[0:00] - For 30 years, the State College community Land Trust has
[0:04] been creating a community where the people
[0:06] who work here can afford to live, grow, and belong.
[0:10] We've created and preserved 56 permanently affordable homes,
[0:14] opening the door to home ownership for more than 80 families
[0:19] with energy efficient upgrades, green building
[0:22] and clean energy investments.
[0:24] Our homeowners enjoy lower utility costs
[0:27] and affordable homes that last for generations.
[0:31] Our programs serve low to moderate
[0:33] and middle income individuals
[0:35] and families who want to live in state college.
[0:39] None of this would be possible without our extended
[0:42] community of dedicated staff, volunteers, local businesses
[0:47] and banks, and our nonprofit partners Join the movement,
[0:51] donate, volunteer, leave a Legacy through planned giving,
[0:56] share our story.
[0:58] Visit SCC land trust.org.
[1:06] - We are the Community Diversity Group.
[1:08] Our mission is to foster an inclusive
[1:10] and interactive community, which attracts
[1:13] and retains a pool of potential employees
[1:15] and residents from underrepresented groups.
[1:18] We accomplish this in many ways,
[1:20] including sponsoring events like the Community Resource Fair
[1:23] publishing, a monthly resource flyer,
[1:26] and providing public training and educational
[1:28] and networking events.
[1:30] You can find us online@communitydiversitygroup.com.
[1:37] - You are watching CNET Centre County Government
[1:40] and Educational Access Network.
[1:47] - All right, good afternoon everyone.
[1:49] We'll call the August 31st, had meeting
[1:51] to order first on the agenda,
[1:52] please join me in the Pledge
[1:53] of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance
[1:59] - To the flag of the United States America,
[2:02] and to the Republic for which it stands,
[2:04] one nation under God, indivisible, liberty,
[2:08] and justice for all.
[2:10] - Thank you, Christie. Was there any Public Comment? No. No.
[2:15] Okay. So we're gonna move into presentations.
[2:18] I believe we're waiting for a couple guests to arrive
[2:20] for the first one, so we're gonna
[2:22] come back to that in a moment.
[2:23] So we'll have Stephanie from CNET come up.
[2:26] And first of all,
[2:27] congratulations on your promotion, Stephanie.
[2:29] Thank you. And you're gonna tell us all about CNET.
[2:34] - Hi everybody. It's a very full room today.
[2:37] I'm Stephanie Yeager.
[2:39] Most of you in the room, most of you in the room
[2:42] probably recognize me as the woman,
[2:44] formerly behind the camera.
[2:46] But I've, with Cindy Han's Retirement,
[2:49] I've been promoted to director.
[2:51] We're having a, we're having a great time. We're Tiffany.
[2:55] Tiffany and Jess are behind the camera and equipment today.
[3:00] Tiffany has been with us about 10 years,
[3:02] and Jess was an intern who became a part-time producer,
[3:06] moved away after graduation and came back for this position.
[3:09] So we're happy to have them today.
[3:12] So if you wanna go ahead in advance a little bit,
[3:15] this is our 2025 annual report for cada.
[3:19] We're getting a little bit late in 2026 for this report.
[3:23] Our, our transition at CNET, delayed, delayed
[3:26] that a little bit, but here we are today.
[3:28] It's good to be here. So, highlights from 2025.
[3:32] CNET as a whole covered 496 programs,
[3:36] and that was with a staff of seven.
[3:39] Currently five of seven
[3:41] of us are in new positions this year,
[3:43] in the second half of the year.
[3:44] So we're going through quite an
[3:48] adjustment with Cindy's retirement.
[3:50] Cindy was with us for 20 years, but you're in safe hands.
[3:53] I've been with the organization going on a quarter century,
[3:57] so if that makes anyone in the room feel young, I hope so.
[4:01] And so, so we're, we're getting into the groove.
[4:05] We've been in our positions now for about three months and,
[4:08] and things are going well.
[4:12] Closed captioning is still going at this time.
[4:15] 15 of our 17 members, including cada, are opting into that.
[4:19] So that really helps check a lot of boxes
[4:21] for the municipalities who need a D,
[4:25] a accessibility and things like that.
