Minutes - March 7, 2002

STAFF PRESENT: Mike Scanlon, David Miller, Jim Gallagher, Howard Goode, Roger Contreras, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Deanna Riding

Chair Guingona called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. and led the pledge of allegiance.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Director Guingona stated there is a request to remove Item 3.B (Financial Statements, January 2002) from the Consent Calendar. He presented Item 3.A. (Minutes of         February 7, 2002) for approval by the Board.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the minutes.

Director Galligan informed that on the item "Undesignated Funds" some amounts are already committed. He suggested noting on the report, funds that have already been appropriated as Appropriated Funds and funds that are undesignated as Undesignated Funds. He also proposed that henceforth, this kind of presentation be adopted.

Roger Contreras, Chief Financial Officer, responded the suggestion can be accommodated.

It was moved, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Financial Statements, January 2002.

PUBLIC COMMENT: There was none on matters outside of the agenda.

CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT

Ken Colmen reported:

• The CAC had a good meeting with Korve Engineering on the Caltrain station access. CAC made a lot of contributions to this project particularly in terms of availability of station access for the elderly and persons with disabilities.
• For the CAC vacant positions, eight very good applicants have been interviewed. The Committee will be interviewing two more and a decision will be made thereafter.
• For the next CAC meeting, the strategic plan will be discussed and input will be made to the Board. There is a divided interest among the CAC members in terms of whether the plan was satisfactory or not. The major concern is the intersection of Highways 92 and 35 and its safety.
• He expressed appreciation for Deanna Riding for serving the CAC.

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

Chair Guingona stated the appointment of Citizens Advisory Committee members will take place after the interview process has been concluded.

SAMTRANS LIAISON REPORT

Chair Guingona summarized the written SamTrans Liaison Report that was distributed.

Upon request of Executive Director Michael Scanlon, it was moved, seconded and approved by roll call that a Resolution of Appreciation to Deanna Riding be added to the agenda. Subsequently, the Board, by roll call passed the resolution (Resolution No. 2002-4). Chair Guingona presented the Resolution to Ms. Riding.

JOINT POWERS BOARD REPORT

Mr. Scanlon reported on the following matters presented at the Joint Powers Board meeting held earlier in the day:

• The JPB passed a Resolution of Appreciation to Ms. Deanna Riding.
• Approved the Caltrain Maintenance Facility Monitoring Committee By-Laws for the facility that would be built at Lenzen Avenue, San Jose.
• Deferred award of contract for the CTX North Construction Project for next month to resolve some issues not related to the bid. There was a very competitive bid on this project.  The lowest bid was five percent lower than the engineers’ estimate.
• Ridership and revenues continue to be down. Average weekday ridership on Caltrain is down by 9.7 percent. Total revenue was down 13 percent in January this year compared to that of last year. On-time performance remains very good at 95.5 percent. Shuttle ridership is down 22.7 percent due to unemployment. Year-to-date numbers are not as bad because ridership was very good before September 11.
• A number of contracts for specialized engineering consulting services were awarded.
• In light of the downturn in ridership and revenues, the Board approved a call for a public hearing to be held in April to consider a fare increase to take effect in July.
• A short-term service reduction is also being considered. The eliminated service will be restored when the economy recovers.
• VTA and San Francisco ridership and revenues are more seriously being hit hard by the economic downturn.
• In view of the revenue shortfall, staff is aggressively cutting the budget.
• The safety campaign remains an ongoing project (Safety Blitz and Operation Lifesaver). A joint Caltrain and SamTrans’ safety and ridership campaign will kick-off on April 6.
• An etiquette campaign on board, using humor will start.
• Service to PacBell Park will resume on March 28.

Director Panza asked if the engineering contracts previously approved by the JPB and the contracts approved by the TA are different. Mr. Scanlon responded some are the same. However, JPB being an operating agency and TA not being an operating agency, some are different.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mr. Scanlon congratulated the Board for the passage of Proposition 42. It sends the message that the public understands the benefit they will get from the proposition.

FINANCE: There was no item under this category.

PROGRAM

Howard Goode, Chief Development Officer, reported this is part of the Route 92/Highway 280/Highway 1 improvement project that was completed several years ago. The current project is the other half of the climbing lane that runs from Route 35 down to Interstate 280. Caltrans, as lead agency, has developed a project design and is conducting the environmental process to comply with the requirements of the California State Law. The environmental documents are now awaiting approval by the Federal Highways Administration. The issue of reinitiation of the EIR surfaced when a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee requested that Caltrans address the concerns of bicyclists and equestrians. Meetings were facilitated by staff between the groups. Caltrans agreed that the portion of the Route from 280 to 35 be designated as Class 2, designating it as a bike route. Staff has reviewed the records and found that these issues could be addressed in the design process that is currently under way. There are potential design approaches that would reduce safety risks. Letters were received from the residents of Half Moon Bay and a proposed answer is now with the Chair for his signature. Mr. Goode stated staff is proposing that the Board allow the project to continue without reopening the environmental process and let Caltrans address the specific concerns of bicyclists and equestrians in the development of designs.

