Caltrain > Projects > CEMOF > CEMOF Minutes

CALTRAIN CENTRALIZED EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS FACILITY MONITORING COMMITTEE October 25, 2006 Minutes Members Present: Michael Blackman, Kay Gutknecht (arrived at 6:15 p.m.), Art Lloyd, Michael Riepe, Michael Smith Members Absent: Cindy Chavez, Ken Yeager Staff Present: Joe Siino, Jonah Weinberg, Nancy Wood Attendees: Jeff Collins, Megan Doyle (District 6), Jonathan Noble (Cindy Chavez’s Office), Scott Soper (College Park Resident), Ben Tripousis (City of San Jose) Chair Michael Riepe called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. APPROVAL OF ORDER OF BUSINESS Order of business was approved by motion (Lloyd/Blackman). APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes from the July 26 meeting were approved by motion (Smith/Blackman). PUBLIC COMMENT There was no public comment. STAFF REPORT Nancy Wood gave out the 2007 meeting dates – Jan. 24, April 25, July 25, Oct. 24. Jonah Weinberg stated that the next CEMOF newsletter should be in the mail within the week. CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT Chair Riepe brought up the issue of the membership roster. Ken Yeager’s position with the County Supervisors starts Dec. 12. Ben Tripousis said that most likely there will not be a council member in District 6 until March. Chair Riepe said that the council member doesn’t have to be from District 6. We will need replacements for VTA, City Council and College Park. Wood said that she needed a letter from the College Park Association with the person who is succeeding Blackman. Chair Riepe said that no one in the Arena is interested and there is no association. Weinberg said we should get a formal letter from the City that says there is no Arena Association and the committee can appoint who they want for that area or eliminate that position on the committee if there is no association to represent. Jonathan Nobles said the city appointment won’t happen until Jan. Michael Smith asked if this committee is on a list of committees that needs appointments by the new Mayor. It was confirmed that yes it is. COMMITTEE REPORT Blackman acknowledged Caltrain’s safety efforts. He asked if there is any action being done for the CEMOF area and making it pedestrian free. Weinberg said there will be no trespassing signs up. Blackman also stated that there is a homeless encampment at Emory/Stockton that needs to be cleaned up. Police say it is railroad property, but it is actually UP property. Megan Doyle passed out the signed MOU to committee members. Kay Gutknecht concerned about the Shared Objectives not being with the signed MOU. Doyle said the CEMOF records/public documents are not in the library and that the original files are unavailable since the library moved. Gutknecht assumes the documents that will be in the library are the MOU and the addendum and map of the projectand asked that they all be made available on line instead of a hard copy. OLD BUSINESS Weinberg reviewed the information the JPB received from Hanson Bridgett regarding alternates. Doyle also said that the San Jose attorney agrees with Hanson Bridgett. Nobles and Doyle said that at the meeting when the new appointments are made by the City for the CEMOF committee maybe they can get the alternates appointed at the same time. Gutknecht hopes the new appointments will be active and participate in the meetings since the facility is approaching the time of operation. Chair Riepe suggested that the Bylaws by rewritten with regards to alternates or do we wait and see what VTA and the City Council do. Blackman said to wait and see who is appointed before changes are made. Weinberg said it is a long process to do this minor change, but it should be done before the final draft is sent for approval by the City and JPB. Smith motioned to revise the Bylaws to incorporate that VTA and City Council appoint their alternates like the JPB does. All five committee members voted in favor of this. Smith will make change and forward to Megan for Jonathan to put on Council agenda. Hope to get on the Dec. 5 agenda. Joe Siino gave a Powerpoint presentation on the project. Lloyd asked if the whole consist would be in the train washer at one time. Chair Riepe asked how much noise the train washer makes. Lloyd said the train washers are not loud. Siino said the trains will be driven in washer on own power. Gutknecht asked about electrical car movers to wash. Siino said every train has to go through the washer to get out of the yard. The S&I pits are done, but no tracks yet. There will be a 30,000 gallon storage tank at the water treatment area. Over the next 3-4 weeks will be starting the community wall at Lenzen Ave. Chair Riepe would like this presentation on line. Weinberg will PDF and put on line. Siino noted that substantial completion should by done by March 31, 