[00:00:02]
UH, IT IS 5 0 5[ ATD 1. Call to Order]
AND, UM, I AM BOARD CHAIR FERRES, AND I'D LIKE TO CALL THE ORDER OF THE AUGUST 22ND A T D BOARD, UH, MEETING.UH, LET'S BEGIN WITH THE ROLL CALL VICE CHAIR CABILLA.
SHE MAY JOIN US ALSO A LITTLE BIT LATER.
TRUSTEE PEREZ? I THINK HE MAY BE OUT.
WE HAVE ENOUGH OUR FORUM, SO WE'LL CONTINUE WITH OUR MEETING.
[ATD 2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements]
A MOMENT OF REFLECTION.PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEASURE OF ALLEGIANCE OR THE, TO THE US ON THE TEXAS FLAG.
ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
NEXT, UH, MR. RN, DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? NO, SIR.
NEXT ITEM IS THAT WE HAVE REACHED THE CITIZENS TO PREPARE PORTION OF OUR MEETING.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD FOR THE ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT? WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM, THE NEXT ITEM IS CONSENTED.
[ATD 4. Consent Agenda]
ITEM NUMBER FOUR.ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT SO MOVED, MR. CHAIR? OKAY.
WE HAVE FIRST, WE HAVE A SECOND.
ANY OPPOSED NAY? THE CONSENTED AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVED.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM IS OUR LEGAL BRIEFING.
MS. ELDER, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO, SIR.
WE DO NOT HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING.
WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? AND SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING? SO MOVED.
UH, ANY OPPOSED? IF, IF NOT, MOTION CARRIES.
[1. Call to Order]
ORDER THE, UH, IT'S, UH, LET'S SEE, 5:08 PM I'M CALLING TO ORDER THE AUGUST 22ND REGULAR MEETING OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES.[2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements]
WE HAVE ANY ANALYSIS? YES, SIR.SO FIRST UP, AS WE ALWAYS LIKE TO BEGIN WITH OUR STAR OF THE QUARTER, AND THIS IS IN MAINTENANCE.
SO I'M PLEASED TO OPEN THE MEETING TONIGHT TO RECOGNIZE OUR STAR MAINTAINER LANDSCAPER GILBERT GARZA.
GILBERT HAS BEEN WITH VIA FOR 21 YEARS, THE LAST 14 OF WHICH HAS BEEN WITH PASTOR AMENITIES DEPARTMENT.
HE HAS EXPERIENCE IN MASONRY PLUMBING, CARPENTRY, AND APPLIES HIS TALENTS AND ABILITIES TO DESIGNING AMAZING LANDSCAPING PROJECTS.
I ACTUALLY THINK I NEED YOU AT MY HOUSE,
HE ACCEPTS CHALLENGES, READILY SOLID WORK ETHIC AND SKILLSET CONTRIBUTE TO BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES AND ATTRACTIVE PUBLIC FACE FOR VIA.
SO, GILBERT, WE'RE GONNA DO A PICTURE WITH THE BOARD WITH YOU A LITTLE LATER IN THE, IN THIS PORTION.
CONGRATULATIONS ARE ALSO IN ORDER FOR ANTHONY BURETT, WHO HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO THE POSITION OF ENTERPRISE ASSET MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATOR AND FLEET AND FACILITIES.
IN THIS POSITION, ANTHONY LEADS THE ENTERPRISE ASSET MANAGEMENT TEAM ADDRESSING ALL TRAINING SYSTEMS ISSUES, SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS, ASSET MANAGEMENT, REPORTING FOR ASSET MANAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE REPORTING.
AND THIS TEAM IS A LEAD LIAISON BETWEEN FLEET AND FACILITIES, MAINTENANCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
AND IN IN INNOVATION T AND I GROUP
[00:05:01]
FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION ADMINISTRATION OF THE E A M SYSTEM FOR FLEET AND FACILITIES.ANTHONY, ARE YOU HERE? SEE, I SAID THERE WAS A LOT ON THE PLATE, HE COULDN'T EVEN GET AWAY.
NEXT, CONGRATULATE ANGELICA MARTIN, WHOM HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR FOR HER RECENT DESIGNATION AS A CERTIFIED COMPENSATION PROFESSIONAL OR C C P.
THE C C P DESIGNATION IS EARNED THROUGH A SPECIALIZED COURSE OF STUDY AND A BATTERY OF TESTS DE DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN INTEGRATING COMPENSATION PROGRAMS WITH BUSINESS STRATEGY, DESIGNING AND ADMINISTERING BASE AND VARIABLE PAY PROGRAMS, COMPLYING WITH LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS, AND EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING COMPENSATION INFORMATION.
THIS ACHIEVEMENT FURTHER ELEVATES VIA HUMAN RESOURCE DIVISION'S RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION STRATEGIES IN HELPING TO PROPEL VIA AND SAN ANTONIO FORWARD.
AND I'M SURE, AS YOU KNOW, THAT COMPENSATION IS A BIG DEAL TO OUR 2200 FAMILY MEMBERS HERE.
SO PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED.
AND NEXT, WE HAVE A VERY FAMILIAR FACE WHO SEEMS TO CROP UP EVERY MONTH ALMOST.
SO I'D LIKE TO, UH, SAY WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF THE FACT THAT OUR SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, CAMMIE HORN, WAS SELECTED TO SERVE ON THE ADVISORY BOARD FOR MOVE AMERICA, AN ORGANIZATION THAT SEEKS TO BRING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS TOGETHER TO SHARE INFORMATION ON REIMAGINING MOBILITY AND MAKING SPACE FOR CREATIVE COLLABORATION IN THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY.
SHE JOINS NINE OTHER INDUSTRY EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE US TO MEET SHARE EXPERIENCES AND ADVISE ON THE SHAPE OF THE AGENDA FOR MOVE AMERICA.
YOU'RE 10, RIGHT? ONE OF 10 ALTOGETHER.
ALRIGHT, I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME DARIEN LOWRY TO THE VIA FAMILY.
I HAVE A LOT TO READ ABOUT YOU, BUT THAT'S GREAT.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE DARIEN EXCEPT SUCH A CRITICAL POSITION AFTER A LONG AND INTENSIVE, UH, RECRUITMENT PROCESS.
HE GRADUATED WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY FROM U T S A IN 2018, AND HE COMES TO VIA FROM IDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHERE HE WORKED AS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF FACILITY OPERATIONS AND LATER, AS THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES HERE AT V EIGHT WILL HELP TO PROMOTE STRENGTHENING THE VARIOUS OPERATIONS IN WHICH HIS POSITION IS RESPONSIBLE, INCLUDING FACILITIES, MAINTENANCE, ENGINEERING, PASSION, AMENITIES, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL PART, UH, PROGRAM.
SO, DARIEN, YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD, BUT I WILL JUST TELL YOU THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND SO I'M, I'M GLAD IT'S IN VERY CAPABLE HANDS.
VIA IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE STATE OF TEXAS'S SEAL PROGRAM SS E A L THAT STANDS FOR SUMMER EARN AND LEARN, A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PRO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS IN THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A PAID INTERNSHIP AND WORK WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES OF VARIOUS WORKPLACE SETTINGS AND ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING VIA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MARK SPURLOCK AND CINDY RAUSCH OF PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT SERVICES IN INC.
A, A LOCAL NONPROFIT VIA HOSTED EIGHT INTERNS FOR A FIVE WEEK PROGRAM VIA HIS MANAGER OF A D A AND ACCESSIBLE SERVICES.
MARTHA FLORES AND VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, MARCUS PEOPLES COORDINATED WITH INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS TO FACILITATE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERN PLACEMENT.
AND THEY, THAT INCLUDES PLACEMENT IN PROCUREMENT, SAFETY, MAINTENANCE, PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, UH, TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN RESOURCES PARTNERSHIP, UH, PROVIDES JOB COACHES TO REVIEW DUTIES TO BE PERFORMED AND WORKS CLOSELY WITH INTERN INTERNS TO IDENTIFY BEST, BEST FIT SCENARIOS FOR WORK WITHIN THE SELECTED AREAS.
UH, WE ARE PLEASED TO HAVE A ROLE IN SKILL BUILDING EXPERIENCES FOR THESE IMPRESSIVE STUDENTS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AS ADV ADVOCATES FOR INCLUSIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE.
UH, AND THEN SPECIAL THANKS TO TRUSTEE BOB CUOMO FOR HIS ROLE IN FACILITATING THIS PARTNERSHIP AND CHAMPIONING THE SEAL PROGRAM.
SO NOW WHAT I'D LIKE TO ASK THE BOARD TO, WE'RE GONNA DO PICTURES, BUT WE'LL, WE'LL DO THEM ALL AT, UH, TOGETHER IF WE'LL COME UP, UP FRONT.
AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS, UH, UH, PROVIDE A CERTIFICATE TO THOSE FOLKS THAT PARTICIPATED AND, UH, MARK AND
[00:10:01]
CINDY JOIN US UP FRONT AS WELL.CHRISTIAN GARCIA AND KALEEM JESTER.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UH, INTERNS HERE? THEY'RE NOT HERE YET.
ARE THERE ANY INTERNS THAT OUT HERE THAT WE HAVEN'T CALLED YOUR NAME? JUST OKAY, WE'RE GOOD.
SO LET'S GET LINED UP FOR PHOTO.
DON'T, UH, TRUSTEES DON'T LEAVE
NOW THANK YOU FOR WAITING'S NOT GONNA FIT
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE INTERNS.
UH, I'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT I, I, THROUGHOUT MY CAREER MANY TIMES HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH INTERNS AND SUBSEQUENTLY THEY BECOME EMPLOYEES.
AND SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO LEARN AND TO BE EXPOSED AND HAVE OTHER PEOPLE EXPOSED TO YOUR SKILLSET.
SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DID WITH US EARLIER THIS MONTH.
NEARLY 400 COLLEAGUES, GUESTS, TRANSIT MOBILITY CHAMPIONS GATHERED AT THE TOBIN CENTER FOR THE 2023 STATE OF TRANSIT LUNCHEON, HOSTED BY VIA AND OUR PARTNERS AT THE SAN ANTONIO, UH, MOBILITY COALITION, OR SAMCO, THE STATE OF TRANSIT'S, AN ANNUAL EVENT DESIGNED TO PROVIDE KEY UPDATES
[00:15:01]
TO TRANSIT MOBILITY PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT KEEP VIA AND SAN ANTONIO MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.THIS YEAR WE WERE JOINED BY SAN ANTONIO, MAYOR RON NIERENBERG, DISTRICT SIX, COUNCILWOMAN MELISSA HDA, BOARD VICE CHAIR LAURA CABILLA, SAM CO-CHAIR JEFF WEBSTER, AND MASTER OF CEREMONIES, RANDY BEAMER FOR A PROGRAM THAT INCLUDED A CELEBRATION OF VIAS 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE, AS WELL AS A SNAPSHOT OF CURRENT PROJECTS AND A LOOK AHEAD TO A BRIGHTER, MORE MOBILE FUTURE FOR ALL.
SO FIRST OF ALL, I'M SO APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO HAVE SUPPORTED THE EVENT AND OUR MISSION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
ALWAYS GRATEFUL TO OUR TRUSTEES WHO JOINED US AT THE TOMAN, AS WELL AS THE ONES THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO BE, BE THERE FOR YOUR TIRELESS WORK IN ADVANCING OUR MISSION.
UH, AND IT GIVES US INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION THAT'S RIGHT.
AND, UH, TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO MOVING.
SO CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO THE TEAM WHO PUT THE WHOLE THING TOGETHER, DELIVERED ANOTHER OUTSTANDING EVENT.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UH, TODAY, I, I, UH, MET SOMEONE FROM SAMCO AT LUNCH WHO SAID THAT PEOPLE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT THE STATE OF TRANSIT, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT, RIGHT? AND PART OF THE REASON THEY DO IT IS BECAUSE OF THE QUALITY OF THE PROGRAM THAT'S THAT'S PUT TOGETHER.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO DO SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO JOHN GARY AND THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TEAM, AND SAM MARA AND THE FLEET AND FACILITIES TEAM, CURTIS CUBERT AND THE TRANSPORTATION TEAM, THE FRONTLINE EMPLOYEES WHO WERE REPRESENTING THE, THE AGENCY AT THE LUNCHEON, ALONG WITH THEIR DEPARTMENT HEADS AND OUR PARTNERS AT K G B TEXAS AND SAMCO, WHOSE INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS MADE THIS EVENT AND THE WORK IT REPRESENTS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAD SUCH AN INCREDIBLE GROUP OF PEOPLE ON THE BOARD, ON OUR STAFF, AND IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION AND BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF MOBILITY.
WE ARE MOVING FASTER AND FARTHER TOGETHER.
THE STATE OF TRANSIT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO VIAS NEXT 45 YEARS AND BEYOND.
SO WE HAVE A SHORT RECAP, AND I HOPE YOU WILL BE INSPIRED BY IT AND CONTINUE TO WORK WITH US AS WE MOVE SAN ANTONIO FORWARD.
THANK YOU TO VIA AND SAMCO FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
AND PUTTING THIS EVENT TOGETHER VIA IS PART OF OUR, OUR FABRIC OF OUR, OUR CITY, AND THE STATE OF TRANSIT TODAY.
THERE'S SO MANY WORDS WE CAN USE, EXCITING, UNPRECEDENTED, BIG OPPORTUNITIES, UH, BOLD VISIONS AND A UNITED EFFORT.
SO TODAY WHAT EXCITES ME IS ALL OF THE GREAT PROJECTS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AT VIA, WE GET TO UNVEIL THAT TO THE WORLD TODAY.
AND SO, SO MANY PARTNERS HAVE ASSEMBLED TO HEAR THE GREAT EXCITING NEWS.
SO MANY PARTNERS ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE THEY PLAY A ROLE IN HOW WE MOVE SAN ANTONIO.
SO IT'S JUST AN EXCITING DAY FOR V THIS YEAR WE ARE CELEBRATING AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE.
THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT SERVICE IN SAN ANTONIO, IN BEXAR COUNTY VIA HAS KEPT SAN ANTONIO MOVING SINCE 1978, ENABLING SAN ANTONIOS TO GET TO WORK TO THEIR DOCTORS AND OTHER VITAL LOCATIONS.
AND ALL THROUGH ALL THOSE YEARS, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND VIA HAVE MAINTAINED PARTNERSHIP DEDICATED TO SERVING THE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS OF OUR SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS.
AND OUR PARTNERSHIP TO THIS DATE, HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER FOR 45 YEARS.
VIA HAS BEEN BEHIND THE WHEEL, DRIVING TOWARD A BRIGHTER, MORE MOBILE FUTURE WITH INNOVATION AT THE HEART.
MILLINGS OF TRIPS EVERY YEAR, AND EACH ONE HAS A STORY.
THE STUDENT ON THEIR WAY TO SCHOOL TODAY AND TO GRADUATION TOMORROW, THE WORKER ON THE WAY TO TRAINING TODAY AND A JOB TOMORROW, THE PATIENT ON THE WAY TO TREATMENT TODAY AND A HEALTHIER TOMORROW VIA MOVES.
WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY TO PEOPLE TO, TO GET JOBS AND TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES, TO TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES.
WE LIVE IN BALCONY HEIGHTS AND WE GO HAVE THE FREDERICKSBURG ROAD CORRIDOR, SO IT'S ONE OF THE MOST HEAVILY TRAFFICKED.
AND SO WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMING INTO OUR CITY EVERY DAY.
THEY'VE HAD BEEN FOR VIA, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO COME TO WORK, SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO SHOPPING.
MOST PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT I NEED MORE LANES, MORE HIGHWAYS TO BE ABLE TO GET HOME.
BUT THE REALITY, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS, I WANNA BE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKER THROUGH THERE.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY WHAT VIA BRINGS TO THE TABLE, OFFER A COMPREHENSIVE MASS TRANSIT SOLUTION.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, BSS ACTUALLY HAS SOME, SOME FUNDING TO CREATE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS THAT ACTUALLY CREATE A, A HOLISTIC, UH, MOBILITY AND TRANSIT SYSTEM IN SAN ANTONIO.
A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE DOING SOMETHING GREAT, KNOW THAT WE'RE TAKING VIA TO OTHER LEVELS WITH THE A R T WITH LINK AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
[00:20:01]
THIS COMMUNITY THEN CAN FURTHER GET IT OUT TO OTHER PEOPLE.WE HAVE AN ARMY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE FULLY DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE TRANSIT SYSTEM HERE AT THE REALLY CORE OF IT ARE WHAT WE CALL OUR HEROES, OUR SUPERHEROES.
AND SO WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES TODAY, WHICH INCLUDE FRANCISCO TRUJILLO.
HE STARTED, UH, IN 1968, QUITE A CAREER THEN JOE MARTINEZ.
SO HE'S THE ORIGINAL VIA OPERATOR, IF YOU WILL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE FOR ALL THOSE YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH YOU FOR ABOUT 45 YEARS AND ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
AND I'M PROUD TO BE A BE A BUS OPERATOR.
AND DRIVING A BUS IS A GREAT HONOR FOR ME TO DO THAT.
I LOVE TO SERVE, SERVE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE KIND AND TO HELP THEM AS MUCH AS I CAN TO MAKE THEIR DAY ENJOYABLE.
SO THE STATE OF TRANSIT, IT IS EVOLVING.
