REGULAR MEETING
GREATER HARTFORD TRANSIT DISTRICT
Hartford, Connecticut
September 8, 2011
Stephen F. Mitchell, Chairman
Presiding...........................
At 7:01 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: Joan Gamble, Bloomfield; Marilyn Pet, East Hartford; Gilbert Hayes, East Windsor; Stephen F. Mitchell and Kevin T. Mooney (attended until 8:00 p.m.), Enfield; Russell G. St. John, Granby; Frank Lord and Christopher Bowen, Hartford; James R. McCavanagh, Manchester; Kevin Chick, Newington; Ferguson R. Jansen, Simsbury; Hugh Brower, South Windsor; Mary A. Oliver, Vernon; Richard F. Messenger, West Hartford; and Ricardo Quintero, Windsor. District staff present were Vicki L. Shotland, Executive Director; Kimberly A. Dunham, Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services; DJ Gonzalez, Operations Administrator; and Sandra E. Sheehan, Director of Grants and Contract Administration. 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. Messenger then moved adoption of the June 16, 2011 meeting minutes, which was seconded by Mr. St. John, and approved by a vote of 32.52 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.
Mr. Mitchell welcomed John Bernick of the Connecticut Department of Transportation who gave a presentation on the planned expansion of commuter rail service through the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) corridor. Mr. Bernick’s presentation was comprehensive in nature, including proposed improvements; economic, environmental and community benefits; funding streams; public information meetings; and an overview of the project’s goal to enhance the regional transportation system. Many comments and questions were proposed by numerous board members and a lively discussion ensued. More information related to the NHHS project may be found at www.nhhsrail.com and Mr. Bernick may be reached directly at John.Bernick@ct.gov.
At 8:00 p.m., the Chairman temporarily adjourned the meeting for a brief period and re-adjourned at 8:12 p.m. At that time, Mr. Mitchell asked for presentation of the financial report. Ms. Dunham relayed that fiscal year audit activities are progressing, field work having been completed and financial report preparation underway. The expected agency wide net revenue for FY2011 is approximately $175,000, adding to the accrued contingency reserve of nearly $967,000.
Aged A/R Invoices for CTDOT programs nears $2,000,000 and most payments are expected before the end of September. East Hartford Dial-A-Ride fares have stabilized and there has been minimum FTA grant activity in the Special Revenue fund. Fourth quarter municipal Dial-A-Ride payments will be disbursed next week. Disposed Vehicle Revenue has been minimal, as most of the excess vehicles were sold prior to fiscal year end. Transit Advertising revenues will be recognized based on monthly billings rather than awaiting payments from the vendor. An update of member town dues payments was provided, indicating that only one town had not paid at all and one other has a minimum remaining balance.
An overview of Spruce Street Parking Lot revenue was presented that included additional revenues based on hourly rate and daily maximum amounts. FY2011 revenues exceeded those of FY2010 by 21%. As the rate changes took effect April 1st, it is expected that FY2012 revenues will well exceed prior years. Recent leasehold activity includes the execution of a five year license agreement with FYC Entertainment for hosting events in the Great Hall. Also, Peter Pan Bus Lines has rented additional space adjacent to the bus berthing area for its new Express service. Scheduled rent escalations and the two new leases will yield nearly $38,000 in additional rent in FY2012.
Mr. Mitchell asked if there were any questions related to the financial report and as there were none, Ms. Oliver motioned acceptance of the monthly financial report, which was seconded by Mr. Hayes, and accepted unanimously by a vote of 30.21 yea, 0.00 nay and 0.00 abstention.
Mr. Mitchell then asked for Program Presentations. ADA statistical data was presented and Mr. Gonzalez commented that there has been a significant decrease in no-shows due to strict adherence to the no-show policy. This has resulted in both decreased service hours and cost savings for CTDOT. He also relayed that the District is pursuing the purchase of a new telephone recording system for the paratransit operation. Ms. Shotland noted that the City of Hartford intends to solicit proposals for the Dial-A-Ride service in June 2012. Mr. Lord commented that he would like to organize a meeting of the Hartford constituency, staff and the mayor’s office regarding the Dial-A-Ride service.
Mr. Gonzalez then provided an update on various projects at Union Station. The Spruce Street parking lot sidewalk has been replaced, the ornamental brackets painted and bird netting installed, and worn tiles in the Great Hall and GHTD area have been replaced. The District is working with Peter Pan to install electronic signs in the north and south bus berthing areas, with the intent of removing the existing menagerie of signs and incorporating tenant advertising within the new electronic signage.
The Great Hall window replacement project is behind schedule; however should be completed by next week. The elevator modernization project continues, with the north elevator having just been completed. Quotes have been received for the “Juice Bar” that will be installed in the parking lot and a tenant has already been identified who intends to use that amenity. Ms. Pet inquired about press exposure and Ms. Shotland responded that Propark does have plans for promoting the unit once installed.
