Sunset Empire Transportation District Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes PO Box 68--Warrenton, OR 97146 Phone (503) 861-0657 Toll Free 866-811-1001 Fax (503) 325-1606 www.ridethebus.org
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
November 19, 2008 9:30 AM
	: Members Present: Chair Fenske, Commissioners Bline, Conner, Gaebel, Gannaway, Goforth, Mendenhall
	Staff Present: Executive Director Cindy Howe, Sarah Dailey, Brenda Higgins, Roni Shaw, Scott Smith, Eric Barton
	Staff Absent: Lori Karl, Tammy Slaughter
	Meeting called to order 9:35 AM
	Pledge of Allegiance
	Roll Call
COMMENTS FROM AUDIENCE:
	Audience arrived near the end of the meeting.
	Bonnie Linguard 33242 Sunset Beach Lane #1 Warrenton, OR 97146
	She provided suggestions about some of the discussions such as using Tongue Point for installing shelters in needed areas in exchange for credits in their program. She said the issue with parking at the Warrenton Mini Mart could be resolved without enforcement if sidewalks were installed. She thinks SETD would be limiting their self if they didn't allow advertising for businesses like Lum's. SETD could allow it on only some buses rather than all, and could sell the space for allotted time frames, like several months. Since we are a system that operates with Federal dollars, she feels we should consider running buses on Federal Holidays. For some people like herself, it is difficult to get around when the bus is your only transportation. She feels the Express bus is inappropriately titled, as it has a $3 fare and anyone can flag it down. If it's an Express bus it should have designated stops. She feels the $3 fare is too steep for people who just want to ride from Astoria to Fred Meyer. The daily passes should be equitable for seniors and people disabilities. SETD could install a reflector on curbs where bus stops should go, rather than installing signs. Once every 6 months for two weeks SETD should consider sending out a monthly pass along with a bus schedule. If buses could run on Sunday's that would be nice so people who use the bus as their only mode of transport could use it on their holy day. Also bus service stops too early; it should run until at least 9:00 at night. She said she has called Director Howe several times, but wanted to see what the board meetings were like. She commented that our bus drivers are always so nice and courteous. She always appreciates our Free Ride Day.
CHANGES TO THE AGENDA:
	Item added to New Business for Tongue Point Job Corp Center
APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 2008 MINUTES:
	Three changes have been made to the emailed version of the October 2008 minutes:
	-Dates pertaining to the discussion of last month's financials were reflected incorrectly on the financials, and again in the minutes (listed wrong fiscal year). The dates are reported correctly in the board packet minutes to show the current fiscal year.
	-Notation of the date for Thursday, November 13th was added to the discussion about Free Ride Day.
	-Commissioner Gannaway's comment about the importance of maintaining route connections to Longview and rail service was added to the discussion pertaining to the Westport Route.
	Commissioner Gaebel added another comment in regards to Commissioner Goforth's NWRC Advisory report as reflected in the October minutes. She said booster seats are only required for children up to age eight, even though the letter being discussed in the minutes cites an ORS that refers to the minimum age a child can stay home alone.
	Commissioner Mendenhall made a motion to accept the October 2008 minutes as corrected, Commissioner Goforth seconded. All were in favor except Commissioner Gaebel who abstained, motion passed.
REPORTS FROM CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS:
	Commissioner Goforth reported on the Dial-A-Ride (DAR) meeting. One item discussed was the new ADA laws that take effect on January 1, 2009. Director Howe will learn more about the law in February at the Special Districts Annual Conference in Portland. Some laws have been tightened or loosened, and better defined for the user and transit agencies. She was amazed at some of the conditions that can be considered in determining if an individual has a disability. She said they also made some minor changes to the DAR bylaws, removing a few things that no longer applied. The bylaws will be presented to the board at the December meeting. They also discussed the STF funds DAR receives annually. The DAR Advisory Committee recommends what the money should be used for. It will be discussed further after the first of the year when the new funding distribution schedule begins. They talked about the Healthy Thinking Fair where SETD had a booth at last month. She asked everyone to give Eric Barton a round of applause. On Free Ride Day she worked at the Liberty Theater. There was construction in front of the bus stop area, so she wandered in nearby areas and talked to local residents.
