[00:00:01]
[ATD 1. Call to Order]
IT IS NOW 5:03 PM AND I'M BOARD CHAIR FERRES.I'D LIKE TO CALL THE ORDER THE NOVEMBER 14TH, ATD BOARD MEETING.
I BELIEVE SHE'S RUNNING A LITTLE BIT LATE.
SECRETARY MALONE, PRESENT, ASSISTANT SECRETARY COOPER.
I THINK MACY MIGHT BE RIGHT A LITTLE BIT LATE.
TRUSTEE PADRE, HE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT LATE.
UH, LET'S PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF
[ATD 2. Moment of Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance, Announcements]
ALLEGIANCE TO THE US FLAG AND THE TEXAS FLAG PLEASE.I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE ALL TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO BE TEXAS.
ONE STATE UNDER GOD, AN INDIVIDUAL.
UH, WE HAVE NOW REACHED THE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR MEETING.
DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD? YES.
FOR THE ATD, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
[ATD 4. Consent Agenda]
NUMBER FOUR.IS THERE, THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MOVE ADOPTION.
ANY OPPOSED? NAY TO CONSENT AND AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVED.
MS. ELDERS, DO WE HAVE A LEGAL BRIEFING? NO SIR, WE DO NOT.
WE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
I HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
[1. Call to Order]
NOW 5:05 PM AND I'M CALLING TO ORDER THE NOVEMBER 14TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES.ITEM TWO WAS ADDRESSED AT THE FIRST MEETING, SO WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THAT.
[3. President/CEO Report]
NUMBER THREE, THIS BRINGS US TO THE PRESIDENT CEO REPORT, MR. ARNOLD.SO AS ALWAYS, WE WILL START WITH OUR STAR MAINTAINER OF THE QUARTER.
I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THAT PERSON, THE STAR MAINTAINER QUARTER, IS FLEET PAINTER BERNARDO GARCIA.
SO, IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT AS A CAMPAIGN MANAGER LEADER AND, AND PERFORMING HIGH QUALITY WORK, WHICH INSPIRES EVERYBODY IN FLEET AND FACILITIES, HE ALSO HAD THE LEAD IN DESIGNING THE PAINT SCHEME OF VIAS GRILLING BUS BARBECUE PIT, WHICH WE SHOWED YOU LAST MONTH.
AND I THINK WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER SHOT, UH, LATER TODAY, WHICH HAD ITS DEBUT AT THE RECENT GRILLS GIVING EVENT.
AND HE ALSO DESIGNED AND CREATED ALL THE GRAPHICS FOR THE PROJECT.
THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL TO MAKE THIS BARBECUE BUT PIT LOOK LIKE AN ACTUAL BUS WAS OUTSTANDING.
AND IN FACT, AS I MENTIONED LAST MONTH, SOMEONE FROM CPS SAID IF THERE WAS AN AWARD FOR THE BEST PIT, WE WOULD'VE HAD IT.
AND I'VE SUGGESTED NEXT YEAR THAT THEY HAVE SUCH AN AWARD SO WE CAN GET IT
UH, IN ANY CASE, HE DOES AMAZING JOB.
AS YOU CAN TELL, MANAGING CAMPAIGNS CONTINUES TO LEAD THE PAINT SHOP TEAM AND IS MAINTAINING THE FLEET'S PRISTINE APPEARANCE.
AND OUR FLEET DOES LOOK REALLY GOOD ON THE STREET.
HE TRULY EXEMPLIFIES VIA STANDARDS AND VALUES AND WE APPLAUD HIM THIS AFTERNOON.
EVENING, MR. GARCIA, WE ARE GOING TO DO A PICTURE WITH YOU AND THE BOARD.
UH, AFTER THE NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT WE'RE GONNA 'CAUSE WE'LL JUST GO UP FOR ONE SET OF PICTURES BECAUSE THE NEXT ANNOUNCEMENT IS ABOUT OUR RODEO.
SO ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, WE CELEBRATED THE RETURN OF THE VIA BUS FAN AND MAINTENANCE RODEO AFTER A THREE YEAR PANDEMIC INDUCED PAUSE.
IT WAS AN OCCASION ALSO TO OBSERVE VIAS 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVICE AND HONOR THE DECADE EMPLOYEE DEDICATED EMPLOYEES FROM PAST,
[00:05:01]
PAST, AND PRESENT WHO HELPED MOVE OUR COMMUNITY FORWARD THROUGH NEARLY FIVE DECADES.MORE THAN 375 EMPLOYEES, FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ENJOYED THE EVENT THAT FEATURED THE OFFICIAL BUS, VAN AND MAINTENANCE COMPETITION, A CELEBRITY RODEO COMPETITION AND FAMILY FUN ZONE, CAR ZONE, AND A LOT MORE.
AND WE'LL BE SEEING THAT IN JUST A BIT.
THE ANNUAL RODEO COMPETITION TESTS THE SC SC KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS.
I'M TRYING TO TURN THAT INTO COLLEGE.
THAT'S A COMBINATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS, RIGHT?
THE TOP COMPETITORS FROM VIAS RODEO ADVANCED TO THE STATEWIDE COMPETITION, WHICH WILL BE HOSTED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO NEXT MARCH AS PART OF THE TEXAS TRANSIT ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE WHERE WE WILL EXPECT OUR LOCAL COMPETITORS WILL SHINE.
AND THAT'S IN ORDER FROM THERE.
WINNERS ADVANCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL BUS RODEO, WHICH WILL BE HELD IN PORTLAND, OREGON IN APRIL.
SO FIRST OF ALL, JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING OPERATOR, MARCUS WHITE.
MARCUS, I SAW YOU COME IN JUST A SHORT, THERE YOU GO.
WHO TOOK FIRST PLACE IN THE BUS OPERATOR COMPETITION FOLLOWED BY OPERATOR.
WHO TOOK SECOND PLACE AND ALSO HAS A MILLION MILE PATCH, WHICH I'M VERY IMPRESSED.
AND THEN ROBERTO MARTINEZ, WHO TOOK THIRD PLACE.
SO YOU GENTLEMEN, WE'LL WE'RE GONNA DO A PICTURE WITH YOU WHEN WE GET THROUGH ALL THE ANNOUNCEMENTS SO YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SEAT.
TAKE YOUR SEAT UNTIL WE GET THERE.
UH, NEXT WE WANT TO HONOR JESSE RODRIGUEZ, WHO WON FIRST PLACE IN THE PARATRANSIT OPERATOR COMPETITION WITH OPERATOR ROBERT CARO IN SECOND, AND OPERATOR MOISE GARCIA IN THIRD IN THE TECHNICIAN RODEO.
PHIL DAVIS WENT HOME WITH FIRST PLACE.
DAVID BAREZ TOOK SECOND AND MARCOS LOPEZ PLACED THIRD.
SO AGAIN, ALL OF YOU WERE EXPECTING BIG THINGS.
COME MARCH WHEN TTA IS IN TOWN, LOCAL CIVIC AND BUSINESS LEADERS COMPETED DURING THE CELEBRITY RODEO PORTION OF THE EVENT, NAVIGATING A LITTLE SHORTENED COURSE.
OUR OWN CHAIRMAN, FERNANDO REYES, LEGITIMATELY CLAIMED FIRST PLACE WITH VICE CHAIR LAURA CABELLA, PLACING SECOND.
AND RAY FAO, JOHN MCFADDEN TOOK HOME THIRD PLACE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE CELEBRITY RODEO.
AND HERE IS OUR SECOND PLACE CELEBRITY OPERATOR, LAURA CELLA.
SO IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 5TH, WE HAVE A QUICK VIDEO RECAP OF WHAT WAS REALLY A REMARKABLE GREAT DAY FOR THE ENTIRE VIA FAMILY AS WE CELEBRATED 45 YEARS AND A RETURN OF THE BUS SPAN AND MAINTENANCE RODEO.
YOU KNOW, THE RODEO IS A REALLY SPECIAL PART OF VIA AND OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION EVERYWHERE.
THIS IS OUR 45TH ANNIVERSARY, SO WE'VE KIND OF RAMPED IT UP A LITTLE BIT TO CELEBRATE.
I HAVE A TREMENDOUS NEW APPRECIATION FOR WHAT THE DRIVERS DO.
MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU ALL BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU, THAT IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS THAT I'VE DONE IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
AND WE APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK AND THE EFFORT THAT
[00:10:01]
YOU DO TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CITIZENS AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY.AND MAKE SURE YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR DOGS AS WELL.
OUR
WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS KIND OF LITTLE TESTS ON THE COMPONENTS OF VEHICLES.
SO EACH ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE 15 MINUTES TO GO INTO THESE MODULES.
SO ONE MIGHT BE AN ENGINE IN TRANSMISSION, UH, ONE'S AIR CONDITIONING, ONE'S AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
PEOPLE GET FACE PAINTING, THE FUNNEL CAKES, THE KETTLE CORN BARBECUE.
SO WE WILL HAVE SOME WINNERS FROM HERE TODAY.
IT WILL BE HEADED TO PORTLAND, OREGON.
PLEASE ALSO JOIN ME IN THANKING THE EVENT ORGANIZERS, THE COORDINATORS AND VOLUNTEERS WITHOUT WHOM WE COULD NOT HAVE HAD SUCH A SUCCESSFUL EVENT.
IF YOU'RE PART OF THE TEAM WHO HELPED ORGANIZE THE RADIO COMPETITION AND EVENT, OR IF YOU VOLUNTEERED TO SUPPORT THE EVENT OR YOU COOKED FOOD FOR US, WHICH WE ESPECIALLY APPRECIATED, IF YOU'D PLEASE STAND SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
UH, I'M GONNA TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE HERE, UH, TO ALSO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT PARTICIPATED IN PUTTING THIS ORGANIZATION TOGETHER.
