ITEM 5 September 7, 2017 PRTC Regular Meeting Res. No. 17-07- MOTION: SECOND: RE: APPROVE MINUTES JULY 6, 2017 ACTION: WHEREAS, on July 6, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission ( PRTC or the Commission ) convened their regular meeting at the PRTC Transit Center, located at 14700 Potomac Mills Road, Woodbridge, Virginia; and WHEREAS, PRTC conducted business in accordance with a published agenda dated July 6, 2017. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission does hereby approve the minutes of July 6, 2017. Votes: Ayes: Nays: Abstain: Absent from Vote: Alternate Present Not Voting: Absent from Meeting:
POTOMAC AND RAPPAHANNOCK TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION 14700 POTOMAC MILLS RD WOODBRIDGE, VA 22192 PRTCTRANSIT.ORG MINUTES PRTC Commission Meeting July 6, 2017 Members Present *Ruth Anderson *George Barker *John Jenkins, Immediate Past Chairman *Matt Kelly, At-Large Member *Jeanine Lawson *Paul Milde, Treasurer *Frank Principi, Chairman *Jeanette Rishell, Vice Chairman *Pamela Sebesky, Secretary *Bob Thomas *Paul Trampe Members Absent Richard Anderson Maureen Caddigan Jackson Miller Jennifer Mitchell Marty Nohe Gary Skinner Alternates Present *Norm Catterton *Margaret Franklin *Steve Pittard Alternates Absent Hilda Barg Pete Burrus Pete Candland Hector Cendejas Todd Horsley Lorraine Lasch Wendy Maurer Tim McLaughlin Suhas Naddoni David Ross Jurisdiction (arrived @ 7:10 p.m.)** Virginia Senate City of Fredericksburg Stafford County (arrived @ 7:05 p.m.)** City of Manassas Park City of Manassas Stafford County Spotsylvania County Virginia House of Delegates Virginia House of Delegates Department of Rail & Public Transportation Spotsylvania County Department of Rail & Public Transportation Department of Rail & Public Transportation City of Manassas Park Department of Rail & Public Transportation Stafford County Spotsylvania County City of Manassas Park Spotsylvania County 1
Laura Sellers Donald Shuemaker Billy Withers Mark Wolfe Stafford County City of Manassas Park City of Fredericksburg City of Manassas ------------------------------------------- *Voting Member **Delineates arrival/departure following the commencement of the PRTC Board Meeting. Notation of the exact arrival/departure time is included in the body of the minutes. Staff and General Public Gina Altis PRTC Doug Allen VRE Nelson Cross First Transit James Davenport Rob Dickerson PRTC Legal Counsel Joyce Embrey PRTC Corey Hill Kimley-Horn JR Hipple SIR Todd Johnson First Transit Doris Lookabill PRTC Bob Leibbrandt Betsy Massie PRTC Perrin Palistrant PRTC Cynthia Porter-Johnson PRTC Christine Rodrigo PRTC Rhiannon Roszell First Transit Chuck Steigerwald PRTC Chairman Principi called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and Roll Call followed. Approval of the Agenda 4 [RES 17-07-01] Commissioner Kelly moved, with a second by Commissioner Thomas, to approve the agenda, as amended. There was no discussion on the motion. (KELLY/THOMAS, UNANIMOUS) Approval of the Minutes of the June 1, 2017 PRTC Board Meeting 5 [RES 17-07-02] Commissioner Kelly moved, with a second by Commissioner Rishell, to approve the minutes, as presented. There was no discussion on the motion. [KELLY/RISHELL; WITH MAJORITY VOTE, THOMAS ABSTAINED] Citizens Time - 6 No citizens came forward. Approval of the Consent Agenda 7 [RES 17-07-03] Commissioner Kelly moved, with a second by Commissioner Sebesky, to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented. [KELLY/SEBESKY, UNANIMOUS] Acceptance of the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Monthly Jurisdictional Financial Report for the Period Ended April 30, 2017 [RES 17-07-04] Approve FY18 Schedule and Bus Stop Display Production Task Orders [RES 17-07-05] Authorization to Budget and Appropriate City of Manassas Park Motor Fuels Tax Funds for Various FY2018 Transportation Projects [RES 17-07-06] Authorization to Budget and Appropriate City of Manassas Park Motor Fuels Tax Funds for the Denver Drive Culvert Improvements Project [RES 17-07-07] Authorization to Execute a Western Maintenance Facility Deed of Easement [RES 17-07-08] 2
