News
GTA Board Minutes
PTBA MEETING MINUTES
7 P.M. Thursday
July 19, 2007
P.O. Box 10, Ephrata WA 98823/ Phone 754-1075 FAX 754-1170
Board Members Present: Staff Members Present:
Mayor Kathy Bohnet John Escure, Transit Mgr/Finance Officer
Commissioner Cindy Carter Brandy Heston, Administrative Assistant/Clerk of the Board
Councilwoman JoAnn Rushton Michael Wyman, Legal Council
Councilman Mark Wanke Board Members Absent:
Councilman Troy Ritter Councilman Philip Isaak
Councilman Manuel Guerrero
Mayor Roldan Capetillo
Councilman Dick Deane
Citizen Attendance: Please see attached attendance list.
The meeting of the Grant Transit Authority Board of Directors was called to order by Chair Mayor Bohnet at 7:05 p.m. Roll call was taken by Clerk of the Board, Brandy Heston, 5 Board Members present, 4 Board Members absent.
· Board minutes approved
Councilman Wanke made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 21, 2007 meeting of the GTA Board of Directors. Councilman Ritter seconded the motion, motion unanimously carried.
· Public Comments
NONE
· Managers Report
John Escure, Transit Manager, commented that the drivers at People For People will be voting on Monday to decide whether or not to unionize. The NLRB will supervise the vote.
John noted that he had been working hard and accomplished meeting the June 30th and July 15th deadlines for all open Grants. The Washington State Department of Transportation has indicated that Grant Transit Authority’s asset management plan needs to be updated. The original deadline for this update is July 30th, however there has been word out that they are extending this deadline to September 30th, which is after the Washington State Transportation Conference.
Grant Transit Authority did receive delivery of the 19 passenger paratransit vehicle, we are just waiting for the bike rack to come in prior to putting it into service. The four new Gilligs are also waiting for bike racks and will be put into service as soon as they are installed.
Councilman Guerrero entered the meeting at 7:08 pm.
Gillig has informed the Grant Transit Authority that there is a stipulation which effects the warranty of the buses. Since Washington uses the de-icer spray on the roadways, Grant Transit Authority will be required to regularly wash the underside of the buses to prevent corrosion and maintain good warranty standings with Gillig. John and Dan have already discussed the possibility of going after Sales Tax Equity funds or grant funding for the purchase of two lifts as well as a concrete pad for the lifts, so the buses can be lifted off the ground to wash the underside.
Grant Transit Authority has hired a new employee, Christina Ovenell. She will be a great asset to the Grant Transit Authority.
Mr. Escure, Finance Officer, presented the Treasurer’s Report, which showed total expenditures for June at $1,302,732.48. Check number 4904 is the only check out of the ordinary, this is for the purchase of the four new Gillig Coaches. The FTA electronically transferred the funds for these buses into the account, so Mr. Escure had to cut a check removing the money from the general account and putting it into the County Investment account. John noted that he gave presentations on the cameras that were installed on all Grant Transit Authority vehicles at the WSTIP meeting as well as at the Safety and Security Conference. Councilman Guerrero made a motion to accept the Treasurers Report and to approve vouchers 4877-4904 in the amount of $1,302,732.48. Councilman Ritter seconded the motion, motion unanimously carried.
Contract Provider Report-People For People
Dan Morrissey, People For People, stated that ridership took its first small dip since the implementation of the new routes in September, 2005. People For People had an employee picnic and was enjoyed by many of the employees. They will be having another picnic at the end of the summer with more supervisors present.
There was one passenger event since the last board meeting. The driver left the stop prior to the passenger being seated, and the passenger dislocated her kneecap. Brandy met with the insurance claims adjuster this afternoon. The injured passenger is pregnant which means that she cannot have and MRI or surgery on her knee until after the baby is born in October.
John Escure, Transit Manager, noted that the Board of Directors will need to go into Executive Session after item 9-b on the agenda for not more than 30 minutes.
Unfinished Business
· Site Purchase Negotiations Update
The phase I environmental study has been complete and phase II should be complete by next week.
· Salary Survey/Administration Plan
John included an outline of what needs to be considered when developing a Salary Administration Plan. He will work with the 5 year planning committee to fine tune the plan prior to sending it to the Board in its entirety.
· Wilson Creek Service, Vehicle Update
When Grant Transit Authority decided to use a van to serve the Wilson Creek run, it was decided that this would be reviewed after a period of time. The van has been a huge hit, not only is it more economical, but the passengers love it.
New Business
· Security Plan
John explained how important it is for Grant Transit Authority to get a security plan in place. He received a disc which will allow Grant Transit Authority to conduct a self analysis. GTA needs to work with the emergency center in Grant County. Sam Lorenz is the emergency preparedness coordinator for Grant County.
· Purchasing Policy Update
The FTA is requiring the WSDOT to beef up their supervision of the transit systems. They would like to see specific verbiage in policies. The only Grant Transit Authority policy that needs to be amended is the purchasing policy, it needs to have a section that outlines protest and appeal procedures. Brandy has typed this and it is before the Board tonight, however John noted that he would like Michael Wyman, legal council, to review it prior to voting on it.
Councilman Wanke made a motion to adjourn into executive session to discuss real estate negotiations for not more than 30 minutes. Councilman Ritter seconded the motion, motion unanimously carried. Meeting was adjourned at 7:30 for executive session.
Meeting called back to order by Board Chair Mayor Bohnet at 7:45 pm. Councilwoman Rushton made a motion to authorize GTA Staff to draft a letter of intent to ASPI. Commissioner Carter seconded the motion, motion unanimously carried.
· Other
The five year planning committee, consisting of Councilman Ritter, Councilman Isaak, Councilman Wanke, and Mayor Bohnet set a meeting which will take place on August 6th in the Grant Transit Authority Conference room at 5:30 pm.
The next scheduled meeting of the Grant Transit Authority Board of Directors will be held at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, September 20, 2007.
Councilman Ritter made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Wanke seconded the motion, motion unanimously carried. The Grant Transit Authority Board Meeting was adjourned at 7:50 pm.
Attested:
Brandy J. Heston
Board Secretary
I certify that this is a true copy of the accepted GTA meeting minutes.
__________________________________
Board Member
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