WE ARE MOVING FASTER AND FURTHER TOGETHER.
AND THAT IS THE STATE OF TRANSIT TODAY.
SO I CHALLENGE YOU, YOU'VE HEARD ALL THESE THINGS ABOUT MOVING THINGS FORWARD AND GETTING ON BOARD SERIOUSLY.
GET ON BOARD, RIDE THE DANG BUS, BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.
WE'VE GOT SOME AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES, BUT IT STARTS TODAY.
IT STARTS RIGHT HERE WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US.
GET ON VIA LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
SO FIRST OF ALL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO VIA AND TO ALL THE FOLKS THAT WE SERVE AND TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT SERVE THE COMMUNITY.
AND I JUST NOTE THAT I STARTED MY CAREER IN TRANSPORTATION IN 1978.
AND SO I, VIA AND MY CAREER WERE BORN AT THE SAME TIME.
I GUESS IT WAS FATE THAT I WOULD BE HERE SOMEDAY.
SO THOSE ARE MY ANNOUNCEMENTS, SIR.
AND, UM, I WANNA CONGRATULATE AND THANK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE RECOGNIZED TODAY FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO VIA AND, AND THE THINGS THAT YOU DO, THE YORK WHAT MAKE VIA.
AND ALSO, UH, MR. LA, WELCOME TO VIA, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING PART OF THE TEAM NOW, AND WE HOPE TO HEAR A LOT OF GREAT THINGS ABOUT YOU.
UH, I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, PROJECT SEAL.
BECAUSE IT STARTED WITH AN IDEA THAT MY NEIGHBOR CINDY BROUGHT TO ME, AND THEN SHE SET UP A MEETING WITH MARK AND CINDY AND I, AND THEN WE HAD A MEETING WITH TRAMELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? AND HE COULD HAVE DIED THERE, BUT TRAMMELL TOOK THAT IDEA AND SAW THE OPPORTUNITY AND HE BROUGHT IT BACK HERE.
AND WITH MARTHA FLORES, THEY, YOU KNOW, I WAS AFRAID THAT I'VE SEEN SOME INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS THAT WERE MAKE WORK.
THIS WAS LEGITIMATE WORK, A GOOD WORK EXPERIENCE FOR ALL THESE EIGHT INTERNS WHO CAME HERE, UH, LEARNING HOW TO GET UP AND, AND BE ON TIME AND, AND TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION.
AND I KNOW THAT THOSE DEPARTMENTS THAT DID NOT HAVE AN INTERN, WHEN THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT, THEY WERE VERY, VERY JEALOUS.
AND I THINK NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE ABLE TO, TO PLACE EVEN MORE PEOPLE HERE IN THIS PROGRAM.
SO I WANTED TO CONGRATULATE EVERYBODY WHO WAS, UH, INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS.
IT WAS A GREAT PROGRAM, A GREAT FIT.
YOU DID A GREAT JOB OF, OF MATCHING THE TALENTS AND THE INTERESTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL WITH THE JOBS THAT WE HAVE HERE.
SO, WHO KNOWS, WE MAY HAVE A LOT OF, UH, FUTURE EMPLOYEES, UH, THAT CAME AND WERE INTERNS HERE TODAY, SO I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
UH, ALSO AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO THANK MY VICE CHAIR FOR SIT STANDING UP FOR ME AND AT THE, UH, AT THE
AND WHAT I UNDERSTAND, AND I APPRECIATE IT.
THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT YOU COULD DO THAT.
UH, AND ALSO FOR HANDLING THE WORK SESSION MEETING FOR ME ALSO.
YOU'VE, YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT VICE CHAIR.
[4. Citizens to be Heard]
NOW, UH, THE NEXT THING WE HAVE IS, UH, CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR MEETING.DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD, MR. CHAIR? WE DO HAVE FOUR CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
UH, SINCE WE HAVE A CITIZENS TO BE HEARD, I'LL, WE HAVE TO READ THIS STATEMENT.
WE HAVE NOW COME TO THE CITIZENS TO BE PORTION OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING.
THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN HEARING THE COMMENTS AND CONCERNS FROM OUR PATRON'S ASSISTANT IN SAN ANTONIO BEAR COUNTY AREA.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS CONCERNING PUBLIC BUSINESS OR POLICY OVER WHICH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISION AND CONTROL THAT MAY ARISE DURING THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT, C E O ON OUR STAFF.
THE PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVE THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION OR CONCERN.
[00:25:01]
THANK YOU, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US THIS EVENING.WE HAVE MR. CHRISTOPHER FARLEY.
GOOD AFTERNOON TO THIS MAY CONCERN.
SINCE OUR LAST BOARD MEETING ON JULY 25TH, 2023, UH, I STILL CONTINUE TO KEEP HAVING MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE BUSES RUNNING LATE ON THE MORNINGS OF AUGUST THE EIGHTH AND THE NINTH, 2023, I WAS AT MY BUS STOP, 1, 2, 1 5 3 WAITING FOR THE 6 0 2 TO ARRIVE JUST AFTER SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.
BUT INSTEAD IT CAME AFTER 6 0 5, JUST LATE ENOUGH TO MISS MY CONNECTING BUS, WHICH IS USUALLY THE NUMBER FOUR.
SO I HAD TO CATCH NUMBER THREE INSTEAD ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST THE 12TH, I WAS AT THE SAME BUS STOP WAITING FOR THE 6 0 2 TO ARRIVE AT 5:50 AM BUT INSTEAD IT HAD TO ARRIVE AT 5:55 AM BUT I, BUT I WAS ABLE TO GET, TO GET TO NORTH STAR TRANSIT CENTER JUST IN TIME AND CATCH NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS WHY I USUALLY TAKE ON SATURDAY MORNINGS.
MY, MY QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TOMORROW? THE BUSES MORE CLOSELY? IF SOMEBODY WOULD GET, PLEASE GET BACK TO ME WITH RESPONSE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, I WOULD TRULY AM REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
UH, BEFORE I LEAVE THE BUILDING, I JUST SAW, I LET YOU KNOW I GOT A LETTER IN THE MAIL SAYING THAT Y'ALL MADE CHANGES TO THE BUSES.
I USUALLY TAKE INCLUDING 6 0 2 TO THREE AND THE FOUR, WHICH I USUALLY TAKE TO GET TO AND FROM WORK, UH, MOST DAYS OUTTA THE WEEK.
UH, UM, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.
NEXT UP, WE HAVE KATHLEEN SHEETS.
HELLO, I'M HERE AS A CITIZEN SPEAKING FOR MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS I'VE BEEN GATHERING WITH WHO ARE UNABLE TO BE PRESENT, UM, SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS ARE AWARE THAT VIA IS PARTNERING WITH, UH, THE REAL ESTATE GROUP DREAM ON TO BUILD OVER A HUNDRED APARTMENTS EXCLUSIVELY FOR HOUSEHOLDS THAT MAKE 50,000 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR MORE IN A DISTRICT WHERE THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS AROUND ONLY $25,000.
UM, WHAT THIS MEANS IS VIA IS SUPPORTING A HOUSING COMPLEX THAT THE MAJORITY OF WEST SIDE RESIDENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD.
THE MONEY COULD BE USED TO IMPROVE THE BUS SYSTEM LIKE THE MAN WHO JUST SPOKE BEFORE US.
THERE'S STILL PROBLEMS TO BE FIXED OR TO PUT UP HOUSING THAT'S ACTUALLY AFFORDABLE.
UM, RIGHT NOW THERE'S A MULTI-ORGANIZATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST THIS DEAL BETWEEN VIA AND DREAM MON.
LAST SATURDAY, MANY RESIDENTS, INCLUDING A COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DISTRICT FIVE, CAME OUT TO SPEAK UP AGAINST THE HOUSELESS PROBLEM, THE HOMELESS PROBLEM IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND TO ADVOCATE FOR THIS DEAL TO BE RECONSIDERED, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR THE 95,000 FAMILIES IN SAN ANTONIO IN NEED OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SAN ANTONIO AVERAGE RENT HAS INCREASED 7% SINCE 2022.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN MORE HOUSING COMPLEXES BEING BUILT EVERY YEAR THAT CITIZENS CANNOT AFFORD.
IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HOUSING, IT'S THAT WE HAVE HOUSING THAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE.
UM, ON BEHALF OF THE WORKING CLASS RESIDENTS ALL OVER SAN ANTONIO, I BEG THE BOARD TO, UH, VIA, TO RECONSIDER USING, UM, THIS MONEY IN A WAY THAT SUPPORTS THE NEEDS OF SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS INSTEAD OF THOSE OF THE UPPER CLASS.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, JACK FINGER.
WELL, MR. CHAIRMAN, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE VIA BOARD, MY NAME IS JACK M FINGER, AND, UH, A FEW ITEMS I WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION TODAY.
