REGULAR MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GREATER HARTFORD TRANSIT DISTRICT
Hartford, Connecticut
March 10, 2011

Stephen F. Mitchell, Committee Chair
Presiding........................................

At 7:02 p.m., a quorum determined to be present; Mr. Mitchell called the Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Greater Hartford Transit District (the "District") to order in the District's Multipurpose Room at the Union Station Transportation Center (the "Center"), One Union Place, Hartford, Connecticut. The following Directors were present: Marilyn Pet and Peter J. Bonzani, East Hartford; Stephen F. Mitchell, Enfield; Russell G. St. John, Granby; Frank Lord and Christopher Bowen, Hartford; James R. McCavanagh and Paul McNamara, Manchester; William G. Hall, Newington; Ferguson R. Jansen, Simsbury; Mary A. Oliver, Vernon; Richard F. Messenger and A. David Giordano, West Hartford; Brendan T. Flynn, Wethersfield; and Ricardo Quintero, Windsor. District staff present included Vicki L. Shotland, Executive Director; Kimberly A. Dunham, Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services; and DJ Gonzalez, Operations Administrator. Also present was Bradshaw Smith, a resident of the Town of Windsor.

The Chairman asked if there was any member of the public who wished to address the board. There were none.

Mr. Quintero then moved adoption of the February 3, 2011 meeting minutes, which was seconded by Mr. McCavanagh, and approved by a vote of 34.49 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.

Ms. Shotland then introduced several members of the First Transit management team including Matthew Wood, Eastern Region Senior Vice President; Dave VanFossen, Eastern Region Regional Vice President; Paul O’Brien, District Manager; and Linda DeLallo, General Manager. Mr. Wood provided an overview of First Transit from a national and global perspective. He relayed that First Group operates rail, fixed route, school bus, intercity bus and paratransit service internationally.

The Hartford paratransit program is one of the five largest operated by First Transit and through the strong and positive relationship between First Transit and the District’s management staff, the program is considered a leader in technology innovation and best practices. Paratransit service is a cornerstone of the organization’s business model, providing more than 7.4 million paratransit trips annually. Safety is also a core priority and First Transit has recently been awarded the Green Cross of Safety Award from the National Safety Council.

Mr. Wood also discussed First Group, the parent company of First Transit/First Student, which provides a significant amount of rail and bus service in Scotland and the United Kingdom. He relayed a synopsis of the company’s successful history including information on its founders. Several questions were presented by various board members. Mr. Wood discussed the challenges and imminent future growth of paratransit service, the positive condition of infrastructure at the Hartford location including the facility, IT equipment and vehicles, and the future of alternative fuel vehicles. Mr. Mitchell provided an overview of the board’s role and involvement to the First Transit group. Mr. St. John inquired if First Transit had explored investment in revitalizing trolley systems.

The Chairman next asked for presentation of the financial report. Ms. Dunham relayed that several revenue and expense line items have been identified to require budget adjustments during the upcoming May public hearing. She indicated that the Town of Wethersfield Dial-A- Ride Request for Proposal process remained ongoing; a recommendation is scheduled to be made to the Town Council over the next few weeks and award notification should be made by mid-April. ADA Cash Fares exceed budgetary projections based on increased ridership and the “payable” total includes the first two quarterly installments of the Hartford Dial-A-Ride operating grant.

The disposition of the three remaining commuter coaches operated by Collins and Kelley has at last been finalized. CTDOT has registered the vehicles and state plates have been affixed to the vehicles. Disposed vehicle revenue includes local match proceeds of these commuter coaches that were passed through to the operators. GHTD net disposed vehicle revenue year to date totals $32,900. Mr. Gonzalez noted that there are fourteen more vehicles slated for sale prior to year end.

Parking Revenue Analysis Reports specify an increase of 18% in parking revenue year to date compared to the same period in the prior year. Professional Services exceed budget figures due to significant Snow Removal costs incurred. Net revenue in this cost center was projected at a deficit during the budgetary process, however it appears a net profit of $35,000 or more may be recognized. Further income opportunities would be presented by Mr. St. John later in the meeting based on the earlier meeting held by the Parking Lot Committee.

Disposition of the remaining DATTCO commuter coaches has yielded net proceeds of $124,000 which was $30,000 less than budget projections and based on market conditions. Rental revenue in the USTC – Private cost center exceeds budget figures year to date due to the possibility during last year’s budget process of vacancy of the south end restaurant and loss of Great Hall license income. Based on successful negotiations with the current leasehold tenant, there was no such loss of income. However this line item will not be adjusted due to the upcoming termination of the License Agreement for the Great Hall and new contract terms that include fee payment based on number of occurrences of use rather than a specific monthly amount.

The City’s Tax Assessment office has distributed the October 2010 Grand List assessments that will be used to determine real estate taxes for FY2012. The assessment of Union Station remained stable based on the agreement between the District and the assessor’s office and the agency is awaiting notification of the impending mill rate determination.

A considerable investment has been made over the past year in accounting software and hardware upgrades that has allowed the staff to streamline processes, allows for more functionality and provides more data in various formats. There has also been integration with “Knowledge Sync”, a software program that sends e-mail alerts to staff based on certain activities that occur or data that is input into the software. In particular, this has been extremely useful in streamlining contract management activities for the entire agency.

The process for handling electronic payments continues with an implementation target date of mid-April. The District is also awaiting dissemination of Census 2010 population figures. This information will affect three areas: board member voting units, FY2013 member dues, and board representation.