	Commissioner Conner reported that she is now able to receive emails without a problem.
	Commissioner Bline reported on his experience helping during Free Ride Day on November 13th. He was stationed at the Seaside Cinema and Avenue A. He said he witnessed an example of the ideal passenger we want riding the buses; she pulled up to the Seaside Cinema stop in a big, shiny, new SUV and waited in her car drinking coffee until the bus arrived. He shared the experience of another person who commutes to work on the bus; she arrived at work that day only to not be needed that day and sent home. It takes her about an hour each way to commute. He also said some of the buses were delayed briefly due to continued flooding from the previous day's rain storm. He attended the NWACT meeting at which they discussed whether Oregon would be ready for a stimulus package should they receive one. He also reported on starting a blog on the Daily Astorian's Seaside website about The Bus, so anyone with questions about The Bus can post them.
	Director Howe commented that we've recently had a great response to public transit in Seaside.
	Commissioner Gaebel reported on her work on Free Ride Day. She thanked Roni Shaw for doing some extra work to combine handouts into packets. She was stationed at the Warrenton Mini Mart, and most people she encountered wanted to hurry into the store. She also commented that people find it helpful to have all the schedules on one sheet of paper. She also attended the Warrenton Emergency Preparedness meeting and The Red Cross Shelter training, which was an all-day session. She said they mentioned that during some disasters the Red Cross has used buses as a warming area for people to take temporary shelter from the cold. She asked if SETD had made further progress on our section of the Emergency Operations Preparedness Manual for the county because nothing has been mentioned.
	Director Howe said she was never asked to write anything, but did follow up with the Clatsop County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to let them know SETD is available once they get their plans together.
	Commissioner Gannaway asked about contact with the sheriff's office because he talked with them some time ago and they were unsure about whom he was.
	Director Howe said if there is an emergency we continue with operations to the best of our ability, and if they need additional assistance beyond that, the EOC knows to contact SETD. She has no idea what part of the process the county is in. We have some individual agreements with care centers to assist in an emergency, but we don't have any written contracts. Perhaps it should be different, but that is the current status.
	Commissioner Gannaway asked if Director Howe thinks it would be wise to get a committee together to work on this.
	Director Howe said that would be fine, but she doesn't have the capacity in her schedule to participate in more meetings.
	Commissioner Goforth said that makes sense; we don't need to be attending meeting after meeting hearing the same thing over and over, while plans are still the same. She agreed that they know where we are and how to reach us. If they need us they will call us.
	Director Howe said we know the steps that SETD needs to take during an emergency like last year's where communication is severed. We go to the EOC and the radio station to check in and provide some form of communication. We need to have a good handle of who we need to reach out to, but ultimately we play a very small role in the big picture of an emergency.
	Commissioner Gaebel said the transportation section was pointed out in the Red Cross training. There are now Red Cross Emergency Trailers stored in several communities. She would suggest that we check with the Clatsop County Sheriff who is now the EOC director for the county to see if there is anything additional SETD needs to do.
	Chair Fenske commented that SETD transported people out to Camp Rilea in last year's storm.
	Director Howe confirmed that we did, and that the sheriff knows how to contact us if we are ever needed. That isn't in a written plan, but that is how it is handled.
	Commissioner Gaebel said that is the whole thing about plans; they are supposed to be written down.
	Director Howe said she doesn't have time to do more plans.
	Chair Fenske said the way she understood the county's emergency preparedness plans was that after last year's storm, the coordinator Gene Strong, would be adding more structure to the county plan.
	Commissioner Gaebel said her understanding after the storm last year that Director Howe said we were going to be a piece of that plan.