I, I HOPE THAT MORE OF YOU CAN MAKE IT OUT THERE THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE ONE OF THESE, BECAUSE IT WAS A LOT OF WORK FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DID IT.
BUT IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, IT WAS A LOT OF LEARNING.
UH, AND LEMME TELL YOU, I HAVE A TRULY NEW ADMIRATION FOR OUR OPERATORS.
'CAUSE DRIVING THOSE BUSES IS NOT AN EASY JOB.
AND I CAN JUST IMAGINE DRIVING IT IN TRAFFIC WITH PEOPLE AND CARS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF HAPPENING.
UH, SO YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING AND THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO DO THIS JOB FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, I CAN ONLY, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
UH, BUT I DID LOOK, GET A WHOLE DIFFERENT FEEL ABOUT THE, WHAT YOU ALL DO.
SO I'M GLAD I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT.
UH, AGAIN, WHAT A GREAT EVENT.
UH, AND SO WITH THAT, I'LL PASS THAT OVER.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO DO PICTURES.
YOU SAW 'EM ON, ON THE FILM, BUT NOW YOU'LL, AND YOU'VE SEEN THEM IN REAL LIFE.
BUT NOW WE'LL DO PICTURES AND WE'LL HAVE IT ALL WRAPPED UP.
UH, SO I'M GONNA ASK THE BOARD TO COME FORWARD AND THE FIRST PICTURE WILL BE WITH OUR, UH, STAR MAINTAINER OF THE QUARTER, BERNARDO GARCIA, IF YOU'LL COME UP.
AND THEN AFTER THAT I'M GONNA ASK ALL THE RODEO WINNERS TO COME UP FOR A, A GROUP SHOT.
[00:17:39]
AT THIS TIME I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK OUR FELLOW CELEBRITY RODEO COMPETITORS FOR JOINING US AND TAKING THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE JUST A TASTE OF WHAT IT TAKES TO OPERATE A VIA BUS SAFELY AND RELIABLY.UH, MR. JINO MAYOR OF CASTLE HILLS, DISTRICT THREE COUNCILWOMAN PHYLLIS VERAN, DISTRICT FOUR COUNCILWOMAN, DR.
ADRIANA ROCHA GARCIA, REBECCA VERAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF SOUTH TEXAS BUSINESS PARTNERS JOHN MCFE, SENIOR RAY FA 75.
AND OF COURSE OUR VICE CHAIR CABILLA.
AND WE CAN'T FORGET THE BINO, THE BINO
SO THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING.
UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOU BEING, TAKING THE TIME TO BE THERE.
AND AGAIN, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT EVEN THOUGH THE CHAIRMAN'S WIFE EVEN WONDERED WHETHER WE RIGGED IT,
YOU PLAN A RECOUNT AND NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, WERE VERY, VERY CLOSE.
THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR LEAVING
UH, PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING ELOY LEUE WHO HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO THE, THEIR HE KNOWS TO STAND UP.
LEROY
SERVING AS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COORDINATOR AND SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS TEAM THROUGH MANY KEY INITIATIVES AND SUCCESSES, INCLUDING SEVERAL LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS, THE 2020 BALLOT PROPOSITION TO FUND TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS, EXCUSE ME, THROUGH THE KEEP SA MOVING PLAN AND KEEPING THE TEAM MOTIVATED AND UNITED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PANDEMIC.
NOW, PRIOR TO HIS WORK AT VIA ELOY HELD ROLES AS ROLES AS DISTRICT CHIEF SENIOR CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS LIAISON WITH BOTH THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND STATE ELECTED OFFICES, HE HOLDS A MASTER'S DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT HAS OVER 20 YEARS, EX 22 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT.
HE'S CURRENTLY IN HIS THIRD YEAR OF A FIVE YEAR PROGRAM, UH, AND I'M NOT GOING TO PRONOUNCE IT PROPERLY, I DON'T THINK, BY
[00:20:01]
PROGRAM THROUGH THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN ANTONIO AND IS ACTIVE IN THE FITNESS COMMUNITY.SO I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN SQUEEZE ALL IT ALL.
JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING ELOY AND ENCOURAGE TO CONTINUE HIS SUCCESS.
WE WERE REALLY PLEASED TO WELCOME OVER 30 STUDENTS FROM THE YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP ACADEMY TO VIA ON NOVEMBER 9TH FOR A FIELD TRIP COORDINATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WOMEN'S TRANSPORTATION SEMINAR, SAN ANTONIO'S CHAPTER TRANSPORTATION YOU PROGRAM.
THE STUDENTS HAD A FULL DAY OF LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT THAT INCLUDED A VISIT TO THE GRAND, A TOUR OF THE CNG FUELING AND ELECTRIC BUS CHARGING STATIONS, A RIDE THROUGH THE BUS WASH, A VISIT TO KEEP SAN ANTONIO, ANTONIO MO KEEP SA MOVING VIA RAPID PROJECT OFFICE AND A LUNCHTIME ACTIVITY DURING WHICH THEY LEARNED HOW TO CONSIDER A COMMUNITY'S NEEDS AND PRIORITIES WHILE PLANNING BUS SERVICE AND ROUTES ALONG THE WAY.
THEY MET AND HEARD FROM MEMBERS OF THE VIA TEAM AND STAFF AND LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING A CROSS SECTION OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ON EVERYTHING FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING TO PASSER AMENITIES, MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, SAFETY AND OTHERS.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND STRATEGY AND YWLA BOARD MEMBER RACHEL BENAVIDES FOR ORGANIZING AND HOSTING THE FIELD TRIP FOR THIS NEXT GENERATION OF TRANSIT LEADERS AND EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THAT SUCCESSFUL.
RACHEL, PLEASE STAND ALSO THAT SAME EVENING, THAT SAME DAY, THAT NOVEMBER 9TH VIA WAS HONORED AT THE SOUTH TEXAS BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP'S 14TH ANNUAL LEGENDS GALA.
THE EVENT RECOGNIZES PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH AND INVESTED IN THE FUTURE OF SAN ANTONIO'S SOUTH SIDE.
VIA WAS HONORED FOR OUR 45 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND OUR FOCUS ON ENSURING THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES OF THE SOUTH SIDE, ALONG WITH ALL SAN ANTONIO AND OUR MEMBER CITIES CAN CONTINUE TO ACHIEVE PROSPERITY THROUGH MOBILITY.
AMONG THE MANY, UH, AMONG THE MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN INVESTMENTS IN THE SOUTH SIDE ARE THE BROOKS TRANSIT CENTER, THE VIA LINKS SOUTH ZONE AND THE VIA RAPID GREEN LINE, WHICH WILL CONNECT TO THE AIRPORT AND NORTH STAR MALL AREA IN THE NORTH, EVENTUALLY CONTINUING ON TO THE SOUTH BY THE MISSIONS AND BROOKS, UH, SUR.
SO ALL ROADS LEAD SOUTH, WHICH WAS THEIR MOTTO AND MY MOTTO.
UH, I WAS PROUD TO JOIN OUR CHAIR IN ACCEPTING THE AWARD ON BEHALF OF OUR AGENCY AND THE ENTIRE VIA FAMILY.
SO THANK YOU TO CHAIR FERNANDO REYES, A PROUD SON OF THE SOUTH SIDE TRUSTEE JAVIER PERES AND TRUSTEE ATH, UH, I'M SORRY, SECRETARY ETLE MON FOR JOINING US TO SUPPORT VIA AND THE SOUTH TEXAS PARTNERSHIP.
AND LAURA CABELLA IS ALSO RIGHT A SOUTH SIDER.
SO I, AS I SAID, VIA NOT ONLY PROVIDES SERVICE, BUT WE, WE GET A LOT OF TALENT FROM THE SOUTH SIDE.
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO THE AGENCY.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING THE US MILITARY VETERANS WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY AND ARE SERVING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH, THROUGH THEIR WORK AT VIA.
I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD THAT OUR WORKFORCE INCLUDES ALMOST 20% OVER 400 EMPLOYEES WHO ARE VETERANS.
HIRING EMPLOYEE VETERANS IS A PRIORITY OF OUR AGENCY.
ONE FOR WHICH WE ARE REGULARLY, REGULARLY RECOGNIZED BY THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION.
AND WHILE THESE ACCOLADES ARE POINTS OF PRIDE FOR VIA THE TRUE PRIDE COMES IN HONORING OUR VETERANS, THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND SACRIFICES ON VETERAN'S DAY AND EVERY DAY NOW WITH 400 EMPLOYEES AND A FAR FILE MARSHAL LIMIT ON IN THIS ROOM.
WE, WE DID NOT INVITE THE 400 TO BE HERE TODAY.
HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE A VETERAN, A US MILITARY VETERAN, PLEASE STAND SO THAT WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU IN, IN HONOR OF ALL OUR VETERANS.
I'LL WORK Y'ALL, BUT I'M ALRIGHT.
AND TRUSTEE CUOMO HAD ASKED IF HE COULD HAVE A SHORT POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
UM, I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN HERE FOR THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND THE RODEO I'VE ATTENDED IN THE PAST.
UH, MY GRANDDAUGHTERS REALLY LOVE IT.
AND, UH, A A NUMBER OF THE EMPLOYEES HAD ASKED ME, WHEN ARE WE GONNA START THIS AGAIN? AND SO I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH JEFF AND I'M REALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT YOU PUT THIS BACK ON THE FRONT BURNER 'CAUSE IT'S A GREAT, UH, MORALE BOOSTER FOR ALL OF OUR, OUR STAFF WHO DOES SUCH WONDERFUL JOB.
