Minutes - February 7, 2002

STAFF PRESENT: Mike Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, Howard Goode, Roger Contreras, Jim McKim, George Cameron, Martha Martinez, Deanna Riding

Chair Guingona called the meeting to order at 5:10 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Joe Galligan, Burlingame City Councilman and the new Central Cities representative to the Transportation Authority, was sworn-in by Board Secretary Riding.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the minutes of the   December 6, 2001 meeting.

Lee Panza questioned the increase in administrative costs for the past three months. Chief Financial Officer Contreras advised the year-to-date actual is less than the budgeted amount but year-end activities in Finance have caused an increase during the past couple months.

Joe Galligan noted the Statement of Revenue and Expenses is within $30 of budget for administrative costs year-to-date, which indicates the increase in expenses during the past three months must have been anticipated.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Financial Statements, November and December 2001.

Howard Goode, Chief Development Officer, stated the staff recommendation tonight is to defer this item until the March 7 Transportation Authority meeting because correspondence has been received from the City of Half Moon Bay and the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District, which needs to be discussed with Caltrans.

Pat Dixon, Redwood Shores, said she was going to ask that this item be deferred.

Dani Weber, Peninsula Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition, appreciates the delay on a decision for this project until further review since the public hasn’t had sufficient time to address the issues of concern. Ms. Weber is pleased that Caltrans is willing to design Class 2 Bike Lanes on widened sections of Route 92.

Mike Harding, C/CAG Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, noted relations between Caltrans and the cyclists have improved considerably since December. Caltrans has agreed to Class 2 Bike Lanes on Route 92, but requests that the Transportation Authority officially make this request and agrees to fund the project.

Ada Quinn, San Mateo County Horseman’s Association, stated the Association is looking for safe tread north/south access on Route 35 from Route 92. Caltrans has agreed to revise the overcrossing to accommodate non-motorized traffic.

Ernst Meisner, Menlo Park, commented the intersection at Route 35/92 is extremely important and noted the County Trails Plan, which is part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, has an overcrossing indicated but the current plan does not address the needs of the non-motorized vehicles.

Bonnie Farrell, City of Half Moon Bay, wanted to make sure the Authority had received the letter from the City Council.

Ken Fisher, Woodside, said the intersection at Routes 35/92 is very dangerous and urged the Authority move forward to create the overcrossing as soon as possible.

Carrie German, Woodside (King’s Mountain), approves of the overcrossing and believes the concerns can be resolved without slowing down the entire project. Ms. German thanked Caltrans for the prompt response to her community.

John Lee informed the public that the Authority is trying to improve Route 92 and no one should be angry. It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to defer this item to the March 7 Authority meeting.

Doris Maez, CAC Vice Chair, said the CAC is looking forward to working with the Authority and requested a meeting with the chair. The CAC strongly encourages that vacancies on the CAC be filled quickly. There was an overview of Proposition 42 and the CAC voted to support the Proposition, which failed (7 yes/3 no) because a quorum of the total membership is required for an affirmative vote. There was also a presentation on the Countywide Congestion Relief Plan.

Extensive discussion ensued on Route 92. The CAC understands the problems regarding the reopening of the EIS, which would delay the project, but strongly urges that the design process give full consideration to the safety and access of cyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians. The CAC requests that they be included in the preliminary and ongoing phases of all Authority projects to ensure that the public concerns are addressed throughout the design process.

Sub-committee chairs gave brief outlines of meetings to date and, in the future, propose that sub-committee chairs report (one or two at a time) at the Transportation Authority meeting. The CAC would like to see follow-up to the joint CAC meeting of last fall, as well as more joint meetings.

Chair Guingona advised that CAC applications for the three vacancies will be reviewed and interviews held, and he also would personally work with SamTrans to set up another joint meeting.

Ira Ruskin was appointed to represent the Authority on the C/CAG Congestion Management Air Quality Committee (CMAQ), as an ex-officio member.

It was moved, seconded (Church/Panza) and unanimously approved to elect Mike Guingona as chair for calendar year 2002.

It was moved, seconded (Gordon/Lee) and unanimously approved to elect Mark Church as vice-chair for calendar year 2002.

The SamTrans Report was distributed and there were no questions or comments.