	Chair Fenske said it sounds like we are but if Gene Strong or the county hasn't contacted Director Howe yet, then they are not ready for us. She hasn't heard anything about it for awhile.
	Director Howe said we are involved in a small piece, but do not have an official representative that attends the meetings and is active in the EOC. We don't need to be that involved. If the district is needed, we will be contacted.
	Commissioner Conner commented that we are a phone call away when needed.
	Commissioner Goforth commented she thinks we should leave it at that.
	Director Howe said she doesn't want to be in the EOC.
	Commissioner Gaebel said that is part of the districts duties as a taxing district.
	Director Howe said that is true if the district has a role. If you get too many in the EOC who want to be involved in coordination, then it creates efficiency problems. If the board has a desire for the district to become more involved, they can do so.
	Chair Fenske said maybe we can just send an email to see if there is anything we can do.
	Director Howe said she will send an email, but she will not attend meetings. SETD doesn't need to be recognized at that level.
	Commissioner Gannaway asked if at this point all we need to do is email and tell them we are ready as usual to help in emergencies.
	Chair Fenske said that may solve any issues, just by touching base with Gene Strong and mentioning the SETD Board would like SETD's emergency role better defined. During December she knows we transported a lot of people out to Camp Rilea, so she knows we have a role.
	Commissioner Bline commented that we should be careful about how this would affect SETD. Would more involvement mean that every time the EOC opens we would need to have staff ready to be dispatched, getting paid to wait around?
	Commissioner Conner agreed and commented that then there is the question about whether SETD would be reimbursed.
	Director Howe said that is another thing about it; when we helped last year we just did it as a community service to help out where there was a need. We didn't try to get reimbursed. She realizes there are some people who like to work with more formal plans, but in some cases it's better to stay under the radar and do what you do. If there is a storm that is bigger, such as a tsunami no one will be going anywhere including the buses.
	Commissioner Conner feels we should leave things the way they are. There will always be unexpected emergencies and you will never be entirely ready for them. Further involvement in the county emergency plan could cause more problems. If they need help with transportation, the EOC knows how to contact us. If the county planning process reaches a point where they feel SETD should be included, then they can contact us at that point, but not before.
	Director Howe told about an emergency database of client-volunteered information that is in the works in southern Oregon. If that or a similar database were to be established in our area then SETD could have the ability to share the information with the emergency personnel in a disaster. She said that and other ideas of using public transit to transfer individuals with higher medical needs to care facilities are being discussed by state officials. Those are the clients that we need to assist with the most because that is a large part of our client base. SETD would get caught up in the unnecessary parts of the EOC's plans such as which roads to open and allow traffic on.
	Commissioner Gaebel said the local emergency preparedness groups are also trying to get their lists together of who has special needs.
	Director Howe said maybe Commissioner Gaebel could approach those groups and suggest they talk with SETD, because we have better access to that information than they do.
	Chair Fenske said from a Home Health standpoint there are agencies in the oxygen and dialysis professions that know who in the community needs special assistance during emergencies.
	Director Howe agreed with that and said there is no reason we should reinvent the wheel when the current system is working.
	There were several board members who agreed with the comment.
	Director Howe showed the board samples of 'pocket schedules' that incorporate a map and the bus schedules into one double-sided guide that folds to the size of a credit card. There is currently one company that manufactures them. The guides cost approximately $11,000 dollars for about 10,000-20,000 copies; this also includes development of the design.
	Commissioner Gaebel asked if SETD could partner with the chambers to reduce the overall expense and get the guide produced.
	Director Howe prefers the Durango, CO map example because the layout is similar to Astoria's and is double-sided with a map, schedule and a 'sites to visit' section. A partnership may be something to offer Lower Columbia Tourism Council at some point, but she has not explored that option yet as she is currently doing research for grants. She can certainly ask them.
	Commissioner Gaebel also suggested checking with the Seaside Downtown Development Association.
	Director Howe said SETD does not want to advertise anyone else.
