOD TO VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS NEED TO STAY AT HOME TO DATE. WE'VE PROVIDED MORE THAN 600,000 MEALS TO THOSE IN NEED. BY THIS FALL, WE WILL HAVE 12 NEW ELECTRIC BUSES IN SERVICE, AND WE'VE COMMITTED TO PURCHASE ELECTRIC BUSES EXCLUSIVELY GOING FORWARD, ENSURING A CLEANER, LOCAL AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT CONSTRUCTION ON AN ELECTRIC BUS YARD IN NORTH. AUSTIN IS CURRENTLY ON TIME AND ON BUDGET LOCATED AT OUR NORTH OPS FACILITY. THIS NEW BUS YARD WILL HAVE SPACE FOR 175, ZERO EMISSION BUSES WITH CHARGING CAPACITY. THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS AT AUSTIN ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE CAP METRO BUS SYSTEM, WE HAVE IMPROVED MORE THAN 150 BUS STOPS. THAT'S INCLUDED NEW SHELTERS THAT PROVIDE BETTER PROTECTION FROM THE SUN, THE RAIN AND THE WINDS. THEY ALSO HAVE NEW SEATING, DIGITAL SIGNAGE WITH REALTIME INFORMATION AND SOLAR POWERED LED LIGHTING FOR IMPROVED PUBLIC SAFETY. OUR NEW DOWNTOWN STATION IS CURRENTLY ON BUDGET AND ON SCHEDULE HISTORICALLY THE BUSIEST OF OUR NINE METRO RAIL STATIONS. THE NEW FACILITY WILL EXPAND THE RED LINE SERVICE CAPACITY AND SERVE AS A MOBILITY HUB THAT CONNECTS OUR CUSTOMERS TO OTHER KINDS OF TRANSPORTATION, LIKE SCOOTERS B CYCLE, AND OUR BUSES, NEW WEIGHTING AND TICKETING AREAS WILL REDUCE CROWDING DURING PEAK TIMES. AND THE NEW DOWNTOWN STATION WILL CREATE A PUBLIC PLAZA TYING TOGETHER, CAP METRO SERVICE, THE AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER SURROUNDING HOTELS AND THE REST OF DOWNTOWN. WE STRIVE TO MAKE CABINETS THROUGH THE BEST TRANSPORTATION OPTION FOR ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR INVESTMENTS IN OUR SERVICES ARE EVIDENCE OF OUR CULTURE OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, THE TRANSIT PRIORITY LANES ALONG WATERLOO AND LAVACA IN DOWNTOWN. LET US IMPROVE SERVICE RELIABILITY, WHO OUT THE MOST CONGESTED PART OF REGION'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. AND ONE OF THE MOST CONGESTED CORRIDORS IN [01:55:01] THE STATE BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF A TRANSPORTATION NETWORK. WHEN WE IMPROVE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC TO DOWNTOWN PEOPLE EVERYWHERE BENEFIT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE OPENED SEVERAL NEW TRANSIT CENTERS THAT CONNECT MORE PEOPLE INTO THE TRANSIT SYSTEM AND PROVIDE A BETTER CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. OVERALL, THE COMPLETION OFF THE NORWOOD TRANSIT CENTER IN 2019 BROUGHT A MAJOR CONNECTION HUB TO HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED NORTHEAST AUSTIN, BETTER CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY TO THE LARGER TRANSIT SYSTEM. WE CONDUCTED CUSTOMER SURVEYS TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST AMENITIES FOR THE FACILITY, WHICH INCLUDES ADDITIONAL SPACE, MORE SHELTERS, AND BETTER SEATING. THIS LOCATION SERVES FIVE METRO BUS REITS, THE WEST GATE TRANSIT CENTER, RECONNECTS TO NEIGHBORHOODS ON EITHER SIDE OF STATE HIGHWAY AND SERVES AS A CONVENIENCE SECURE TRANSFER LOCATION FOR SIX ROUTES, INCLUDING THREE, THAT OFFER SERVICE EVERY 15 MINUTES, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS AT TECH STOCK AND OFTEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO TRANSITION THE OAK HILL PARK AND RIDE TO ACC PINNACLE CAMPUS. AND THIS FACILITY NOW INCLUDES MORE PARKING FOR CUSTOMERS AND PREPARES THE WAY FOR MORE TRANSIT OPTIONS IN SOUTHWEST AUSTIN. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CARTS ALLOWS US TO SERVE RESIDENTS OF PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OUTSIDE OUR SERVICE AREA. THE NEW EAST SIDE BUS PLAZA WILL CONNECT HEARTS ROUTES AND CAP METRO SERVICES AND BETTER SERVE THESE STOPS CAP METRO'S METRO BIKE PROGRAM IS EXPANDING TO A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN B CYCLE IN WHICH WILL BRING TIGHTER INTEGRATION AND UNIFIED BRANDING BETWEEN THE TWO SERVICES ALONG WITH MORE BIKES, MORE STATIONS AND ELECTRIC BICYCLES THAT HE'S TRAVELED AUSTIN. THE ON DEMAND TRANSIT PICKUP SERVICE HAS EXPANDED TO THE ANDER AND LAGO VISTA OFFERING MORE CUSTOMERS, CONVENIENT TRANSIT WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND CONNECTING THEM TO EVEN BETTER TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY OPTIONS. ALONG WITH OUR NEW DIGITAL SIGNAGE, ALL OF OUR METRO RAIL STATIONS AND SOME OF OUR MAJOR TRANSIT CENTERS FEATURE NEW TICKETING, KIOSKS THAT OFFER MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SEEK YOUR PAYMENT OPTIONS AND CONVENIENT ACCESS TO SERVICES LIKE APPLE AND GOOGLE PAY. I'M HERE AT WEST GATE TRANSIT CENTER, NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE IN SOUTH AUSTIN. THIS YEAR, WE UPGRADED CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS WITH THESE DIGITAL SIGNS, WHICH WE INSTALLED AT PARK AND RIDES LIKE WEST GATE PLUS THAT'S OUR RAPID AND METRO RAIL STATIONS AND OTHER HIGH TRAFFIC BUS STOPS. THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM OUR FORMER SCROLLING TECH SIDES. THESE NEW DISPLAYS OFFER BETTER REAL TIME DATA TO OUR CUSTOMERS. THE NEW SIGNS ARE NOT ONLY EASIER TO READ, BUT THEY DISPLAY REAL TIME ROUTING INFORMATION, PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGES, AND SERVICE ALERTS. SPEAKING OF SERVICE ALERTS, WE ALSO INTRODUCED METRO ALERTS, THE NEWEST WAY TO STAY INFORMED ABOUT THE EVENTS THAT AFFECT OUR SERVICE. CUSTOMERS CAN GET ROUTE INFORMATION SENT STRAIGHT TO THEIR PHONE OR EMAIL REGARDING DETOURS AS SIGNIFICANT ROUTE DISRUPTIONS. IT'S FREE TO SIGN UP AND IS USER SPECIFIC PROVIDING ALERTS ONLY FOR THE ROUTES THAT YOU CHOOSE. BEING A GOOD PARTNER WITH OUR COMMUNITY ALSO MEANS WE FIND NEW WAYS TO USE OUR RESOURCES TO BENEFIT OTHERS. THIS YEAR, WE CREATED A NEW PROGRAM CALLED CAP METRO CARES, WHICH PROVIDES UNUSED ADVERTISING SPACE ON OUR VEHICLES TO HELP FURTHER THE MISSION I'M LOCAL NONPROFITS. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THAT HUNDREDS OF SIGNS INSIDE OF OUR VEHICLES THAT WE DEDICATED TO NONPROFITS EACH YEAR, WE BELIEVE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE BEANS, MAKE AUSTIN A BETTER PLACE FOR US ALL AT CAPITAL METRO, OUR FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER IS FIRST AND FOREMOST ABOUT SAFETY. THE NUMBER ONE ASPECT OF PROVIDING A POSITIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IS MAKING SURE YOU GET WHERE YOU'RE GOING SAFETY AND RECOGNITION OF THAT COMMITMENT TO SAFETY. THE WORLD SAFETY ORGANIZATION HAS RECOGNIZED TAPROOM METRO WITH THE CONCERNED COMPANY AWARD. IN ADDITION, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION HONORED CAP METRO THIS YEAR WITH THE BUS SAFETY GOAL, THE WAR, AND WE'VE ALSO EARNED THE TRAFFIC EMPLOYERS SAFETY PROGRAM