MEMBERS PRESENT: John McLemore (Chair), Michael Burns, Jose´ Cisneros, Don Gage, Jim Hartnett, Sophie Maxwell (arrived 10:36 a.m.), Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Ken Yeager

MEMBERS ABSENT: None

MTC LIASON: Sue Lempert

STAFF PRESENT: George Cameron, Cheryl Cavitt, Bob Doty, Rita Haskin, Jennifer Hardie, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, David Miller, Michael Scanlon, Mark Simon

Chair McLemore called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. and led the pledge of allegiance.

PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED CHANGE IN FARE MEDIA

Chair McLemore opened the public hearing by having Rita Haskin, chief communications officer, give a brief background of this hearing.

Ms. Haskin said that at its regular board meeting in October, the board of directors set today's public hearing to receive testimony on the proposed codified tariff changes effective December 21. The Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) recommended the elimination of the Peninsula Pass, the introduction of the San Francisco Municipal Railway sticker, and administrative revisions to the tariff to bring it into conformance with all current Caltrain fare practices.

Chair McLemore asked Jennifer Hardie, board secretary, to review the steps taken to inform the public of the issues involved.

Ms. Hardie said advertisements for the public hearing appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, San Mateo County Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle on October 12 and October 20; and in El Nuevo Mundo on October 15 and October 22. The public hearing notice announced the date, time, and subject of the hearing. The public hearing also was publicized through the JPB's printed agendas, Take Ones on trains, station flyers, and information placed on the Caltrain website. In addition, a news release was circulated to local media.

Chair McLemore asked if any correspondence had been received from the public to incorporate into the record.

Ms. Hardie said that one letter was received from the City of Atherton. The letter was included in the board reading file.

Chair McLemore called for public testimony on the proposal as outlined.

Jeff Carter, Burlingame, endorsed the program. However, he said he would appreciate consideration of free transfers between Muni and Caltrain with a monthly pass of two or more zones, as is the practice with SamTrans and Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).

Chair McLemore asked legal counsel to give a brief summary and description of the action required at this time.

David Miller, legal counsel, said all legal requirements were satisfied. A copy of the resolution amending the codified tariff was included within the agenda packet.

The motion to close the public hearing was unanimously approved.

Director Gage said he understands the financial state that San Francisco is in and he appreciates this step in the right direction. However, he agrees with the speaker regarding free transfers between Caltrain and Muni with a monthly pass of two or more zones.

The motion to approve the proposed change in fare media was unanimously approved and Resolution 2004-37 was adopted.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Theresa Cook, San Bruno, said that she will continue to serve on the committee for the grade separation in San Bruno.

Jeff Carter, Burlingame, is looking forward to the Trains for Tots this year. He asked that the schedule for the Friday after Thanksgiving be more than a Saturday schedule because there are a lot of people who ride the train that day.

Ed DeLanoy, San Carlos, thanked Director Nevin for his leadership in the passage of Measure A. For Caltrain, it offers important county, as well as regional, benefits. He also urged the board to adopt a policy of predictable scheduling for the guidance of operating management. Both BART and VTA have such policies. A predictable scheduling policy promotes habitual ridership in connecting travel with BART and VTA.

Patrick Rylee, Hollister, said he decided to move from Millbrae to Hollister because of the reliability of Caltrain. However, due to delays and testing on the tracks he has frequently missed his connections. He said that when asking the conductors why there is a delay, they don't know and it is frustrating for the riders onboard.

Michael Scanlon, Executive Director, asked Mr. Rylee to speak with Bob Doty, Director of Rail Transportation, and Ray Commer, General Manager of Amtrak.

Jim Bigelow, representing the Redwood City and San Mateo County Chambers of Commerce, thanked Sue Lempert, Onnolee Trapp, Michael Nevin, Howard Goode and all others involved with the passage of Measure A. He said that the measure will allow for more partnership money to help make the train and the Strategic Plan move forward.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Director Gage requested, and the board agreed, to move agenda item 10, Approval of the Go Pass Pilot Program for 2005, to the consent calendar.