I WISH, UH, THE FOLKS WHO WERE HONORED BY BEING FIRST, SECOND OR THIRD WERE STILL HERE.
SO I COULD HAVE EXPRESSED MY, UH, APPRECIATION AND CONGRATULATIONS DIRECTLY.
[00:25:01]
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER, UH, WHEN WE WENT TO DENVER SEVEN YEARS AGO, MAYBE FOR A, A RAIL VOLUTION CONFERENCE, AND I'VE BEEN TO TWO ADDITIONAL RAIL VOLUTION CONFERENCES.AND I JUST CAME BACK FROM THAT LAST WEEK, WHICH IS WHY I COULDN'T BE AT THE, AT THE, UH, RODEO.
BUT, UH, I GOTTA SAY THAT OUR STAFF AND MY COLLEAGUE HERE, JAVIER, DID JUST AN OUTSTANDING JOB AND DID VIA VERY, VERY PROUD, REALLY, REALLY, UH, OUTSTANDING JOB THAT THEY DID.
UH, SANDY, JESSICA, UH, KAT HERNANDEZ FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH US.
AND, UM, UH, SO JUST AS YOU INTRODUCED ME TO SO MANY PEOPLE BACK IN DENVER, WAY BACK WHEN, MM-HMM, BEING THE CONNECTOR THAT YOU ARE THIS TIME, THE CONNECTOR WAS CAMMIE.
I MEAN, SHE KNEW EVERYBODY, ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY AND CONNECTED ALL OF US WITH PEOPLE WHO DO THIS WORK ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO AN IMPACT CONFERENCE, I ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO GO BECAUSE IT NOT ONLY TALKS ABOUT TRANSIT, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION AND POVERTY AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH AS WE PUT TOGETHER THE GREEN LINE, THE SILVER LINE, THE, UH, ET CETERA.
SO, UH, IT TOUCHES ON EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
I WAS PROUD TO SEE THAT OUR STAFF WAS JUST RIGHT ON PAR POINT IN, IN THE PRESENTATIONS THAT THEY MADE, UM, IN THE CONNECTIONS THAT THEY MADE.
UH, I REMEMBER AFTER ONE OF THE, UH, THE SEGMENTS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I WENT UP TO THE PRESENTER FROM KANSAS CITY AND I SAID, YOU NEED TO COME TO SAN ANTONIO TO MEET WITH JEFF ARNT.
HE SAID, I WAS JUST THERE MEETING WITH JEFF AND TREMMEL JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO.
SO Y'ALL ARE ON TOP OF THINGS.
AND THAT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE.
UH, AND LIKE I SAID, I, I COULD NOT BE, UH, MORE PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND PROUD OF MY COLLEAGUES, UM, WHO DID SUCH A FANTASTIC JOB AT THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
FINALLY, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF REFLECTION AND REMEMBRANCE FOR VIA BUS OPERATOR MANUEL BAJA BA ANO III, WHO PASSED AWAY ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 20TH.
HE WAS A SAN ANTONIO NATIVE AND HAD DEDICATED FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE TO VIA PRIOR TO HIS PASSING.
WE OFFER SINCEREST CONDOLENCES TO HIS PARENTS, DORA AND MANUEL BAJA, THE JUNIOR AS WELL.
HIS SIBLINGS AS HIS SIBLINGS AND EXTENDED FAMILY.
HE WILL SURELY BE MISSED BY ALL WHO KNEW HIM, INCLUDING HIS COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS HERE IN HIS FAMILY AT VIA.
[4. Citizens to be Heard ]
THE NEXT ITEM IS CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.DO WE HAVE ANY CITIZENS TO BE REGISTERED TO SPEAK MR. MR. CHAIR? WE HAVE THREE CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
UH, BECAUSE OF THAT I HAVE TO READ THIS STATEMENT.
WE HAVE NOT COME TO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD PORTION OF OUR PUBLIC MEETING.
THE BOARD IS INTERESTED IN HEARING THE COMMENTS AND CONCERN OUR PATRONS AND CITIZENS IN SAN ANTONIO BEAR COUNTY AREA.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS CONCERNING PUBLIC BUSINESS OR POLICY OVER WHICH THE BOARD HAS SUPERVISION AND CONTROL MAY BE ADDRESSED AT A LATER DATE BY THE PRESIDENT SLASH CO OR AND O STAFF OR HIS STAFF.
THIS PROCESS ASSURES THAT YOU RECEIVED THE MOST ACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONCERN.
THANK YOU AND DEAR, APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME AND EFFORT TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS WITH US THIS EVENING.
OUR FIRST CITIZEN TO BE HEARD IS GINGER TRAINER GREETINGS VIA BOARD MEMBERS.
YOU GUYS ARE GETTING YOUR THANKSGIVING ON EARLY.
THERE'S SO MUCH THANKS BEING GIVEN HERE TODAY.
UH, WE ARE ALL BLESSED TO HAVE YOU.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO DROP IN AND, UM, JUST SAY THANK YOU.
HAPPY 45TH ANNIVERSARY TO START WITH AND THEN THANK YOU FOR, UM, BEING THE ONE ORGANIZATION THAT I'M AWARE OF IN THIS CITY THAT IS GETTING THE WORD OUT, UH, BY POSTING SACRED S-A-C-R-D, WHICH IS EVERY RESOURCE FOR THE CITY ON YOUR BUSES ON THE BLA THE PLACARDS.
UH, IT WAS ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO.
THAT, AND YOU ALSO PUT ONE PILL KILLS, UH, ALERTING PEOPLE OF THE FENTANYL CRISIS.
PEOPLE RIDING BUSES CAN JUST SCAN THEIR PHONES ON THE QR CODE AND GET THE FACTS ON FENTANYL.
YOU'RE NOT HEARING A LOT OF IT IN THE NEWS, BUT PEOPLE ARE DYING EVERY DAY FROM FENTANYL POISONING, UH, MANY OF 'EM HERE IN OUR CITY.
UM, AND YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB OF BRINGING AWARENESS.
[00:30:01]
UM, I HAVE MY OWN NONPROFIT, ONE PILL KILLS SA.ORG AND I'M JUST ONE PERSON.BUT YOU GUYS ARE JUST REALLY AMAZING AND I THANK YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL CONTINUE TO KEEP THOSE PLACARDS ON YOUR BUSES GOING INTO THE NEW YEAR BECAUSE IT'S VERY MUCH NEEDED TO SAVE EVEN ONE LIFE.
IF ONE PERSON KNOWS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL.
UM, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AND CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
YOU ARE THE CADILLAC TO THE HOMELESS AND YOU'RE THE CADILLAC TO THE DISABLED AND STUDENTS GETTING TO SCHOOL, PEOPLE GETTING TO WORK.
AND EVERYBODY IN THE CITY, YOU MAKE OUR CITY GO ROUND, ROUND AND ROUND.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
OUR NEXT CITIZEN IS ARTHUR HERNANDEZ.
I TRY TO MAKE IT FAST IN THE THREE MINUTES.
SO I'M A VET AND I RIDE THE BUS.
I HAVE TO RIDE THE BUS BECAUSE IF I DON'T RIDE IT, UH, THE VA TAKES AWAY MY CHECK AND I EARN THAT CHECK.
THE PROBLEM IS THE VA LINK IS NOT WORKING REALLY WELL.
THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE APP.
THE WAY IT WORKS IS THAT THE DRIVER GETS TO HIS LOCATION THAT 'CAUSE IT'LL TELL ME AHEAD OF TIME THAT THERE'S SOMEONE COMING FOR ME.
BUT IT WON'T TELL THAT PERSON UNTIL, UNTIL HE PRESSES THE BUTTON THAT HE DROPPED OFF THAT PERSON.
SO IF HE DROPS OFF THAT PERSON, HE CAN WAIT 20 MINUTES THERE JUST WAITING UNTIL HE PRESSES THAT BUTTON, IT'S GONNA GIVE HIM THE NEXT LOCATION.
SO I'M STUCK WAITING 25 MINUTES.
A COUPLE OF DAYS RAINING AND I'M STUCK OUT THERE.
AND I'VE CALLED AND COMPLAINED PLENTY OF TIMES AND JUST STARTED Y'ALL REPLACING SOMETHING, IT DOESN'T WORK.
OKAY? NOW I IT, IT COULD WORK IF YOU, IF Y'ALL GET ON IT, IF SOMEONE GETS ON IT, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT NOW, YOU GOT GUYS, THE TURNOVER RATE IS HIGH AND, AND, AND THEY GOTTA PAY FOR THEIR OWN FUEL.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT, BUT THOSE DRIVERS HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN FUEL.
SO THEY'RE GETTING PAID 20, $23 AN HOUR, BUT THEY SAY THAT 20 $10, $10 AN HOUR FOR FUEL, THEY'RE LOSING THAT.
Y'ALL NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
AND I'M ASKING YOU TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE I ENJOY RIDING THE VIA.
NOW, I'M NOT JUST A DISABLED VE I ACTUALLY OWN A CONCRETE COMPANY.
SO I START EARLY IN THE MORNING.
SO 4 45 IN THE MORNING, I TAKE THE FIRST BUS OUTTA MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND I SAVE ALL MY MONEY BY RIDING WITH Y'ALL.
BUT I GET A DAY PASS EVERY DAY BECAUSE RATHER THAN PAY $67 TWICE A YEAR, WHICH I, WHICH I AM ENTITLED TO, I'D RATHER PAY THE NINE, THE THOUSAND $95 A YEAR TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME OF THAT MONEY GOES TO Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, TO BETTER SERVICES.
