WCCTAC
West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee
Draft Minutes
The regular meeting of the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee was called to order at 7:32 a.m. by Chair Penn in the City Council Chambers of the City of San Pablo, 13831 San Pablo Avenue (at Church Lane), San Pablo, California.
1. Call to Order and Self-Introductions
PRESENT: Mindell Penn, Chair (Richmond), Sharon Brown (San Pablo), Jerrold Parsons, (WestCAT), Ed Balico (Hercules), *Maria Viramontes (Richmond), Bob Franklin (BART), Irma Anderson (Richmond), John Gioia (Contra Costa County) Joe Wallace (AC Transit)
ABSENT: Janet Abelson (El Cerrito), Maria Alegria (Pinole)
STAFF: Lisa Hammon, WCCTAC Managing Director
John Rudolph, WCCTAC Management Assistant
Nancy Cuneo, WCCTAC Administrative Assistant
Hisham Noeimi, CCTA Staff
* Not present for Self Introductions
2. Commendation to Chair Mindell Penn
Vice Chair Brown, on behalf of the Committee and Staff, presented outgoing Chair Penn with a plaque for her years of hard work and service to the community. Ms. Penn thanked the Committee and Staff for their thoughtfulness, and stated that although her decision to move will take her from work that she loves, she hopes to become involved in her new community.
3. Public Comment
The Managing Director noted recently at the north and south of the Richmond Amtrak station there have been several incidents of rocks being thrown at the trains. The number of incidents appears to be increasing. Staff will meet with Amtrak staff and Richmond police at 4:00 p.m. today to develop a plan of action to stop the rock throwing incidents. There have not been any injuries noted, although train windows have been broken.
The Managing Director also noted there is a tour of San Pablo Avenue at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 25th with Assemblywoman Hancock. The Tour will begin at Nation’s on San Pablo Avenue and end at the Dead Fish Restaurant for lunch.
The Managing Director will be on vacation the last week of July and first week in August.
CONSENT CALENDAR
On motion by Joe Wallace, seconded by Ed Balico and carried unanimously, the Board approved the Consent Calendar.
4. Minutes, Sign-In Sheet, and Meeting Summary from the May 27, 2005 Meeting
The Board approved the May 2005 minutes.
5. Staff Reports
The Board accepted the Employee Staff Reports.
6. Safe Routes to Transit (SR2T), Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) Regional Fund, and Bay Trail Funding Update
The Board received the information on grants.
7. Consulting Services for FY 05-06 with Michael Bernick for the Richmond Intermodal Station/Transit Village Project (STMP Fee-Funded)
The Board approved the scope of work with Michael Bernick for FY 05-06 for the Richmond Intermodal Station/Transit Village Projects in an amount not to exceed $45,000.
8. Measure C Expenditure Plan Amendment for the Richmond Transit Village Parking Structure and the Hercules Transit Center Park & Ride Lot
The Board received the Measure C Expenditure Plan Amendment.
9. Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) – 60% Funds – West County Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Resolution of Support
The Board approved Resolution 05-04 supporting WCCTAC’s TFCA application for a West County-wide bicycle/pedestrian project and submittal of the application to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
10. Election of the Following Officers: (a) WCCTAC Chair and (b) WCCTAC Vice Chair
a. WCCTAC Chair
On motion by Maria Viramontes, seconded by Ed Balico and carried unanimously, Sharon Brown was elected Chair.
b. WCCTAC Vice Chair
On motion by Jerrold Parsons, seconded by Ed Balico and carried unanimously, Maria Viramontes was elected Vice Chair.
11. WCCTAC Budget, Dues, Scope of Work, and Employment Agreements for FY 05-06
The Managing Director reviewed the changes made to the FY05-06 Budget. The stipend for Board members was removed from the Budget as requested at the March meeting. The budget documents distributed to the member agencies did not include the Board member stipend line item. The Regional Studies line item was reduced by $1,000, which was added to the Board member conference attendance line item.
The Managing Director reported the member agencies comments included adding funds for casino studies; continuing to seek funding for the Bay Train gap closures; consideration of “pro bono” legal services; and increasing the contingency to 5%.
On motion by Maria Viramontes, seconded by Jerrold Parsons and carried unanimously, the WCCTAC Board adopted the Resolution; directed the Managing Director to execute Employment Agreements and bill the member agencies for FY 05-06 dues.