ACCREDITATION FROM THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL OF TEXAS IN AUGUST. THE FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION CERTIFIED OUR IMPLEMENTATION [02:00:02] OF A POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM. KAT METRO INSTALLED THE FEDERALLY MANDATED PTC SYSTEM ALONG THE 32 MILES OF METRO RAIL RED LINE. THIS SYSTEM PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF SAFETY BY PREVENTING TRAIN TO TRAIN COLLISION OVERSPEED REALM, TRAIN, TRAVELING TO IMPROPERLY LINE SWITCHES. IT ALSO PROTECTS ON TRACK WORKERS. WE COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION AND TESTING, AND WE CERTIFY THE HEAD OF THE DECEMBER 31ST FEDERAL DEADLINE. IN 2020, OVER 70% OF OUR EMPLOYEES ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN, HISPANIC, OR ASIAN, AND ALL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS ARE WOMEN. THIS REFLECTS THE VALUE WE PLACE ON DIVERSITY, BUT DOES NOT MEAN OUR WORK IS DONE IN NOVEMBER, 2020. WE WILL LAUNCH A NEW DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAM THAT WILL ENSURE WE MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARDS REGARDING DIVERSITY IN OUR WORKPLACE, A DIVERSE WORKPLACE WHERE WE FOCUS ON PROVIDING A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES, WHERE WE WANT TO IMPROVE EQUITY AND STRIVE TO REMOVE BARRIERS, TO GETTING AND MAINTAINING A SEAT AT THE TABLE, AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE WHERE EVERYONE FEELS WELCOMED, CREATING ENVIRONMENTS THAT PEOPLE BRING TOGETHER AND HARNESS DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES TO BENEFIT ALL FOR OUR NEW PROGRAM. WE ARE CREATING COMMUNITY AND STAFF REPRESENTATION. SO WE HAVE INPUT FROM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION, THE ORGANIZATION TO GUIDE OUR STEPS AND TO GAUGE OUR PROGRESS AS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE TO THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY. WE STRIVE TO BE A LEADER ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. SO OUR EMPLOYEES AND THOSE WE SERVE SEE THIS COMMITMENT IN ALL THAT WE DO AT CAPITAL METRO. OUR STAFF IS TRULY OUR FAMILY AND WE MAKE SURE THEY'RE SUPPORTED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HIT EARLIER THIS YEAR, CAPITAL METRO RESPONDED WITH CARE AND WITH MINDFULNESS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO PROVIDE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR STAFF AND FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. THAT INCLUDED ACTIONS WE TOOK TO PREPARE OUR FACILITIES FOR WHEN STAFF MEMBERS CAME INTO WORK AND PROVIDING A SAFETY NET FOR EMPLOYEES WHEN THEIR LIVES WERE AFFECTED BY COVID-19. WE WANTED TO OFFER PEACE OF MIND AND ASSURANCE THAT EVERYONE HAD THE TIME AND SPACE TO THRIVE. SO WE IMPLEMENTED A SUPPLEMENTAL LEAVE POLICY THAT ALLOWS OUR STAFF TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR COVID-19 RELATED REASONS WHEN NEEDED. WE ALSO PROVIDED A SERVICE RECOGNITION PAYMENT FOR FRONTLINE STAFF WHO PROVIDED A NECESSARY SERVICE DURING A DEEPLY UNCERTAIN MOMENT. OUR FRONTLINE STAFF SHOWED UP AND DID THEIR JOBS FOR AUSTIN'S ESSENTIAL WORKERS, SO THEY COULD SHOW UP TO DO THEIRS. AND WE WANTED TO HONOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE A PUBLIC AGENCY. SO IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ARE TRANSPARENT IN OUR ACTIONS AND IN HOW