2007. By Feb. 28, 2007 the Central Control Facility will be substantially completed. The intent is to move into this facility in June 2007. Goal is to have total completion by May 31, 2007, but that could be moved out a couple of months to July. Will begin construction in June 2007 with completion in October 2007. Jeff Collins asked exactly when all operations will begin. Siino said phase-in will take 3-6 months. Michelle Bouchard will discuss at next meeting. CTC will not shutdown. Will run 4 systems at same time during testing/transition; 2 at old area and 2 at new location. Fuel storage close to final design. Scott Soper questioned the screeching that has been occurring since Oct. 10. Smith would like to know if there will a tour? Weinberg said in the future it will be arranged. It is a hard hat zone and a safety issue. Gutknecht wants to have the operation meeting and then go on tour. Doyle announced that the JPB meeting will be in San Jose next week and then they will be going on a tour. Siino reviewed lubricator/greaser – installed Aug. 10. Gutknecht discussed curvature of tracks and noise has been a real disappointment. Weinberg said it is designed for 20 mph, not when UP goes through at 5 mph, which is when the noise occurs. Gutknecht did acknowledge it is not Caltrain trains making the screeching. Weinberg said JPB paid and gave UP the greaser to install. Scott Soper lives by The Alameda and clearly hears a lot of screeching and at the last College Park Association meeting this was clearly an issue. He e-mailed to the Caltrain Website and received a response that the oiler will be installed and turned on sometime. Gutknecht tracked the noise and the intensity has been lower than before. She feels the greaser has helped, but not perfect. Gutknecht feels that more work on the tracks need to be done. Weinberg said that UP has no regulation on sound and when work can be done. They own the 2 tracks and we can not touch them. Caltrain built to UP guidelines. Siino said he was shocked that UP even installed the greaser, but we gave it to them and helped install. Question was raised as to how often the greaser is maintained? Siino said approximately every 3-4 weeks it is refilled. Weinberg said that since it is new rail over time it will wear down and the noise will go down. It was noted that the City and JPB can not do anything. Tripousis said there is no option with UP. Chair Riepe said there are weekly conference calls between Caltrain and UP. Gutknecht is concerned that the greaser was installed where it was convenient and not where the problem is. Siino said the greaser spreads for 1 mile. Soper asked if grinding the rails was an option. Gutknecht asked Soper if noise is the same as it was before. Gutknecht asked Soper to monitor noise. Soper said he is going to use airport noise control to monitor the screeching. Gutknecht said we should speak to our local Congress person who can work with the Federal Railroad Authorities or UP. Gutknecht also noted that the noise is escalating at the maintenance yard. Siino said Caltrain is not allowed within 25 feel of the UP rails. Siino will follow-up regarding the maintenance and test with paper at greaser and at curve. Tripousis suggested that this issue be brought up at the next JPB so that it can be taken up to the next level at UP with the Board backing. Committee members will attend the next JPB meeting and bring this issue up. Gutknecht believes the greaser has made a difference. Siino will attempt to check if service is being done and how often. Jeff Collins lives by Diridon and during the warm-up between 3 a.m.-4 a.m. it is very noisy. Blackman said that College Park neighbors may get a lot of noise from the washer. Staff said that warm-up and testing done in same day and could occur between 11 p.m. – midnight. Gutknecht’s big concern is the idling at night and early morning. Weinberg said that they need to be kept a certain temperature. Gutknecht said we need Council and VTA rep and not alternates at these meetings to give leverage so that these issues are resolved. Chair Riepe asked what are our options and have we exhausted them all? Gutknecht asked for a special meeting prior to the January meeting to discuss all these issues. Soper asked the committee to ask the airport noise committee to quantify the screeching noise. Doyle said this is something that the City has to ask the airport to do. Blackman motioned to have Chair Riepe send a letter to the airport. Gutknecht seconded the motion. Chair Riepe/Blackman/Smith will compile the action list for the City and JPB. Smith questioned the Brown Act and e-mail. Tripousis said as long as there is no decisions being made or advocated – communicate only. Adjourned Meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m. Remaining 2006 meetings – None 2007 Meetings - Jan. 24, April 25, July 25, Oct. 24