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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-04-12 Government Operations Committee Minutes Government Operations Committee Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Minutes Councilors: Blanchette, Bronson, Longo, Gratwick, Weston, Hawes Staff: Conlow, Farrar, Dawes, McNeil Others: Eric Russell Blanchette noted that the voting Committee members were: Blanchette, Bronson, Weston (filing in for Palmer), Gratwick, Longo 1. BAT Decal Design for Five New Transit Buses McNeil, BAT Superintendent, reviewed BAT decal options for the five new Gillig buses that will be placed into service later this spring. The buses were received through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. In getting the buses ready for revenue service, the buses need to be decaled. Before proceeding, McNeil noted there are three decal options and provided color copies of the options. Staff recommended the decal with a smaller bat. The cost would be significantly less by approximately $2,500/unit. Covering the windows with a perforated decal provides 50% of the surface with pinholes, which allows light to filter in and riders to see out. The Police Department has questioned an officer’s visibility to see bus passengers. The other issues, and more ongoing are some clients are sight impaired and reducing the visibility is a major problem. On the new buses, advertising has been sold for Kong signs, which goes from the bottom to the top of the bus in front of the real wheels. It is a stick-on type and, if removed, could cause damage to the existing unit. It would be much easier to repair a smaller decal rather than larger one. The existing decals have been in place since 2003 and are showing wear and tear. In response to Weston, McNeil said the total fleet during peak operations totals 14. With the spare ratio, there would be a total of 22 buses on the road. Referencing the next agenda item, McNeil spoke of an opportunity for Bangor to receive some new buses available through the state. The process would take approximately three months. The difference between the large and small decal is $2,500. Weston asked about the actual cost of the smaller one. McNeil spoke in estimated numbers as the decals would need to go out for bid. He noted the estimated cost would be $2,000 for the smaller and $5,000 for the larger per bus. Gratwick made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation. The motion was seconded by Bronson. Hawes asked if the BAT is tied to the bat decal symbol. McNeil provided some history of the transit system names: City Bus, The Bus, BAT Community Connector. Hawes said the bat decal displays a non-friendly appearance and talked about something lighter and more appealing. Bronson asked if the identification is important to the operation of the bus. McNeil referred to the then Council’s decision on the BAT logo. Blanchette said that nothing is locked in stone and is open on the table. Weston said he would like the look of signage, website and economic development initiative to have a common feel. He suggested that the new buses could be rolled out with simply the words ‘community connector’ on the top and not move forward with the expense of labeling them until a conclusion is reached by the Council. Fleet Maintenance Director Dawes said one of the problems with the perforated decals is the high pressure wash system. Without the decals, painted panels could be put in place. It would be much easier and the buses would look much better. Responding to Weston, Dawes said the decals could easily be removed from the units. Weston said he would vote for that approach. McNeil pointed out that the BAT is a regional effort. Bangor represents 70% but the other communities were involved in the logo. As a cost cutting measure, Gratwick felt it was very reasonable to remove the decals. Secondly, he likes Weston’s idea of coming up with a larger logo. Gratwick withdrew his original motion and to have it be a plain red bus for now and to have it part of a larger discussion moving forward. Bronson withdrew his second of Gratwick’s original motion. Blanchette noted the lack of a motion on the floor. McNeil pointed out that in looking for different options the Council needs to remember that advertising on the bus is a major revenue source. Blanchette suggested that other Councilors not in attendance might have input for the discussion. She also spoke about using the City’s logo as identification. The bus design needs to be simplified, Blanchette said. Bronson expressed his opinion against the City’s logo. Gratwick clarified that the newer buses will be accepted as is and the Committee’s recommendation is to remove the decals from the old ones. Farrar noted that the other participating communities need to be contacted and involved. McNeil will email the town and city managers to involve them in the process. Blanchette suggested that each town send a representative to the next meeting at which this topic will be discussed. Farrar said that staff will work in the direction of removing the decals within the next couple of weeks. Blanchette asked Farrar to contact the other Councilors not in attendance to make sure they do not have a strong objection to the removal. 2. Update on BAT Buses – Proposed Replacement of current Thomas SLF Buses with previously owned Orion Buses. Superintendent McNeil and Fleet Maintenance Director Dawes briefed the Committee on a plan to replace Thomas buses, which are difficult and expensive to maintain, with previously-owned Orion Buses. The State of Maine will be acquiring these buses and making them available with particular emphasis toward those entities with the Thomas SLF buses. McNeil anticipates receiving five of the Thomas buses later this spring and wanted to update the Committee on this positive development. McNeil and Dawes, along with representatives from other Maine communities, have inspected the vehicles. MDOT is working with the Federal Transit Authority to have these units transferred to the State of Maine, who will then distribute them throughout the state. The process will take about three months. The MDOT’s plan is to retire the fleet of SFL buses. There are 13 throughout the State and Bangor has 7 of them. They are unreliable with high maintenance. The new Orions will have a major positive impact on reducing costs, bus down time and bus availability. The Thomas buses would be designated as spares. Bangor would rather not have them as spares but to not have them at all. The State is being asked to reconsider their decision to use them as spares. Participating entities would be responsible for getting the Orion vehicles from their New York location to Bangor and the setup costs (primarily paint). Responding to Weston, McNeil it costs about $7,000 to paint a bus. In