[4:26] And we do applaud CAA for participating in that.
[4:29] I'm not familiar with your requirements,
[4:31] but you're participating
[4:33] and not all of the age authorities who participate when
[4:37] with us are doing that.
[4:40] But cada is, Comcast began upgrading the way
[4:44] that we go live from remote locations in 2025.
[4:49] And that project is about to wrap up.
[4:52] We are, I've put out fiber jumpers at locations last week,
[4:57] and we're right now waiting for the replacement of our,
[5:00] our broadcast server, which will be the final,
[5:02] final piece of this puzzle.
[5:04] We did move up that replacement a year to this year
[5:08] to, to help.
[5:10] It just made a lot more sense
[5:12] to have our whole equipment be fresh.
[5:15] So I don't believe that our, our members
[5:18] or our users will see much difference from that.
[5:21] It'll be mainly on our backend,
[5:23] but we're gonna see if there's any efficiencies
[5:25] or additional services
[5:28] that may come from that new equipment.
[5:31] Next slide, please. In 2025,
[5:35] CADA did 10 meetings
[5:36] and one Public Hearing
[5:37] that was a little bit down from the previous year.
[5:39] And overall for 2025, that was about 2.1%
[5:44] of all CNET programming for that year.
[5:47] So you're kind of like a baby member,
[5:49] which I'll show you here in the next slide.
[5:51] So in the, this is our usage over the past five years
[5:57] and members in our funding formula,
[5:59] which cattle will eventually become,
[6:03] we look at a five year average of usage so
[6:08] that it prevents any one year of a spike
[6:11] or a dip from affecting anyone's budgets too, too greatly.
[6:14] So you're still building, building your five year history.
[6:18] In 2024, you had, I think 16, 15, sorry,
[6:22] I wasn't moving along myself.
[6:24] 15.1.
[6:26] And then you dropped to 11, you had some
[6:30] public hearings additional in 2024,
[6:32] and I think that was the year of your 50th anniversary
[6:35] that we covered special program there.
[6:37] I hope you found that to be nice.
[6:38] Tiffany and I were out there for that.
[6:42] So what that means
[6:43] for ADA in the meantime is we are calculating it based on,
[6:48] not the history, but on a reasonable expectation of usage.
[6:52] Next slide please. I got a little ahead of my slides,
[6:57] but yeah, we use a fund, a five year rolling average
[7:00] to keep member membership predictability predictable
[7:05] in the, in the five year average period
[7:08] that we're looking at, you were an especially baby member at
[7:12] 9.99% of all member programming.
[7:16] And so, as I said,
[7:18] CAD's dues are based on a reasonable protection
[7:21] until reaching a five year history.
[7:25] Next slide please. So this is a usage of all members
[7:31] over those five years.
[7:34] The, the State College Borough
[7:36] and the county are our two greatest member
[7:40] members as far as usage.
[7:41] And then that little third yellow strip there is kada.
[7:46] You are the baby member beating out the library,
[7:51] which you're at 0.99% and they're 1.02%.
[7:55] So it's a matter of a few bulletin board messages
[7:59] or an advertisement.
[8:00] It might make the difference if you're looking
[8:02] to get an edge there either way, I am not sure
[8:04] how you feel about it.
[8:09] You know, as I said, the Borough is our greatest,
[8:12] most heavy user and ever,
[8:14] and everyone sort of falls in between, you know,
[8:18] and the difference that it's made
[8:21] by whether you're just doing once a month meetings like
[8:24] Kata, is the county has weekly meetings
[8:28] that they are having us cover.
[8:30] So that really bumps theirs up.
[8:32] And the Borough does their council meetings,
[8:35] which are almost weekly planning commissions,
[8:37] which are a couple times a month, transportation,
[8:40] and also their community oversight board.
[8:43] So that's quite a difference in usage and that's why.
[8:48] Next slide, please. To watch us,
[8:51] anyone can watch us on demand on our website, CNET one.org.
[8:56] We have all of our programming up,
[8:58] at least the meetings within 48 hours of recording.
[9:00] A lot of the times, it's a lot sooner than that.
[9:04] We produce a clickable agenda point.
