MEMBERS PRESENT: José Cisneros, Don Gage, Arthur Lloyd, John McLemore (arrived at 10:10 a.m.), Michael Nevin, Ken Yeager

MEMBERS ABSENT Jim Hartnett, Sophie Maxwell

MTC LIAISON PRESENT: Sue Lempert

STAFF PRESENT:  George Cameron, Cheryl Cavitt, Robert Doty, Rita Haskin,Gigi Harrington, Chuck Harvey, Jennifer Hardie, Ian McAvoy, Martha Martinez, David Miller, Michael Scanlon, Mark Simon

Chair Nevin called the meeting to order at 10:08 a.m. and Director Yeager led the Pledge of Allegiance.

PUBLIC COMMENT

None.

CONSENT CALENDAR

The Board unanimously approved the following items under the Consent Calendar:

a)      Approval of Minutes of  July 7, 2005

b)      Authorization to Execute an Amendment to the Contract with Transportation Technology, Inc. for a Total Cost of $348,160 for the Acquisition and Installation of Three Additional Locomotive Separate Head-End Power Units and One Spare Unit

The motion to approve the Consent Calendar was unanimously approved.  

Chairperson’s Report

Chair Nevin said his thoughts are with all those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Due to the disaster, gas prices will continue to be a major concern.

MTC Liaison Report (Sue LEMPERT)

·        The Dumbarton Rail project is moving along well. Menlo Park received a station area planning grant to start planning a transit village.

·        MTC is currently auditing the Bay Bridge project. MTC will continue to monitor progress on the bridge.

REPORT OF THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)                       

Brian Wilfley, chair of the JPB CAC, reported on the July 20 meeting:

·        The CAC endorsed, unanimously, the ban of any vending on-board trains.

·        After a presentation by Howard Goode on the Regional Rail Study, the CAC did not take any action with regard to the high speed rail alignment. 

Director Gage requested that the high speed rail alignment issue be brought back to the CAC for a vote at its next meeting.

The motion to have the CAC take a position on the alignment was unanimously approved.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Michael Scanlon, Executive Director, reported:

·        Performance Statistics for June 2005

a)      Average Weekday Ridership was up 8.6 percent, from 29,132 riders to 31,642.

b)      Total Ridership was up 13.7 percent from 745,924 riders to 848,426.

c)      Total Revenue was up 16.1 percent from $1.8 million to $2.1 million.

d)      On-Time Performance was down .5 percent from 97 percent to 96.5 percent.

e)      Shuttle Ridership was up 7.3 percent from 4,239 riders to 4,548.

·        Performance Statistics for July 2005

a)      Average Weekday Ridership was up 6.3 percent, from 30,330 riders to 32,238.

b)      Total Ridership was up 4.6 percent from 803,513 riders to 840,077.

c)      Total Revenue was up 22.8 percent from $1.9 million to $2.4 million.

d)      On-Time Performance was down 1.5 percent from 96.3 percent to 94.8 percent.

e)      Shuttle Ridership was up 1.7 percent from 3,901 riders to 3,967.

·        On July 1, a 17.5 percent fare increase was implemented. Despite the increase, ridership was up 4.6 percent.

·        Robert Doty, Director of Rail Transportation, said the rollout of the revamped schedule on August 1 went very well. However, due to the number of persons needing assistance, people boarding with bicycles and the sheer volume of passengers, a slightly modified version of the schedule will begin operation on October 10 to reduce delays. The new timetable takes into consideration longer boarding times at some stations along with some other necessary issues needing refinement. 

Director McLemore asked what steps will be taken before the October 10 schedule change.

Mr. Scanlon said the public will be notified and new timetables will be published and distributed.

Director McLemore asked if the curve around the maintenance area in Santa Clara added any time to the schedule.

Mr. Doty said that curve is a relatively minor issue. Mr. Doty said staff is looking at adding more boarding platforms in the station so there is more flexibility where trains come in and out. Because of the shared tracks, the schedule is very tight.

Director Lloyd asked if there will be different door dwell times for different stations.

Mr. Doty replied that the dwell times vary based on boarding by passengers and different stations have different dwell times, especially if there are transfers with other modes of transit.

In response to Director Lloyd’s question, Mr. Doty said Union Pacific had rights to Track 1 between Santa Clara and San Jose. Mr. Doty said staff is hoping to increase storage track and increase boarding platforms to attempt to reduce platform time.

Margaret Okuzumi, representing BayRail Alliance, asked how much ACE’s scheduling troubles have impacted Caltrain and congestion.

Mr. Scanlon said that the problems lie in the uncertainty of when the ACE trains will arrive. Because of the lack of reliability, the shared track gets very congested.

Chair Nevin asked if July is historically a weak month for ridership.

Mr. Scanlon replied that July is better than August but is still not a high ridership month.  