PRTC Executive Director s Time 8 Dr. Schneider briefed the Board on the following item(s) of interest: A Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) Workshop and a CTB Action Meeting will be held on July 18 and July 19, respectively (Dr. Schneider will attend both meetings). The two meetings will address issues that are directly tied to the capital funding and capital cliff, which PRTC will monitor closely as DRPT is working closely with NVTC over the WMATA issues as well as funding and as things emerge, there may be other opportunities for additional capital funding for PRTC. PRTC implemented a fare increase on July 3 rd and commended staff on a smooth and seamless operation noting that PRTC paid close to attention to the impact on ridership and saw no discernable differentiation between ridership pre-fare increase and post-fare increase nor did the traditional ridership dip occur. A service change also occurred on July 3 rd where additional service was added to the Telegraph Road Dale City commuter Lot and Gainesville riders received mid-day access as the Manassas trip was extended to serve the Cushing Road/Limestone Drive area along with new expanded bus service on the Prince William Direct and more service in the Woodbridge communities. The service change impacted PRTC s entire service area. There were few complaints with positive feedback received overall. Staff will continue to monitor ridership over the coming weeks. PRTC was awarded first place in the Truck Category at the Dale City Fourth of July Parade. [Commissioners Paul Milde and Ruth Anderson arrived at 7:05 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. during Item 8 and following Item 8, respectively] Virginia Railway Express Chief Executive Officer s Time 9 Mr. Allen briefed the Board on the following item(s) of interest: A VRE northbound train fatally struck a person last Wednesday on the Bull Run Bridge in a remote area between Clifton and Manassas Park. First responders from Fairfax City and Manassas Park arrived quickly on the scene. The railroad shut down south of the Burke Centre VRE train station, and the train was held in place for five hours as a result of the ongoing investigation. Nine passengers were on board the train, and the crew was very professional in caring for the passengers. VRE ensured passengers had a ride to their final destination when the train was released back to the Broad Run VRE station. PRTC and the Fairfax Connector were able to get buses to the Burke Centre station before the trains started to arrive. Mr. Allen expressed appreciation to the First Responders, PRTC (in particular PRTC s Director of Operations and Operations Planning Perrin Palistrant), and the Fairfax Connector. Ridership for the month of May is 19,000 and On-Time Performance is 93 percent. The VRE Operations Board met on June 16 th at City Hall in Fredericksburg followed by VRE s 25 th Anniversary celebration held at the Fredericksburg Station. 3
VRE will host a series of pop-up events at various VRE stations. Discussion at one such pop event will be to discuss parking lot safety at the Broad Run VRE station on July 12. Mark Schofield joined VRE on July 5 th as its new Chief Financial Officer. The state has successfully obtained funding to install a fourth track, along with CSXT, at the Crystal City VRE Station. A point of action will be presented to the VRE Operations Board at its October meeting. Authorization to Submit a VRE Project to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for Funding Using the Outside the Beltway Concessionaire Payment 9-B [RES 17-07-09] Commissioner Kelly moved, with a second by Commissioner Thomas, to authorize the VRE Chief Executive Officer to submit, on behalf of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, the VRE Manassas Line Capacity Expansion and Real-Time Traveler Information Project to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for consideration to recommend to the Commonwealth Transportation Board regarding the use of the projected $500 million I-66 Outside the Beltway Concessionaire Payment, make any necessary corrections to the project amounts or descriptions in the application, and execute all project funding agreements that may result from consideration of the projects. Commissioner Lawson noted that since the funds will compete with each other for transportation projects, she will represent s interests and will abstain on the vote. Chairman Principi recommended that going forward an extra effort be made to coordinate with the different agencies in advance if/when such funds become available. Commissioner Barker commented that the lack of coordination between agencies wasn t intentional as it was sprung on everybody within a short period of time. At the Commission s June meeting, PRTC didn t have a list of projects to consider and authorized the Chairman and the Executive Director to come up with a list of projects to submit in order to meet the submission