[9:06] So if you have an item that you're interested in the agenda
[9:09] that you just wanna hear the CNET presentation,
[9:13] you can click ahead to that or click past it.
[9:17] Again, those are captioned.
[9:19] Almost everything is captioned
[9:21] and we leave everything up for about 24 months.
[9:24] So you can revisit anything online in that time period.
[9:27] But beyond that, we do have archives in our office,
[9:31] which one of my projects is to convert things
[9:34] to the cloud and more backups.
[9:36] So, but you can order a digital download of anything
[9:42] to make it easy for you
[9:43] to receive if you need a copy of something.
[9:46] Next slide, please. Your meetings are televised on
[9:50] Comcast, on channel seven.
[9:53] Typically it's the week that you, you meet.
[9:56] So this Wednesday at 9:30 PM Fridays at 2:00 AM
[10:00] Saturdays at 8:00 AM Sundays at 4:00 PM
[10:03] Nice time in the afternoon.
[10:05] And again, at all times on scene@one.org. Next slide please.
[10:10] We're also available beyond the website
[10:13] and beyond cable TV on over the top boxes
[10:16] and services like Apple tv, Roku, and Fire tv.
[10:21] Sometimes they bury our programming a little bit.
[10:23] So we have tutorials on how to find us at our website.
[10:26] You can, you can find them on there
[10:28] and watch to learn about it or call for help.
[10:31] Call our office for help. Next slide, please.
[10:35] Your viewer engagement. I consider it pretty high.
[10:39] So over the last like 18 months
[10:43] when I did this pres presentation, so you had a total
[10:48] of views on our website of 922 views
[10:52] for meetings that took place between January 1st
[10:55] of last year and June 30th of this year.
[10:58] And that is an average of 83.8 views per meeting.
[11:03] So you are actually having a pretty good outreach
[11:06] that's higher than I've seen at some of the other,
[11:09] with the other recent presentations.
[11:11] I've given some of those average more in the sixties.
[11:14] So you, whatever you're doing,
[11:17] you're, you're interesting the people.
[11:18] So that, that's a pretty good viewership from
[11:22] what I've seen so far.
[11:25] Next slide, please. That is a fast
[11:28] and furious product presentation from me.
[11:31] If I, if you have any questions,
[11:33] I'll be happy to answer them.
[11:35] But before we get to that, I'd like to give a shout out
[11:36] to Christie Lows, who is our rep for cada to our board.
[11:41] She was appointed in April. Yeah.
[11:44] So we're still,
[11:46] she's still getting used to what we're doing.
[11:48] Before that, it was Lori Miller.
[11:50] And I did wanna say that CNET really does
[11:52] value your membership.
[11:54] I've been with the organization, as I said,
[11:56] for over 20 years because I believe in our mission
[11:59] of transparency and making things available to the people.
[12:03] And comparatively the relationship between Canna
[12:06] and CNET is, is in its infancy.
[12:08] But I do look forward to, to hopefully a partnership
[12:12] that will ask for many years to come.
[12:13] So I am happy to answer any questions
[12:17] that you may have. Thanks.
[12:20] - Start - With V
[12:21] - Any questions?
[12:22] So Rob,
[12:24] - No, nothing from me.
[12:25] Thank you. I know you've got one,
[12:27] - I know number one
[12:31] of the seven staff members that you have,
[12:33] are all them paid or compensated?
[12:35] Yes. Okay. And how many of those are full-time?
[12:39] - We have four full-time and three part-time right now.
[12:42] And then that's in addition to that, we have five interns
[12:45] for the summer, four of which are paid
[12:49] a stipend, not hourly.
[12:50] - Okay. And the captioning that's done by CNET, is
[12:54] that done through ai?
[12:57] - It is done, yeah.
[12:58] I believe it is done through ai through, through our service
[13:01] that, so our broadcast server provider,
[13:06] they also work on our, our online streaming.
[13:09] And that is the service that we use to do it.
[13:11] We can give it some sort of keywords
[13:14] to use as far as spellings.
[13:15] If anyone has a, you know, Jaeger is a tricky one.
[13:18] I can try to tell it how to spell Jaeger
[13:20] and it, it does a pretty good job at that.