Mr. Scanlon’s report continued:

·        The shuttle service at Broadway is going well with an average of 118 passengers per day. The Atherton station is carrying an average of 21 riders per day.

·        Diesel fuel prices continue to rise and are currently running over budget. Staff is continuing to monitor and most likely will come back to the Board for a budget amendment.

·        Due to the recent bombings in London, our safety staff has been operating on an elevated alert level.

·        The Walk and Roll promotion, where 45 commuters are tracking their steps while walking to their train station and work, will have its closing event on September 15. Walkers will announce how many steps they have taken in the last five weeks.

·        A commute savings calculator is now available on the Caltrain website. The calculator will compute the savings of choosing transit over driving a personal vehicle.

·        Caltrain was awarded first place in the APTA Ad-Wheels competition for the Weekend Edition promotional brochure.

·        Service to SBC Park continues to be high with approximately 3,900 riders per game in July. There has been little resistance to the alcohol ban on board evening trains after 9 p.m.

·        The Fourth of July Fireworks Special in San Francisco carried approximately 2,400 riders.

·        Over the three-day San Jose Grand Prix event, there were more than 4,000 additional riders.

·        On August 12 and 13, more than 8,000 people rode Caltrain to concerts held at SBC Park.

·        The Sunday schedule will operate on Labor Day.

·        The first Spare the Air day was on July 26.

·        The monthly Safety and Security Report was distributed.

Director McLemore acknowledged legal counsel for their recent recognition. Mr. Scanlon said David Miller and Doug Barton were honored as two of the top lawyers in Northern California.

Mr. Scanlon, in response to a question from Ms. Lempert, said the Atherton and Broadway shuttle ridership reports are being submitted to the cities for review.

Ms. Lempert asked if the Menlo Park station ridership has increased since the suspension of service to the Atherton station.

Mr. Scanlon said that staff suspects many riders are driving to adjacent stations. However, the numbers cannot be isolated that specifically. He said that staff will continue to promote the shuttle service offered during peak periods at the Atherton station.

In response to Ms. Lempert’s question of whether diesel fuel prices will hasten the path to electrification, Mr. Scanlon said staff is moving forward with the electrification project regardless of fuel prices. Even with electrification, Mr. Scanlon said diesel or hybrid locomotives still may be operated on some stretches of the line. Mr. Scanlon said a letter regarding hybrid locomotive use from Joe Pirzynski, VTA Chair, was included in the Reading File.

Doug DeLong asked how much growth in ridership Caltrain can accommodate. He asked at what point additional rolling stock would be needed.  

Mr. Scanlon said staff has already had several meetings to address the rolling stock issue. There is a possibility of trading in the gallery cars for low-floor bombardier-type cars.

Information on Statement of Revenue & Expenses for June and

July 2005

Gigi Harrington, Chief Financial Officer, said the Finance Division engages in many activities following the end of the fiscal year on June 30 to close out the old fiscal year and to set up the new fiscal year. The demands of these activities require a longer time to produce a complete

June 30 year-end Statement of Revenues and Expenses than allowed by the normal board meeting cycle. Consequently, staff will present a “preliminary to the audit” Statement of Revenue and Expense for June and July 2005, at the October meeting of the Board of Directors.

Award of Contract to Parking Company of America Management, LLC for Providing Contracted Shuttle Bus Service

Cheryl Cavitt, Director of Contracts and Procurement, said Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) recommends that the Board award a contract to Parking Company of America Management, LLC (PCA) of Downey, California,  for providing contracted shuttle bus service for a three-year term at an estimated annual cost of $3,044,652; authorize the Executive Director to execute a contract with PCA in full conformity with the terms and conditions set forth in the contract documents; and authorize the Executive Director to exercise up to two additional one-year option terms with PCA, at rates to be negotiated, if in the best interest of the JPB.

Ms. Cavitt said award of a contract to PCA will assure the continuance of a fully qualified contracted shuttle bus operator to support the JPB’s commuter shuttle program that provides transportation for train patrons between stations and work centers throughout the JPB’s service.

Chair Nevin asked if the companies were close in their bids.

Ms. Cavitt responded that it was very competitive with bids very close.

The motion to award contract to Parking Company of America Management was unanimously approved, by roll call, and Resolution 2005-40 was adopted.

Award of Bridge Seismic Retrofit and Deck Replacement Project to Shimmick Construction Company

Ms. Cavitt said Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) recommends that the Board award the subject contract to the lowest, responsive and responsible bidder, Shimmick Construction Company of Hayward, for $3,379,117; and authorize the Executive Director or his designee to execute a contract in full conformity with the terms and conditions of the solicitation documents.