	There was a discussion about advertising in the transit industry and how some agencies have ended up in lawsuits over the content of the ads.
	Commissioner Mendenhall reported on Free Ride Day. She was stationed at Seaside Cinema. She had a chance to see how that stop functions as a park-and-ride area, so riders can get on or off the bus and leave their big trucks and SUV's parked. She saw several passengers who did this.
	Commissioner Gaebel asked if the Seaside Cinema will remain a park-and-ride in the future.
	Commissioner Bline said right now the theater doesn't care because they don't have a shortage of parking.
	Director Howe said if it does become an issue, we can talk with the Seaside Outlet Mall because they were the ones who installed the Seaside Cinema bus shelter.
	Commissioner Gannaway reported on Free Ride Day at the Warrenton Mini Mart. His wife spoke with one person, and he also talked with one. There were very few passengers, but they did talk with a couple.
	Chair Fenske reported on her experience on Free Ride Day. She started at the Astoria Senior Center, but found most seniors were still driving and were not interested. So she moved to Loaves and Fishes and the downtown area and found a few interested people. She spoke with quite a few people and handed out most of her surveys. She feels the day was a great success. She also had some comments about the fares; one person who commutes to Seaside dislikes the $3.00 fare. She talked with him about utilizing other fare options such as the $5.00 Day Pass or using a Monthly Pass. He filled out a survey and he appreciated the 2 city route tickets she provided. She stopped by the radio booth at the Transit Center and did a live message about Free Ride Day. She felt the day was a success and hopes we continue to offer it. Some people commented they thought this was the first time the district had offered this. The regular bus riders really liked Free Ride Day. She handed out more schedules than anything else.
	Commissioner Gannaway said he thinks the difference is that if you are at a bus stop that is busy then you will receive more feedback from clients, and Warrenton was not very busy. He said maybe it also had to do with the hour of the day. He said the driver must not have had any clients for the Warrenton Mini Mart stop, because nobody was waiting at the stop, and the driver didn't physically stop the bus there.
	Commissioner Gaebel commented that Route 15 was running about a minute early when she was stationed there.
	Commissioner Gannaway said his wife asked the Warrenton Mini Mart clerk if the bus ever came into the Mini Mart. He responded "No" and said he'd rather travel a different way. One of the reasons he mentioned is that the bus is never on time. Commissioner Gannaway asked if he needed any bus schedules, but he did not.
	Director Howe said overall the day was a success and the regular riders really enjoyed the free fares. The live Radio Remote also went well. A gentleman from Warrenton won the annual pass drawing. Route 12 had over 200 rides for the day compared to the average of 80 per day it has been doing. Overall the district has 4,000 more rides in October 2008 compared with October 2007. September 2007 also featured the same drop in ridership as September 2008, with September '08 having slightly more of a decline with the launch of the revised routes. We still have a few areas to work on including service to the Oregon Youth Authority.
	Commissioner Bline said he received a request for bus service to the Astoria Airport when airline companies begin providing service.
	Director Howe said airport service is built into Route 12, so that if there are people needing a ride, the bus can swing into the airport for pick-ups when needed.
	Director Howe thanked everyone for helping with Free Ride Day.
FINANCIALS:
	Chair Fenske thanked Brenda for the nice memo and corrected financials. She agrees with the memo message for the board to submit questions ahead of time about the financials to Brenda Higgins and Tammy Slaughter. This gives staff a chance to prepare answers to questions better by referring to their books and not relying on their memory.
	Director Howe said if the board does have questions to ask at the meeting, it may not be answered right then, because sometimes the billing department will need to check their books. That way they can supply honest answers based on facts versus conjecture.
	Chair Fenske thanked Brenda for the follow-up information to questions from the October Financials.
	Director Howe commented that some of the expense percentages will be skewed because some of the purchases and bills are paid at the beginning of the year, such as fuel, uniforms, insurance, dues and subscriptions and audits. Those expenses will be high at the beginning of the fiscal year and will decrease each month.
