Sunset Empire Transportation District Monthly Commissioners Meeting Minutes Web Page

Sunset Empire Transportation District Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes ODOT Regional Office Conference Room 350 West Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon Tuesday, July 15, 2003
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Shannon called the meeting to order at 9:32 am

ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present:
		Chair David Shannon Vice-Chair Bob Gannaway Secretary/Treasurer Jack Harris Commissioner Charlotte Mendenhall Commissioner Marcia Fenske Commissioner Rae Goforth

Commissioners Excused:
		Commissioner Vic Kee

Staff Present:
		Cindy Howe, Executive Director Patsy Chapel, Executive Secretary

COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE:None

MINUTES:
Board Action: Motion by Secretary/Treasurer Harris, second by Commissioner Mendenhall to approve the minutes of the June 17, 2003 meeting as presented. Chair Shannon and Vice-Chair Gannaway, Secretary/treasurer Harris, and Commissioners Mendenhall, Fenske and Goforth voted yes. Motion passed.

REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONERS:
Secretary /Treasurer Harris: No Report

Commissioner Fenske: No Report

Commissioner Goforth: No Report

Commissioner Mendenhall asked when the pocket schedules will be available and Ms. Howe state they would be available in the fall hopefully.

Vice-Chair Gannaway report that he had attended a meeting to re-do the contract with Buagh Skanska and stated that it looks like all the bases have been covered. He also said the process has been very interesting.

Chair Shannon noted this was the first meeting of the Board for the new fiscal year and said he felt that at this time the District has the best fixed route service it has ever had. He stated that in the last year the District has begun the Intermodal Center, is continuing to plan for Lewis and Clark, has expanded the bus yard and put up new bus shelters. It has also coordinated with the train and also prepared the MEAD document. Chair Shannon said these were quite good accomplishments for last year and that for next year he hopes the District can build a useful Intermodal Center and remain fiscally responsible while doing it. He went on to remind everyone of the District's mission to the elderly and physically challenged and said everyone should focus their energy and continue to be a useful partner to the community. He stated that the District must remember that without federal and state money it should not be here and that it is important to cooperate with both the federal an state agencies. He said it was also important to focus on Clatsop County but to remember our neighbors. he commended the quality of the staff and said that he appreciated the fact that staff felt this was a mission, not just a goal.

Chair Shannon proposed taking the MEAD Document off the Agenda and using it as a training tool in August if all the Board members would be at the meeting. Secretary/Treasurer Harris asked what would happen to the July action items if the Board did not approve it until August. Ms. Howe state that her staff had already begun working on those items. Vice-Chair Gannaway stated that it was quite a document and that he would be very impressed if it was all accomplished. The Board agreed to move this item to the August meeting.

FINANCIAL REPORTS:
Ms. Howe said she wanted to respond to the question raised, at the last meeting, regarding Administration expenditures. She stated that increased Personnel Services expenses, due to changing the accounting position from a half time to a three-quarter time position and overtime costs due to planning, has accounted for most of the expenditure. Also included was payment for the ADA Plan. The grant reimbursement for ADA had not been received yet, but the bill was paid. This expenditure also included the cost of the schedule/brochure design and printing and lastly an error of $16,000 that should have been charged to Operations instead of Administration was discovered. This account has been corrected. There are now further questions.

Chair Shannon asked if there were any questions on this month's Financial Reports. Secretary/Treasurer Harris said he had no questions. Chair Shannon inquired what the Grant Funds listed were for and Ms. Howe stated that is was drawdown in preparation for construction and bus purchases. Chair Shannon inquired about the amount listed as Fares and Ms. Howe responded that this figure includes money from the cruise hips and the train and that there will be a large increase next month because Cannon Beach pays for their service for the whole year at one time.

Board Action: Motion by Commissioner Goforth, second by Commissioner Fenske to accept the Financial Report for June 2003 as presented. Chair Shannon and Vice-Chair Gannaway, Secretary/Treasurer Harris, and Commissioners Mendenhall, Goforth, and Fenske voted yes. Motion passed

. Ms. Howe noted that ODOT Public Transit in Salem has told her that everything looks really good for next year's funding and that the District may even see an increase in Senior and Disabled transportation funding.

CORRESPONDENCE: None

PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
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RESOLUTIONS: None

OLD BUSINESS:
a.		Intermodel Center Construction Contract: Ms. Howe told the Board that at the end of the contract meeting last week, they had come away with five items that Baugh Skanska wanted to take to their attorneys for review. A conference call was held on Friday and Ms. Howe said she was pleased to report the gross maximum guaranteed price of construction was under budget. The gross maximum guaranteed price that will be in the contract documents is $1,630,203 unless a situation comes up that no one has any idea about and a change order is agreed to. She explained that the Owner's Contingency is inside the gross maximum guaranteed price but the cost of the permits is outside the price and the District will pay for them directly. Ms. Howe went on to say that even with the cost of permits and OTAK's fees the project should come in under the $1.9 million. She said that the value engineering she and the engineers have been working on since March has produced $230,000 in savings. Chair Shannon asked if this was a a 60%/40% split and Ms. Howe said it was not.