IT'S REALLY IN RESPONSE TO THE SUPPOSED RESPONSE, UH, VIA SENT TO ME, UH, BY MAIL SOMETIME AGO.
UH, UM, IN REGARDING TO SOME CONCERNS I EXPRESSED IN EARLIER MEETINGS, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, UH, ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS I'VE HAD IS ABOUT, UH, PERSONS LIKE MYSELF COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM HOME, COMING TO THIS LOBBY OVER
[00:30:01]
HERE.YOU'RE TRYING TO GET, GET SOME ANSWERS FROM YOUR EMPLOYEES, THE STAFFERS WHO HAVE THESE, THOSE ANSWERS AND IN TURN, BEING DIRECTED TO THAT, UH, IMPERSONAL LOBBY PHONE IN ORDER TO TALK TO 'EM.
YOU KNOW, I COULD HAVE DONE THAT, UH, WITH MY OWN PHONE IF I WANTED TO, BUT I WANTED TO COME DOWN IN PERSON.
SO THERE, THERE WOULD BE NO MISUNDERSTANDING AS TO, UH, WHAT'S TAKING PLACE REGARDING SOME PROBLEMS THAT I, I HAVE OBSERVED.
BUT I CAN'T EVEN GET A STAFFER TO COME TO EVEN A WINDOW IF, IF, IF SECURITY IS YOUR CONCERN.
YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW HOW STUPID THAT IS.
WHY DON'T WE, YOU OFFER A BETTER ARRANGEMENT TO WHERE AT LEAST A PATIENT COMES DOWN TO THE LOBBY, TAKES THE TIME AND HAVE A, UM, A, A STAFFER MEET WITH THEM IN PERSON AND TALK TO 'EM ABOUT IT.
SO THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, HUH? NEVER GOT A RESPONSE ON THAT ONE.
THE, UH, ALSO, UH, NO RESPONSE ON THE SCOBY BUILDING SITUATION.
YOU KNOW, UH, I AND OTHERS ARE WONDERING WHY VIA IS GETTING INTO THE HOUSING BUSINESS, A BUS COMPANY AND THE HOUSING BUSINESS.
AND YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT IS, UH, WELL, YOUR, UM, YOUR COMMENTS YOU SUBMITTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED PLANS HAVE BEEN NOTED AND FORWARDED TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS FOR FURTHER REVIEW OF, EXCUSE ME, THIS IS TWO, THREE OR FOUR MONTHS GOING ON NOW HERE.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE A, A, A DECENT RESPONSE FOR WE THE PATRONS, THE, THE TAXPAYERS CITIZENS WHO SUPPORT THIS COMPANY, AND WHAT A RESPONSE THAT ISN'T FILLED WITH GOBBLEDYGOOK.
NOW, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT? I MEAN, GET, GET ON, GET ON THE BUS, SO TO SPEAK AND START GOING SOMEPLACE, TELLING US WHY IS VIA GETTING INTO THE HOUSING BUSINESS.
ALSO, UH, INTERESTING ABOUT YOUR, UH, 45 YEAR HISTORY.
I'M REMINDED OF SOME, ALSO SOME MEMORABLE, UH, OCCASIONS WITH VIA INCLUDING, UH, LIGHT RAIL.
I THINK YOU REMEMBER THAT THAT WAS ONE WHERE WE HAD TO ACTUALLY GATHER PETITIONS FOR OUR VOTE ON IT, UH, AGAINST IT.
I THINK YOU REM YOU GUYS REMEMBER THAT ONE AS WELL? I,
AND THE LAST SENTENCE TO BE HEARD IS A, A LETTER WRITTEN.
UM, AND IT'LL BE READ BY PRISCILLA ENGEL.
HELLO VIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BOARD CHAIR FOR THE RECORD.
MY NAME IS WILL MCLEOD, AND I'M WRITING YOU TODAY TO EXPRESS SOME CONCERNS AS WELL AS IDEAS FOR UPCOMING SERVICE CHANGES.
THE PRESENTATION MADE LAST WEEK ABOUT VIA SERVICE CHANGE STRUCTURE WAS VERY INFORMATIVE, BUT THE BOARD LEFT OUT SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK THE CONSULTANTS.
THIS IS ITEM FIVE J ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
FIRST OF ALL, THEY WANTED INPUT FROM THE DRIVERS, WHICH ARE STAKEHOLDERS, BUT WHAT ABOUT INPUT FROM THE BUS RIDERS THEMSELVES? I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
AND WHERE DOES V E COME TO PLAY IN ROUTES YOU PLAN TO TRUNCATE TO ACHIEVE FASTER SERVICE? I SEE YOU'VE HIRED BACK TODD KENT HEMINGSON, WHO USED TO SERVE AS VICE PRESIDENT OF PLANNING OVER AT CAPITAL METRO.
I USED TO SPEAK ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BEFORE THEIR BOARD AS WELL.
BEFORE I LEFT AUSTIN FOR SAN ANTONIO ALMOST A DECADE AGO.
HE USED TO WORK FOR VIA AND WAS IN CHARGE OF REDESIGNING THE ROUTES BACK IN 2002 WHEN LIMITED SERVICE WAS REPLACED BY SKIP, STOP, SKIP SERVICE.
I STILL HAVE THE ARTICLE FROM THE SAN ANTONIO CURRENT WAY BACK IN 2002, WHICH I WILL LINK IN THIS EMAIL ENTITLED UP AGAINST SPRAWL.
IN THAT ARTICLE COMES A DIRECT QUOTE FROM MR. HEMINGSON STATING THAT'S A MESSAGE WE POLITELY SAY TO THE CITY.
YOU CAN'T BUILD OUTSIDE 1604 AND EXPECT SERVICE.
I HOPE HIS FEELINGS ABOUT SERVICE OUTSIDE OF 1604 HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN, SINCE 1604 IS A VERY BUSY CORRIDOR.
I BELIEVE ANYONE CAN CHANGE THEIR VIEWPOINTS, ESPECIALLY OVER A DECADE LATER.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND THE CITY DOESN'T STOP OUTSIDE OF LOOP FOUR 10 ANYMORE.
IN FACT, I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH VIA STAFF TO HELP YOU BUILD A BETTER, FASTER, MORE EFFICIENT BUS SERVICE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
FIRST OFF, YOUR SIX 18 ROUTE SHOULD BE REALIGNED FROM RAL TO MARBACH, WHERE THE END OF THE LINE LAYOVER IS CURRENTLY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ONTO MARBACH, A RIGHT TURN ON SOUTHWEST LOOP FOUR 10 FRONTAGE A RIGHT TURN ONTO WEST POND, THEN A LEFT ON FLINT VALLEY, AND THEN A RIGHT TURN ONTO HARRELL DRIVE
[00:35:01]
TO FACILITATE EFFICIENT TRANSFERS FROM THE 5 52 TO SERVE THE 1 51 4 10 AND FOUR 10 WEST MILITARY AREAS.BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A PEDESTRIAN CROSS, THERE IS NOT A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ALONG FOUR TEN ONE FIFTY ONE.
THEN YOU HAVE THE 5 22, WHICH CURRENTLY MEANDERS ONTO WILSON STREET, WHICH CHANGES INTO NORTHWEST 24TH STREET, THEN GOES TO LAS PALMAS.
THE 5 22 IS AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE FOR MORE DIRECT SERVICE.
I WOULD PROPOSE TO VIA REROUTING THE 5 22 TO SERVE BABCOCK DIRECTLY FROM THE MEDICAL TRANS MEDICAL CENTER TRANSIT CENTER TO BABCOCK AND FREDERICKSBURG, TURNING ONTO FREDERICKSBURG AND TRAVELING TO SAN PEDRO.
THAT CONCLUDES CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
[5. Consent Agenda]
NUMBER FIVE, CONTINGENT ITEM, WHICH IS AN ACTION ITEM.TRUSTEES, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO, UH, APPROVE? SO MOVED.
UH, ANY OPPOSED? THE CONTINGENT ITEM IS APPROVED.
[6. Advanced Rapid Transit (ART) Program Updates]
ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT PROGRAM UPDATE.CHAIR REYES AND MEMBERS OF THE VIA BOARD.
SO REALLY EXCITED TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS EVENING SOME VERY IMPORTANT MILESTONES THAT WE'RE HITTING ON BOTH THE GREEN LINE AND THE SILVER LINE.
SO WE'LL BE WE GIVING YOU AN UPDATE TODAY AND TALKING ABOUT INFORMATION THAT IS, IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, UH, AT THE END OF THIS WEEK AND THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK TO GET US, UM, MOVING INTO, UH, THE NEXT PHASES OF BOTH OF THESE PROJECTS.
UM, AND I, UH, I'M ALSO VERY, VERY HAPPY TO, UM, WE INVITED, UM, CATHERINE HERNANDEZ FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
CATHERINE IS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE CITY.