BUT IF I'M TELLING YOU THIS AND, AND I'M ASKING YOU THAT, PLEASE FIX THE PROBLEM.
'CAUSE IF NOT, I, I HAVE MONEY AND I'M GONNA PUT BILLBOARDS ALL AROUND SOUND THAT SAY VIA LINK SERVICES SUCK.
BEFORE I GO THAT ROUTE, I'M ASKING Y'ALL TO PLEASE GO TO YOUR COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT 'CAUSE I'VE CALLED THEM PROBABLY TWICE A MONTH WITH PROBLEMS WITH IT.
OKAY? SO PLEASE DO THAT AND CHECK THAT AND AND LOOK INTO IT FOR ME.
I'LL BE BACK IN MARCH AND IF Y'ALL CAN HAVE AN ANSWER FOR ME, I'D APPRECIATE THAT.
UH, SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD WHO'S BEEN RIDING VIA TRANS SINCE HE WAS 18.
UM, I'VE BEEN VERY FRUSTRATED WITH, WITH THE PROGRAM, BUT HAVE MADE IT WORK THROUGH MYSELF.
UH, I'VE GOT A SCHEDULE THAT I CAN, THAT I CAN WORK WITH AND, AND EXTENDED FAMILY.
UM, THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS I LIVE IN ENCINO PARK, WHICH IS HALFWAY BETWEEN 1604 WHERE YOU HAVE BUS ROUTES AND THE PARKING GARAGE OUT ON TPC.
UM, I'VE BEEN TOLD NUMEROUS TIMES, I'M SORRY, YOU'RE NOT WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF A BUS STOP.
UM, I'VE GONE TO MY CITY COUNCIL, UM, THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING.
I'VE GONE THROUGH MY HOA, UM, WHICH BY THE WAY, THEY WANT A BUS STOP IN ENCINO PARK.
UM, THAT COULD BE NOTED FOR SOMEBODY.
BUT BECAUSE I'M NOT THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE AWAY FROM A BUS STOP, I CAN'T HAVE THE SERVICE COME TO MY HOUSE.
I'VE GOTTA GO DROP HIM OFF SOMEWHERE AND BE PICKED UP.
WE HAD A FAIR, UH, I HAVE ISSUES WITH THE, WITH THE PARK AND RIDE PLACE THAT WOULD TAKE MORE THAN THREE MINUTES.
UM, SO WE CHOSE A STARBUCKS ON THE CORNER OF 1604 AND 2 81 AS OUR PICKUP AND DROP OFF SPOT.
UM, ABOUT SIX, SEVEN WEEKS AGO.
UM, HE DIDN'T CALL ME FOR AN HOUR THAT HE WAS STILL THERE.
HIS RIDE GOT DROPPED, THE TAXI THAT WAS HIRED, CANCELED AND A SECOND TAXI FINALLY PICKED HIM UP ABOUT TWO HOURS AFTER
[00:35:01]
I DROPPED HIM OFF FOR HIS RIDE.UM, AND IT'S A PROBLEM FOR ME, IN ADDITION TO ME, I'M, I'M ABLE TO DROP 'EM OFF BECAUSE OF MY SCHEDULE.
THERE'S AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF SPECIAL NEEDS YOUNG ADULTS LIVING OUTSIDE OF OH FOUR.
THEY CANNOT DO FURTHER EDUCATION BECAUSE IT, BECAUSE THEIR PARENTS ARE WORKING OR THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS LIKE I DO TO TAKE KIM PLACES TO HAVE 'EM PICKED UP AND DROPPED OFF.
SO AFTER HE FINISHES FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL AT JOHNSON, HE WENT TO THE NETS PROGRAM.
HE WAS THE ONLY ONE OUT OF HIS CLASS AND THE CLASS AHEAD OF HIM AND THE CLASS.
THERE WAS ONE FROM A CLASS AHEAD OF 'EM AND NONE FROM THE CLASS BEHIND THEM THAT CONTINUED THEIR EDUCATION THROUGH THE NORTHEAST TRANSITION SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET THERE.
I'VE BEEN TOLD THE SAME THING EXISTS IN NORTHSIDE SCHOOL.
I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBERS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE REAGAN OR, OR ANY OF THE OTHER SCHOOLS.
BUT THERE'S A WHOLE SLEW OF KIDS.
THEY CANNOT CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION BECAUSE VIA TRANS CANNOT ACCESS AND GO TO THEIR HOUSES.
'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF A BUS STOP.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE POLICY OR WHY IT IS.
UM, AND EVERY TIME I I GET TO A POINT, THE ANSWER I GET IS, I'M SORRY SIR, YOU'RE NOT WITHIN THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE OF A BUS STOP.
THIS ENDS CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
OKAY, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
[5. Consent Agenda]
IS ITEM FIVE, CONSENT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS AN ACTION ITEM.TRUSTEES, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, MAY I HAVE A MOTION A SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM AS PRESENTED? SUB MOVED SECOND.
OKAY, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? NAY CONSENT AGENDA ITEM.
[6. Economic Impact of the Development of the VIA Rapid Silver Line]
UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX, ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VIA RAPID SILVER LINE.MR. HERRERA, THANK YOU MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
AND WE'RE GONNA ASK, UH, JOHN HAU FROM TXP, UH, TO COME UP AND WALK US THROUGH A PRESENTATION THAT HE HAS PUT TOGETHER.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE ASKED, UH, FOR AN ANALYSIS TO BE DONE BY HIS FIRM IS TO GIVE NOT ONLY OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES AN ESTIMATE OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT OUR ASSETS AND FUTURE PROJECTS, UH, COULD HAVE ON THIS COMMUNITY.
AND JOHN IS HERE TO DELIVER US, UH, SOME OF THAT FEEDBACK AND, AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY HAVE.
GARY, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME OKAY? MM-HMM,
SEE, WE'LL SEE IF I CAN THERE.
I, I THOUGHT MAYBE WE DIDN'T QUITE HAVE AMPLIFICATION AND SO WE'LL SEE HOW I HANDLE ACTUALLY RUNNING THE POWERPOINT BY MYSELF.
SO AS JOHN GARY SAID, I'M AN ECONOMIST.
I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WORK, UH, WITH VIA ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES OVER THE YEAR.
A LONG, LONG TIME AGO I SAT IN YOUR CHAIR UP IN SAN ANTONIO.
I WAS A BOARD MEMBER UP AT CAPITAL METRO.
AND SO I'VE WORKED IN AND AROUND THE TRANSPORTATION, THE TRANSIT SPACE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS WE'RE GONNA RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH A MORE WIDESPREAD IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSIT IN GENERAL AND PARTICULARLY THE KIND OF TRANSIT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, WHICH IS MORE TIME, CERTAIN MORE RAPID DELIVERY, UH, KIND OF ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT IF YOU WILL.
AND WE WILL TALK THROUGH A RANGE OF BENEFITS.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE QUESTION IS WE CAN ARTICULATE DIFFERENT AREAS.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
BUT WE'VE NOW SORT OF FOUND A WAY TO TAKE A LOOK AND SAY WE CAN GO A LITTLE BIT BEYOND THAT AND LOOK AT A LITTLE MORE COMPREHENSIVE IMPACT ON THE COURSE OF A COMMUNITY OVER TIME.
AND IN PARTICULAR THE COURSE OF THAT COMMUNITY'S PROSPERITY.
SO I WILL WALK THROUGH THIS PRESENTATION.
I'M UNDER THE IMPRESSION YOU PROBABLY GOT A VERSION OF THIS EARLIER WITHOUT ALL THE ECONOMIST TALK, UH, WRAPPED INTO IT.
SO WE'LL SEE IF I CAN KINDA LINE UP WHAT THE OTHER GUYS DID AND THEN I'D REALLY BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AS WE GO ALONG.
ALRIGHT? SO AGAIN, MOST OF YOU'RE PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH SOME OF THOSE BASIC COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
I'LL TALK ABOUT EACH ONE OF THEM A LITTLE BIT.
AND AS I JUST SAID, I THINK WE FOUND A WAY TO SORT OF APPROPRIATELY DEMONSTRATE THAT THE PRESENCE OF ADVANCED TRANSIT IN A COMMUNITY REALLY DOES ENHANCE PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH OVER TIME.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S AN INTERESTING FINDING, WHICH IS NOT OFTEN TALKED ABOUT.
AND I WANNA REALLY GET INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT.
THERE WILL BE SOME STATISTICS INVOLVED, BUT I PROMISE IT WON'T BE TOO PAINFUL.
AND THEN OF COURSE THERE ARE THE MORE SHORT-TERM BENEFITS, WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH, HEY, WHEN YOU GO OUT AND SPEND MONEY, IT CREATES A STIMULUS EFFECT.
AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY PART OF IT.
SO LET'S JUST KINDA WALK THROUGH SOME OF THESE BASIC COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
FIRST AND FOREMOST IS MOBILITY.
YOU'VE GOT 16% OF THE FOLKS IN SAN ANTONIO, AT
[00:40:01]
LEAST AS OF RIGHT NOW.UH, MOST RECENT DATA WE HAVE WORKING FROM HOME AND ANOTHER 30 ODD PERCENT RELY ON SOME OTHER FORM OF TRANSPORTATION OTHER THAN THEIR VEHICLE TO GET TO WORK MEANS CLOSE TO HALF THE PEOPLE WORKING ARE NOT JUMPING IN THEIR CARS EVERY MORNING AND DRIVING TO WORK.
