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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTBMinutes_2010_08_17S:\Cityhall\Bonnie\Citizen Advisory Boards\Transportation\TBMinutes_2010_08_17.doc 1 Transportation Board Brookings, South Dakota August 17, 2010 OFFICIAL MINUTES The Brookings Transportation Board was called to order by Chairperson Terrell Spence on Tuesday, August 17, 2010, at 2:00 PM in the City Hall Meeting Room. Members present were Art Conners, Roger DeGroot, Jared Ellefson, Michael Forgy, Rob Jones, Teresa McKnight, Jerry Raabe, Deanna Santema, Jeff Weldon, and Spence. Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Dean Kattelmann, and Robb Rasmussen were absent. Also present were Mike Mulaney – BATA, Tom Aulner and Tammy Mishra - Brookings Taxi, Don Boone, Volunteer Services Bank, Shawn Enfield and Randy Peterson – Boji Cab, Jim Weiss representing Dean Kattelmann, and Community Development Director Mike Struck. Item #2 – (Forgy/McKnight Motion to approve the minutes from the June 15, 2010, meeting. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #3 – (DeGroot/Forgy) Motion to approve the agenda. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #4 – Provider Updates – • BATA – Mike Mulaney – Mulaney explained that BATA has changed their operating hours so as not to compete with Brookings Taxi Cab. They now operate from 5:00 AM to 6:00 PM. They are working with Boji Cab to secure a handicapped accessible vehicle for them. They are looking forward to working with the SDSU students when they return to Brookings. They have been told of the possibility of funding for a new building. Mulaney added that Brenda Schweitzer is serving on the South Dakota Dept. of Transportation’s Technical Research Panel for a study titled, “Costs and Benefits of Public Transit in South Dakota. They will do a one year transit study that could have a huge impact on the community. • Brookings Taxi – Tom Aulner said they are still operating from 6:00 PM until 2:30 PM seven days a week. He added that they can not stay in business without a city subsidy. • Volunteer Service Bank (VSB) – Don Boone – Boone said they have been very busy with cancer patients. He has 70 volunteer drivers that receive 40 cents per mile to drive. He said most passengers are elderly and can’t drive during treatment. Boone explained their present funding. City Manager Jeff Weldon asked Boone how many of his clients are going to S:\Cityhall\Bonnie\Citizen Advisory Boards\Transportation\TBMinutes_2010_08_17.doc 2 Sioux Falls for services that could be provided in Brookings. Boone said he did not know a number, but Brookings does not provide any radiation treatment. They do provide certain chemotherapy services but not all of them. • Boji Taxi – Shawn Enfield said their summer has been slow. He is still running his same hours. They are looking forward to the SDSU students returning to Brookings. He added that he has been operating in Brookings since February 2010. Item #5 – Project Updates – Community Development Director presented an update on the projects currently underway in Brookings. • 6th Street Signals – Signals are installed at 6th Street and 32nd Avenue and on the I-29 off-ramps. They started operation on August 10th. They are timed with the other signals on 6th Street. However, it may take some time to get them all coordinated. • Orchard Drive/22nd Avenue – This is a SD Department of Transportation project. The southeast island will be removed and a new pole installed with mast arms. Completion date is January 15, 2011. The biggest delay is getting the poles which can take 10 – 12 weeks. • 34th Avenue from 6th Street to Prince Drive – Work has begun in this area. The project is funded with Brookings’ allocation of federal funds, and the local SDDOT is administering the project. Project completion date is hoped to be this construction season. The new street will be curb and gutter with asphalt pavement. • Bike Trail Project – Rounds Construction is working on the Bike Trail. They are presently working on the grading at the south end, the retaining wall, and the boardwalk. The bike trail will end at the SD Newspaper Association building on 32nd Avenue. It is hoped that this portion of the bike trail will be completed this construction season. • The Brookings Area Master Transportation Plan – The kick-off meeting is scheduled for August 25th with a Study Advisory Team. • The present railroad project was briefly mentioned. This is a Canadian Pacific Railroad project. They are working on the railroad crossing at 22nd Avenue and will work west through the city. • Way-Finding Signage Project – The Engineering intern is presently working of this project. There was nothing new to report. Item #6 – Feedback from the City Council – Weldon reported that he has had little feedback from the City Council. He said they do get the meeting minutes and may sometimes give him a call with a question. Weldon felt that this was a positive sign and the Board should keep working as they have been. S:\Cityhall\Bonnie\Citizen Advisory Boards\Transportation\TBMinutes_2010_08_17.doc 3 Item #7 – Spence reminded the Board that their only power was to recommend an opinion to