AND CATHERINE HAS BEEN WONDERFUL PARTNERS.
AND SO CATHERINE WILL KICK OFF THE PRESENTATION FOLLOWED BY ART HERRERA, WHO IS THE DEPUTY, UM, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR THE A R T GREEN LINE.
AND THEN WE'LL ALSO HEAR FROM CHRIS WIRE.
CHRIS IS OUR CONSULTANT FROM W S P, UM, WORKING ON, ON ALL OF OUR ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT PROJECTS.
SO CATHERINE, I'M TURNING IT OVER TO YOU.
AND THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR BEING WITH US THIS EVENING.
THANK YOU, KAMI, THANK YOU BOARD FOR ALLOWING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK VERY QUICKLY.
UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS CATHERINE HERNANDEZ.
UM, I'M THE INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR OUR, UH, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR ABOUT 23 YEARS, UH, CUT MY TEETH IN, UH, ZONING AND PLANNING SPENT THE LAST 10 YEARS BEFORE THE LAST YEAR WITH TRANSPORTATION IN OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
SO WE MAY HAVE HANDLED A COUPLE, COUPLE OF YOUR ZONING CASES, UH, UNDER MY TEAM.
SO, UM, OVER THE LAST YEAR, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, VIA, UH, AS WELL AS OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, MAYOR'S OFFICE TO, UH, FINALLY GET TO CITY COUNCIL AND THANK YOU CITY COUNCIL FOR APPROVING OUR TWO ILAS, OUR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.
AND, UM, IT WAS, UH, IT, IT WAS A GOOD YEAR TO, TO WORK ON THAT.
AND IT JUST REALLY SETS THE STAGE FOR THE NEXT STEPS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE, UH, STARTING TO PUT TOGETHER OUR TECHNICAL COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NORTH SOUTH GREEN LINE, UM, IS ON TIME, UM, ON BUDGET AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT OUR, UH, CITY ORGANIZATIONS, OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE, UH, KEY IN MAKING SURE THAT THAT PROJECT GETS MOVING AS Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON THE, ON THE DESIGN BEFORE YOU GET INTO CONSTRUCTION.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON TOGETHER ON SOME SUB, UM, AGREEMENTS AS WELL, TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS A U D C AMENDMENT.
AND SO LUCKILY WITH MY, UH, EXPERIENCE AT DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WE'VE DONE QUITE A FEW, UM, U D C AMENDMENTS.
AND SO, UH, WE'LL BE HELP, UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FACILITATE THAT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO I'M HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS TEAM, HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT.
AND, UH, MY DEPARTMENT, MYSELF, AS WELL AS OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND OUR MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ARE HERE TO, TO SUPPORT THAT.
SO I'LL HAND IT OVER TO ART NOW.
WHAT, SO THE PRESENTATION'S GOING TO BE BROKEN UP INTO TWO PHASES.
WE'LL START WITH THE GREEN LINE AND THEN I'LL HAND IT OVER TO CHRIS WHO CAN, UH, GO AHEAD AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE, UH, SILVER LINE.
SO JUST SOME BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT, ALTHOUGH I'M SURE YOU'RE VERY WELL AWARE OF THE, UH, OF THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT.
CONSTRUCTION LIMITS ARE FROM THE AIRPORT DOWN TO STEVE'S AND ROOSEVELT.
WE WILL HAVE SERVICE CONNECTIONS THAT GO FARTHER NORTH, UH, TO THE STONE, OAK PARK AND RIDE.
[00:40:01]
AND THEN FARTHER SOUTH TO BROOKS TRANSIT CENTER.WE'RE TOTAL, IN TOTAL, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT JUST UNDER 12 MILES OF A PROJECT WITH 26 BRAND NEW STATIONS.
WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT 17 LOW NO EMISSION VEHICLES.
SO WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT C N G VEHICLES FOR THE FIRST PURCHASE, 10 TO 15 MINUTE FREQUENCIES ALL DAY.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, UH, WEEKENDS AS WELL.
AND WE'RE OPERATING IN A THREE DIFFERENT WAYS.
UH, LIKE TO MENTION THIS ALL THE TIME, UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO OPERATE IN MIXED TRAFFIC VERY MUCH THE WAY WE OPERATE TODAY WITH BUSES IN THE, UH, THE RIGHT HAND CURB, UH, RIGHT HAND LANE UP AGAINST THE CURB IN MIXED TRAFFIC.
THE SECOND WAY IS IN BUSINESS ACCESS TRANSIT LANE, SO ALSO OPERATING IN THE RIGHT LANE, BUT IT'S RESERVED FOR BUSES ONLY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE VEHICLES THAT NEEDED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN INTO A BUSINESS SIDE, STREET, NEIGHBORHOOD, ET CETERA.
AND THEN THE CENTER RUNNING LANES OPERATING IN TRULY DEDICATED BUS ONLY LANES IN THE CENTER OF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
RIGHT NOW, THE COST IS JUST OVER $440 MILLION.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE GOT TO THAT NUMBER AS A RESULT OF SOME OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE WITH THE F T A.
SO THE OVERALL SCHEDULE, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE JUST AT THE END OF OUR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE AND ARE LOOKING TO GET INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF THE C I G PROGRAM, THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM WITH THE F T A KNOWN AS ENGINEERING.
AND THIS IS ESSENTIALLY GOING TO BE THE, THE, THE, THE POINT OF THE PROJECT WHERE WE GET TO ENTER INTO FINAL DESIGN.
SOMETHING YOU'LL NOTICE AT THE END, AND AGAIN, I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE RISK WORKSHOP THAT WE HAD WITH THE F T A IS THE TARGETED OPENING DATE.
SO VIA IS STILL TARGETING THE OPENING DATE FOR AUGUST, 2027, BUT YOU'LL SEE ANOTHER DATE THERE THAT SHOWS F T A RECOMMENDED SERVICE DATE.
I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE, THE RESULTS OF THE RISK WORKSHOP.
SO, PROJECT STATUS, SINCE WE LAST BROUGHT FORWARD AN A R T UPDATE, A FEW THINGS HAVE HAPPENED THAT HAVE SERVED AS, UH, CRITICAL MILESTONES.
ONE BEING THAT WE HAVE CLEARED THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY.
SO WE RECEIVED WHAT'S CALLED THE CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION FROM THE F T A FOR THE PROJECT, AND THAT WAS IN EARLY MAY.
WE'VE COMPLETED SINCE THEN 30% DESIGN AND DEVELOPED OUR COST ESTIMATES FOR THAT 30% DESIGN.
WE'VE BASELINED OUR SCHEDULE AND THEN WE'VE USED THE, THE, THE SCHEDULE AS WELL AS THE COST ESTIMATES FOR WHAT IS KNOWN AS A RISK WORKSHOP WITH THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION AND THEIR PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT CONSULTANT.
I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN JUST A FEW SLIDES.
UH, AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE F D A AND THEIR P M O C AS WELL AS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE SINCE INCORPORATED.
AND, UH, ANOTHER HUGE MILESTONE WAS THE SIGNING OF THE I L A.
UH, SO THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR THAT.
UH, WHICH IS ALSO CRITICAL FOR THE F D A TO KNOW THAT WE ARE IN FACT MOVING FORWARD, HAND IN HAND WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE CITY.
AND, UH, AND SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING IS WE, A FEW OF US ENDED UP GETTING A, AN INTERVIEW FROM THE F D A P M O C.
ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS THEY ARE DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE TO ENSURE THAT THE STAFF HAS THE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY TO CARRY THIS PROJECT OUT.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF THEY'RE GONNA MAKE A LARGE INVESTMENT, THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT INVESTMENT'S GOING TO BE SEEN THROUGH.
AND, UH, AND WE PASS WITH FOLLOWING COLORS.
SO AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE AT THE END OF THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE, GETTING READY TO ENTER INTO THE, THE NEXT PHASE KNOWN AS ENGINEERING.
THERE ARE DOCUMENTS, ESSENTIALLY A PACKAGE OF DOCUMENTS THAT NEED TO BE PUT TOGETHER FOR US TO REQUEST PERMISSION TO ENTER INTO ENGINEERING.
THOSE DOCUMENTS INCLUDE THE DESIGN PLANS, THEY INCLUDE THE COST ESTIMATES.
THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT O K V DOES HAVE THEIR, UH, THEIR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION, THEY HAVE THE PASSAGE OF THEIR, THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY, AND THAT WE'VE MET ALL THOSE OTHER F T A REQUIREMENTS THAT INCLUDES THE SUBMITTALS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN, ALL THE SUB PLANS.
DO WE HAVE THE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY, OUR FINANCIAL PLAN, IS IT STILL SOUND CONSIDERING THE CHANGES TO THE COST? IS THE, UH, SCHEDULE STILL REALISTIC? THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE'VE HAD TO PROVE TO THE FT A AND WE'VE DONE.