Sirous Deylamian, Caltrans Regional Project Manager, discussed the meetings held and efforts exerted by Caltrans to comply with the requirements of the Federal Highways Waterworks Administration (FHWA), the San Francisco Public Utility Commission (SFPUC) and the GGNRA to make sure their concerns are met. The documents are presently with the FHWA for certification. After that, they will secure the concurrence of the SFPUC. Caltrans has gone through the proper public review process and they have followed every rule and regulation set by the CEQA. Regarding the issues raised by the bicyclists and equestrians, he stated they have been working with these groups. They have carefully examined the issues and have agreed on some concepts and some changes.

To the questions of Director Panza, Mr. Deylamian responded the corridor upgrade would have minimal impacts and they can all be mitigated. If a new environmental document would be initiated, Caltrans would still have the same level of documentation. In terms of environmental impact, a roundabout alternative would not be desirable. The current plan is the best scenario in terms of safety, operation, and impacts. To address various concerns, upon recommendation of the Transportation Authority and the City and County Association of Governments (C/CAG), a Task Force participated in by bicyclists, equestrians, representatives from TA, C/CAG, and the community, was formed to look at the design to satisfy the needs of all the stakeholders. The Task Force will determine the best solutions to the issues.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Dennis Coleman, Vice Mayor, Half Moon Bay, referred to the letter sent by the City Manager following up the February 7th letter of the City Mayor. The letters oppose staff’s proposal to let the bicycle and equestrian issues be addressed in the design plan. He strongly urged initiation of an EIR. He cited various concerns and invoked the provisions of the Coastal Act. He proposed solutions to the issues.

Stephen Johnson, Woodside, a firefighter, supported what Caltrans is doing to get the project going.

Rick Lohman, member of the Mid-Coast Community Council and the League of Coastside Protection, supported all the bikers in asking for alternatives.

Mike Harding, Menlo Park, requested that a resolution be passed or a proper instrument be written indicating that Caltrans has conceptually agreed to designate bicycle lanes as Class 2 in the design changes.

Pat Dixon, Redwood Shores, suggested the Board table this item for another month to have more time to evaluate and arrive at a decision that would make everybody happy.

Dani Weber, Peninsula Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition stated California law requires a CEQA process as a pre-requisite to the implementation of any plan.

Bill Goebner, Woodside, encouraged the Board members to drive at the intersection of Route 92 in the morning to see how dangerous the condition is.

Ernst Meissner, on behalf of the County Trails Plan, wanted to know who the members of the Task Force are. His concern is the safety of non-motorized traffic at the intersection of highways 280 and 35. He is doubtful that this can be handled simply by design changes.

Bob Emert, San Carlos, claimed that the plan as presented, is not in conformance with the county's general plan. It does not accommodate non-motorized traffic.

From the foregoing discussions, Director Guingona noted the following questions:

• Whether or not the EIR is still a legal document - General Counsel David Miller said the record is unclear on whether the SFPUC is requesting an EIR or would settle for a mitigated negative declaration. In any event, CEQA does allow for a mitigated negative declaration process. At the same time, under CEQA case law, courts tend to resolve any doubt in favor of preparing an EIR. It is up to Caltrans as lead agency to weigh these risks and make the final decision.
• Who are on the Task Force - Mr. Goode stated there are four representatives from the bicyclists, four from the equestrians, and one from the CAC. Mr. Scanlon added this is an outgrowth of several meetings that these groups would work together. The Task Force has no official standing.

Director Church said he would like to hear from Caltrans on the CEQA issues outlined by Attorney Miller.

Director Gordon recommended and Director Ruskin agreed that the Board take no action at this time and allow the process to unfold. He prefers to see what Caltrans can do to bring a conclusion to the controversy. He also proposed no action be taken on staff's recommendation to not open the EIR. Regarding the letter/response to the City of Half Moon Bay, he suggested revising it to address all the issues.

Director Ruskin suggested an expansion of the Task Force to include participation of the Mid-Coast Council.

Mr. Scanlon remarked what is loud and clear is that the subject intersection is extremely dangerous. He encouraged everyone to work together and come up with something that is safe and will work in terms of moving the project forward.

Director Gordon suggested that Chair Guingona and Mr. Scanlon meet with the City Mayor and the City Manager to discuss issues pointed out in their letters.

Director Panza, in preparation for the funding of these projects, requested input from the Task Force particularly from Caltrans about the modifications they are considering in the design to see if the concerns have been addressed.

It was moved, seconded and approved by roll call that consideration of this item be deferred for next month with a presentation on the conceptual designs at that time.

Director Church advised that he has no objection to the Board's trying to work out the details of this project.

STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE:

Mr. Goode advised that copies of the Strategic Plan have been distributed to the Board for their perusal. Copies likewise have been made available to the public preparatory to projected public meetings that will be conducted to get public input. The plan also presents issues and corresponding staff recommendations to resolve them. The matter will be brought back to the Board for final action.

Adjourned: 7:10 p.m.