[13:24] There was, I can tell you that Beon Borough,
[13:26] there was a dawn and,
[13:28] and it was not spelling it right no matter
[13:29] how many times we put it in,
[13:31] but I think that for the most part you can get the meaning
[13:34] of what, what's going on, which is the purpose.
[13:36] But yeah.
[13:38] - The last question, you said that cattle funds 0.99%
[13:44] the programming, so is that 0.99% of your expenses
[13:48] or the total budget or what?
[13:50] - So when, for members that are in our funding formula,
[13:54] which is not every member,
[13:55] so we have the COG SLO library and Penn State.
[14:04] And so they're pay as you go members that sort of get billed
[14:09] off of a rate card for every meeting
[14:12] or program that they want to do.
[14:14] Ca is in the funding formula.
[14:17] And so it's kind of like we take out, you know,
[14:21] those other participants and what's left of the operating.
[14:25] You don't really pay for our capital budget.
[14:28] The members pay for our operating budget.
[14:30] So that's, you know, that is the bulk of the budget.
[14:33] But it is personnel insurance, you know, computer,
[14:38] you know, well not computer, like subscriptions
[14:41] and production supplies that we need on a daily basis.
[14:44] Yeah. Are you, that was four questions. No,
[14:46] - That was only three.
[14:48] - But if you have more, I'm open to it. I know.
[14:51] - Margy, do you have any questions?
[14:53] - No questions. Thank you. - Okay. I just have one.
[14:56] It might actually be more for Lori,
[14:57] but when we get those links
[14:59] that our meetings have been posted, did we post those on any
[15:03] of our social media or can we do that?
[15:05] If we aren't, can
[15:06] - Do that?
[15:07] - We haven't previously.
[15:09] It's on our website. We put it on our
[15:10] - Website.
[15:11] It's on our website. Yeah.
[15:12] It might be, it might be cool just to get those out there.
[15:16] I know the link goes to happy to do that Christie
[15:18] and me, that we can just get to you. Right. Happy to
[15:22] - Do that.
[15:23] Cool. Okay. Good suggestion.
[15:24] You're going for gold. You really?
[15:25] - Oh, we're gonna, we we're, you're gonna
[15:27] - Tear it up.
[15:28] We'll see how your report
[15:29] - Is next year.
[15:30] Alright, thanks Stephanie. Awesome. Okay. Thanks everybody.
[15:32] Appreciate Let's good see you.
[15:38] Okay, we're now gonna move back
[15:40] to the first item in the presentations.
[15:44] I believe we have some guests
[15:46] here. Do you
[15:50] - Do, do you know who's participating? So
[15:55] - Thank you for coming.
[15:56] As you know, we're going to discuss Celi today
[16:01] and we have a resolution that we're gonna read.
[16:05] I have a copy. I don't know if you need to translate.
[16:08] I've got a copy if you wanna read along
[16:11] and translate at the same time you can,
[16:12] or if you wanna do this later, you,
[16:14] that's totally up to you.
[16:16] Okay. I'll bring this over to you
[16:18] and then Mark is gonna read our resolution
[16:20] and then you can kind of pause and allow for a translation.
[16:24] Is that okay,
[16:32] - Sister?
[16:39] - So we have Alys sister, his mother, and a family friend.
[16:42] - Okay. And did, did you want me to pause?
[16:46] - No, - That's fine. That's fine. Okay. Thanks.
[16:50] First, everyone, if if we could just observe a, a moment
[16:53] of silence in honor Ofili Petro, please.
[17:00] - Okay.
[17:05] - All right. Thank you everyone.
[17:07] Today we're with a, a rather sad event,
[17:10] but something that we felt strongly about doing,
[17:13] and that is a, a memorial resolution in honor Ofili Petrov.
[17:17] I'm gonna read it, read the resolution out here.
[17:21] That was put together primarily by the staff who worked
[17:24] with Vasili on a daily basis.
[17:27] Whereas Vasili,
[17:28] a Petroff served the center area transportation authority
[17:31] with exceptional dedication, integrity,
[17:34] and loyalty as a bus operator for more than eight years,
[17:37] beginning on May 14th, 2018.