response to Weston, McNeil said the transit buses are owned by the State and, when they are retired, they need to be returned back into the State, which places them in an auction process. Bronson spoke about the need for a bus that the Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Best of Bangor could use and as well as Bangor Parks and Recreation. Blanchette noted that the City would need to change its insurance policy to allow other entities to use a bus owned by the Parks and Rec. Blanchette asked if other municipalities have purchased such a bus through the state or an auction. Dawes said that Parks and Recreation was looking for something a little larger than the “Y” buses. Dawes suggested a 22 passenger bus with a chair lift for approximately $25,000. It would not be a tour or coach bus. Responding to Gratwick, McNeil said there is not a requirement for the number of spare buses. History, however, has shown that it is prudent. McNeil said this is the best deal coming through from the State. It will be replacing 2003’s with 2002’s but there is less wear and tear on the newer units. In response to Gratwick, McNeil said that two of the four Thomas buses have new drive lines and those will be the first two to be pulled from the fleet. A brake job on an Orion bus is around $1,200; the same for a Thomas bus is over $3,000. Responding to Longo, Dawes said the 40 cents/mile is the total running costs, which includes all maintenance expenses and fuel costs. Currently, the bus system uses 55% of the city’s total fuel use. With the newer units, running costs should drop because of the maintenance costs involved. Dawes spoke about maintenance issues with the Thomas buses. Conlow commented that there are no proposed budget cuts to the BAT bus. Back in 2008 when gasoline prices started to rise, there was an increase in ridership. There was a higher demand. McNeil said that a proposed service reduction was introduced last year driven by budget constraints, and it was not well received and not adopted. Weston asked if the City has looked at propane or natural gas buses as opposed to fuel. McNeil said there is a southern Maine company using natural gas. There are pros and cons. Dawes said the state purchases all of the buses. The City can make a specific request but the State does not have to comply. The natural gas buses would cost around $100,000-$150,000 more than the regular diesel engine buses. Propane is used for smaller units. Dawes has discussed it with Bangor Gas but there is much to consider in terms of costs. He spoke about Portland’s experience with going to natural gas. Gratwick spoke about repainting the buses. Responding to Blanchette, McNeil said that for the time being the new units will remain white with a community connector decal. Staff will return to the Committee at a later date for further discussion regarding painting these five buses. 3. Proposed Outer Hammond Street BAT Route As requested by the Committee, staff prepared further information relative to the proposal to establish a new BAT route to serve the Outer Hammond Street area. At a prior Government Operations Committee meeting, McNeil noted that staff discussed the possibility of using Outer Hammond Street, and several options were examined. All options include serving as far as the Ranger Inn and serving the Discovery House on the Dowd Road. Both businesses have agreed to allow the BAT to use their property as a turning spot. The Ranger Inn has indicated a willingness to help subsidize the route. The Discovery House would entertain a request from the BAT for partial funding. Staff was asked to return to with further details including a proposal, service levels and cost implications. McNeil is looking at hourly service along Maine Avenue, Odlin Road, Outer Hammond Street to the Dowd Road and then back into Bangor. It needs to connect with other routes specifically the Hammond Street route. There is a shelter at Texas Avenue at which the two buses would connect. The hours were tailored to fit the needs of the potential ridership. The recommended service level would be 7 hours of service Monday through Friday, roughly 6 hours in the morning tailored to the Discovery House and to the first Hammond Street run returning from downtown at 6:30 am, connecting with this bus around 7 am and continue operation until noon. It would then resume for two trips in the afternoon. Funding for the service would come from fare box revenue, municipal contributions and other local contributions. Most of the fare box would be received from MaineCare funds medical transportation to the Discovery House. Penquis currently purchases 750 monthly passes from the Bat for their clients. Penquis estimates another 100 customers using the new service. Bangor receives about 60% of monthly pass revenues. McNeil estimates another $7,000 would be collected from other riders. The Ranger Inn might be willing to contribute $2,000. Weston said he was thrilled with the action plan and thanked McNeil. Weston and Bronson met with the Discovery House director last fall. Weston mentioned 3-4 other equally minded service providers to the community who might be interested in contributing. Weston asked about an opportunity for one of the morning hours to be shifted to the afternoon route. McNeil agreed. Longo made a motion to approve staff’s recommendation. Farrar clarified that what is proposed as an action plan is to put an above current request in the budget to fund the program. The Council will have an opportunity to discuss during the budget process. With Weston’s news about additional community participation, it might be able to be covered with the actual cost minimal. The only other issue is that City would need to have the Orion buses in Bangor in order for the new run to be operational. Gratwick assumed this is a basic statement of approval and intent for staff to move ahead. He spoke about the funding sources noting that the City might end up paying for $5,000- $10,000. McNeil spoke about complimentary para-transit passes, which are required, and the cost is $15/ride. He spoke about the possibility of changes in MaineCare which might affect the next fiscal year budget. Responding to Bronson, McNeil said that Hermon is not eligible because it is not in the MPO. Longo talked about student passes for Husson University. McNeil said that both Husson and EMCC have approached the City. Husson is looking to have a shared system whereby they will purchase semester passes. McNeil has sent a proposal to EMCC. When they respond, McNeil will bring it back to the Council for its endorsement. Responding to Weston, McNeil said it takes about 50 minutes to do that rotation and without much down time. In response to Weston about expanding service to Hermon, McNeil said it would be a 20 minute turnaround. Adjourned at 6:25 pm.