of projects deadline. Commissioner Pittard asked if PRTC submitted a list of projects. Dr. Schneider responded yes and noted that PRTC s project list includes the Western Maintenance Facility, bus funding in which DRPT has provided 68 percent and PRTC is looking for the other portion of the match, on board security cameras on the OmniRide bus fleet, and benches/shelters in the Manassas corridor. There was no further discussion on the motion. (KELLY/THOMAS; WITH MAJORITY VOTE, LASWSON ABSTAINED) Strategic Plan Process Review 10 Mr. Chuck Steigerwald noted that the Commission will be asked this evening to authorize the Executive Director to commence the Public Participation Process for the proposed Strategic Plan Recommendations that consist of: 4
1) An informational hub on the PRTC website that will contain all of the documents that the study effort has put together to date. 2) A series of pop-up events within the community providing information about the Strategic Plan and giving an opportunity for direct feedback. 3) Messaging, but not only messaging by PRTC, as PRTC will rely on many of the same partners that it has used in previous efforts i.e. surveys that PRTC has conducted as well as outreach to the business community. 4) Target the second week in September to hold Public Hearings and present the results at the Commission s October meeting. Mr. Steigerwald went on to note that Phase I (funding strategies) is complete, Phase II (strategic recommendations) is the subject of discussion at this evening s meeting, and Phase III (feet on the ground) consisting of what PRTC s bus service will look like over the next six years in terms of the Transit Development Plan (TDP), and the Six-Year Transportation Management Plan. Mr. Steigerwald also announced that PRTC is in receipt of a grant from VDRPT to conduct and complete the two studies in the next fiscal year. Next, Mr. Corey Hill (Kimley-Horn) introduced Mr. JR Hipple, Southeastern Institute of Research (SIR), and gave a presentation/briefed the Commission on PRTC s Strategic Plan Phase II: Project Update. Following a lengthy discussion, Chairman Principi noted that the Commission will be asked this evening to adopt a resolution to direct the Executive Director to move forward with making the proposed Strategic Plan Recommendations public and to keep the Commission informed of staffs findings at subsequent meetings. Chairman Principi went on to ask what the Commission s next step will be with regard to Phase II. Dr. Schneider noted that public feedback gathered from the Public Hearings to be held in September will be presented to the Commission at its October meeting along with any additional information, any necessary adjustments to the recommendations, and the recommendations/final plan presented to the Commission for adoption. Continuing, Chairman Principi asked if PRTC should expand the definition of public to include PRTC s counterpart agencies in the immediate area i.e. Stafford and Fairfax, as it may be a worthwhile effort for PRTC to engage in dialogue with other agencies about the Strategic Plan as to whether or not they have had such a plan before, to ask what lessons were learned, and determine if there are synergies for PRTC to work together with Stafford, Fairfax or other agencies within the region. There were no objections. With regard to sending the PRTC Strategic Plan to agencies within the region, Commissioner Jenkins stressed the importance of the agencies being well versed so that they understand what s going on. Chairman Principi expressed appreciation to the Commissioners who served on the PRTC Steering Committee, staff, and the consultant team. 5
PRTC Action Items 11 Authorization for the PRTC Executive Director to Commence the Public Participation Process for Proposed Strategic Plan Recommendations 11-A [RES 17-07-10] Commissioner Thomas moved, with a second by Commissioner Barker, to authorize the Executive Director to commence the Public Participation Process for the proposed Strategic Plan Recommendations. There was no discussion on the motion. (THOMAS/BARKER, UNANIMOUS) Authorization for the PRTC Executive Director to Accept Grant Funding from the Potomac Health Foundation for Mobility on Demand Feasibility Study 11-B [RES 17-07-11] Commissioner Kelly moved, with a second by Commissioner Rishell, to authorize the Executive Director to accept grant funding from the Potomac Health Foundation for a Mobility on Demand Feasibility Study. There was no discussion on the motion. (KELLY/RISHELL, UNANIMOUS) Chairman s Comments 12 