The Board unanimously approved the following items by motion:

1. Adoption of Minutes of October 7, 2004
2. Statement of Revenue & Expenses, September 2004
3. Approval of 2005 Board Meeting Calendar
4. Approval of CEMOF Oversight Committee Bylaws Amendment
5. Approval of Go Pass Pilot Program for 2005

CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT

Chair McLemore reported:

• Congratulated all for the passage of Measure A with such a high percentage of the vote.
• The Centralized Equipment Maintenance and Operations Facility (CEMOF) groundbreaking will be on Monday, November 8 at 10 a.m. in San Jose. Director Nevin will be the Master of Ceremonies.
• The Operations Committee will reconvene. He will be asking some board members to serve on the committee.
• The Millbrae train museum was dedicated October 23. It is located in the former Millbrae Caltrain depot. The museum is operated by the Millbrae Historical Society and is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
• The fall 2004 Model Train Show and Open House will be November 6 and 7 at the Santa Clara train depot.

MTC LIAISON REPORT (SUE LEMPERT)

• Measure A was a great victory from a regional perspective. In terms of future regional MTC projects, having an identified source of funding is crucial. The passage of Measure A was important for the short and long terms for public transit and highways.
• Measure AA, BART Seismic Safety Bond, also passed. With the funds from this measure and funds from Regional Measure 2, this project will not require significant funds from other transportation sources.

REPORT OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

No report this month.

Director Burns said that he respects and values the input of the CAC. However, he is getting a sense that there is a lack of open discussions at the CAC meetings. He asked if JPB staff could work with the CAC and report back to the board. He said the CAC should have been communicating to the board about Measure A and he did not see that.

Mr. Scanlon said that, in regard to Measure A, the CAC chair misrepresented the CAC by saying that there was not support for the measure by the committee. The chair was unwilling to let Measure A come up for discussion so that members could indicate their support of the measure. He said that because of this, it does underscore the need to work closely with the CAC to ensure that there isn't any bullying, especially by someone in the capacity of chair.

Director Nevin said that there was also influence on the SamTrans CAC by the JPB CAC so that, the SamTrans CAC decided not to take a vote on Measure A. However, because the board urged the SamTrans CAC to take a vote on the measure, they met one week before Election Day. The vote was 10-1 in favor of the measure.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Michael J. Scanlon:

• For the fourth consecutive month, revenue and ridership have been up since last year.

Key Caltrain Performance Statistics for September:
1. Total ridership went from 691,370 to 808,049 riders, a 16.9 percent increase.
2. Average weekday ridership went from 28,001 to 31,220 riders, an 11.5 percent increase.
3. Total revenue went from $1.72 million to $1.97 million, a 14.9 percent increase.
4. On-time Performance went from 92.3 percent to 97.6 percent.
5. Shuttle ridership went from 4,018 riders to 4,157 riders, a 5.7 percent increase.
• The Monthly Safety and Security Report was distributed. There were two fatalities on October 28. The first was at 5:50 a.m. at Linden Avenue in South San Francisco. The other was at 9:45 p.m. in Redwood City near milepost 26. Investigations are underway and indications are that both are suicides. There have been seven fatalities this year.
• There was a successful emergency operations drill on October 6. Twelve different transportation agencies participated under MTC.
• In October the first 50 additional spots in the Mountain View overflow parking lot became available for customers. An additional 70 spots will become available sometime this month.
• Pending VTA board's final action, the reconstruction of the Palo Alto Caltrain station will begin. Because the ticket agent will no longer be at the station, an additional TVM will be installed.
• The Palo Alto Bicycle station will be closed temporarily. There will be 50 additional bike lockers available in the interim.
• A modified holiday service schedule will be operating on Thanksgiving. A modified weekend schedule will operate the Friday after Thanksgiving.
• Trains for Tots will run on December 4 and 5. The train will make stops along the Peninsula and, in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps, will be collecting toys for tots.
• A comprehensive passenger count and survey has been completed to provide input since the Baby Bullet began six months ago. Recommendations will be brought to the board in December.
• Measure A was overwhelmingly approved with 75 percent approval. San Mateo County will be able to continue its investment in Caltrain capital, operations and grade separations.
• The inaugural issue of the Whistle Stop magazine was provided to each board member. The magazine focuses on having people use the transit system and patronize all the businesses along the system.

REJECTION OF ALL BIDS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BICYCLE STATION

Cheryl Cavitt, Director of Contracts & Procurement, said that Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) recommends that the board reject the three bids received in response to the JPB's Invitation for Bids (IFB) for the construction of a Caltrain bicycle station in San Francisco at 4th and King Streets.