IT'S LIKELY THAT A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE CHOOSING TO RIDE THE BUS, NOT BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, PREFER THAT TO RIDE IN A CAR.
'CAUSE A LOT OF THEM HAVE LIMITATIONS.
YOU KNOW, AND YOU ARE WELL AWARE OF THAT.
SOME OF THOSE LIMITATIONS ARE FINANCIAL.
SOME OF THOSE MAY HAVE TO DO WITH HAVING SOME KIND OF A DISABILITY OR A SPECIAL NEED.
TRANSIT IS ESSENTIAL TO BROADENING THE AVAILABILITY OF THE LABOR POOL FOR COMMUNITY.
IT'S NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN RIGHT NOW AS WE WERE SITTING HERE WITH LITERALLY ACROSS THIS COUNTRY, MILLIONS OF UNFILLED JOBS AND WORKERS CRYING OUT OR COMPANIES CRYING OUT FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO WORK FOR 'EM.
SO IT'S AN ESSENTIAL PIECE OF MAKING THE LABOR FORCE AS EFFICIENT AND AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE.
SECOND THING PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IS TRAFFIC CONGESTION.
AND THERE CERTAINLY IS A COUNTERVAILING VIEW OUT THERE YOU'VE ALL HEARD OF THAT SAYS, GEE, IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF WE BASICALLY TEMPORARILY IMPROVE CAPACITY, IT'S JUST GONNA INDUCE MORE TRAFFIC.
YOU KNOW, THEY BUILD MORE LANES AND OH BY THE WAY IT FILLS ALL UP.
THAT'S, THAT'S QUITE A BIT OF DEBATE ON THAT.
TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE REPORTS CONGESTION RIGHT NOW IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH IN SAN ANTONIO.
I LEFT AUSTIN AT TWO 30 THIS AFTERNOON.
I GOT TO PARK FOR A WHILE ON I 35 TWICE.
UH, NOBODY ELSE HERE HAS EVER HAD THAT EXPERIENCE, RIGHT? NOWHERE ALONG THE WAY.
HERE'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, WHETHER YOU BELIEVE OR NOT, BUILDING MORE TRANSPORTATION, ROADWAY CAPACITY INDUCES TRAFFIC.
THERE'S GOOD RESEARCH OUT THERE THAT SAYS AT TIMES OF PEAK CONGESTION TRANSIT HAS A REAL IMPACT ON THAT.
AND THERE'S A STUDY DONE IN LOS ANGELES THAT SHOWED THAT RUSH HOUR DELAYS INCREASED 47% DURING A TRANSIT STRIKE.
WHICH MEANS OBVIOUSLY IF YOU'D HAD THE TRANSIT IN PLACE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT KIND OF MAJOR RELIEF.
I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NARROWER POINT TO MAKE IN THIS OVERALL CONVERSATION ABOUT CAPACITY AND CONGESTION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THAT WE, WE'VE SPENT A LONG TIME IN MY PRACTICE LOOKING AT THE INTERACTION BETWEEN TRANSPORTATION AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY DO SEE IS NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO IN THE COUNTRY, NO MATTER WHAT REGION IT IS, AND THE FOLKS AT BROOKINGS HAVE KIND OF DRILLED IN ON THIS, THAT IF YOU HAVE JOBS THAT ARE IN SOMEWHAT PROXIMITY TO TRANSIT, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE BETTER ACCESS ALL THE WAY UP AND DOWN THAN IF YOU LIVE IN A SUBURB.
THAT'S JUST SORT OF GENERALLY LOGICAL EXCEPT WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT YOU REALLY DO HAVE A CHANCE TO IMPROVE INCOMES FOR PEOPLE AT THE LOWER END OF THE SPECTRUM.
AND THAT SORT OF GOES BACK TO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE ON BASIC MOBILITY.
TRANSPORTATION IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF ALLOWING FOLKS WHO ARE EITHER TRADITIONALLY DISADVANTAGED OR WHO ARE JUST GENERALLY ON THE LOWER END OF THE SPECTRUM TO ACCESS FRANKLY WORK THAT PAYS THEM BETTER THAN THE OTHERWISE OPPORTUNITIES WOULD BE IN THE CASE.
THAT'S GONNA, AMONG OTHER THINGS, HELP THE HOME OF AFFORD THE COST OF SKYROCKETING HOUSING AS WE ARE ALL FACING RIGHT NOW.
HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT, I'M NO EXPERT ON THIS, BUT IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
YOU PUT A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ON A BUS, THEY'RE SPENDING A LOT LESS PER PERSON IN TERMS OF EMISSIONS THAN IF THEY'RE DRIVING THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAR.
THAT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
BUT THE OTHER INTERESTING THING THAT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT ENOUGH IS THAT THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND IN A CAR, THE LESS TIME YOU SPEND WALKING, THE LESS TIME YOU SPEND WALKING, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO BE OVERWEIGHT, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO BE OVERWEIGHT.
MY DOCTOR HAS EXPLAINED THIS TO ME IN EXCRUCIATING DETAIL.
UM, THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS. AND SO TRANSPORTATION IN PARTICULAR TRANSIT ALIGNS WELL WITH GETTING PEOPLE TO WALK MORE.
GETTING PEOPLE TO WALK MORE IS GENERALLY A GOOD THING FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE.
SO THEN PUBLIC SAFETY, THIS IS A HUGE ONE YOU CUT DOWN ON TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, THAT'S JUST PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND IT'S PARTICULARLY UH, IMPORTANT IN AS COMMUNITIES GET BIGGER AND AS COMMUNITIES GET DENSER, SAN ANTONIO IS CERTAINLY EXPERIENCING THAT.
UH, OVER TIME IS YOU HAVE MASSIVE TRAFFIC, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE ACCIDENTS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE INJURIES, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE FATALITIES.
THERE'RE GONNA BE ALL KINDS OF PUBLIC SAFETY IMPLICATIONS.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE I'LL JUST BRIEFLY TOUCH ON IS EDUCATIONAL ACCESS.
EDUCATIONAL ACCESS UNDERLIES A LOT OF THE ECONOMIC AND LABOR FORCE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
BUT IF YOU CAN'T GET TO SCHOOL, YES YOU CAN LEARN REMOTELY.
BUT LEARNING REMOTELY AS WE'VE ALL DISCOVERED, IS NO SUBSTITUTE
[00:45:01]
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE FACE-TO-FACE TO INTERACT WITH YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS AND OPTIMALLY YOU'D BE ABLE TO GO TO AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.AND SOMETIMES BASIC TRANSPORTATION IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THAT, PARTICULARLY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
YES, PLENTY OF PEOPLE CAN RIDE THE BUS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL AND TO PRIMARY SCHOOL ONCE YOU'RE GOING TO COLLEGE.
AND VIA IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF DEALING WITH THAT PROBLEM.
SO THOSE ARE ALL OTHER PEOPLE'S RESEARCH POINTING THEM OUT.
I THINK THIS BOARD IS PROBABLY WELL AWARE OF MOST OF THOSE, BUT I KIND OF, WELL ACTUALLY LEMME TALK ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION STIMULUS FIRST.
AT THE TIME I DID THIS ANALYSIS AND IT WAS, IT WAS DONE SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
THE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET WAS SET AT ABOUT $293 MILLION.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WAS AS OF SUMMERTIME.
UH, I IMAGINE IT'S PROBABLY CHANGED.
WE ALLOCATED IT OUT TO THESE DIFFERENT AREAS, RAN IT THROUGH A MODEL OF THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMY, WHICH ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT WHAT ECONOMISTS CALL THE SECONDARY EFFECTS OR THE RIPPLE EFFECTS GOING THROUGH.
WE DID ASSUME THAT MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT AND VEHICLES WOULD PROBABLY BE PURCHASED OUTSIDE THE AREA.
AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT CREATES A LITTLE STIMULUS WHERE YOU END UP WITH ECONOMIC ACTIVITY A LITTLE LARGER THAN THE BUDGET ITSELF.
VALUE ADDED IS AN ECONOMIST THING THAT'S ACTUALLY THE EQUIVALENT OF GDP FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO NERD OUT WITH ME.
AND SO THAT'S LITERALLY TOP LINE REVENUE MINUS COST OF GOODS SOLD.
THAT'S WHAT VALUE ADDED IS EARNINGS OF THE MONEY PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR POCKETS AND JOBS ARE JOBS.
NOW THOSE 2100 PLUS JOBS, THAT'S ONLY FOR THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT.
OBVIOUSLY ONCE IT'S OVER IT'S A NICE LITTLE STIMULUS AND WORTH CERTAINLY CONSIDERING.
BUT WHAT GETS INTERESTING BEYOND THIS IS THE QUESTION, DOES INVESTMENT IN TRANSIT HAVE A BENEFIT IN GENERAL AND IN PARTICULAR IN ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT HAVE AN OVERALL IMPACT? DOES IT CHANGE THE COURSE OF AN ECONOMY OVER TIME? WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SET OUT TO DO WITH THIS WAS TO SEE IF I COULD FIND A WAY TO MEASURE THIS STATISTICALLY.
SO WE COMBINED ART MODES 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA SPECIFICALLY ON RAPID BUS.
SO WE COMBINE RAPID BUS, LIGHT RAIL, COMMUNITY RAIL, HEAVY RAIL, HYBRID RAIL, THE COMMON CHARACTERISTIC HERE.
THEY'RE ALL IN DEDICATED RIGHT AWAY.
AND THEY ALL PROVIDE TIME CERTAINTY.
LOOKED AT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT DATA SETS.
MY WIFE TRIES NOT TO MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH ME WHEN I'M DOING THIS.
LOOKING AT THE NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE, WHICH IS A GREAT RESOURCE.
AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY IS PUT OUT BY THE CENSUS BUREAU.
BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IS ALSO A DIVISION OF THE CENSUS.
YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT SOURCES.
THE CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY IS REALLY FOCUSED ON TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION.
THE HYPOTHESIS HERE IN RUNNING THESE CORRELATION TESTS IS THAT THERE IS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NON-AUTO TRANSIT.
IN OTHER WORDS ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT AND CUMULATIVE ECONOMIC AND RECENT ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE.
AND SO THEN I RAN A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL TESTS ON EMISSIONS AND ALSO ON FATALITIES.
SO THESE ARE CORRELATION STUDIES.
CAN EVERYBODY FOLLOW THIS SLIDE? CLEARLY
AND DOWN THE LEFT HAND SIDE THERE ARE THE COMMUNITIES WE USE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, I DIDN'T USE NEW YORK, I DIDN'T USE CHICAGO, I DIDN'T USE, YOU KNOW, LOS ANGELES.
I TRIED TO FOCUS ON COMMUNITIES THAT IN TERMS OF SIZE WERE SOMEWHAT ANALOGOUS TO SAN ANTONIO WITHIN A CERTAIN RANGE.
AND THEY ALSO TRIED NOT TO PICK COMMUNITIES WHERE THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT PRECEDED THE AUTOMOBILE.
YOU KNOW, BOSTON IS GOT A BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN A TRANSIT PATTERN THAT REFLECTS THE DAYS THAT IT GREW UP AS A CITY LONG BEFORE WE HAD CARS.
SO WE HAVE A LIST OF COMMUNITIES THERE FROM ATLANTA AT THE TOP DOWN TO DC ALL THE WAY AT THE BOTTOM OF SAN ANTONIO.
THERE DIFFERENT MEASURES YOU SEE HERE.
I WAS ASKED THE OTHER DAY, WHAT'S THE TRANSIT CONNECTIVITY INDEX? THAT'S A DERIVED NUMBER THAT THE CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY PUT TOGETHER.
IT MEASURES THE INTENSITY OF TRANSIT BY HOW FREQUENTLY EITHER A BUS OR A RAPID BUS OR RAIL CAME COMES BY DIFFERENT SEGMENTS, SORT OF DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THE SIMPLE VERSION IS THE HIGHER THE NUMBER, THE MORE TRANSIT INTENSIVE THE COMMUNITY IS.
SO YOU CAN SEE ALL THESE DIFFERENT MEASURES HERE THAT WE LOOKED AT TO SORT OF CAPTURE SIZE OF THE COMMUNITY.
TRANSIT UTILIZATION, WE'VE GOT SOME THERE ON POLLUTION.
AND THEN OVERALL TRAFFIC FATALITIES FOR EXAMPLE, IS A SAFETY MEASURE.
HERE'S DATA ON ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WE INCLUDE THE POPULATION PER CAPITA.
REAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY I THINK IS ONE OF THE BEST MEASURES OF AN ECONOMY YOU CAN GET PER CAPITA INCOME IS ANOTHER REALLY GOOD ONE.
THEY'RE CLOSELY CORRELATED BECAUSE YOU'VE CONTROLLED IN DOING THAT FOR A LOT OF THINGS, DIFFERENT SIZES OF COMMUNITIES AND ALL THAT.
[00:50:01]
UNDERSTANDS AT LEAST WHEN YOU SAY PER CAPITA INCOME, THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.HOW MUCH MONEY DOES SOMEBODY HAVE AND YOU KNOW, AM I PUTTING IT IN MY POCKET? AND THEN WE HAVE DIFFERENT GROWTH RATES THERE AS A WAY FOR US TO KIND LOOK AT PERFORMANCE OVER TIME AND TO NORMALIZE IT.
SO IF YOU HAVE A GROWTH RATE OF 5%, IT'S 5%.
WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A BASE OF 5 MILLION PEOPLE OR 500 PEOPLE, IT'S A GROWTH RATE.
SO AGAIN, ANOTHER BIG DATA SET HERE.
THESE ARE WHAT ARE CALLED PEARSON CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS.
NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT.
BUT IT'S A MEASURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP HERE.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE OF TRANSIT INTENSITY, ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT AS A SHARE OF OVERALL TRANSIT.
AND THEN THE TRANSIT CAN CONNECTIVITY INDEX.
THE TOP TABLE THERE IS LOOKING AT REAL PER CAPITA GDP TRAFFIC FATALITIES.
UH, AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS UM, IT'S EMISSIONS ACTUALLY, I'M SORRY, THE OTHER ONE IS A MEASURE OF EMISSIONS AND THEN DOWN BELOW ARE SPECIFICALLY INCOME RELATED.
THE POINT HERE IS THERE'S A POSITIVE CORRELATION AMONG ALL OF THESE AT THE HIGHEST STATISTICAL LEVEL.
SO THERE IS A STATISTICALLY VALID CORRELATION BETWEEN MORE RAPID RATES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT.
THERE'S BETWEEN LOWER EMISSIONS OR AND ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT BETWEEN LOWER TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT.
SO IT DEMONSTRATES THAT THERE IS A VALID STATISTICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEING MORE TRANSIT INTENSIVE.
IT'S SO FINDING IS RELATIVELY NEW AND INTERESTING.
AND SO WHAT ARE THE CONCLUSIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS? WELL WE TALKED ABOUT THE SHORT-TERM IMPACT.
IT'S A LITTLE SHOT IN THE ARM FOR THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMY.
TIME OF ECONOMIC CHALLENGE COULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL.
UH, JOBS PAY REASONABLY WELL BY THE TIME YOU ROLL IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH, YOU KNOW, NOT TERRIBLE ANYWAY.
BUT THE TRADITIONAL ECONOM UH, BENEFITS, WE TALK ABOUT MOBILITY, COST SAVINGS, INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY, ALL THOSE APPLY AS WELL.
THERE'S CERTAINLY EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS IN THIS BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU ALL EXIST IN PART TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, THE UNEQUAL, THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS, THE UN UNEQUITABLE, SOME OF THE UNEQUITABLE ELEMENTS OF OUR SOCIETY.
YOU HELP BRIDGE THAT GAP BY DEFINITION.
BUT WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS THAT WHEN YOU GET TO THE BOTTOM LINE HERE, THERE REALLY IS AT AN EVEN DEEPER LEVEL, THE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROSPERITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT.
SO WHAT'S THE QUESTION? WHAT'S THE CHICKEN? WHAT'S THE EGG? 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD LOGICALLY ASK ME TO JUST RICH, CAN RICH COMMUNITIES PAY FOR RAIL? AND THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THE ANSWER IS THAT IT'S SOME ELEMENT OF BOTH.
THAT WHEN YOU INVEST IN ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT, IT CREATES THE CONDITIONS AROUND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT YIELD THE CAPACITY TO FURTHER EXPAND.
SO YOU AGAIN BEGIN TO GET INTO THIS VIRTUOUS CYCLE GOING FORWARD.
AND SO WHAT WE SAY IS REALLY TO KIND OF CLOSE THIS UP, THERE'S A RANGE OF FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF A LOCAL ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY IN THE SHORT RUN.
YOU FEEL THE STIMULUS IMPACTS IN THE NEAR TERM, BUT IT WILL LIKELY TAKE DECADES TO REAP THE FULL BENEFITS OF ART INVESTMENT.
BUT IT REALLY DOES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE AN IMPORTANT ASSET IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I'LL CLOSE WITH ONE PERSONAL STORY.
I TRIED DESPERATELY IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS.
I HAD LEFT THE CAPITAL METRO BOARD AND I PLEADED WITH THE NEW LEADERSHIP TO INVEST IN A RAIL SYSTEM FOR AUSTIN.
IT'LL NEVER BE CHEAPER AS A COMMUNITY.
WE WILL, WE ARE STILL RELATIVELY MANAGEABLE, RELATIVELY.
THINK OF AUSTIN 25 YEARS AGO, RELATIVELY MANAGEABLE.
THE PRICE AT THAT POINT WAS $1.7 BILLION TO DO IT COMPREHENSIVELY.
COULDN'T TALK 'EM INTO IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
PUT IT TO A VOTE, WE LOST IT COST TOO MUCH.
WHERE WOULD WE BE TODAY IF 25 YEARS AGO WE HAD MADE THOSE INVESTMENTS DIFFERENT PLACE.
SO NOW TXDOT IS TALKING ABOUT A $7 BILLION PROJECT TO DEPRESS THE LANES OF I 35 GOING THROUGH DOWNTOWN TO AUSTIN.
I'M TRYING DESPERATELY WORKING WITH THE CITY THERE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR CAPS AND STITCHES OVER THE TOP.
WHO KNOWS IF THAT WOULD'VE BEEN NECESSARY IF WE'D INVESTED IN TRANSIT 25 YEARS AGO.
SEE WHEN YOU HAVE GRAY HAIR, YOU COULD REMEMBER THAT STUFF.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, THOUGHTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE.
UM, REALLY INTERESTING, UH, INFORMATION.
MY QUESTION IS THIS, YOU SAID IT WOULD TAKE DECADES TO FEEL THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OR POSITIVE IMPACTS OF ART.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IS CREATING SOME
[00:55:01]
HOUSING INCENTIVES ALONG ITS ROUTES.IS THERE A WAY TO PROJECT DATA THAT COULD SEE THAT IMPACT? BECAUSE IF WE WERE TO CREATE, YOU KNOW, THE MARKETPLACE IS MADE OF PEOPLE, YOU DON'T HAVE A MARKETPLACE WITHOUT PEOPLE, RIGHT? LABOR AND CONSUMPTION.