Mr. Mitchell asked if there were any questions or comments regarding the report. Discussion ensued regarding delegation of board members and voting units based on statutory requirements. There being no further discussion, Mr. Bonzani motioned acceptance of the monthly financial report, which was seconded by Ms. Oliver, and accepted unanimously by a vote of 34.49 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.

Mr. Mitchell then asked for Program Presentations. Mr. Gonzalez reported that ten new buses have been ordered, bringing the total number of new vehicles to seventy three in the last year. One of those vehicles will be a 4 x 4 version to assist in operations, particularly during inclement weather. He also acknowledged Ms. DeLallo and the entire First Transit operations staff for their outstanding efforts during this unusually harsh winter season. Mr. Mitchell also relayed thanks to the group on behalf of the Board. Mr. McNamara made mention that his wife often uses the service as a care provider and has commented on the excellent service that is provided.

Mr. Mitchell provided an update on the Hartford Dial-A-Ride service situation.

Ms. Shotland then provided the Board with an update on operational, administrative and procurement initiatives.

The staff is meeting with Yellow Cab on March 11th to discuss the responses received for accessible taxi vehicles under the New Freedom program and to address the implementation schedule for the various tasks of this program. The intention is to order the vehicles by next week and revise the schedule to coincide with the delivery of the vehicles.

Design activities continue to take place for the Mansfield Intermodal Center project. A meeting with the Town’s Planning and Design Committee took place on February 15th. The consultants presented the preliminary design and obtained input from the Committee and the public. The transit pathway portion of the project has gone through preliminary discussion only. A meeting was held today to discuss the schematic and preliminary designs and to determine the funding eligibility of the various elements. Design meetings are being scheduled with transportation service providers, FTA and the Town’s Planning and Design Committee. It is the intent to have a preliminary design for the transit pathway portion of the project approved by FTA in order to obligate the balance of the funds. Ms. Shotland commented that this is an excellent project on the fast track.

A Conceptual Design Public Workshop took place on February 23rd for the Enfield Intermodal Center. A project status presentation was provided by the consulting firm and group breakout sessions took place to receive design elements input regarding issues such as pedestrian flow, vehicular routing, parking, open space, visual character, canopy, station amenities, etc. Based on input received from the public, Phase I may need to be modify to accommodate small sized vehicles on the west side of the tracks while larger commuter type vehicles will be located on the east side. The consultants will be preparing preliminary design documents based on public input to present to the Town Council at their meeting scheduled for March 21st. FTA has asked the District to review the scope of work as it pertains to the funding available for the project. FTA wants to make sure the funds available can complete the project.

The District still has not received any communication from Vernon town officials regarding the concept plan the Town had agreed to prepare for the end of January. The District has prepared and submitted a letter to the Town Administrator notifying him of the District’s intent to move forward with the project currently approved by FTA at the site of the existing park-n-ride lot at 402 Hartford Turnpike. Ms. Shotland indicated that the District will continue to work closely with CTDOT and Congressman Courtney’s office to move the project forward.

The District, with the assistance of Crosskey Architects, has determined that it is in our best interest to replace the passenger elevators at Union Station instead of modernizing the current operating system and ancillary components. This decision resulted in the District rejecting all the bids received for the modernization project and working with Crosskey to finalize the specifications and bid documents for issuing an invitation to bid for the replacement of the passenger elevators. Mr. St. John inquired if the elevator replacement/modernization project included the Amtrak elevator. Ms. Shotland responded in the affirmative.

The District continues to explore property acquisition options for its paratransit operations center. The commercial market is becoming more active and several properties have been placed under contract with other parties.

Ms. Shotland invited the board members to consider attending the North East Passenger Transportation Association luncheon on March 30, 2011 during which Governor Malloy is slated as the keynote speaker.

Mr. Mitchell asked for an update from the Chairman of the Parking Lot Committee. Mr. St. John relayed that the Selection Committee reviewed four proposals received in response to management services for the Spruce Street Parking Lot. After a long review and much discussion, the Selection Committee has made a unanimous recommendation to the Executive Director to appoint ProPark America as the management firm. Mr. St. John motioned acceptance of the recommendation, which was seconded by Ms. Oliver and approved unanimously by a vote of 34.49 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.

Mr. St. John also indicated that the Committee had met earlier in the evening to discuss staff recommendations for rate changes in the parking lot. Ms. Dunham provided an overview of the rationale behind the rate changes which would result in a new 1⁄2 hour rate of $2.00, accumulating to a maximum daily rate of $15.00. Mr. St. John stated committee meeting discussions resulted in a consensus that the rates were reasonable and could result in significant revenue for the agency. Mr. Mitchell mentioned that there had been a Public Hearing related to this matter and based on the committee’s recommendation, he asked for a motion to approve the new rates effective April 1, 2011. Some discussion occurred regarding market rates, competitiveness, consistency amongst rates at other lots, etc. Upon motion by Mr. Flynn and seconding by Mr. McCavanagh, the motion passed unanimously by a vote of 34.49 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.

Mr. Mitchell asked Mr. Quintero, Chairman of the By-Laws Committee, to report on the activities of that group. Mr. Quintero indicated that there are areas of the By-Laws that require review and alteration and that the group met earlier in the evening and will continue to do so periodically. Mr. Mitchell requested that if any member of the board had any comment or concerns about the By-Laws to please contact Mr. Quintero or Ms. Shotland.

There being no further business brought before the Board, Ms. Oliver moved that the meeting be adjourned. Upon seconding by Mr. Quintero, the motion passed by a vote of 34.49 yea, 0.00 nay, and 0.00 abstention. The Regular Meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

_______________________
James McCavanagh
Secretary

Adopted: 5/12/11