Ms. Sheehan then provided a Procurement update. The District has been working with Ferguson Mechanical and Gregg Weis and Gardner on the first phase of the AC Equipment Replacement project that includes contract documents, permits, and submittals. Acquisition of equipment is taking place and work should commence within two weeks.
The District recently participated in the joint procurement for fuel futures with CTTransit. The price of fuel for the District has been set at $3.41 per gallon, as opposed to last year’s price which was locked at $2.80. These prices do not include the mandatory taxes.
A sixty day public review period took place during the summer regarding the conceptual plans for the Enfield Intermodal Transit Center. On Tuesday, September 6th the Town Council voted to move the project forward cautiously due to the environmental concerns.
Design documents were submitted to FTA for initial review for the Mansfield Intermodal Center. Comments received have been addressed and the design team has moved ahead with the completion of design documents as well as construction documents. It is expected that 100% design documents will be available for the transit pathway on October 1st and 100% design documents will be available for the intermodal center on November 17th. Advertisement for these projects will take place in November and December.
The District placed an order for two accessible taxi vans to be used in partnership with Yellow Cab Co. which are due to arrive next week. GHTD has also been notified by EPA that it will be a recipient of the Clean Diesel Grants program. The District had partnered with Peter Pan Bus Lines on a grant application for repowering engines on six intercity vehicles and has been since advised that the award may increase to include a total of ten vehicles.
GHTD is working with CTDOT in the preparation of a grant application for a one call-one click resource center that will serve as a resource for veterans and the community at large to access transportation information and services. The DOT has made a formal request for a submittal extension, as preparation and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Irene have prevented staff and stakeholders from working on the application.
The District has completed the requested revisions to the CE Document prepared as part of the NEPA permitting process for the site at 148 Roberts Street in East Hartford. FTA is currently reviewing the final version of that document. Once approval is received, the District will move forward with conducting initial appraisals and a review appraisal as part of the process required for property acquisition.
Ms. Shotland reported that the grant for FY2011 Section 5307 funding that includes Union Station renovation, vehicle, property acquisition and administrative capital funds had just been submitted. She reiterated that the 148 Roberts Street (East Hartford) property will be very conducive to the needs of the agency as it includes nearly seven acres of land and there are no environmental issues; however, it will require extensive renovations.
An overview of the I-Quilt project was provided by Mr. Lord. Numerous entities are collaborating to create walkable connections throughout downtown that will link the entertainment district, Bushnell Park, the riverfront, restaurants and various arts and culture destinations. Ms. Shotland noted that she had recently attended a meeting with various stakeholders, including Congressman Larson and representatives of the FTA, CTDOT, and City of Hartford, during which a presentation of the concept was given. Transportation plays a key role in the success of the project and there is opportunity to integrate components of the City’s “One City, One Plan” as well as recommendations of the Northwest Corridor Study. TIGER III grants will soon be available and are being considered as a potentially viable funding source for this noteworthy project.
Ms. Shotland indicated that a FTA staff member and the Triennial Review consultant had been on site over the past two days. She commented on the exceptional efforts of the staff to prepare the desk review information and respond to the on-site inquiries. Mr. Mitchell also offered commendation for the staff’s diligence and expertise.
She then relayed that CTDOT Commissioner Jim Redeker had given approval for the use of DOT property located at 412 Hartford Turnpike as local match for the Vernon Intermodal Center. The District will move forward with development of a transit nexus at that location.
Mr. Hayes provided an update on the CRCOG Transportation Committee. The STP Enhancement program provides approximately $9M per year statewide, mainly for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, safety improvement projects and streetscape projects. Previously the entire program was administered by the Region Planning Authorities, however under the new policy, 50% of the funding will now be administered by CTDOT. The stated goal of CTDOT is to fund bicycle and pedestrian initiatives that (1) address gaps in major multi-use trail networks and modal integration with transit, and (2) improve pedestrian and bicycle access to, and accommodations at, transit centers. The next Transportation Committee Meeting will be on September 26th.
Mr. Quintero provided an update on activities of the By-Law Committee. He stated that the group had met and was finalizing draft recommendations which will be presented to the Chairman and Executive Director prior to submission to legal counsel. Those recommendations should be forthcoming shortly.
Mr. St. John then provided an overview of the new Peter Pan/Greyhound collaborative Express service. He had travelled to New York City via the new service last week and was very impressed with the condition of the vehicle, amenities such as Wi-Fi, and professionalism and courtesy of the driver. He highly recommended that other board members consider utilizing the service should the need arise. Ms. Shotland noted that the service has been in place in other parts of the country and has been very successful.
There being no further business brought before the Board, Mr. Lord moved that the meeting be adjourned. Upon seconding by Ms. Oliver, the motion passed by a vote of 30.21 yea, 0.00 nay, and 0.00 abstention. The Regular Meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter Bonzani
Assistant Secretary
Adopted: November 10, 2011