The recommended award calls for Shimmick Construction to construct structural seismic improvements at four railroad bridges located at the Taylor Street, Park Avenue, Willow Avenue and Bird Avenue underpasses in San Jose; install crash beams at four bridges located at the Poplar Avenue, Santa Inez Avenue, Monte Diablo Avenue and Tilton Avenue underpasses in the City of San Mateo; and replace two bridge decks with concrete and steel structure spans at Redwood Creek and Permanente Creek in San Mateo County.  A storm drain culvert near the Bayshore station, under active tracks, also will be replaced.  Construction is anticipated to begin in October 2005, with completion anticipated in July 2006.

Director Yeager thanked staff for the retrofit work on the bridges in Santa Clara County. Director Yeager asked if there were other bridges need seismic retrofit work.

Mr. McAvoy said Caltrain has an aggressive multi-year bridge program. By the end of the decade, most of the bridges are expected to be retrofitted.

The motion to award the contract to Shimmick Construction Company was approved unanimously, by roll call, and Resolution 2005-41 was adopted.

Approval of findings supporting utilization of design-build contracting process pursuant to ab 958 for san bruno/south linden grade separation project

Ian McAvoy, Chief Development Officer, said Staff Coordinating Council  (SCC) recommends that pursuant to AB 958 the Board approve the findings that utilizing a Design-Build (DB) contracting process over the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) contracting process for the San Bruno/South Linden Grade Separation Project will provide design features not achievable through the DBB contracting process.

The San Bruno/South Linden Grade Separation Project will address safety concerns by eliminating several at-grade vehicular and pedestrian crossings in the cities of San Bruno and South San Francisco. The project involves elevating the existing railroad tracks on embankments and bridges through approximately two miles of the Caltrain rail corridor, and constructing roadway underpasses beneath the railroad tracks for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.  The early design stage construction contract cost estimate for this project is between $80 and $100 million.  The term of the contract is anticipated to be 30 months.

The city of San Bruno has expressed concerns regarding contractor work hours, maintenance of vehicular traffic and noise that may result from this project.  Staff believes that utilizing a Design Build approach will best meet the concerns of staff and the City.  The Design Build (DB) contracting approach provides the agency the flexibility to balance technical factors, such as work sequencing plans and noise mitigation, with cost factors when recommending award. 

The motion to approve the findings supporting utilization the design-build contract process was approved unanimously, by roll call, and Resolution 2005-42 was adopted.

quarterly capital project status and electrification report

Mr. McAvoy highlighted the Caltrain Maintenance Facility (CEMOF) project and the Bridge Rehabilitation Program.  He also reported on the Atherton, Broadway, Burlingame and California Avenue Interim Outboard Platform projects. Mr. McAvoy also updated the Board on the electrification of the right-of-way.

Director McLemore asked that staff consider the two public power sources in Santa Clara County when seeking a supplier for electrification.

Mr. McAvoy said the electrification project is just in the preliminary outreach stage. However, staff will contact the powers sources in Palo Alto and Santa Clara as the project moves forward.

Vaughn Wolffe, Pleasanton, said the fluctuating oil prices have a constant impact on the operating costs of Caltrain. Therefore, Caltrain should electrify as soon as possible. He suggested considering electrifying only two tracks rather than all four.

CORRESPONDENCE

Previously distributed.

BOARD MEMBER REQUESTS

Director McLemore asked that everyone do everything they can for relief efforts of those affected by Hurricane Katrina and said he was being trained by the Red Cross to be sent to the area as a relief worker.

REPORT OF LEGAL COUNSEL

David Miller said there have been some developments with three separate lawsuits brought to filed in the Superior Court in San Francisco challenging the adequacy of the environmental document of the Transbay Terminal/Downtown Extension project. The JPB, as a member agency of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, has tendered defense, which has been readily accepted and the Transbay Joint Powers Authority JPB has been very capably represented.

In the last two months, two of the cases have resulted in victories for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority. The first was a suit filed by the South Beach SOMA Coalition, which challenged the adequacy of the environmental document as it related to the bus storage area south of Market Street. The trial court found that the environmental document was accurate for adequate as to those parties concerned. Since that time, Caltrain the parties have has entered into a settlement agreement with South Beach SOMA Coalition and they  SOMA has waived its have waived their right to appeal.

More recently, on August 16, the judge dismissed the lawsuit by a neighborhood group called the Friends of Second Street over which challenged the adequacy of the environmental review document.

With regard to the third suit, filed by the 80 Natoma developers, the judge found that the environmental document is was not adequate insofar as it related to the consideration of the that property near the Transbay Terminal. There are also settlement discussions underway that are connected to the eminent domain accusation action that was filed. Mr. Miller said he will update the Board as more information is available.

DATE/TIME OF NEXT MEETING

Thursday, October 10, 2005, Council Chambers at City Hall, 7351 Rosanna Street, Gilroy, California 95020

ADJOURNED

Meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m.