	Chair Fenske said some areas of concern are marketing, meeting expense and miscellaneous funds.
	Director Howe said marketing is another item that is paid at the beginning of the fiscal year. She isn't sure about the meeting expenses.
	Brenda Higgins explained the meeting expenses were higher because of the frequency of the Route Planning Team Meetings. They met often to prepare before and during the launch of the revised routes. The Miscellaneous expenses are temporarily higher because the district purchased a bulk of concert passes that employees are repaying the district for.
	Director Howe said the Meetings expenses should remain static now that the revised routes are running smoothly.
	Chair Fenske asked what the Planning Expense is for.
	Director Howe said it is for planning costs to help develop future project ideas such as a possible transit/daycare facility in Seaside. It is also used for the money paid to Columbia County.
	There was a discussion about the potential Seaside Transit/Daycare facility. The mayor of Seaside is excited about the idea because SETD can work with a daycare facility to get money for the project that both agencies otherwise wouldn't be eligible for. Caring Options would really like to have a services offered in that area.
	Commissioner Goforth asked how the planner is paid and if he is on a contract.
	Director Howe said we have a contract with him; payment is not to go beyond $5,000 for the planner's total hours worked, paid on an hourly basis.
	Chair Fenske asked about Director Howe's' conference expense listed for SETD and the NWRC.
	Director Howe said the total expense is split and shared between the two agencies because it supplied education and information for both.
	Commissioner Bline made a motion to accept the October 2008 Financials as presented. Commissioner Gannaway seconded, all were in favor except Commissioner Gaebel who opposed. Motion Passed.
	Director Howe asked Commissioner Gaebel why she opposes the Financials in the new budget year.
	Commissioner Gaebel said she has the right to vote as she chooses and she has explained it in the past.
	Director Howe said in the past budget you opposed due to the disagreement over the $1,000 donation to Loaves and Fishes, but why now?
	Commissioner Gaebel said she is not prepared to discuss it at this time.
OLD BUSINESS :
	Update of DHS cost statement negotiations
	Director Howe said the last statement showed a $90,000 difference. She received a second statement showing a different amount of $326,000. She wrote back disagreeing, and they simply responded with a second statement for the $326,000. The only thing new in the process is the NWRC brokerage submitting its 2006-07 cost statements. DHS previously requested the brokerage cost statements dating from 1999, which SETD submitted. They are now requesting them for a second time. Director Howe declined explaining that we had already done that. She feels DHS and the district will never come to agree on a dollar amount. DHS will always discover new reasons for the district to owe them, so they won't have to pay.
	Commissioner Bline said Coastal Family Health Centers and other agencies in the county who also bill Medicaid are encountering the same issue. DHS wants to keep the money tight, so they come up with reasons. The process makes the agencies run out of money.
	Director Howe said another reason DHS has given is that they 'changed the way they want to review everything,' so you owe us more money now. She said it can't work like that. Staff has asked how to handle this when statements are received, and Director Howe said she supposes one way to do it is to exchange payments back and forth because this probably will never be resolved. The money comes out of their funds, and we are getting paid for the rides we broker, so we will just pass it back and forth.
	Commissioner Goforth asked if there was a possibility they could garnishee the money we receive for rides given by SETD.
	Director Howe said no; it has nothing to do with Sunset Empire Transportation.
	Chair Fenske asked if DHS is delinquent in a certain amount of funds, like the $90,000 coming from little bits and pieces of past issues
	Director Howe said the $90,000 has been her attempt at closing the door on any additional audits of prior years.
	Commissioner Gannaway commented we could declare the NWRC bankrupt.
	Director Howe said if the NWRC were to stop giving rides today, DHS would owe us a significant amount of money. DHS and the brokerages are in the process of converting to a new billing system that will provide a way to track information more accurately. Until the new system has been finalized, we have no way of checking past rides to see if we received payment from DHS.
	Commissioner Gaebel asked if this had anything to do with the state's IT person resigning.