SO IF WE CAN HELP WORK WITH OUR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES TO CREATE INCENTIVES FOR HOUSING, LIKE IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD PROJECT THAT IMPACT SOMEHOW? PROBABLY, ALTHOUGH YOU, YOU GET INTO THIS TRICKY THING WAS WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FED JACKS INTEREST RATES UP TO SOME CRAZY NUMBER, LIKE 8%.
OH WAIT, THAT JUST HAPPENED, RIGHT?
I THINK THAT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
I WOULD SUBMIT TO YOU, AND WE'VE SEEN THIS A LOT AND I THINK IT'S TRUE WITH ART, IT'S NOT QUITE AS TRUE AS WITH RAIL, BUT THE, THE TRANSPORTATION ITSELF IS AN INCENTIVE.
NOW THE CHALLENGE WITH IT FROM A REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE IS SOMEBODY SAYS YEAH, BUT YOU COULD MOVE THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY RAIL IS TYPICALLY HAS SUCH A HIGH REAL ESTATE IMPACT IS ONCE YOU INVE INVEST IN THE RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA MOVE IT.
SO THE TRICKY PIECE OF THAT WOULD BE CONVINCING THE MARKET THAT ONCE YOU ESTABLISH THESE ART LINES AND YOU COULD DO IT LITERALLY WITH STRIPING TO SOME DEGREE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE THE ROUTES BECAUSE ALL OF THE THINGS BEING EQUAL IN DENSE CITIES, BOY YOU CAN COMMAND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN RENT PREMIUM FOR ACCESS TO QUALITY TRANSIT.
'CAUSE DEVELOPERS WANNA DEFINE THE RISK AND CALCULATE THE RISK AND ABSOLUTELY HOW THEY DO THAT IF THEY THINK IT MIGHT MOVE AT SOME POINT.
SO THAT, I THINK AS YOU, I THINK WE ARE MOVING AWAY FROM RAIL TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST.
I THINK TECHNOLOGY HAS LEFT A LOT OF FIXED RAIL BEHIND AND THE COSTS OF RAIL ARE JUST EYE WATERING.
I GOT SENT 10, 12 YEARS AGO, I GOT SENT ALL OVER THE WORLD LITERALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO EXPAND THE DART SYSTEM IN DALLAS TO INCLUDE SOMETHING CALLED THE COTTON BELT.
AND I SAT THERE WITH THE HEAD OF HONG KONG TRANSIT OR LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, ARE YOU INSANE? YOU ARE NEVER GONNA HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE RIDE THAT TO JUSTIFY THE COSTS.
AND I'M LIKE, SO YOU SAY WE CAN'T HAVE A BAKE SALE.
HE IS LIKE, NO, THAT WON'T ACTUALLY DO IT.
SO I THINK THE POINT IS AS WE MOVE TO THESE, THESE NEWER FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION FROM A REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA NEED TO CONVINCE PEOPLE IS THAT THE ROUTES WILL STAY THE ROUTES AT LEAST FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME.
'CAUSE THAT WILL IN TURN LOCK SOME OF THE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT.
'CAUSE THEY'LL FEEL COMFORTABLE THAT, THAT THE AMENITY THAT THE VALUE REPRESENTED BY TRANSPORTATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE THERE.
TRUSTEE, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I I I'D LIKE TO JUST FOLLOW UP ON WHAT PAUL AND YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW AND CHALLENGE THAT ASSUMPTION RIGHT NOW OF HOW MANY TS AND I DON'T KNOW IF OUR STAFF KNOWS THIS OR YOU KNOW THIS, HOW MANY TS OR BRTS ARE OUT THERE NATIONALLY? NOT MANY.
IT'S, I MEAN THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IN DOING THE ANALYSIS WE HAD TO BROADEN IT OUT.
'CAUSE YOU DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO SORT OF DO A VALID CALCULATION.
SO I SAID, WELL WHAT ARE THE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS? WELL, IT'S TIME, CERTAINTY AND DEDICATED RIGHT AWAY.
SO I DON'T KNOW, I SOMEBODY PROBABLY KNOWS JEFF, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 25.
YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY NOT, NOT THAT.
SO WITH THE 25 THAT ARE ESTABLISHED, HOW MANY HAVE MOVED THE ROUTES IF YOU LOCATED THE ROUTE? I DON'T ANY OF THEM HAVE.
THAT'S THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT AS A DEVELOPER I'D WANT TO KNOW PARTLY BECAUSE YOU, LIKE AS WE ARE GOING TO, YOU INVEST IN PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS YEAH.
SO I'M HOUSTON MAY BE MOVING ONE, THEY'RE NOT HAVING MUCH SUCCESS WITH
WELL, AND AND OVER TIME THAT PROBLEM FADES AWAY A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THE QUESTION IS WHO OWNS THE RIGHT OF WAY? IF YOU OWN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
IT'S KIND OF HARD TO, YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BUY AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF RIGHT OF WAY.
THAT'S, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN THE HISTORIC CONCERN EXPRESSED, BUT IT COULD CERTAINLY BE ADDRESSED.
SO WITH THE 25 THAT ARE THERE RIGHT NOW, UM, AND, AND I JUST WANT US TO HAVE THAT SINK IN FOR OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS AND INVESTORS AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH, UM, THIS ANALYSIS.
YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE DURATION OF OUR PROJECT FOR THE SILVER LINE IN CONSTRUCTION YEARS? UH, WE HAVE, UH, THREE YEARS.
SO WITH WITHIN THREE YEARS YOU'RE GONNA REALIZE $323 MILLION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY HAPPENING BECAUSE OF OUR INVESTMENT OF, OF THIS INFRASTRUCTURE OF 293.
AND SO THAT'S NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE RIPPLE EFFECTS
[01:00:02]
SURROUNDING THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE BUSINESSES ON TOP OF THAT.THAT'S JUST THE, THAT'S JUST THE MONEY MOVING THROUGH THE ECONOMY.
AND IS THERE HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE, AND YOU PROBABLY ALLUDED TO THIS BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH DATA SURROUNDING THE 25 OR MAYBE A DIFFERENT RAIL LINE.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S EQUIVALENT OR NOT OF, OF THE, OF THE IMPACT OF A SIMILAR ROUTE LIKE THIS FOR A COMMUNITY.
THERE'S TONS OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE IMPACT OF RAIL, BUT THE PROBLEM IS RAIL IS PERCEIVED TO BE SORT OF FIXED GUIDEWAY AND PERMANENT, RIGHT? UH, THERE'S NOT, I'VE NOT SEEN ANY OF THE ANALYSIS DONE YET.
PARTLY BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE BRT SYSTEMS ARE FAIRLY NEW AND OFTENTIMES THERE ARE 25 OF THEM, BUT THEY'RE NOT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEMS. AND SO YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE OR TWO LINES WHERE, WHERE TRANSIT AUTHORITIES ARE GOING, MAN, WE'RE DONE WITH RAIL, WE'RE GONNA MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION.
AND SO IT HASN'T REALLY, YOU HAVEN'T, IT HASN'T MATURED TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF ANALYTICAL BASIS.
I'M SURE THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF ANECDOTES.
THERE ARE PROBABLY SOME DEVELOPERS OUT THERE ARE THRILLED TO DEATH.
THEY BUILT MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF ABRT LINE AND IT'D BE CHALLENGE, IT'D BE WORTH DOING TO FIND THEM, INTERVIEW THEM AND YOU KNOW, COLLECT THAT CASE STUDY WELL AND I WOULD UM, BE SURPRISED TOO, RIGHT? THERE'S OTHER BENEFITS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD SURE.
IN ADDITION TO JUST NEW DEVELOPMENT, IT'S REDEVELOPMENT OF THOSE CORRIDORS, UM, AS WELL.
AND, AND SO JEFF, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE JUST DID THIS FOR THE SILVER LINE.
I'M NOT ASKING THIS FOR THE GREEN LINE, BUT IT, IT WOULD BE, UH, I WOULD WONDER IF IT'S SIMILAR IN SIZE AND SCOPE THAT WE COULD ASSUME TO SAY YES, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR INVESTMENT IN THE GREEN LINE SIMILAR, UM, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IS HAPPENING AS WELL THROUGHOUT THE CONSTRUCTION.
AND SO WITH WITH THAT IT, IT'D BE HELPFUL MAYBE JUST TO, BASED ON THAT ASSUMPTION TO HAVE A SILVER AND A GREEN LINE ECONOMIC, UM, TOTAL NUMBER IF POSSIBLE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL ALSO DO IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE THINK ABOUT IT AS NEW DEVELOPMENT, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, IT WILL STIMULATE PEOPLE TO WANT TO INVEST DOLLARS IN GENERAL INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND THAT COULD EASILY BE, COULD, COULD NOTHING ELSE.
IT COULD BE PART OF THE, THE STORY SOMEBODY TELLS THEIR BANK TO QUALIFY FOR A LOAN TO RENOVATE THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR HARDWARE STORE, WHATEVER.
JOHN MAY MAYBE ALSO THE STICKINESS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON, ON THIS ADVANCED RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO PLACE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, WE ARE ACTIVELY ALIGNING IT WITH MAJOR CORRIDORS.
SO SAN PEDRO'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT.
THAT WAS A MAJOR CORRIDOR BEFORE BRT IS GONNA MA IS GONNA REMAIN A MAJOR CORRIDOR.
SO I THINK THAT GIVES SOME BETTER ASSURANCE OF THAT STICKINESS OTHER THAN JUST US STICKING IT ON ON ANOTHER STREET SOMEWHERE AND, AND CROSSING OUR FINGERS HOPING FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
SO I, I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU, I I GAVE YOU THE TEXTILE EXAMPLE.
I SHOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU THE PROJECT CONNECT EXAMPLE.
THE PROJECT CONNECT EXAMPLE IS $15 BILLION IN THE REAL WORLD.
A FRIEND OF MINE RUNS IT AND HE'S NOT INCLINED TO TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THAT IN PUBLIC.
SO THEY'VE HAD TO SCALE IT WAY DOWN.
I JUST HAD A QUESTION ON ECONOMICS.
SO, YOU KNOW, JOHN, GARY JUST MENTIONED SAN PEDRO AND SAN PEDRO SINCE I'VE LIVED IN SAN ANTONIO, WHICH IS ALL MY LIFE, UM, HAS NEVER BEEN A BUSTLING STREET.
AUSTIN HIGHWAY I THINK HAS IMPROVED SOMEWHAT.
UM, TO A CERTAIN POINT THAT IT STOPS.
SO ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN GENERATION, IF, IF A STREET LIKE SAN PEDRO HAS A NAME LIKE SAN PEDRO, YOU KNOW, THAT PEOPLE JUST, THEIR MENTAL THOUGHTS ARE NOT GREAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE MARKET HAS STOPPED ALL, ALMOST ALL APARTMENT GROWTH, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT IN TIME JUST WITH INFORMATION.
DO YOU THINK, BECAUSE I THINK, I MEAN I THINK IT'S GONNA REALLY HELP TO IMPROVE SAN PEDRO.
I JUST DUNNO WHAT KIND OF USERS ARE GONNA GO IN THERE.
WELL IT'LL, IT'LL, THERE WILL BE EARLY ADOPTERS, BUT SOMEBODY WILL LOOK UP AND SAY, WOW, THAT AMENITY MEANS SOMETHING TO ME AND ALL OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL.
I CAN GET A HELL OF A DEAL ON SAN PEDRO AS OPPOSED OVER ON BROADWAY OR WHATEVER.
SO I'LL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
I'LL BE THE EARLY ADOPTER AND THEN THINGS WILL GO FROM THERE AGAIN.
I MEAN, I DON'T MEAN TO OVEREMPHASIZE THE AUSTIN EXAMPLE, BUT EACH AUSTIN USED TO BE A PRETTY TOUGH PLACE.
AND NOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU CAN'T SWING A DEAD CAT WITHOUT HITTING A BUNCH OF HIPSTERS.
SO, I MEAN THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.
THAT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE IS THAT THE DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE CENTRAL CITY GENTRIFY
[01:05:01]
THAT HAPPENS IN EVERY CITY.WHAT WILL ACCELERATE THAT? THAT'S GONNA BE A SEPARATE QUESTION.
BUT WHAT WILL ACCELERATE THAT IS TRANSPORTATION, AMENITIES.
SO THAT, I THINK YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? CAN'T PREDICT HOW MANY ECONOMIC CYCLES ARE THERE GONNA BE, BUT WITHIN OUR LIFETIMES.
WELCOME FOR GREAT PRESENTATION.
I ENJOYED YOUR PRESENTATION ALSO, UM, THE GENTLEMAN I REFERENCED EARLIER THAT CAME DOWN AND MET WITH JEFF AND TREMMEL, I THINK HIS NAME WAS MR. WHITE.
AND IN HIS PRESENTATION HE MADE A COMMENT ABOUT, UH, UH, THE KANSAS CITY OPERATION, K-C-A-T-A OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED.
HE SAID THEY'RE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GENERATOR THAT OPERATES TRANSIT.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS A VERY, VERY INTERESTING COMMENT THAT HE MADE.
UM, AND I LIVED, UH, FOR 38 YEARS, JUST A FEW BLOCKS FROM HERE AND ONE BLOCK WEST OF SAN PEDRO.
IF I HADN'T MOVED, I WOULD'VE HAD TO RECUSE MYSELF FOR ALL THESE VOTES.
BUT, UH, FOR SIX YEARS I'VE BEEN MOVED AND, AND UH, UH, I SEE A GREAT TRANSFORMATION ALREADY.
IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS, THE MARX AND I THINK IS A, IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
WHAT IS IT? A FIVE OR SIX STORY, UH, APARTMENT BUILDING AND I WHERE ALL THOSE USED CAR LOTS ARE.
NOW YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING FOUR AND FIVE, SIX STORY APARTMENT BUILDINGS THAT, THAT RISE UP.
FIRST OF ALL, PEOPLE WON'T NEED TRA UH, CARS
AND UM, NOW AS A NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST, I HAVE A QUESTION.
SINCE THIS IS GONNA BE GENERATING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PROPERTY VALUES ARE GONNA BE INCREASING MM-HMM.
I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE ANSWER TO THAT, BUT ONE THING I DO KNOW IS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM RISING PROPERTY VALUES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE PROPERTY.
SO IF YOU ARE A RENTER IN THAT COMMUNITY, YOU COULD BE, YOU COULD HAVE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE AT RISK, YOUR RENTS ARE GONNA RISE AND THEN PRETTY SOON THEY'RE GONNA KNOCK DOWN WHERE YOU LIVE AND THEY'RE GONNA BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER.
SO ONE APPROACH COULD BE TO LOOK AT PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO FACILITATE EXISTING RESIDENTS PURCHASING WHERE THEY LIVE.
NOW THAT'S TOUGH WHEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT AN APARTMENT BUILDING, OBVIOUSLY, BUT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, MAYBE THERE'S A DOWN PAYMENT SUBSIDY OR MAYBE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A BUY DOWN ON THE INTEREST RATE FOR A FEW YEARS OR SOMETHING.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THE WORLD IS FULL OF LITTLE OLD LADIES WHO MADE A FORTUNE 'CAUSE THEY HAPPENED TO OWN A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT WAS IN A HOT AREA AND THEY PAID, YOU KNOW, 40 TIMES WHAT THEY HAD PAID FOR IT.
BUT THE KEY WAS THEY OWNED IT.
THE KEY IS THAT AS A NEIGHBORHOOD CHANGES, YOU HAVE TO BE AN OWNER.
OTHERWISE THE ONLY WAY IT WORKS IS YOU COULD TURN AROUND AND SUBSIDIZE.
YOU CAN MANDATE THAT IN NEW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, A PORTION OF IT IS RESERVED FOR AT AFFORDABLE RATES FOR EXISTING PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.
THAT'S ANOTHER APPROACH, BUT IT ISN'T GONNA CREATE THE WEALTH EFFECT THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH OWNERSHIP.
WELL THOSE WHO, THOSE WHO ARE OVER 65, YOU KNOW, HAVE THEIR PROPERTY TAXES TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, YOU KNOW, FROZEN.
BUT IT'S THE YOUNGER FAMILIES THAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT MAY BE FORCED OUT.
THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO AND VARIOUS SCHOOL DISTRICTS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING CLOSURES OF SCHOOLS AND THINGS BECAUSE OF THE FLIGHT AWAY FROM THE INNER CITY.
THAT'S A CONVERSATION YOU COULD HAVE WITH CITY COUNCIL ABOUT IN, IN GENTRIFYING NEIGHBORHOODS SLOWING DOWN THE PATH TO RISING PROPERTY TAX LIABILITY.
SO DO YOU KNOW OF ANY SITUATION WHERE, WHERE CITIES HAVE SAID FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS WE'RE GONNA, YOU KNOW, CAP YOUR PROPERTY TAXES IN THESE AREAS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? I DON'T, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT HASN'T HAPPENED.
AND IF IT HASN'T HAPPENED, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT CAN'T HAPPEN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IF NOT, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I ENJOYED TALKING TO Y'ALL TONIGHT.
OKAY, NEXT WE MOVE, UM, I GUESS INTO A CLOSED SESSION.
UM, SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO THE CLOSED SESSION IN HERE OR IN THAT ROOM.
TODAY IS THE NOVEMBER 4TH, I'M SORRY, TODAY'S NOVEMBER 14TH, 2023.
AND THE TIME NOW IS, UH, 6:12 PM AND THE VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES WILL OFFICIALLY GO INTO CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION AS PERMITTED
[01:10:01]
UNDER THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT.DECIDED THE ITEMS WE WILL DISCUSS DURING THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION AS FOLLOWS.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, SCOBY UPDATE, WHICH IS, UH, WHICH IS ALLOWED AS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM PURSUANT TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071, UH, ENTITLED, UH, CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY AND SECTION 5 5 1 0.072 ENTITLED REAL PROPERTY.
AND THEN ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, ENTITLED LEGAL BRIEFING, WHICH IS IS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM FIRST ONE TO THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.07.
ONE ENTITLED CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY.
ALL PERSONS WHO ARE AUTHORIZED TO ATTEND THE EXECUTIVE SESSIONS, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE SMALL CONFERENCE ROOM.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY NOT PUBLIC, MAY NOT ATTEND OR MONITOR THIS PORTION OF THE MEETING IN ANY MANNER.
IT IS NOW 6:40 PM AND WE ARE OFFICIALLY COMING OUT OF CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN AND EIGHT.
NO DELIBERATIONS OF PUBLIC POLICY OR VOTE TAKEN OCCURRED DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
UH, NEXT ITEM IS LEGAL BRIEFING.
NO, WE DON'T NEED TO GO DO LEGAL BRIEFING.
TRUSTEES, WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF OUR MEETING.
I HAVE A MOTION, A SECOND TO ADJOURN.
I WAS WATCHING PAUL, I WAS LIKE, I'M GONNA DO IT.
ANY OPPOSED? DAY? MOTION CARRIES.