SO PUTTING IT TOGETHER INTO A PACKAGE, THIS PACKAGE IS GOING TO BE SENT OFF TO THE F D A ON MONDAY, AND IT WILL ESSENTIALLY SERVE AS THE REQUEST TO THE F T A FOR PERMISSION TO ENTER INTO THE NEXT PHASE OF THE PROJECT.
AND THIS IS CRITICAL BECAUSE IT ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE WITH OUR FINAL DESIGN.
SO THIS F T A WORKSHOP, IT STARTED OUT WITH, UH, GOING THROUGH ALL OF OUR COST ESTIMATES AND ASKING VIA THEIR HONEST ASSESSMENT OF ALL THE ASSOCIATED RISKS THAT WE CAN ANTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT.
SO RISKS SUCH AS, ARE YOU GONNA RUN INTO ANY UTILITIES UNDERGROUND? UH, ARE YOU GONNA HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH, UH, ACQUIRING REAL ESTATE? AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY ASSIGN ALL OF THESE RISKS A COST, AND THIS COST IS GOING TO SHOW UP AS CONTINGENCY.
AND WHAT THEY'LL SAY IS, OKAY, VIA, I'VE SEEN ALL YOUR LINE ITEMS SHOWN FOR THE THE COST ESTIMATE, LET'S GO AHEAD AND ADD ADDITIONAL CONTINGENCY FOR THIS KNOWN RISK IN THIS LINE ITEM.
AND WHAT WE END UP DOING IS WE END UP REEVALUATING OUR ENTIRE
[00:45:01]
COST ESTIMATE WITH THE NEW CONTINGENCY.THAT'S, UH, THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY THE F D A AND THE P M O C.
THERE'S SOME CONVERSATION THAT HAPPENS WITH STAFF IN THE P M O C AND THE F T A AND WE AGREE ON WHAT THAT CONTINGENCY AMOUNT LOOKS LIKE.
THEN THEY GET TO DO WHAT'S CALLED THE MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS.
AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT IT DOES IS IT, IT EVALUATES THE PROBABILITY OF ALL OF THOSE RISKS ACTUALLY COMING TO FRUITION.
AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY LOOK AT A 65% PROBABILITY OF THESE THINGS HAPPENING.
AND WHEN IT DOES THAT, IT ASSIGNS IT A COST, AND THIS COST IS $423 MILLION.
SO THIS IS A, THE, THE NEWEST, MOST RECENT COST THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE F D A, THE 4 23 INCLUDES ALL THOSE CONTINGENCIES THAT THEY'VE IDENTIFIED WITH US HAND IN HAND.
THEN THEY DO THE SAME THING WITH THE SCHEDULE.
THEY GO, OKAY, LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE RISKS AGAIN.
SO IN ADDITION TO ASSIGNING A COST TO IT, THEY'RE GOING TO ASSIGN TIMEFRAMES.
AND SO WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY SAID, OKAY, VIA, HERE'S YOUR, WHAT'S CALLED A STRICT SCHEDULE.
LET'S ASSUME YOU HAVE NO FLOAT AND YOU HAVE NO CONTINGENCY, IT'S GONNA TAKE JUST UNDER 42 MONTHS TO COMPLETE.
BUT VIA DID, WE DID, UH, HAVE SOME CONTINGENCY IN THAT, IN THAT ORIGINAL SCHEDULE.
AND SO THAT CONTINGENCY HAD US OPENING THE PROJECT UP IN AUGUST OF 27TH OF AUGUST FIFTH, 2027, AND WE HAD ABOUT SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS OF CONTINGENCY IN THERE.
THE FT A LIKES TO SEE A, A GENERALLY A 25% CONTINGENCY, AND THAT'S WHERE THAT 10.4 MONTHS COMES IN.
BUT AGAIN, WHAT WAS CRITICAL WAS WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE RISK WORKSHOP, THEY WANNA USE THOSE CONTINGENCIES THAT WERE ASSIGNED TO EACH OF THOSE RISKS.
WHEN THEY DO THAT, THEY SHOW THE THAT WE NEED 14 MONTHS OF ADDITIONAL PROJECT CONTINGENCY.
NOW, THERE'S THAT FEBRUARY 20, UH, 2 20, 28 NUMBER THAT YOU ORIGINALLY SAW ON THAT FIRST SLIDE WITH THE SCHEDULE.
NOW WHAT THIS IS SAYING IS WHEN WE GO AND WE SIGN OUR FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT, THAT DATE OF FEBRUARY, 2028 IS WHAT'S GONNA SERVE AS THE DEADLINE IN THE GRANT AGREEMENT VS.
AND, AND, AND OUR CONSULTANTS ARE GONNA MOVE FORWARD PUSHING FOR THAT AUGUST, 2027 OPENING.
BUT IF FOR WHATEVER REASON ANYTHING OCCURS DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT, WE KNOW THAT OUR FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENT WITH THE F D A ALLOWS FOR SOME OF THOSE, UH, ISSUES TO OCCUR WITHOUT BEING IN CONFLICT WITH THAT AGREEMENT.
SO CONSIDER IT JUST F T A SAYING, OKAY, VIA, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE GONNA OPEN IN AUGUST OF 2027.
I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THIS ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OF TIME, UH, IN YOUR CONTRACT WITH THE F T A.
NOW THAT NUMBER DID NOT INCLUDE FINANCE CHARGES.
NOW THOSE FINANCE CHARGES ARE VERY SPECIFIC TO THE TIA LOAN THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING OUT TO HELP FUND THIS PROJECT.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE TIA LOAN IS GONNA BE BASED ON THE INTEREST RATES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TODAY.
NOW, RIGHT BEFORE WE SUBMIT THIS PROJECT, WE ARE MONITORING INTEREST RATES ALL THE WAY TO THE LAST POSSIBLE MINUTE SO THAT AS THEY GO UP, WE CAN APPROPRIATELY ACCOUNT FOR THOSE INTEREST, UH, THOSE FINANCIAL COSTS, THOSE FINANCE COSTS, BECAUSE THOSE FINANCE COSTS ARE COST REIMBURSABLE ARE GRANT REIMBURSABLES THROUGH THE F T A RIGHT NOW, THIS SLIDE SHOWS 440.9 MILLION INTEREST RATES WENT UP LAST WEEK, AND THEY'RE STILL SLOWLY GOING UP.
IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THAT NUMBER'S GONNA GO, UH, UP HIGHER.
AND I THINK WE'RE, NOW, WE'RE AT 4 46.
UH, BUT I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THE REASON THAT NUMBER'S GONNA GO UP IS BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING TO THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND FOR THOSE INTEREST RATES TO, TO CLIMB AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND THEN WE GET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COST REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE C I G PROGRAM.
THE OTHER THING IS, UH, THE OPENING OF THE, UH, THE PROJECT OFFICE ON SAN PEDRO.
I KNOW A FEW OF YOU WERE ABLE TO, TO JOIN US FOR THE GRAND OPENING.
THERE'S A VIDEO THAT WE'RE GOING TO PLAY JUST SHOWING AND HIGHLIGHTING THE OPENING OF THAT, UH, THAT OFFICE BACK IN JUNE.
IT'S SO GREAT TO HAVE A PROJECT OFFICE OPENING SO THAT THE PUBLIC CAN COME IN AND TALK ABOUT THIS EXCITING, EXCITING ADVANCEMENT IN TRANSIT AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
IF SOMEBODY HAS A QUESTION OR JUST WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE A R T, BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST A R T EVER IN SAN ANTONIO, WE INVITE THEM TO COME ON IN AND FIND OUT.
AND THIS OFFICE IS GOING TO BE REALLY, REALLY INTEGRAL TO OUR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2027 OPENING OF THIS RAPID TRANSIT LINE.
AND IT'S A GAME CHANGER BECAUSE IT REIMAGINES THE WAY WE MOVE PEOPLE.
THAT'S WHAT V DOES, AND THAT'S WHO WE SERVE THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE FROM ALL ALONG THE CORRIDOR TO VISIT THIS OFFICE AND TO TALK TO THE STAFF HERE.
AND IN THE OFFICE, THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, MULTIMEDIA DISPLAYS, MAPS OF THE PROJECTS.
THERE'S GONNA BE DEPICTIONS OF WHAT THE STATIONS WILL LOOK LIKE, WHERE
[00:50:01]
THE STATIONS WILL BE LOCATED.WELL, THIS IS REALLY THE HEART OF THE NORTH SOUTH CORRIDOR AS IT WAS CONCEIVED A LONG TIME AGO, CONNECTING THE AIRPORT AND DOWNTOWN, BUT EVEN FURTHER THAN THAT, STONE OAK ALL THE WAY TO BROOKS.