	Director Howe said it does not; it is the Department of Medical Assistance Programs and the brokerages being at odds about what they could and could not have the authority to do. Also, some branches at DMAP did not like the fact that the transit industry would be taking their jobs. Also, DMAP changes the rules often about what is an allowable ride and what is not. A good example is the local mental health counseling program called Open Door. NWRC was brokering rides for approximately 25 clients until recently, when the clients decided they wanted to change the program to a peer-counseled program. The change made the rides non-eligible because the clients are not visiting a licensed medical professional. SETD met with the heads of the program to figure out a feasible way for the clients to have transportation. Most of the clients are using fixed routes now. DHS didn't think about the affect policy changes would have on the needs of the client.
	There was discussion about the DHS contract saying 'In good faith'; we don't really know if and when we will get paid for services rendered. This makes it hard for agencies to budget. Senator Betsy Johnson and John Helm are the people who we can talk with about the situation; they are aware of the issues. When the new legislative session starts, she has promised to have a meeting with Dr. Goldberg, DHS Director.
	Director Howe said the NWRC is fine for right now, but if something goes wrong and we don't receive payments for a month, we will be in trouble.
	Commissioner Gaebel said Don McDaniels is now the Governors' representative for Seniors and People with Disabilities.
	Director Howe said since John Helm is the Chair for the whole state, she'd rather go to him.
	Chair Fenske commented that she knows McDaniels has been on the committee for Seniors and People with Disabilities for a long time, and he is the representative for our region.
	Director Howe said she'd rather go to the top than to a new person, but it would be good for Representative McDaniels to sit in on the meeting with Senator Johnson.
	Commissioner Gaebel said that is one reason Representative McDaniels resigned from so many other committees. Between Veterans Affairs and Seniors and People with Disabilities, he didn't have the time.
	Commissioner Goforth said she agreed that Don McDaniels would be a good representative but should sit in on a meeting with Senator Johnson and DHS.
	Commissioner Goforth said she has some more information to add to her report about Dial-A-Ride (DAR); ridership has declined and we may need to try to increase advertising. This is something new for SETD, as DAR has not had to market itself for a long time.
	Chair Fenske said it would be good to have an updated DAR brochure to hand out in the Home Health program. She sells the service all the time because so many of their elderly do not drive. It can be hard for the clients to coordinate their errands and medical appointments.
	Director Howe said staff has done a great job of doing what they were directed to do, which is getting DAR riders to use fixed routes. The upside of this is that fixed route service is growing, but the downside is that DAR clientele has gone down. She agreed we will probably have to market DAR a little to recruit new users.
	Commissioner Goforth said she attended the OTA conference along with Lylla, and Ron. She attended a class at the conference that discussed putting advertising on the buses. Other transit agencies use this as a way to earn additional funds. She said our buses feature so much art, that she's not sure where we would have space for anything.
	Director Howe mentioned the Astoria Birthday Celebration (ABC) and how she is reserving the back of the buses the Astoria Bicentennial.
	Chair Fenske said she was recently approached by someone asking if SETD is going to be involved in the Bicentennial, and she assured them we were.
	Commissioner Gannaway asked if the Bicentennial is paying for the advertisements.
	Director Howe said they are. We are offering the space, and they will pay for the installation, but she doesn't have any formal information to share with the board at this time. She will be presenting the proposal to the board at a later date. She doesn't think we should charge them anything for the advertisements.
	Commissioner Gannaway commented this is not the Astoria Bus Company. It's just something to keep in mind, to be careful about getting too carried away with things.
	Director Howe said she realizes that, but most of the ridership comes from this end of the county, and it is reaching out to riders.
	Commissioner Gaebel said there is also Oregon's 150th year birthday.
	There was a discussion about the advertising not being permanent. Also other communities haven't approached the district about doing something similar.
	Director Howe said the ABC is a huge event that will draw lots of visitors who will be staying and eating in Seaside, Warrenton and Astoria.