CLEARLY WE EXPLAIN OUR OPERATIONS AND RESULTS. CAPITAL METRO IS COMMITTED TO BEING COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT AND TO KEEPING THE TRUST OF THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL TEXAS IN RECOGNITION OF OUR TRANSPARENCY AND THE QUALITY OF OUR FINANCIAL REPORTING CAPITAL METRO WAS AWARDED THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS. ASSOCIATION'S DISTINGUISHED BUDGET PRESENTATION AWARD, AND THE CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING FOR OUR BUDGET AND COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORTS. OUR PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS ON CAP, METRO.ORG MAKE PUBLIC A WIDE RANGE OF AGENCY DATA AND ARE UPDATED MONTHLY, OUR CUSTOMERS, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO'S INTERESTED CAN REVIEW THE LATEST INFORMATION ON OUR RIDERSHIP AND SERVICE RELIABILITY DOWN TO THE ROOT LEVEL AND OUR SAFETY RECORD AND OUR FINANCIAL, THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC HAS HIT EVERYONE HARD. THE BUDGETS OF PUBLIC AGENCIES ON NO DIFFERENT, OUR CONSERVATIVE FISCAL MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY HAS ALLOWED US TO ACT WITH CARE AND WITH CONFIDENCE, EVEN IN MID A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND THE SIMULTANEOUS ECONOMIC RECESSION, OUR BUDGET RESERVES TO REMAIN INTACT AND PLACE US IN A GOOD POSITION TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. THROUGH YEARS OF RESPONSIBLE BUDGETING, NOT ONLY HAVE WE FULLY FUNDED OUR STATE REQUIRED PRESERVE FUNDS, BUT OUR BOARD HAS ALSO CREATED AN ADDITIONAL BUDGET STABILIZATION [02:05:01] RESERVE TO ENSURE OUR FINANCIAL RESILIENCY. ADDITIONALLY, OUR NEW CAPITAL EXPANSION FUND WILL HELP US LEAD THE WAY THROUGH OUR LONGTERM TRANSIT PLAN PROJECT CONNECT FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, CAP, METRO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO DEVELOP THE PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM PLANS. AND IN THIS NOVEMBER'S ELECTION, THE INITIAL INVESTMENT IN PROJECT CONNECT WILL BE ON THE BALLOT FOR VOTERS TO CONSIDER PROJECT CONNECT IS A COMPREHENSIVE TRANSIT SYSTEM WITH A RAIL SYSTEM THAT TRAVELS UNDER DOWNTOWN ENABLING SAFER AND MORE RELIABLE TRAVEL THROUGH DOWNTOWN, IT WOULD PROVIDE EXPANDED BUS SERVICE WITH AN ALL ELECTRIC BUS FLEET. SOME ADDITIONAL FEATURES INCLUDE A NEW RAIL SYSTEM WITH 27 MILES OF SERVICE AND 31 STATIONS WITH SERVICE CONNECTING COMMUNITIES IN THE NORTH, SOUTH AND EAST AUSTIN, INCLUDING A DIRECT ROUTE TO THE AUSTIN AIRPORT, NEW METRO RAPID BUS ROUTES, NEW FACILITIES, SUCH AS PARK AND RIDES AND A NEW TRANSIT CENTER. NEW CIRCULATORS, AS WE'VE ALREADY STARTED TO ROLL OUT IN SOME PORTIONS OF THE CITY, A NEW TRANSIT TUNNEL THAT WOULD ALLOW LIGHT RAIL TO TRAVEL UNDERGROUND IN DOWNTOWN OPERATING RAIL SERVICE, BEING NEAT. THE STREETS INCREASES THE SYSTEM'S RELIABILITY AND IS SAFER THAN OPERATING AT STREET LEVEL. SOME KEY DATES THAT HAVE LED US TO THIS POINT ON APRIL, THE 11TH OF 2019, THE CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THE AUSTIN'S STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN, A LONGTERM VISION FOR THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF WITH PROJECT CONNECT IS A MAJOR COMPONENT ON JUNE THE 10TH. THIS YEAR, THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE CITY COUNCIL EACH APPROVED THE PROJECT