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Minutes Transit Board of Trustees 3 13 08MINUTES Dubuque Transit Trustee Board Date: March 13, 2008 Time: 4:15 p.m. Place: Carnegie Stout Public Library Auditorium Eleventh & Bluff Streets, Dubuque, Iowa Members Present: George Enderson, Jr; Joel Lightcap; Sarah Davidson; Don Stedman Members Absent: Ruth Scharnau Others Present: Jon Rodocker, Joanne Kiefer/Keyline; Dave Heiar/City of Dubuque March Lightcap called the meeting to order at 4:18 p.m. The Board Agenda Approval reviewed the agenda. Stedman moved to approve the agenda. Enderson seconded. All ayes. The Board members approved the agenda with no changes or additions. February The Board reviewed the minutes from the February 14th meeting. Minutes Heiar requested the following changes: regarding Passenger Shelters, the damaged Marywood shelter will be repaired at a later date; under Student Rides: Rodocker, not Heiar, had remarked about the positive attitude of the operators toward the students. The requested changes will be made to the minutes as recommended. Enderson moved to accept the minutes as amended. Stedman seconded. All ayes. Motion carried Managers Mini-bus Operations Report Ridership -Rodocker reviewed the ITN American Steering Committee meeting that was held at ECIA on February 28. The Steering Committee is a collaborative effort of community agencies, including representatives from Keyline, RTA and ECIA. The discussion at the meeting focused on funding issues for the program, options for dispatch software, possible office locations for ITN America, and alternative transportation solutions utilizing the ITN format. Minutes - 2 Maintenance -Rodocker described the recent vehicle acquisition from a First Transit agency in Kansas City. KeyLine was able to secure a 2000 medium-duty International mini-bus with 123,000 miles for the cost effective price of $0.00. Since both agencies are part of the First Transit team, Rodocker was able to negotiate the great deal. Davidson asked if the steps are higher than the current mini- bus vehicles and if the vehicle would need any modifications for elderly people. Rodocker responded that the steps are slightly higher, but the vehicle has a lift built into the stairs to help accommodate the needs of our older passengers. Fixed Route Operations Passenger Shelters -Rodocker discussed the new Parking Ordinances for the downtown Transfer Site on Iowa Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets; and for Main Street between Ninth and Tenth Streets. The new ordinances were submitted to the City Council on February 18 and approved. Stedman asked if anyone saw the letter to the Editor in the Telegraph Herald about the new transfer location. Several members of the Board, including Rodocker had seen the letter. The writer had expressed concern about the inconvenience of the new transfer site. Kiefer commented she has received several calls that expressed appreciation for the location being so close to McDonalds, offering a warm place to sit while passengers wait for their bus. Lightcap asked if there was a plan to improve the accessibility of passengers using the rear door at the downtown transfer site. Rodocker responded he will examine the situation once the snow has cleared. Lightcap understood the challenge of this winter's snowy weather, but wondered if additional concrete platforms might be added to the area. Rodocker responded that could be a useful idea, but KeyLine would have to add that expenditure to their budget for next year. Davidson asked if keeping the transfer sites clear of snow and ice is a priority. Rodocker responded that it is a big priority for KeyLine. Board members commented on the excessive snow fall Dubuque had experienced this year, and a discussion of the problems of snow removal followed. Schedules -During the winter storm conditions experienced in the month of February, KeyLine continued to provide daily service without interruption. Especially during the snow and ice storms on February 6t" and 7tH, and on February 18tH 19t" and 26t" KeyLine was able to continue service to most areas of the community using a few snow emergency route deviations. While other local transit agencies pulled their Minutes - 3 vehicles off the road on some of those days, such as in Davenport, KeyLine was able to maintain safe operations without incidents. Safety Training /Labor Management Committee -Rodocker stated that the Labor Management Committee did not meet in February due to scheduling conflicts for some of the members. KeyLine management held a Fixed Route Operators meeting at the KeyLine facility on Thursday, February 7, 2008. Topics discussed at the meeting included: safety and security updates, the expectations of passengers waiting at bus stops, when to safely pick-up and drop-off passengers, and proper recording techniques for counting student riders. Rodocker reviewed the concerns operators expressed at the meeting regarding stopping for passengers who have flagged the bus at intersections. Some operators do not stop for customers who are flagging the bus because of safety concerns. Rodocker explained that KeyLine buses stop for passengers at designated bus stops as well as if a passenger flags the bus at intersections, including at stop lights and stop signs. This combination of designated stops and flagging the bus is due to the limited number of designated bus stops in some areas of the city. Rodocker has discussed with the Engineering Department about installing more bus stops. Rodocker also discussed with the Police Department the concerns about safely stopping at intersections for passengers. The priority for KeyLine is always safety first. Rodocker stated he has researched this issue and found that many transit agencies around the nation use both bus stops and flag stops. Rodocker would like to simplify the current system in Dubuque. But regardless of the system used, operators should be stopping for passengers at all times. Rodocker's goal is to obtain more bus stops throughout the City of Dubuque. Davidson asked about the latest pick-up at Mount St Francis, and she feels sometimes that fast pick-up is omitted by operators. Rodocker stated the operators are responsible for stopping at each location per KeyLine's schedule; but he is aware of operators who occasionally drive a route "their way." Operators have been instructed to radio in to the KeyLine office if they are going to deviate from the regular route. Davidson commented that operators have told her they skip areas of their route to make-up time. Rodocker responded that such actions are not acceptable unless the operator has received permission from the office. He also explained that customers call to the KeyLine office to request spick-up at stops outside the confines of the regular Minutes - 4 routes and then operators will deviate to pick-up customers, for example on Chavenelle Road, or Radford and Pennsylvania Avenue. General Transit Federal Transit Administration -Rodocker stated that the Public Notice of the Consolidated Grant Application was sent to the Iowa DOT for review and posting. A copy of the Consolidated Grant information was provided to the Board members for their review prior to the public hearing to be held in April. East Central Intergovernmental Association -Rodocker provided the Board with a copy of the regions Passenger Transportation Development Plan, specifically the section related to KeyLine. The document is still in the initial stages of development, but does provide some good information on costs and revenue, as well as capital improvements to the Board members. Rodocker would be happy to answer any questions that Board members may have after they have reviewed the document. Back-up Mini-bus Vehicles -Rodocker had identified a need to improve the mini-bus fleet. Rodocker explained that some of the mini-bus vehicles only have room for one wheelchair, and a large number of the vehicles in the fleet have ongoing mechanical problems due to the model and year of the vehicles. So Rodocker has been researching options to purchase a couple of pre-owned vehicles that would better suit the needs of the passengers and be more productive for KeyLine. He will be using roll-over money from a budget surplus to finance the purchase. He recently found two buses in Cleveland, Ohio in good condition at a reasonable price that would be ready to drive once the graphics were completed. The City Manager and the Economic Development Director have approved the purchase. Rodocker is in the process of finalizing the deal. Davidson asked when KeyLine would be able to get new mini- buses. Rodocker explained that the Iowa DOT replacement procedures require that both a mileage and a number of year's on road criteria be met before a vehicle is eligible to put on the list for replacement. Consequently, it will be four to five years before KeyLine is able to be considered for a new mini-bus purchase. Davidson asked if the acquired buses will be considered at year one for the Iowa DOT guidelines. Rodocker responded no, since the buses will be classified as contingency vehicles. KeyLine Fixed Route Modifications -This will be an ongoing topic of discussion as the Board reviews suggested changes to Minutes - 5 some of the Fixed Routes. Since the Orange Line has the least amount of passenger traffic at this time it would be considered first. Rodocker outlined the suggested changes for the Orange Line. Currently, the Orange Line has two regular daily customers in the neighborhoods off of Bryant Street, and one occasional customer in that same area. It also has one weekly customer at Mt Carmel. The majority of the riders are using the bus from the Mercy Hospital and Professional Arts Building, and the Hy-Vee store on South Locust. The changes in the Orange Line Route that are suggested by KeyLine management include: stop in front of the YMCA-YWCA Community Center; travel in front of Lincoln Elementary School; continue to stop at Mercy Hospital; the Professional Arts Building, and the Hy-Vee store on South Locust; discontinue running through neighborhoods off Bryant Street on a regular basis; discontinue service to Mt Carmel on a regular basis; and increase the frequency of the route to run every 30 minutes, instead of every hour. Riders in the Bryant Street neighborhoods and at Mt Carmel would be an opportunity for a route deviation and would continue to receive service on a will-call basis. Since Rush Street has been resurfaced KeyLine was not planning to run its heavy equipment through that area on a regular basis. Rodocker would like input from the Board members on the suggested changes. Davidson would like to see public transit become more of an entity, rather than destination to destination. Lightcap asked if there would be a public hearing about any changes to the Orange Line. Rodocker responded that a public hearing would be important. The process would include: an action item for approval by the Transit Board, a public hearing, a proposal presented for approval by the Economic Development Director, a recommendation to the City Manager, and the City Council. Davidson asked if the public hearing would be held when the buses are running. Rodocker stated there would be a meeting in both the morning and afternoon when buses are running. This will provide an opportunity for as many interested people to attend as possible. Rodocker would like input from the Board at the next meeting regarding the proposed changes. Lightcap asked all Board members to come prepared to discuss the proposed changes at the next meeting. Davidson asked if there were many passengers riding to the Greyhound Park Casino. Rodocker replied there might be an average of one passenger per day. Heiar suggested it might be wise to reevaluate the frequency of service to the Greyhound Park, and continue to enhance service in other areas of the community. Minutes - 6 Stedman recalled that the Board had recommended changes to the Orange Line a while ago and asked Enderson if that had been within the last five years. Enderson thought the Transit Board had recommended changes about five or more years ago to the Orange and Red Lines that were attempted, but only for about one year and then the routes reverted back to the original schedule. Davidson asked if KeyLine had discussed the proposed changes with Mount Carmel. Rodocker replied that he had quietly discussed the proposed modifications with Mount Carmel and had requested feedback. Until any route changes have gone through the appropriate approval process by the City of Dubuque, Rodocker does not want to make such proposed changes public knowledge. Board Comments Davidson asked if KeyLine would have more success with private entities. Rodocker stated that KeyLine has been researching service route options for local industries. Davidson also wondered about a Park n' Ride service, or a shuttle service that would offer free rides in the downtown area. She would like to see KeyLine get away from destination to destination service. Lightcap stated that the Free Ride Program for Students has been very successful. But unless the price of gas exceeds $6.00 a gallon, he doubts if residents will be giving up their cars. Davidson said the bus is an option for the disabled and college students. She feels KeyLine should build a system based on values and that private money may be necessary to fund such a system. Stedman asked who would be interested in funding new programs. He has not seen anyone at the Transit Board meetings. Davidson said people don't come to Board meetings because nothing gets done. Lightcap asked if Transit Board meetings could be televised and perhaps generate more interest and support from the public and other organizations in the community. Heiar responded that it is possible for the Board meetings to be televised. He explained the meeting would have to be moved to the Federal Building. This could be an agenda item for future discussion. At this point Davidson stated she needed to leave the meeting to attend another meeting. Stedman commented that public transit needs fixing, but what would be the cost of making changes. Rodocker responded that if KeyLine wanted to increase frequency for example to every 30 minutes to double service, a very simplistic way to address the cost of such a change would be that Minutes - 7 the operating costs would double. Funding such changes and staying within budget is a major concern of KeyLine management. Heiar suggested that modifications in one route could provide the funding needed to finance increased service in another route. A discussion of the problems with making changes and obtaining funding for public transit followed. Public Comments None Adjournment Lightcap asked Board members to review the information provided on the Consolidated Grant before the next meeting. Rodocker reminded members that the Public Hearing for the Consolidated Grant will be held immediately before the April Transit Board meeting. Enderson made a motion to adjourn. Stedman seconded. All ayes. Motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m. The next meeting will be held here in the Carnegie Stout Library Auditorium and is scheduled for April 10, 2008. Respectfully submitted, Jon Rodocker Transit Manager These minutes passed, approved and adopted on this day of March, 2008. George Enderson, Jr.,Vice Chairman Dubuque Transit Trustee Board