	Scott Smith said by doing this other cities may take notice, and approach us to do something similar for their celebrations.
	Chair Fenske said in the past we have not let businesses advertise on the buses, so we do need to limit ourselves.
	Director Howe said this is not advertising; it is celebrating the birthday of a community.
	Chair Fenske said she thinks it's advertising.
	Commissioner Gaebel commented she thinks it's advertising.
	Chair Fenske said she thinks it's a good idea to put something on the buses for ABC, but a policy may need to be written.
	Director Howe said we do have a policy. It says SETD does not advertise anything but community based events.
	Commissioner Gannaway asked for clarification about advertising on the back of the buses; is it strictly reserved for community events whether in Knappa, Warrenton, Seaside or Astoria?
	Director Howe said that is correct.
	Commissioner Conner said it sounds like promotion of the ABC on the back of the buses fits in with our current policy. She asked if the board could continue with the rest of the meeting.
	Chair Fenske asked for an update about the order of SETD reusable shopping bags.
	Director Howe said they are ordered and will be here soon.
	Director Howe would like to add one more item to add to Old Business regarding Clatsop Community College.
	Clatsop Community College
	Sarah Dailey said that Clatsop Community College would like to have an Agreement Signing Event involving both parties and a bus. Both are working on potential ideas for the event. It would be great press for CCC and SETD.
	Commissioner Gaebel said she'd like to see us advertise more about our transit connection to Amtrak rail service in Kelso.
	Director Howe said we'd have to look into the other agencies' schedules because we don't know any of the time connections or resources are. She has a meeting with Columbia County Transit next week, so she can check with them.
NEW BUSINESS
	Priority bus stop locations
	Director Howe said the new bus stop signs the board would like to purchase will cost approximately $12,000, so that project will have to wait until she can acquire grant funds to help with the expense. She said Sarah Dailey and Roni Shaw worked hard to prepare bus stop location packets and maps for her to take to the cities as we near the installation process. While that project is on hold, Operations has identified two bus stops that need a sign installed as soon as possible because of safety issues. One is the Hamburg stop because the bus needs ample time to pull back into Marine Drive traffic and change lanes. Sometimes passengers wait in a dangerous spot, preventing the bus to do this maneuver after they board. The second location is at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. There is an old bus stop sign in a wrong location that needs removed.
	Commissioner Gaebel said the Warrenton Mini Mart is also a safety concern. Anchor Street is often blocked by trucks parked in the middle of the street and the bus cannot get around it. Bus riders have to cross in front of the parked trucks, which doesn't allow for safe visibility.
	Scott Smith said he talked to the Warrenton Police Department about the issue. The Warrenton Planning Department is looking into it; the trucks are currently parking in NO PARKING ZONES.
	Director Howe asked if one of the no parking signs can be turned into a bus stop sign.
	Scott Smith said the parking violation has to be enforced first.
	There was a discussion about having a similar issue in front of the Liberty Theater. Often times the bus cannot pull over in the designated spot because the space is a multi-purpose loading zone, and trucks block the area when unloading.
	Director Howe said these are good examples of things that need to get noticed, but sometimes you may be unaware that staff may be working on a solution.
	Commissioner Gaebel asked if we would ever get a concrete ramp installed at the Hammond 4-way shelter.
	Director Howe said we will if we can get money for it. She said a local community group such as a neighborhood association could front the funds or have one installed.
	Status of NWRC Advisory Board
	Director Howe provided a follow up to last month's board meeting discussion about the Northwest Ride Center Advisory Board's status. She explained that the NWRC Advisory Board is a group that advises Department of Medical Assistance Programs. They do inform the SETD Board of current decisions as they occur, but do not need the SETD's Board to authorize it. SETD is linked to the NWRC only in an Administrative capacity but the district does not set policy for the NWRC.
	Commissioner Mendenhall said she thinks in the NWRC Advisory Board Bylaws where it says they 'Are responsible for resolution of service issues' give them that authority.