Mike Scanlon, Executive Director, reported on the past two JPB meetings, as follows:

• Amended the Codified Tariff to allow for free transportation for sworn-in peace officers on Caltrain.
• Several contracts were awarded: 1) Printing of Timetables; 2) Fare Study to be done on Caltrain; 3) Major cycle cleaning of railcars; 4) Manufacture and delivery of six new locomotives; and 5) Enter into an agreement with San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for supplemental law enforcement and related communications services to upgrade law enforcement along the right of way.
• Mike Nevin and John McLemore were elected chair and vice chair, respectively, for 2002.
• Weekday ridership in November decreased by 5.8 percent, revenue is down by 7 percent, and on-time performance is 92 percent. New Year’s special trains carried a total of 2,600 passengers.
• SamTrans improved bus connections with Caltrain in Palo Alto and Redwood City.
• Caltrain participated in the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program, which was very enjoyable and collected 4,400 toys.
• Updated the Board on the CTX projects and the decision to shutdown the railroad on weekends for up to two years and the replacement bus service.
• Ridership was down in December by 8 percent and revenue down by 10 percent. Shuttle ridership was down 22 percent, which is a result of the layoffs in high tech campuses along the Caltrain right of way. On-time performance was 95.7 percent, the highest ever achieved.
• Most Caltrain projects are exempt from the EPA non-compliance ruling for the Bay Area.
• It has been confirmed that Caltrain uses low-sulfur tax-exempt diesel fuel.
• Martin Luther King Freedom Train was successful and carried 1,500 passengers, a record number.
• Chuck Harvey has been appointed Chief Operating Officer with John Ficarra’s retirement effective February 1.
• The Caltrain Maintenance Facility Task Force received the "City of San Jose Good Neighbor Award".
• Quarterly Project Status Report was presented by Liz Wiecha, Director of Project Management.
• Chief Engineer Darrell Maxey presented the Quarterly Electrification Report, which highlighted the findings of the Peer Review Committee.

Ed Stewart, Legislative Analyst, reviewed Proposition 42, a Constitutional Amendment, on the March 5 Statewide Ballot. Mr. Stewart advised that Proposition 42 won’t affect the price of gasoline or the revenues currently received by any local jurisdiction. It will ensure the existing State sales tax on gasoline will continue to be used for transportation purposes.

It was moved, seconded (Lee/Galligan) and approved (6/1 Gordon voting no) to endorse Proposition 42.

It was moved, seconded (Gordon/Ruskin) and unanimously approved to adopt the meeting calendar for 2002. The only change is in July when the Authority will meet on Thursday,     July 11.

Howard Goode reported Authority highway projects would not be affected by the EPA non-compliance ruling if it were a short funding lapse. But a long lapse in funding will impact the Route 101, Ralston to Marsh Road and the Third to Millbrae Avenue auxiliary lanes projects.

Lee Panza asked if contractors working on current projects have been kept apprised of the EPA ruling and the possibility of non-payment. Howard Goode confirmed that wouldn’t happen.

AWARD OF CONTRACTS FOR SPECIALIZED ENGINEERS

Howard Goode referred to a separate report from George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, with detailed attachments on the Authority consultant selection process and the particulars regarding rates. Ira Ruskin thanked staff for including the information, as requested at the previous meeting.

Howard Goode informed Lee Panza the guidelines state that contracts are awarded based on qualifications, then the cost structure is analyzed to make sure it is consistent with current practices and, if it is excessive, there is negotiation to achieve what is the appropriate cost structure. For each work directive, man-hours are determined and, if excessive, the consultant doesn’t do the work. Invoices are reviewed very carefully and contracts may be terminated if unsatisfactory. Lee Panza stated his concern that there is only one consultant selected for certain categories.

George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, advised general engineering consultants are also hired, which provide the option to either give the task to a general engineering consultant or a specialty consultant. Also, along with negotiation of man-hours, the fee structure on a particular task is negotiated. The fees noted are the maximum fees the contract allows. There are controls and due diligence in administering the contracts.

It was moved, seconded (Lee/Ruskin) and unanimously approved by roll call to award the following on-call specialized engineering and professional consulting services contracts and authorize the Executive Director to execute the contracts, as well as the option periods of up to three one-year terms, if in the best interest of the Authority:

*Estimated maximum total amount of all contracts in that category.