SO, UH, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF MASS TRANSIT'S FUTURE IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO IT'S A VERY APPROPRIATE PLACE TO HAVE OUR FIRST PUBLIC INPUT OFFICE.
PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF MOBILITY IN THE SAME WAY THAT THEY THINK OF, LET'S SAY, INCOME AND A JOB OR EDUCATION OR HEALTHCARE, BUT MOBILITY IN THE LIFE OF A CITY IS AS ESSENTIAL AS ANY OF THOSE OTHER THINGS.
SO MOVEMENT, MOBILITY IS A DEEPLY EMBEDDED CONCEPT IN THE LIFE OF A CITY.
AND I THINK VIA IS, UH, REALLY QUITE DRAMATIC IN GIVING US SOME ANSWERS THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
THIS IS ONE OF MANY MILES AND MILESTONES AHEAD.
OUR WORK HAD JUST BEGUN, AND I'M CONFIDENT TOGETHER WE CAN GO FARTHER THAN WE EVEN IMAGINE.
SO IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE.
IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER.
IF YOU WANNA DO BOTH, GO WITH VIA.
IT'S BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY SERIES OF EVENTS ACROSS MANY YEARS THROUGH MANY CHALLENGES AND WITH MANY VICTORIES TO BRING US TOGETHER TODAY.
SO THANK YOU FOR CREATING THIS HOME, A HOME FOR THE VIA RAPID TRANSIT PROJECT THAT THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE PROJECT WILL BE BUILT CAN CALL THEIR OWN.
ALL RIGHT, AT THIS TIME I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO CHRIS.
WE ARE WITH W S P TO GO THROUGH THE EAST WEST OR THE SILVER LINE UPDATE.
AND, UH, GOOD EVENING CHAIR TRUSTEES.
UH, GLAD TO BE HERE THIS EVENING TO TALK ABOUT THE SECOND LINE, UM, IN THE SYSTEM HERE, THE SILVER LINE, UH, FORMERLY EAST WEST, AND, UH, NOW THE RAPID SILVER LINE PROJECT.
AND GIVE AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THIS ONE AS WELL.
SO, UH, JUST STARTING OFF WITH THE PROJECT DETAILS.
THIS ONE IS A LITTLE BIT, UM, UH, SHORTER IN DISTANCE THAN THE NORTH SOUTH 7.3 MILES RUNNING EAST AND WEST OF DOWNTOWN, UH, HAS 18 PLAN STATIONS.
THE CURRENT BUDGET IS 2 93 0.1.
THAT IS, UM, BEING LOOKED AT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS AND INCLUDES CONNECTIONS IN KEY AREAS ALL ALONG THE CORRIDOR THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND, AND EITHER END AND, UM, AND HAS CONTINUING SERVICE BEYOND WHAT WE CALL THE CAPITAL LIMITS AT GENERAL MCMULLEN AND AT AND T CENTER.
UH, SO THAT SERVICE WOULD CONTINUE BEYOND THAT AS WELL.
AND SOME OF THE SAME KEY FEATURES THAT NORTH SOUTH OR THE GREEN LINE HAS TRANSIT SIGNAL, PRIORITY, UPWARD FARE COLLECTION, DEDICATED LANES, UM, IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE CORRIDOR ITSELF.
SO VERY, VERY MUCH IN KEEPING WITH WHAT YOU SEE WITH THE GREEN LINE PROJECT.
UH, SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROJECT.
UM, IT WAS ACCEPTED LAST FALL, OCTOBER INTO THE, UH, FTAS C I G PIPELINE AND ENTERED INTO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AS A SMALL START.
SMALL START IS, UH, SILVER LINE IS A SMALL START, SO A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT SIMILAR PROGRAM, UH, AS WE WORK THROUGH THE STEPS OF THAT.
UH, ONE UNIQUE FEATURE OF THE SILVER LINE IS THAT IT RECEIVED A, A SPECIFIC GRANT FOR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FROM F T A OF $8.1 MILLION, WHICH IS REALLY A GREAT INDICATOR OF, UH, THE FDA'S, UM, DESIRE TO SEE THE PROJECT MOVE FORWARD.
VERY UNUSUAL, UM, AND, AND GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, ALSO THERE'S BEEN, UH, SEVERAL TOURS OF THE CORRIDOR WITH F T A AND OTHER D O T PARTNERS LOOKING AT, UM, THE INVESTMENT THAT'S GONNA BE PUT IN, UH, DOWN THE ROAD.
ALONG WITH THAT, THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND NEPA, UH, TASKS ARE GONNA, UH, HAVE BEGUN.
WE'RE MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THAT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASE AND, AND STARTING TO SEE WHAT THE PROJECT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE, AND ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE, UH, EL ELEMENTS THAT, UH, NEED TO BE RESPECTED AND LOOKED AT AS PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS.
SO WE CONTINUE TO BUILD THE PROJECT.
UM, IT'S STANDING IN TERMS OF PROJECT CONTROLS AND WORKING WITH VIA VERY CLOSELY TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THINGS SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE, SIMILAR TO WHAT ART WAS REFERRING TO AS THE CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY THAT F T A LOOKS FOR WITH THESE LARGER PROJECTS, UH, ON THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT FRONT.
STAKEHOLDERS HAVE BEEN, UM, UH, THE, THE LIST HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND THEY'VE BEEN ENGAGED, AND THAT'LL CONTINUE ON PARTICULARLY HERE AS WE MOVE INTO THE FALL TIMEFRAME.
ALSO, OUR PROJECT PARTNERS, UH, WORKING WITH THE CITY AND WORKING WITH THE, UM, M P O TO REALLY GET THE DATA THAT'S NEEDED TO VALIDATE THE PROJECT.
SO QUITE A BIT OF WORK GOING ON IN THAT
[00:55:01]
REGARD.AND ALONG WITH ALL THE TECHNICAL WORK THAT GOES ON WITH ANY, UH, CORRIDOR PROJECT, INCLUDING SURVEY WORK, BASE MAPPING.
SO THAT'S ALL BEEN, UM, MOVING FORWARD OVER THE NEXT 90 DAYS.
WE HAVE, UM, SOME CONTINUING, UH, TECHNICAL WORK.
UH, WE'RE CONTINUING TO SURVEY.
THERE ARE, UH, FOLKS OUT IN THE FIELD TODAY, UH, MAYBE NOT TODAY WITH THE RAIN, BUT IN GENERAL, THEY'RE OUT, UM, DOING A PHYSICAL SURVEY, WORKING THE CORRIDOR ALONG WITH TALKING TO THE UTILITIES AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY HAVE, UH, AND, AND, AND QUITE A BIT OF WORK DONE ON, UM, LOOKING AT ROLL PLOTS AND WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE, UM, ONCE WE MOVE FORWARD INTO DESIGN SO THAT WE CAN SHARE THOSE WITH FOLKS AS WE GET INTO THE COMMUNITY HERE IN THE NEAR TERM.
UH, WE'VE STARTED THE NEPA WORK, UH, BUT THAT WILL CONTINUE ON AGAIN OVER THE NEXT, UH, 18 MONTHS OR SO AS WE LOOK TO COME TO, UM, COMPLETE THE NEPA, UH, PROCESS, SIMILAR TO LINE AND, UM, SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY AS AN ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND OTHER SENSITIVE, UH, PROPERTIES ALONG THE CORRIDOR SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE IDENTIFIED AND, AND MANAGED PROPERLY.
UH, PREPARING TO PUT A RATINGS PACKAGE IN, UH, THIS WEEK, ACTUALLY END OF THIS WEEK.
UH, REALLY THIS IS THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PROJECT TO BE ASSESSED BY THE F T A IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT ITS RATING WOULD BE.
AND SO THAT IS ON TRACK FOR BEING SUBMITTED ALONG WITH THE GREEN LINE, UM, IN SIMILAR FASHION, TWO DIFFERENT, UM, SUBMISSIONS BY IT VIA CONCURRENTLY A LOT OF WORK AND ENERGY GOING INTO THAT.
SO, UM, A LOT OF STAFF TIME AND, AND, AND, UH, COORDINATION TO GET THAT DONE.
AND THEN AGAIN, UH, THIS IS NOW WHERE WE'LL REALLY START TO LOOK AT MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS LOOKING FOR IN THE CORRIDOR, ARE REALLY LISTENING, UH, AS WE BRING FORTH THE IDEAS OF WHAT THE A R T PROGRAM LOOKS LIKE SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND AS A PROJECT, UM, THE STATION AREAS, UH, UH, THE, THE, THE TYPES OF CORRIDORS INTERSECTION, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT OCCUR.
WHAT, WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW FROM THE COMMUNITY AS WE LOOK BACK TO THAT FURTHER DESIGN IN TERMS OF A SCHEDULE.