		Ms. Howe explained that she had asked that the Scope clarify what the allowances are in the estimate. She said that an allowance could be something that the District would like to have in the project such as the plaza clock, but if the budget were close this allowance does not have to be spent and the item could be purchased at a later date. There could also be an allowance for something not known about, such as electrical. She said no one knows what number to put in for the electrical because the District will be bear some of the cost and PP&L and the City will also each bear some of it. So electrical is an allowance because there is not firm number. She said some of the allowances may have to be done and others not and for every allowance not used, Baugh Skanska will get 3.8% of the amount not used.

		Ms. Howe informed the Board that she had sent a letter to Mr. Trabucco regarding the sign on the roof. He replied, stating he had sold the sign to Clark Signs of St. Helens. Chair Shannon stated he expected a harder time from a new company. Ms. Howe went on to explain the letter regarding the sign had been rewritten and sent to Clark Signs. She added that Attorney Heather Reynolds call the agreement for the sign on the roof to ambiguous at best.

		Commissioner Goforth asked if there were point's of contention. Ms. Howe replied that there were not, and at this point they were putting in the sections on payments to the contractor, some state ORS clauses and Federal clauses. Because state and federal money is being used, there are certain clauses that have to be put in the contract. It was noted that there was a 70/30 value incentive in the contract. which Ms. Howe explained saying, if we are 40% into the job and Baugh finds a way to save money, that they get 30% of the money saved and the District gets 70% of the savings. She went on to say that this has nothing to do with the money saved by value engineering..
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		Chair Shannon stated he though everyone had done a good job in the negotiations and asked how much it was going to cost. Ms. Howe said the District pays the Snows $300 per month and at the end of the year they send a count of how many hours and the District pays them at $120 per hour. Chair Shannon stated that $120 per hour was a bargain, the going rate is $190 per hour and in Portland it is $250 per hour. Ms. Howe state that we could not have done it without Mr. Bennett.

		Board Action: Motion by Commissioner Goforth, second by Commissioner Mendenhall to approve the Contract with Baugh Skanska for construction of the Intermodal Center as described and subject to approval of form and content by our legal counsel. Chair Shannon, Vice-Chair Gannaway, Secretary/Treasurer Harris and Commissioners Mendenhall, Goforth and Fenske voted yes. Motion passed.

		Vice-Chair Gannaway noted that the Constitution of the United States was probably simpler to write that this construction contract. Ms. Howe agreed..

NEW BUSINESS:

a.		Adoption of Goals: Management Emphasis Areas Document:: The Board agreed to postpone review of this document until the August meeting.

b.		Board Member Appointment to DAR Advisory Committee: Chair Shannon appointed Commissioner Mendenhall to serve on the Dial-A-Ride Advisory Committee. Commissioner Mendenhall agreed to do so.

c.		Appointment to the NW Ride Center Advisory Committee.: Chair Shannon asked for volunteers from the board members to serve on the NW Ride Center Advisory Committee. Commissioner Harris asked when the committee met and MS. Howe replied that the meetings were held the forth Friday of each month. Commissioner Goforth volunteered to sit on this committee.

		Chair Shannon noted that he has been the Board representative on the NW Transportation Advisory Council and explained that this council makes recommendations to the State regarding roads and transit in northwest Oregon. He said this committee meets the first Thursday of every month from 1:30 pm to 3:30 or 4:00 pm and that the meetings rotate between Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties. Chair Shannon said he would like another Board member to take responsibility for attending these meetings and that all travel expenses would be reimbursed. Commissioner Mendenhall volunteered to sit on this committee.

d.		Adoption of Dial-A-Ride Committee Bylaws: Ms. Howe explained to the Board that this document was based on bylaws written by the old SET Advisory Committee and that the DAR Committee had gone through them and re-written them. She said these bylaws do not give the Committee authority to do anything, but they give them guideline on how to conduct their meetings and what their role is. She noted the Committee had send many meetings working the bylaws. Commissioner Fenske said she thought Dial-A-Ride was for medical purposes only. Ms. Howe explained that Dial-A-Ride is for everyone but priority is given to seniors and for medical trips. She went on to say that Dial-A-Ride will be going through tremendous changes in the next few months as staff will be looking at pricing, geographical area and ways to move some Dial-A-Ride rides to fixed route and incorporate them in ADA. She said she would present the staff findings to the DAR Committee for feedback and would have a report for the Board in September.