	Commissioner Goforth said it has so often been referred to in the minutes as the NWRC Advisory Committee, when really it is a board.
	Commissioner Mendenhall said that should be changed in the bylaws; the name should include 'Board.'
	Director Howe said the DAR Advisory Committee is an 'Advisory Committee' that reports to the board, and in the near future they will be asking the board for a name change to properly reflect their role. Also if there is an issue with the NWRC Advisory Board, the SETD Board can convey that through a representative who attends the meetings. Rae Goforth attends as a DAR representative.
	Commissioner Goforth had a question regarding that. She isn't sure if she is a voting member or not.
	Director Howe said Commissioner Goforth is a voting member because she sits on the committee as a transportation provider representative.
	Chair Fenske said the clarification helps because Lylla and she were not sure about the NWRC Advisory Board's duties.
	Commissioner Gaebel explained that she is concerned with the issue because of the liability SETD as a whole could face if DHS/DMAP filed a lawsuit against the NWRC.
	Director Howe said SETD would be named, but it has no power over the NWRC making it's own decisions. If there were an issue, it wouldn't be a lawsuit but would be considered a case that would go through the established process.
	Commissioner Gaebel said they usually go for the pockets, and SETD would have some.
	Director Howe said they cannot. She has an example of a court case where that happened. She said SETD would still have to go through the appropriate processes. Since Commissioner Goforth sits on the DAR Committee as a DAR Transportation provider, she would not be risking the SETD Board to a liability.
	Commissioner Gaebel said that is what she needs to know, that they cannot hold SETD liable.
	Tongue Point Job Corp (TPJC)
	Director Howe said TPJC would like to participate in a similar agreement to the arrangement SETD has with Clatsop Community College. TPJC wants to slowly phase out their own blue bus service over time so that students are using the fixed routes. They want to start the service on December 1, 2008 as a trial until they break for Christmas Holiday. The Astoria blue bus service would continue to operate in December, but will be phased out starting January 1, 2009. January 1st, the students will be required to use SETD buses, except when our buses are not operating, such as late at night or on holidays. The agreement says that TPJC will pay SETD $2500 per quarter (500 students at $5 each). Students will use their TPJC I.D. card to show bus drivers and ride the bus. TPJC is providing 'How to Ride The Bus' training and SETD is supplying the needed materials. TPJC may be able to help get a concrete pad poured for a bus shelter to be installed; Tita Montero is checking and will keep us informed.
	SETD Booth at the Healthy Thinking Conference in Seaside
	Eric Barton presented information about the fair, at which SETD had an information table. Bus Driver Leanna Williams also helped with the booth. There were over 120 participants at the fair. He said between the two of them they brainstormed a list of ideas for future events and marketing ideas. They also had a request from Clatsop County Judge Cindee Matayas to run bus service to the Probation Department. Director Howe is in contact with her to discuss this further. He gave a brief list of marketing ideas.
	Director Howe said she put in a call to Judge Matayas for her to contact us. If they want to talk about specific needs regarding bus service, it may be an appropriate time for us to provide transport. Ken from the NWRC and Leanna, a bus driver also attended a senior health fair in Tillamook County. The outreach is really good for the district. Roni Shaw and Lori Karl provided 'How to Ride The Bus' training at a couple of locations in the county which went well too. Coming up at the next board meeting, we will be presenting a power point of all the district's accomplishments during the last 12-18 months.
	Commissioner Gaebel asked if after the board meeting the power point presentation could be put on the SETD website for anyone to view.
	Everyone agreed that was a good idea.
OTHER ITEMS
	Operations, Human Resources, and NWRC Reports
	Meeting Adjourned at 11:50 a.m.
	Sarah Dailey Recording Secretary
Approved:
	Rae Goforth
	Secretary/Treasurer
THIS MEETING IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED, AN INTERPRETER FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED MAY BE REQUESTED UNDER THE TERMS OF OS 192.630 BY CONTACTING SUNSET EMPIRE TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT AT 861-7433