the City Council. Weldon said he had already made his recommendations to the City Council and they are presently having budget hearings. Weldon said that BATA had requested $80,000, Brookings Taxi requested $75,000, SDSU Safe Ride requested $5,000, and Volunteer Service Bank requested $5,000. Weldon said he recommended to the City Council that BATA receive $65,000 and SDSU Safe Ride receive $5,000. (Forgy/ DeGroot) Motion to support the City Manager’s funding recommendation. McKnight said she felt that the City should fund the $5,000 for the Volunteer Service Bank. Connor agreed. Weldon said the City is deterring the dependency on subsidies. They will not do long term, guaranteed funding. Spence added that the United Way has taken on more organizations over the years, but they must be cutting back too. Weldon said funding may be less, but they still include the program. Spence agreed with McKnight and Connor. DeGroot asked Weldon what he used for determining the amount to fund or not fund. Weldon said he looked at the services that are provided to the citizens. He said VSB wasn’t recommended because the City does not want to fund social service issues. He said the application asked for guidelines. Weldon said the City will not allocate funds for operating expenses for a private business. The business must fail or succeed on its own merit. He added that years ago, the City subsidized a taxi service and got into trouble doing so. Therefore, the decision was made not to fund any private businesses. Connor questioned whether the VSB was considered a social agency or a transportation agency. Spence felt it was a county issue. Santema added that the county provided office space for the VSB. Boone added that the county had provided office for the VSB since 1992, and they would not be able to operate without it. Tom Aulner said he was told by the person that he purchased the taxi business from that he would receive a city subsidy. He added that it would be very hard to continue his business without one. Weldon told Aulner that he should have checked with the City before the purchase was made to be sure that information was correct. Weldon added that BATA was here first and is a Federal and local public transportation system. Boji Cab and Brookings Taxi are private businesses. Tammy Mishra told the Board that the biggest concern for the taxi owner is drinking and driving. She said of their 100 customers/night on weekends, most of them have been drinking and don’t want to drive. She felt the taxi service was helping Brookings by transporting the drinking driver. She said the taxi service also gives rides to the elderly for $4. They will also walk them to the door and help them in if necessary. Jones suggested the taxi service work with the bar owners to see if they would be able to help them financially for their S:\Cityhall\Bonnie\Citizen Advisory Boards\Transportation\TBMinutes_2010_08_17.doc 4 service to their patrons. Mishra said the bars already have the taxi phone numbers and use them. She also said that weekend visitors to Brookings need transportation. Mishra said that if Brookings Taxi could just receive an insurance subsidy, that would help immensely. Aulner said they pay $500/month for three vehicles for insurance. Spence asked Shawn Enfield if Boji Cab received a subsidy in any of the towns where they operate. Enfield said he had never seen it before. He felt it was the responsibility of the business owner. Weldon added that the City Council will not subsidize a private business. It must survive on it own merits. (McKnight/Connor) Amendment to the original motion to include the $5,000 request from the Volunteer Service Bank in the City Manager’s recommendation to the City Council. Connor, Ellefson, Jones, McKnight, Raabe, and Spence voted yes. DeGroot, Forgy, Santema, and Weldon voted no. AMENDMENT CARRIED. The original motion to support the City Manager’s recommendation to the City Council was voted on. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Mulaney said that many agencies in the state are working together much better than before. He added that Sanford and Avera in Sioux Falls are working to make appointment times coordinate better for those frequently going to Sioux Falls so all can go together at one time. Item #8 – Board Priority Assessment – Spence asked for discussion as he felt the Board now had more knowledge about the transportation issues and may want to clarify their priorities. Santema said many ideas and discussions have begun with this Board and then moved on and were carried out by a city department such as the Safe Routes to School. Forgy said the earlier priority of fixed routes was high on the list. But as the Board knows more about that, it may not be a priority now. Spence said the priority list will be refined in October. Jim Weiss said there will be a Town Hall Meeting September regarding the parking study done at SDSU. The new parking plan will be unveiled. The public will be invited. Information will be coming regarding the date. The Board is invited to attend. The meeting was adjourned. ____________________________ __________________________ Diane M. Spencer, Secretary Terrell Spence, Chairperson