		Board Action: Motion by Commissioner Mendenhall, second by Commissioner Fenske to adopt the Dial-A-Ride Advisory Committee bylaws as presented. Chair Shannon and Commissioners Gannaway, Harris, Mendenhall, Kee and Goforth voted yes. Motion passed.

e.		Request by KMUN Radio to provide a "Challenge Grant": Ms. Howe told the Board that she has received this request from the radio station and she did not know how to respond to it. She said the District has sponsored a free Kids-day at the Astoria Aquatic Center and Warrenton Kid's Club but has never done anything with the radio stations. She noted however, that if the District did give them any amount of money they would use SETD's name over and over on the radio. Chair Shannon stated that he did not believe the District should spend public money on anything not tied to transportation and that all the money they receive is already designated for a specific purposes. He went on to say it was all right for the District to donate things but he did not feel the District is in the business to re-direct public money. Vice-Chair Gannaway asked if this could not be considered marketing? Chair Shannon responded saying he had no problem sponsoring a marketing program, but this would let others decided what to do with the District's money. Commissioner Goforth agreed with Chair Shannon and said the District should send them a letter. Commissioner Harris requested Ms. Howe to ask the radio station for other option and Ms. Howe said she would.

		Board Action: Motion by Vice-Chair Gannaway, second by Commissioner Goforth stating that the District operates on public money and the Board does not feel the Challenge Grant would by the right thing to do. Chair Shannon, Vice-Chair Gannaway, Secretary/Treasurer Harris and Commissioner Fenske, Goforth and Mendenhall voted yes. Motion passed.

STAFF REPORTS

Ms. Howe noted the quote "Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know" on the Human Resources report and explained that at every monthly driver's staff meeting the Human Resources officer puts up a quote on the bulletin board and this is this month's quote. Ms. Howe also report that staff is working on customer complaints and comments and as stated in the MEAD Document is committed to responding to a complaint within four hours of receiving it. Ms. Howe also said there had been a lot of comments recently on the web page and she has been answering them.

Ms. Howe told the Board that she had received an email from Erhard Gross, Secretary of the Astoria Lodging Association. He said that on Friday and Saturday 150 People will come to Astoria on the Train and approximately 40 of these people will stay overnight. When they arrive there is no transportation at the station to take them and their luggage to the places they are staying and Mr. Gross asked if SETD could provide a bus to take care of this problem. Ms. Howe went on to say that by law, the District is not to provide that kind of transportation and that the Lodging Association may already have this problem solved, but in case they had not, she asked for direction form the Board. Commissioner Goforth stated that it is easy for everyone to that SETD should do this and that, but that she believes this is the responsibility of the establishment renting the room. Commissioner Fenske agreed and said she did not feel the bus should be a taxi service. Chair Gannayway stated that the email sounds like the Lodging Association is trying to make this someone else's problem. Ms. Howe said it was a real mess at first, but by last Friday they seemed to have found a solution. The Board agreed that Ms. Howe should deny this request. Ms. Howe said that next summer this will not be an issue because the Lewis and Clark Shuttle will go to most hotels and motels in the county. Commissioner Fenske asked if part of the train station would be opened and Ms. Howe replied that the station belongs to the Maritime Museum and they will want to generate revenue from the building if it is opened up. She added, that because the train has been successful, there is now talk of extending it through the month of September and Scott Smith, Operations Manager attends the rail meetings to make sure no one promises SETD will do anything we cannot do. Chair Shannon asked if the train will be going to the Intermodal Center. Ms. Howe said it would not, because that would close off the tracks and take the trolley off line. Commissioner Goforth asked if having the bus pick up train passengers at the Liberty Theater was working. Ms. Howe said it was working very well and that in fact there may be a need for a second bus. She went on to say that Ft. Clatsop has a a graduate student working for them, Ms. Peishan Shieh, who is looking at various options and who will also help establish route times.

Ms. Howe told the Board that Columbia Count has put out a proposal for SETD to take over their bus service. She said that at first she considered it and then decided the District did not need to do this. Metro West has taken over their fixed routes and Dave Hablewitz, NW Ride Center Manager, is working with Columbia Count on Dial-A-Ride. She said staff is helping, but staying on the outside. Vice-Chair Gannaway asked where Metro West was from and how they were being paid. Ms. Howe replied that Metro West was from Portland and they have STF Funds and money from the county to pay for it. Commissioner Fenske asked how far our Dial-A-Ride goes into Columbia County and Ms., Howe told her SETD does not go into the county.

Ms. Howe informed the Board that the grant for bus shelters has come through and three of the shelters will be used at the Intermodal Center. The other three will be a Ft. Stevens State Park, at Tolovanna and one more a Fred Meyer which is a major transfer point. Chair Shannon asked about Safeway and Ms. Howe said Safeway will be putting in a turn out for the bus and a shelter will not be needed there.

Secretary/Treasurer Harris asked why his term would expire in 2005 since he had just been elected. Ms. Howe reminded him that he had been elected to fill a vacant position and that position's term expires in 2005.


There were no further questions or comments.

ADJOURNMENT: : Chair Shannon adjourned the meeting at 10:52 am

Approved:


Secretary/Treasurer