UH, THIS PROJECT IS, IS RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF GREEN LINE, BUT A COUPLE YEARS BEHIND AS IT'S CURRENTLY PLANNED.
AND THIS ONE HAS ONE LESS STEP IN THE PROCESS WITH THE, THE F T A, UH, MILESTONES.
IT DOES HAVE, ONCE WE'RE IN PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, WE MOVE TO THE GRANT AWARD, BUT THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF WORK THAT GETS DONE IN ORDER TO GET THERE.
SO WE STILL HAVE NEPA, THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING AND FINAL DESIGN, ALL THE SAME STEPS THAT YOU SEE IN GREEN LINE, JUST WITH ONE LESS STEP IN THE ENGINEERING PHASE.
YOU GO FROM PROJECT DEVELOPMENT INTO THAT GRANT AWARD, BUT A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE TO GET THERE.
AND, UH, RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, IF YOU SEE THE, THE SECOND, UM, UM, MILESTONE UP THERE AT THE TOP, THAT'S THAT AUGUST TIMEFRAME, THAT AUGUST OF 2023 FOR PUTTING THAT INITIAL C I G RATINGS PACKAGE SUBMITTAL IN.
SO A LOT OF, UH, GREAT, UH, MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW FOR THE PROJECT.
AND, UH, JUST TWO PROJECTS WORKING SIDE BY SIDE AND ADVANCING.
ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT, WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE BREAK FOR QUESTIONS.
I JUST WANT TO REMARK TO THE BOARD THAT WHAT YOU SEE SITTING HERE AT THE TABLE IS WHY WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER.
KAT KAT HAS BEEN A VERY STRONG PARTNER.
SHE IMMERSED HERSELF IN THE PROCESS AND TRANSIT WHEN SHE FIRST WENT IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WITH GREAT VIGOR AND GREAT INTELLIGENCE.
AND SO HAVING YOU AT THE CITY WITH US, I HAVE ALL, YOU KNOW, TOTAL FAITH AND CHRIS REPRESENTS THE CONSULTANT WORLD.
AND THERE THERE'S OTHER CONSULTANTS THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGIES FOR EXAMPLE, BUT THEY DO SO MUCH OF THE HARD TECHNICAL WORK AND, AND, AND GUIDE US THROUGH.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY VIA STAFF WHEN, WHEN WE OPEN THE GREEN LINE, IT WILL BE ONLY BECAUSE WE ALL WORKED IT AND MOVED IT FORWARD TOGETHER.
AND SO I LOOK HERE AND I SAY, YES, WE CAN.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, AT THIS TIME, UH, BOARD MEMBERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY, ONE, THANK YOU GUYS.
I APPRECIATE THE, UH, PRESENTATION.
I HAVE ONE QUESTION AND ONE AND A QUICK COMMENT.
ART, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CONTINGENCY, UH, YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO DREAM OF A PERFECT WORLD.
UM, IF WE DON'T UTILIZE THAT CONTINGENCY COST SAVINGS TO THE PROJECT, WHAT DO WE DO? SO THE C I G PORTION, THE FEDERAL PORTIONS WOULD GO BACK TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THEN OUR LOCAL MATCH WOULD JUST STAY WITH US.
UH, I DON'T THINK I COULD SAY ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS ALREADY FEELING.
UH, OBVIOUSLY ATTENDING THE LUNCHEON A WEEK, TWO WEEKS AGO, UH, YOU SAW THE EXCITEMENT FOR THIS, UH, BOTH LINES.
[01:00:01]
BECAUSE OF THE COHESION THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CITY.UH, YOU KNOW, THE EXCITEMENT THAT KATT IS AT THE HEAD OF THIS NOW REALLY MAKES ME EVEN MORE EXCITED.
UM, BUT I WILL SAY THIS, WHEN WE ARE ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY SPECIFIC TO THE SILVER LINE, I THINK WE WANT TO INVOLVE AS MANY STAKEHOLDERS AS POSSIBLE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND I KNOW JOHN GARY IS SCRATCHING HIS HEAD, LIKE, AKI, WE ALREADY KNOW THIS, SO I WON'T LOOK HIS WAY, BUT THE IMPORTANCE AROUND TALKING ABOUT IMPACT, UH, THAT'S THE MESSAGE THAT WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR.
UH, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS.
ANY WAY I CAN SUPPORT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, TRUSTEES? IF NOT, UH, I JUST WANT, UH, TO CLARIFY ONE THING.
'CAUSE YOU DID MENTION IT THAT YOU HAD GOTTEN THE AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITY, BUT I DID NOT HEAR, DID YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE COUNTY? UH, NO SIR, I DIDN'T.
WE, WE'VE ALREADY OBTAINED THOSE AGREEMENTS, RIGHT? SO THE, THE AGREEMENTS THAT FOR THE I L A WAS VERY SPECIFIC TO THE GREEN LINE, THE, THE NORTH SOUTH LINE, RIGHT? AND NO, WELL, THE COUNTY DID, UH, UH, DID MAKE THE, UH, THE A T D THE FUNDING, YEAH, THEY DID THE FUNDING PART, WHICH THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
BUT THE, BUT THE CITY WILL BE OUR PARTNER IN THE STREET, OBVIOUSLY.
SO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERED OKAY.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT I'D LIKE TO, TO BRING OUT RIGHT NOW IS THAT SINCE WE'RE JUST STARTING OUT ON THIS PROJECT, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE INVOLVE THIS WINNING AS MANY MINORITY AND WOMEN AND LOCAL OWNED BUSINESSES THAT WE CAN AS WE GO ON WITH THIS PROJECTS, UH, BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO INCLUDE AS MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE, UH, THAT HAVE COMPANIES THAT ARE WORKED WITH US THAT ARE GONNA BE PART OF THIS WHOLE PROJECT.
UH, SO THE BEST YOU COULD DO IS WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND, AND, UM, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, I COME FROM BUSINESS, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD BUSINESS OUT THERE.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED.
SO LET'S SEE HOW WE CAN GET 'EM INVOLVED IF WE CAN, IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES OR CAN'T WE UNDERSTAND, BUT LET'S GIVE 'EM LEAST GIVE 'EM A CHANCE.
UH, WE, THIS WILL BE A FEDERALLY FUNDED PRO PROJECT, AS YOU CAN TELL.
AND SO ALL FEDERAL, PRO FEDERAL PROJECTS MUST COMPLY WITH THE D B E PROGRAM, NOT THE S B E OR ANYTHING ELSE.
AND SO IT WILL BE INCUMBENT ON US TO WORK WITH, UH, WITH COMPANIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY REGISTER AS DBES, 'CAUSE IT, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE SEPARATE REGISTRATIONS AND THAT'S HOW, THAT'S HOW IT WOULD GET DONE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION? IF NOT, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AGAIN AND APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
[7. *Legal Briefing]
UH, IS A CLOSED SESSION ITEM.OKAY, WE'LL GO INTO LEGAL FOR ITEM NUMBER A, B, UH, METROPOLITAN BUS TRANSIT VERSUS A, UH, ADVERTISING VEHICLES A D B A EXPOSURE, AND THEN B, DISCUSSION REGARD AS THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND RELATED PROCEDURES.
UH, SINCE WE'RE GONNA GO INTO CLOSE SESSION, I NEED TO READ THE STATEMENT TODAY IS AUGUST 22ND, 2023.
AND THE TIME NOW IS, UH, 6 0 8, UH, PM AND THE VIA METRO METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL OFFICIALLY GO INTO CLOSE, UH, AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS PERMITTED UNDER THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
THE ITEM WILL BE, THE ITEMS WE WILL DISCUSS DURING THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION ARE AS FOLLOWS, SEVEN EIGHT LEGAL BRIEFING VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT VIA ADVERTISING VERSUS ADVERTISING VEHICLES IN D B A ADS AD EXPOSURE, WHICH IS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM, PURSU TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1, 1 0.071.
AND, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN B ENTITLED LEGAL BRIEFING.
DISCUSS DISCUSSION REGARDING THE TEXAS PUBLIC INFORMATION ACT AND RELATED PROCEDURES, WHICH IS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM TO THE TEXAS CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07.
ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY.
ALL PERSONS WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO ATTEND THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE SMALL CONFERENCE ROOM.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT ATTEND OR MONITOR THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IN ANY MANNER.
6:43 PM AND UH, WE ARE OFFICIALLY COMING OUT OF CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING ITEM SEVEN A AND SEVEN B.
NO DELIBERATION OR PUBLIC POLICY OR VOTE TAKING OCCURRED DURING THIS EXECUTIVE MEETING.
THE NEXT ITEM, TRUSTEES, WE'LL REACH THE END OF OUR MEETING.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING? SECONDED.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? A MOTION CARRIES.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE.