MINUTES, REGULAR MEETING
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GREATER HARTFORD TRANSIT DISTRICT
Hartford, Connecticut
March 5, 2009

Stephen F. Mitchell, Chairman
Presiding............................   

At 7:01 p.m., a quorum determined to be present; Mr. Mitchell called a Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Greater Hartford Transit District (the "District") to order in the District's Multipurpose Room at Union Station, One Union Place, Hartford, Connecticut.  The following Directors were present: Joan Gamble, Bloomfield; Marilyn Pet, East Hartford ; Gilbert Hayes, East Windsor (arrived at 7:03pm); James B. Brislin and Stephen F. Mitchell, Enfield; Russell G. St. John, Granby; Jason Barone-Cichocki, Hartford; James R. McCavanagh and Paul McNamara (arrived at 7:18pm), Manchester; William G. Hall and Kevin Chick, Newington; Ferguson R. Jansen, Simsbury; Mary Oliver (arrived at 7:13pm) and Mark Etre, Vernon; A. David Giordano and Richard M. Messenger, West Hartford; and Martin Walsh, Wethersfield.  District staff present were ; Vicki L. Shotland,  Executive Director, Kimberly A. Dunham, Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services; Sandra Sheehan, Director of Grants and Contract Administration, and Patricia Williams, Director  of Paratransit.  Also present was Bradshaw Smith, a resident of the Town of Windsor.

The Chairman next asked if there were any members of the public who wished to be heard.  There were none.  

Mr. Mitchell then asked for consideration of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 8, 2009.  Ms. Gamble moved adoption of those Minutes.  Upon seconding by Mr. Messenger, the motion passed by a vote of 26.63 yea, 0.00 nay and 3.80 abstention (Mr. Etre and Mr. Jansen)

Mr. Mitchell then requested presentation of the monthly financial report. Ms. Dunham noted that ADA fares and Professional Services are both under budget based on demand for transportation service and minimal use of contractors, respectively. Net revenue in the General Fund year to date is $129,054. Nine Dial-A-Ride vehicles have reached the end of their useful life as defined by the Federal Transit Administration and letters will be sent to the municipalities and agencies that operate them to offer purchase arrangements. Additionally, six of the Peter Pan commuter coaches will be sold; five to the Connecticut Department of Transportation and one to Peter Pan Bus Lines.

The Spruce Street Parking Lot Revenue Bond balance is currently $180,000 and matures in 2014. At present, the District is paying approximately $2,500 per month in principal. Revenue exceeds projections in the Union Station Public Fund due to pass-through of utility costs to certain tenants. Overhead is under budget based on insurance costs that were $15,000 less than expected and nominal utilization of contractors. Rental Revenue in the Union Station Private Fund is less than anticipated, as one tenant is in arrears for the February rent. All Expense Line Items are under budget and the Real Estate Taxes have been paid in the amount of $160,138 as per the agreement with the City of Hartford Tax Assessor.

A brief comparison of utility costs during Fiscal Year 2009 versus Fiscal Year 2008 was presented, and costs remain fairly stable within these line items. Mr. Mitchell inquired if there were any questions related to the financial report. As there were none, Ms. Gamble motioned acceptance of the report, which was seconded by Mr. St. John and accepted unanimously by a vote of 32.86 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.

Mr. Mitchell then asked for Program Presentations.  Ms. Williams discussed updated ADA/DAR statistics inclusive of January 2009.  Ms. Williams brought to the Board’s attention that there was a decrease in rider statistics due to several days of bad weather during the month of January bringing about a significant number of cancellations.  Ms. Shotland noted that there was good news in that First Transit union employees ratified a new contract after turning down two previous offers from management.   

Ms. Sheehan provided an update on Procurement activities. The District is in receipt of seven proposals for Janitorial Services at Union Station.  The Selection committee has scheduled interviews with the top ranking firms for March 13th.  A recommendation for award will be made immediately thereafter. The District is currently in the process of procuring an Intelligent Transportation System solution for its paratransit operations.  The system will allow the electronic integration of the Trapeze dispatch software system with the drivers providing electronic manifest, trip information and directional assistance.  Proposals are due next week.  Both Mr. Messenger and Mr. Etre commented on the effectiveness of such technology based on their own experiences with similar systems.