CONNECT SYSTEM PLAN. AND A LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH LATER ON JULY, THE 27TH OF 2020, THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TO PLACE PROJECT CONNECT, INITIAL INVESTMENT ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT AND THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD VOTED TO MAKE THE FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AS WELL. THE BALLOT WILL BE PROPOSITION A APPROVING THE CITY TAX RATE AND DEDICATING 8.75 CENTS OF THE OVERALL TAX RATE FOR THE PROJECT CONNECT HIGH CAPACITY TRANSIT SYSTEM. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO PROJECT CONNECT, AND I'M PROUD OF THE WOMEN AND MEN BEHIND THIS PROJECT THIS YEAR HAS GIVEN US A LOT TO HANDLE AND A LOT TO WORK THROUGH CAP. METRO HAS RESPONDED BY PROVIDING SAFE, RELIABLE SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY. THIS YEAR HAS PROVEN THAT WE'RE RESILIENT. WE'RE PROUD TO BE OF SERVICE TO OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN CENTRAL TEXAS NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE. AND THANK YOU FOR PLAYING THAT. SO A CHAIR, SORRY. YEAH, I KNOW THAT TOOK UP A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT I REALLY THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO SHOW TO THE BOARD AND PUBLICLY THE ENTIRE STATE OF TRANSIT FOR THIS YEAR. HAPPY TO TAKE ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTION OF HOW YOU, ANY OF YOU MAY HAVE ON THAT. I KNOW ED WILL TAKE AN EMAIL AND SEND THAT TO ALL OF YOU FEEL FREE TO PASS THAT ALONG TO ANY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS, OR OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. UH, BUT AGAIN, NONE OF THAT COULD BE POSSIBLE THAT A, AN ENGAGED FORWARD AND WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR TIME. SO AT THAT CHAIR, THAT'S THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT FOR THIS MONTH, MR. MR. PRESIDENT, UH, ERIC, GO AHEAD. WILL THAT ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON THE CAP METRO WEBSITE? YES. YES. I'M NOT SURE IT GOT AN EDGE NOTE TO YOU ALL. IT COULD POINT TO WHERE, UH, IT WILL BE POSTED THERE. LIKE ONLY THEY DON'T LET ME TO THE ACTUAL WEBSITE. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. GREAT NEWS. GREAT INFORMATION. YEAH. GREAT VIDEO. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL THAT I APPLAUD THE WAY WE'RE MAKING IT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE BECAUSE I THINK WITH A LINK AND A LINK ON A WEBSITE, WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THAT FOREIGN WIDE, WHICH I THINK, UH, AND I THINK IT DOES A GREAT JOB OF TELLING OUR STORY AND IT'S A COMPLIMENT TO THE STAFF TO HAVE IT ALL COMPILED THEIR, EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE GOTTEN ACCOMPLISHED IN LIVING COLOR. SO THAT'S COOL. UH, WELL, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER, UH, ACTION THAT WE NEED TO TAKE, UH, WE WILL STAND ADJOURNED AT, UH, [02:10:01] TWO 14. THANK YOU, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, SYKES FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK, UH, STAFF, UH, A GREAT MEETING TODAY, LOTS, A LOTS ACCOMPLISHED AND, UH, LOTS OF, UH, DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE. AND SO, UH, LET'S, UH, GO OUT ENERGETICALLY AND GO HARD AND FAST. THANKS EVERYBODY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.