Sound Transit Citizen Oversight Panel. Meeting Summary December 2, 2010

Transcription

1 Sound Transit Citizen Oversight Panel Meeting Summary December 2, 2010 COP Members Present: Josh Benaloh, Dick Chapin, Aubrey Davis, Miriam Helgeland, Karen Miller, Dave Russell, Stuart Scheuerman, Bruce Seiber, Vic Sood, JD Wessling, Paul Wiesner COP Members Absent: Chris Elwell, Bob Goldstein, Mike Murphy Others Present: Kathy Albert, Jerry DeMuro, Jim Edwards, Ahmad Fazel, Joe Gildner, Ric Ilgenfritz, Ron Klein, Ron Lewis, Jennifer Wiklund, Kathy Elias, members of the public Year-End Review: Communications, Marketing & External Affairs Ron Klein began by saying that his department works across all Sound Transit functions and with over 50 jurisdictions. Starting in July 2009 with the opening of Central Link, ST became as much a service agency as a capital projects agency. Klein s department reorganized into five divisions at the beginning of 2010 to create efficiencies and to meet the new challenge. The divisions are: 1) Customer Outreach and Public Involvement. This group is designed to reach more audiences, do more on-the-ground outreach, and serve various niche markets and different demographics. For example, the group is working in the Rainier Valley to reach non-english-speaking audiences with how-to videos on using ORCA cards. It will be issue-oriented and will focus on topics such as fare changes, tolling impacts, service changes and weather updates. It will reach out to senior centers, libraries and neighborhood councils. The group is implementing a mobile ticket vending machine so that seniors no longer need to travel to a central location for their passes. The group will have 3.5 FTEs. 2) Board Administration (4 FTEs). This group conducts the new Board member orientations and is producing new Sound Transit resource guides. A number of improvements to the Board room are being planned including digital audio recording and back room updates. The Board reorganization has resulted in just one Board meeting per month and financial issues being incorporated into every committee. 3) Government and Community Relations (5 FTEs). This is the busiest division, with the recent funding shortfall and program realignment being the biggest issues. In 2010 ST was successful in getting three bills passed in the legislature: one clarified that ST s projects are essential public facilities under GMA; the second named ST to the Capital Facilities Review Board (although the Governor vetoed the provision); and the third stipulated that ST automatically becomes part of any newly annexed city area. A new mobility caucus is being formed in Olympia, but this coming session will be primarily defensive with no plans to try to pass any bills. 1

2 4) Marketing and Creative Services (18 FTEs). This group produces written and graphic materials, videos, and events. It is also responsible for the advertising campaigns. This past year the ads focused on a theme of saving money by riding transit. Specific routes were targeted with gas pump ads and there were radio news sponsorships on various stations. Asked about the marketing budget, Klein said it would be less in 2011 than last year. He said he would provide the budget numbers. Asked how he knew that the marketing was being effective, Klein explained that a new research program was being initiated that would establish benchmarks and measure performance three times a year. 5) Media Relations (5 FTEs). The focus is shifting away from traditional media to digital media such as blogs, tweets and Facebook. Facebook in particular is becoming a valuable tool for getting information out, for example, about the new route 542 service. Rider alerts are being issued in many different formats. The ST website is being redesigned with a greater rider focus and will be available for beta test next month. By the end of the year, the group will have developed a communication plan for the entire agency. Asked what he viewed as the roses and thorns for the year, Klein replied the thorn was clearly the agency s lost revenue and the rose was the progression toward becoming a customer-focused agency. Asked about marketing the new bus service to the soon-to-open Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station, Klein said he would follow up with that information. Year-End Review: Design, Engineering & Construction Management Ahmad Fazel reported that of the 17 major milestones set for 2010, all but three will be met on time by the end of the year. The Kirkland Transit Center construction was delayed and is now scheduled for completion in March 2011; the first of the 27 University rail cars will be delivered in January; and the U Link station finishes contract will be awarded in January as well. The Tukwila Sounder Station final design is on hold due to a funding shortfall on the Strander Boulevard project. Fazel identified risks and challenges with ongoing projects. On the Initial Segment, ST is addressing the remaining noise mitigation issues, Beacon Hill voids and the two outstanding contractor claims for the MLK and Beacon Hill tunnel contracts. For the U Link segment, Joe Gildner identified risks with the transition to the heavy civil underground construction with the arrival of the three tunnel boring machines. Two of the TBMs have arrived in Tacoma, the third is due to arrive in April. Other risks involve the UW station finishes contractor sharing the station site with the tunnel contractor and the interactions with the UW as the stadium construction begins. Another risk will be the Montlake Triangle project which now has a signed term sheet ready to go to the Board. Pacific Street will be lowered and a land bridge built and a redesigned pedestrian bridge across Montlake Boulevard will include bicycle ramps. Other risks for U Link relate to nighttime construction at the Capitol Hill station and managing community expectations for the Capitol Hill TOD. Ron Lewis addressed risks and challenges on the South 200 th segment. In September the Board authorized moving ahead with the design refinements which are now underway. This will 2