The total bid prices submitted for this IFB exceed the JPB's independent cost estimate and project budget by a substantial amount. In accordance with JPB procurement policy, which permits rejection of all bids if deemed to be in the best interest of the JPB, staff recommends that all bids be rejected.

Director Burns asked what funding was available for this project.

Ian McAvoy, Chief Development Officer, said that many grants have been received for this project. Staff has continued to receive pledges for funds as the project scope has changed. The funding is still good and there is an opportunity to take another look at the project.

Chair McLemore asked if there was a chance the money may be lost over the next 6 months.

Mr. McAvoy said that there is always a chance of losing the money in the long term. However, the objective is to have a project that the JPB can afford to build and that will benefit all parties. If the project does not move along, the money may revert back to another use.

Mr. Scanlon said there are two concerns with this project: the capital cost of the building and the ongoing operations. Staff has been working closely with San Francisco on this project. The price on this contract got out of control.

Richard Mlynarik, San Francisco, said that this is a very important project. Bike parking has been a big problem in the city. He urged the board to reject the bids received but to come back with something that can be built. He also urged staff to look at what can be done at 22nd Street.

Margaret Okuzumi, Sunnyvale, said that she hopes that staff will revise the scope of work and solicit new bids because this is a very important project.

Chair McLemore asked if there has been contact with the bicycle community in San Francisco.

Mark Simon, Special Assistant to the CEO, said he has been working with them. There is another meeting scheduled later this week to begin putting together an operating plan and operating sources. If another facility is designed, it won't be built until there is an operating plan and the funding sources have been identified. He said that there are interim things that can be done, short of building a new facility, which would meet the needs that have been identified.

The motion to reject all bids for the bicycle station was approved unanimously.

QUARTERLY CAPITAL PROGRAM STATUS AND ELECTRIFICATION REPORT (JULY - SEPTEMBER 2004)

Ian McAvoy, Chief Development Officer, said that improvements have been made, and will continue to be made, to the report by using traffic light reporting format. The report lists the scope, schedule, progress and budget of each project.

Director Nevin asked why seismic retrofit of system bridges would not be included with bridge rehabilitation.

Mr. McAvoy said that it is all one major program. However, specific funds were identified for seismic retrofit so the projects were split. Initial engineer assessments have been done on some of the bridges and there is potential to move forward with rehabilitation and replacing some of the bridges with funding from the State.

Dan Klitzing, San Jose, said that the Baby Bullet passing moves have been inefficient, especially at the Bayshore station. The extension of the third and fourth main tracks from Brisbane to South San Francisco and, ideally, San Bruno would sharply reduce, if not eliminate, the delay caused to local and limited trains, which are passed by Baby Bullet on the north end of the line. This extension, with the appropriate scheduling, would also help insolate the Baby Bullet trains from minor delays on the trains which they are to pass. He asked if the San Bruno grade separation and South San Francisco Linden Avenue projects include additional main tracks that are needed. In future rehabilitation projects, he said consideration should be taken to leave room for additional main tracks.

Mr. Scanlon said that the passing zones are much shorter than what is desired. He asked Mr. Klitzing to speak to Bob Doty, Director of Rail Transportation.

Chair McLemore complimented staff for the design of the report.

Director Lloyd asked what the status is with the Burlingame station project.

Mr. McAvoy said that staff has continued to work with the city and there are still some concerns. However, both the Burlingame station and Broadway station projects are scheduled for construction next year.

CORRESPONDENCE

Previously distributed.

DATE/TIME OF NEXT MEETING

Thursday, December 2, 2004, 10 a.m. at San Francisco City Hall, Room 416, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, California 94102

REPORT OF LEGAL COUNSEL

Closed Session Item - Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation
Government Code Section 54956.9(a) Lawson vs. Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board et al

David Miller, Legal Counsel, said that there is a matter of pending litigation as listed on the agenda.

The public meeting adjourned at 11:02 a.m. for closed session. The public meeting reconvened at 11:15 a.m.

Mr. Miller said that the board met in closed session, as permitted by the Brown Act, to discuss a matter of pending litigation in which the JPB is a party. Based upon a report from counsel and staff, the board has authorized counsel to proceed to effectuate a settlement agreement contingent upon the participation by the Altamont Commuter Express Joint Powers Board. At a future date, once the settlement is executed, there will be an update to the board.

ADJOURNED

Meeting adjourned at 11:25 a.m.