It was moved, seconded (Panza/Lee) and unanimously adopted by roll call to ratify the filing of an application and an allocation request in the amount of $1,000,000 to the California Transportation Commission to receive funding under the Governor’s Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP) for the preliminary engineering phase of the following Caltrain grade separation projects: 1) Poplar Avenue in San Mateo; 2) 25^th Avenue in San Mateo; and 3) Linden Avenue in South San Francisco.

Roger Contreras, Chief Financial Officer, pointed out this is the first time an Annual Comprehensive Financial Report has been prepared for the Transportation Authority. Also, this is the second year in a row that the auditor’s management letter had no comments. Roger Contreras introduced Carol Lawson, Dina Stewart, and Angustia Pacumia, who are responsible for producing the excellent report. Roger Contreras advised the goal for the next fiscal year is to present the Report at the December Transportation Authority meeting. Roger Contreras introduced Jim Shelton, who is responsible for producing the Annual Operating and Capital Budget FY 2002 Report, which was distributed to Board Members in November.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to receive the two reports.

Rich Napier, C/CAG Executive Director, and Walter Martone, County Planner, provided details on the development of a Countywide Congestion Relief Program to address level of service violations on roadway segments throughout San Mateo County for the next four years. The cities and the County will be assessed to fund the Program, and funding requests will be made of SamTrans, the Transportation Authority, and State and Federal grants.

Walter Martone reported on the individual proposed programs, as follows:

• Expand the Countywide Employer-Based Shuttle Program.

• Create a network of Local Transportation Services.

• Expand the Provision of Countywide Transportation Demand Management Programs.

• Create a Countywide "Try Transit" Campaign.

• Develop a Countywide Intelligent Transportation Study (ITS) and Plan.

• Develop a Countywide Ramp Metering Study and Plan for Route 101 Corridor.

• Expansion of the Transit-Oriented Development Program.

Walter Martone stated to make the Program work over the next four years, it is hoped that the Transportation Authority will continue its matching funds for the employer-based shuttle programs, as well as supporting the ITS and the extensive ramp-metering studies to leverage State and Federal funds. SamTrans and the Transportation Authority will be requested to provide $1,000,000 for the local service category, which would be matched with funds from the local jurisdictions. The C/CAG Board will take action on the Program at its February 14 meeting. The Program would begin July 1, 2002.

Howard Goode advised this Program would bring additional resources to transportation with targeted programs. The Transportation Authority currently provides support through the Caltrain shuttles and the recommendation would be that the extent of further Transportation Authority participation be part of the annual budget process in May for approval in June.

Lee Panza, who is on the C/CAG Board, noted this is a valuable Program and will be less expensive on a Countywide basis. Although it is consistent with the types of projects in the Expenditure Plan, Lee Panza questioned which category in the Updated Strategic Plan could be used to fund the Program.

Mike Scanlon said the shuttles are a legitimate expenditure in the Caltrain line item of the Expenditure Plan. Mike Scanlon thanked Rich Napier for changing the name to the Countywide Congestion Relief Program.

Rich Napier clarified that the $1,300,000 Local Service is an optional program for cities that want to put away funds for local service, such as the Redwood Shores Taxi Program. Redwood City could apply for matching funds from this program.

Howard Goode noted staff intended to bring the Updated Strategic Plan at this time, but sales tax projections in the Plan are too optimistic and are being adjusted. The Plan will be brought to the Authority in March, which would provide the context to look at these expenditures and projects in the various categories.

Lee Panza questioned where the ITS and ramp-metering studies fit into the Expenditure Plan? Howard Goode said both studies are associated with the Route 101 Auxiliary Lanes Project. David Miller, Legal Counsel, said he agrees in concept but would have to evaluate the details of the allocation before making a determination.

The meeting adjourned into closed session at 6:45 p.m. to follow up on real estate negotiations for the San Bruno Lumber property. The meeting convened into open session at 7 p.m.

It was moved, seconded (Lee/Ruskin) and unanimously approved by roll call to authorize acquisition of property at 101 San Bruno Avenue in San Bruno in the amount of $4,450,000, plus ancillary costs associated with facilitating the transaction of up to $100,000. This action also authorizes an amendment to the FY 2002 Capital Budget.

The next meeting of the Transportation Authority will be held on March 7 at 5 p.m. at       1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos.

The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.