In going forward with the PRTC Strategic Plan Recommendations and as PRTC is transformed, Chairman Principi asked if there are any objections for the Commission to consider rebranding PRTC. Currently, PRTC is known by different names i.e. OmniRide, OmniLink, and OmniMatch and recommended staff return to the Commission, at the right time, with an outline of a plan, recommendations, and timeline. Chairman Principi also noted that Mr. Hipple will present recommendations to the Commission at its September meeting on how to approach the rebranding of PRTC. There were no objections. Commissioner Ruth Anderson noted that rebranding PRTC is a great idea as it will align with new innovations and suggested it be added to the Strategic Plan. Dr. Schneider noted that rebranding PRTC is alluded to in the Strategic Plan in terms of the transit element, ease of access of information, and attracting riders and went on to note that rebranding PRTC is a key focus area in which major recommendations, approach on how to move forward with rebranding PRTC, and to make the rebranding of PRTC relevantly simple for staff and easy for riders will be presented to the Commission at its September meeting. Chairman Principi asked how the rebranding of PRTC will work. It varies, Mr. Hipple noted, as sometimes products and services lead the way and sometimes communications helps to lead the way to products and services. Mr. Hipple went on to note that discussions that have occurred with employers and the feedback from the 725 people who participated in the on-line survey indicates that people are interested in hearing more from PRTC. The Commission may want to consider leading the way with communications rather than waiting for everything to be in place as the Commission can be aspirational as to what it wants PRTC to be and what people want PRTC to be as people have indicated that they want PRTC to lead, which as part of the renewal of PRTC is its role to become a transit leader in the area. 6
Chairman Principi noted that Dr. Schneider will present his 100-day plan at the Commission s September meeting, which will be brought to the Commission for implementation (along with the Strategic Plan) at the Commission s October meeting. Other Business/Commissioners Time 13 Chairman Principi announced that the PRTC Executive Board will meet on September 7 th at 6:00PM to review Dr. Schneider s 100-day plan. Commissioner Kelly announced that Commissioner Milde (Chairman, Stafford Board of County Supervisors) will take over as the Chairman of FAMPO at its next meeting and Commissioner Nohe (NVTA Chairman) will attend the meeting to talk about transportation authorities. Commissioner Kelly went on to note that FAMPO and GWRC will prepare a focused legislative agenda that will include specific issues/legislation, and the state delegation is invited to attend a meeting prior to the start of work on the legislative agenda and to return afterward to explain why they did or did not move forward on the specific issues included in the legislative agenda as well as to encourage the state delegation to take a more active role. Commissioner Pittard reminded the Commission that in the past PRTC has had a successful relationship with the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo), and the Virginia Municipal League (VML) and encouraged PRTC to reach out to these two groups as both agencies have a lot of influence with the General Assembly. Commissioner Ruth Anderson noted that the largest Homeowner s Association in her district received a letter from PRTC about new bus service, the opportunity to meet with PRTC staff, and commended staff on this great idea. Commissioner Franklin noted that she rides the PRTC bus service two to three times a week and expressed appreciation to Dr. Schneider, who quickly addressed some concerns that she had. Commissioner Jenkins recognized Commissioner Catterton for his role in the Dale City Fourth of July Parade as he was responsible for lining up 147 units from start to finish. Commissioner Jenkins noted that approximately 8,000 participants/spectators were at the parade, which was a great success and expressed appreciation to Commissioner Catterton for his community effort. Adjournment 14 There being no further business to come before the Commission, Chairman Principi adjourned the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Information Items There were no comments. NEXT MEETING: LOCATION: September 7, 2017, 7:00 p.m. PRTC Transit Center 14700 Potomac Mills Road, 2 nd Floor Woodbridge, VA 22192-6811 7