12. Railvolution Conference in Salt Lake City, UT (September 8 to 10)
The Managing Director stated the Railvolution Conference is an excellent opportunity for continuing education. Two WCCTAC staff members are planning to attend the conference. The Managing Director asked the Board who was interested in attending the conference and requested those interested advise staff before August 12th to take advantage of the discounted fees. The Managing Director also asked if other agencies the members' represent would also provide funding for conference attendance.
Jerrold Parsons and Ed Balico both expressed interest in attending the conference. Jerrold stated that although WestCAT would pay his expenses, if other members were interested in attending, he would not attend. The Managing Director will check with the absent members.
Mindell Penn suggested the Board have a future discussion of a travel and/or conference policy to avoid any conflicts that may arise in the future. Ed Balico agreed there should be a travel/conference policy to ensure that all members have the opportunity to attend the conferences. Both Irma Anderson and Joe Wallace did not agree that the policy should be too specific. They felt a more broad policy would serve the Board well.
Bob Franklin stated BART is a partner in the Railvolution Conference. As a partner, BART receives free passes and discounted registration. He will check with BART to see if any of the passes or discounts could be used by WCCTAC.
On motion by Sharon Brown, seconded by Irma Anderson and carried unanimously, the WCCTAC Board approved funding for registration for the Railvolution Conference and schedule a discussion for a Travel/Conference Policy.
INFORMATION ITEMS:
13. Proposed Casinos in West County – Regional Transportation Impacts
The Managing Director stated she had received a copy of the “Casino San Pablo Existing Conditions Traffic Analysis” from the City of San Pablo. This analysis included approximately 23 intersections which may duplicate some of the 60 intersections proposed for inclusion in the baseline study currently under consideration by the WCCTAC member agencies. The Managing Director stated this would surely lower the cost of the baseline study.
At the May meeting, the WCCTAC Board directed staff to send a letter to the member agencies requesting input on participation in various levels of studies for the proposed casinos in West County. The City of Emeryville responded they have no interest in participating in the studies.
Steve Goetz, Contra Costa County, reported that in response to budget problems and the cost of the Casino traffic study, the County is interested in inviting other entities to participate in the study. The County Administrator is proposing to send out a letter to neighboring counties and cities telling them about the desire to perform the study and ask them to participate. Private foundations will also be included in the mailing, which will be sent out in the next two weeks.
Elizabeth Dunn, Pinole, stated her City Council had discussed the study, and the Council is concerned with a more equal share of the costs. The Managing Director stated the split is shared equally by all parties participating in the study, and she would like to hear a response from the City of Pinole on their ideas for a more equitable share of costs.
14. Correspondence/Other Information:
Incoming:
TRANSPAC meeting summary; May 19, 2005.
SWAT meeting summary, June 8, 2005.
TRANSPAC letter to MTC Chair; May 24, 2005.
CCTA letter to Maurice Shiu, CC County, June 7, 2005.
Outgoing:
Letter to Nancy Baer re: support for grant application; June 9, 2005.
Newspaper/Internet Articles (all articles from West County Times unless stated otherwise):
Capitol Corridor Email Newsletter – June 2005.
Maintain Air Quality by Taking a Free Ride – June 2005.
Family Ties Behind Penn’s City Council Resignation – June 1, 2005.
Bay Transit Headed Wrong Way, SF Chronicle – June 3, 2005.
Help School Kids With Buses to Class, SF Chronicle – June 4, 2005.
Inequality Still Rides the Bus, SF Chronicle – June 6, 2005.
Capitol Corridor Revenue and Ridership Results for May via Email – June 8, 2005.
AC Transit Proposes 25 Cent Fare Increase, SF Chronicle – June 9, 2005.
Residents Praise Caldecott Bore Plan – June 9, 2005.
Amtrak, BART Trains Held After Man’s Erratic Behavior – June 9, 2005.
Region Braces for Possible Transit Strikes, SF Chronicle – June 9, 2005.
Urban Limit Line Accord Reaches End – June 10, 2005.
Examining the Real Reasons for the Collapse of our Transportation Network – June 12, 2005.
BART Proposes a “Rapid Bus” Network for Underserved Areas – June 12, 2005.