The District will be participating in the fuel bid program coordinated by CT Transit.  This will allow the District to enter into a contract for fuel futures.  Additionally, the agency will be participating in the CRCOG Electricity Consortium program.  This is a reverse auction procurement that aggregates the kWh of all the participating municipalities and agencies, allowing for better pricing.

Ms. Sheehan also noted that the District has submitted a grant application for New Freedom Funds for the purchase of two accessible taxis.  This is a joint project with Yellow Cab, who will be responsible for operating the cabs and providing transportation to disabled individuals during times when no public transportation is available. Ms. Pet mentioned an instance in her community in which this type of transportation service would have been a perfect solution and commended the concept.

With regard to the Economic Stimulus Funding, the agency submitted various formats of six projects ready for implementation as part of the stimulus funding opportunity.  The District is also in the process of determining eligibility for a diesel reduction stimulus funding program through the State Department of Environmental Protection.

Ms. Shotland stated that the District was currently in good financial shape with the ability to move projects forward due to current and anticipated grant funding.  She also noted that the District was proactive in submitting their request for economic stimulus funding.  The District should know over the next several weeks if any of the projects were accepted under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. 

Ms. Shotland discussed three other items; the first being the GHTD website and several updates that have been added for viewer information and ongoing interest.  She also said that she was appointed to a committee and attended a meeting at CTDoT to discuss Busway operations.  She also submitted a request to the Directors about reducing the size of paperwork that is currently provided to them at Board meetings.  Mr. Mitchell stated that this was a good idea as long as necessary paperwork continues to be distributed accordingly at the meetings versus being sent out by email. 

Ms. Dunham followed and provided an update on leasehold activity. The agency has renewed the license agreement with Hot Tomato’s for use of the Great Hall for another year. The agreements for the new ATM machine are in place and the tenant is currently pursuing an awning permit through the City of Hartford. Capitol Workforce Partners has decided to utilize its renewal option for a five year term. The base rent during the renewal term is dependent on the change in the Consumer Price Index between the original Lease Commencement Date and Expiration Date, which was 14.55%. This will yield an additional $19,000 in rental revenue annually. Negotiations are ongoing with Greyhound for its lease renewal and the current proposal would net an additional $16,000 for the District. Total additional rent anticipated from these activities is nearly $50,000 per year.   Ms. Shotland stated that Enterprise Rent-A-Car was interested in placing a phone in the transportation center to attract business for their company from passengers traveling through Union Station.  She also mentioned that there are currently early stage discussions about renting the District offices to a company interested in our leasehold area. 
Mr. Hayes attended the CRCOG Transportation Committee meeting in February and reported that discussion centered on the stimulus package.  He stated that an urban subcommittee was formed to decide on projects that meet the federal requirements and can be submitted for implementation.  He said that CT received roughly $17 Million dollars.  He said that there have been several discussions about what projects to fund with that money including, enhancement projects and road projects.   He also reiterated that CRCOG had submitted requests for Union Station based on the District’s submission to them.

Mr. St. John indicated that a Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of the Spruce Street Parking Lot Panel had convened at 6:00 p.m. to consider reinstating the short-term parking rate of one dollar and seventy five cents ($1.75) for those parking thirty (30) minutes or less in the lot.  There was no comment from the public and the Panel discussed the history of the rate change, the anticipated benefits and subsequent loss of revenue. Accordingly, the Panel unanimously voted to reinstate the one dollar and seventy five cent ($1.75) short term rate. Mr. Messenger moved acceptance of the rate change with an effective date to be determined at the discretion of the Executive Director, which was seconded by Mr. Etre and voted unanimously by a vote of 35.65 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention. 

 

_______________________
James R. McCavanagh
Secretary                                                                                

                                                              Adopted on: 5/14/09