3 involve close coordination with the Port of Seattle and the City of SeaTac. Baselining the scope, schedule and budget are the next steps along with initiating the design-build procurement. Fazel reported on risks on the North Link segment which include managing the tunnel design, coordinating with third parties and acquiring the right-of-way within the project budget. North Link is the first of ST s Link projects with no project reserve. Another issue will be managing community expectations with respect to business mitigation and TOD programs. Jim Edwards described a risk involving the new positive train control requirement mandated by the federal government but without funding included in ST2. This is also a new technology without widespread application. Another substantial risk is the REX I-90 Stage 3 project which is currently near completion of the 30% design phase at WSDOT. Final design is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year. The prototype of the expansion joint is being developed and ST is looking at ways to minimize penetration of the roadway deck. In response to a question about Mountlake Terrace, Edwards said ST will not meet the February 22 service change but will initiate new service at a later date, freeing up service hours at Community Transit. Fazel recapped additional accomplishments in DECM is providing support to the East Link and North Corridor HCT projects; leading the final design effort on North Link, the design refinement on S 200 th ; and construction of U Link, Sounder D to M and M-Lakewood projects as well as various REX projects throughout the region. The agency s use of a matrix management approach is requiring a high level of coordination. The consolidation of Link, Sounder and REX into the new DECM department in 2010 has resulted in several actions: Consolidation and creation of new project controls policies and procedures with staff training; Relocation and consolidation into a single building at 625 Union Station to ensure teamwork and effective staff utilization; Creation of new design criteria and standards, including right-of-way certification for all capital projects; and Creation of a uniform approach to all third-party agreements. Year-End Review: Planning, Environment & Project Development Ric Ilgenfritz reported that his department had established nine milestones for the year, of which eight would be achieved, although three would be late. One milestone, the System Access Program, is being suspended due to the revenue shortfall. The contract award for the Sounder maintenance facility has slipped as has the contract for the ST Express bus facility. The final EIS for East Link is delayed from 2010 until June The accomplishments for the year have included development of noise mitigation strategies for the Initial Segment and stormwater compliance for U Link. The ST2 program accomplishments have included updating the East Link preferred alternative, executing the funding agreement for the Burien Transit Center, full funding of the First Hill Streetcar, alternatives analysis for the North Corridor HCT project and Tacoma Link extension, and initiation of the Sounder Access and Demand study. 3

4 The major risks and challenges relate to the revenue shortfall, especially affecting the East Link budget and schedule and the South Corridor projects. Staff have been doing problem-solving with the City of Bellevue and have been conducting detailed analysis of the South Corridor to support a Board decision. Asked about doing away with subarea equity, Ilgenfritz said that was a possibility but would not create more money. One option might be to pool Pierce and South King dollars. ST will consider a longer timeline and which projects should have the highest priority. The reorganization and creation of PEPD has been in place for a year and a half. The environmental affairs group successfully merged the planning and compliance functions. The TOD program has been a success story and is helping to support various project teams. The major challenge is that ST is working in three corridors at once now and there are a lot of big decisions coming up. A number of notable accomplishments were achieved in the area of thirdparty partnerships, including the I-90 term sheet with WSDOT, the Bellevue tunnel funding term sheet and the Spring District term sheet. The department is working on a number of challenges, including a draft umbrella agreement with Bellevue, technical issues identified by the I-90 Independent Review Team and the working relationship with the FTA. Discussion COP members discussed draft #3 of the System Access Task Force report. On recommendation #2 the language is inconsistent as to whether the evaluation is about the forecast or about the system access strategies. Members agreed it should be about system access. On the top of page 8, it should state that ST has a more proactive role to play in TOD. Recommendation #6 should add the following sentence, We encourage Board members to work with jurisdictions in their areas to advance TOD planning. A cover letter should be prepared summarizing the recommendations and the report should be presented to the Board in January. The year-end review presentations yielded the following general themes: Sound Transit has made a constructive response to the economy. The reorganization has been effective in meeting the current agency needs. Board engagement has improved. ST has been doing a good job examining its partnerships. The system of milestones is working well as a set of agency performance measures. ST is making real progress in transitioning from a project focus to being an operating agency. ST has initiated significant cost-cutting measures. The agency s focus on marketing and public outreach has good overlap with COP s system access recommendations. ST is working hard to listen and respond to the customer. 4

5 East Link is the elephant in the room and ST has handled it well so far. The Board should resist outside pressure and stick to the available revenues. Member Reports Josh Benaloh reported that he spent time in Toronto and was very impressed with their system access connections which are almost completely seamless. Benaloh also said he attended an East Link public hearing at Bellevue City Hall. It was quite contentious with lots of vocal participants. The alignment choice will be a difficult decision. Miriam Helgeland said she was pleased ST seems to have learned the lesson about the noise impacts of embedded rails. JD Wessling reported that he travelled to New Jersey during the recent snow. The 5:10 am Link train from Westlake station to the Airport was standing room only. His wife took a later train which was also packed and arrived 45 minutes late. Members discussed scheduling a holiday lunch and agreed to have a survey by to select a preferred date. Next Meeting The next COP meeting was set for December 16, 2010, from 8:30 to 11:00 am. 5