[17:40] And whereas Vasili was admired
[17:42] and respected by his fellow cattle bus operators,
[17:45] cattle colleagues, the management cattle board of directors,
[17:49] and the C patrons he served every day.
[17:52] And whereas Vail was known for his remarkable thoughtfulness
[17:55] and generosity, often stopping
[17:57] by the cada customer service center
[17:58] before closing, just to check in
[18:01] and ask how their day had been.
[18:02] And for other simple acts of kindness,
[18:04] including inviting coworkers to sit
[18:06] and talk with him while sharing his food
[18:08] and chocolate, which he always had gestures
[18:11] that exemplified the warm and thoughtful person he was.
[18:14] And whereas Vail's sense of humor, kindness, sincerity,
[18:18] energy, and, and graciousness enrich all
[18:21] of those fortunate enough to know him
[18:22] work and ride with him.
[18:25] Now therefore, be it resolved that the board of directors
[18:28] of the Center Area Transportation Authority,
[18:31] acting on behalf of the entire organization
[18:33] hereby expresses deepest sorrow on the death
[18:36] of Vasili Petra, and extends its heartfelt sympathy
[18:39] and condolences to his family and loved ones.
[18:42] And be it further resolved that the formal copy
[18:44] of this resolution will be presented to the family
[18:47] of Vasili Petrov as a token of our enduring respect,
[18:50] gratitude, and remembrance.
[18:52] And it's signed today, August 31st, 2026.
[18:56] So I will give this to you.
[18:58] - Very sorry for your loss. Appreciate everything.
[19:06] - Is there anything any of - You would like to say? No. No.
[19:11] Okay. Thank you.
[19:20] - Okay, the next item on our agenda
[19:24] is item C.
[19:26] We're happy to welcome Dave from Centre County
[19:28] Transportation Services.
[19:30] How you doing, Dave? Good. Good. Awesome.
[19:32] So I know we had talked, there's been,
[19:35] throughout this whole journey, there's been some
[19:40] numbers out there that are not accurate.
[19:42] So we thought we would just go directly to the source
[19:44] and invite Dave back and get an update.
[19:48] - So I, I did present you with a copy
[19:50] of our last fiscal year numbers for the work
[19:54] that we've done in Belfor Borough with, with the change.
[20:00] And, and it totaled 1,740 trips in that fiscal year
[20:06] of Borough residents using our facil, our services
[20:10] for transportation that they
[20:12] normally maybe wouldn't have used.
[20:15] Of course, the dollar amount comes right about out to
[20:17] where they budgeted in the Borough.
[20:20] We, we gave them numbers to work with in the beginning
[20:23] based on trends and, and things.
[20:26] And, and it seemed to work out pretty good.
[20:28] Then there's a few trips we do for people from state,
[20:31] from your area to beon.
[20:34] Of course not very many, but when they call, we do them.
[20:39] So I don't know what to say more than that.
[20:43] I, I miss you people in Bellmont. Truly we do.
[20:47] We appreciated what you did there and,
[20:49] and I wish that
[20:50] that could come back someday and you never know.
[20:53] Things can change,
[20:55] but not that I don't mind doing the work, it's just,
[21:00] it would free us up to do more outside of Bellmont.
[21:02] You know, we, we do
[21:05] about 87,000 trips throughout the course of the year
[21:09] for our service throughout the county.
[21:11] And you know, that's a big area, that's a big task.
[21:16] Probably 450 trips a day on average is what we do.
[21:20] And, and that's all funding sources.
[21:23] We have about 18 to 20 different funding sources that we use
[21:28] that, that we work with mostly MA and,
[21:33] and PennDOT Medical assistance
[21:34] and PennDOT are, are the majority of what we do funded, but,
[21:38] and we do have private funding sources that do trips,
[21:41] community services groups and people like that.
[21:44] So, and I think we share some of these people
[21:47] and, and what they do.
[21:48] But I, I can answer questions, try
[21:52] to give you whatever information you might want.
[21:56] But I, I appreciate your staff
[21:59] and working with them on a regular basis.
[22:02] Derek and Emily and, and Lori and,
[22:05] and all those that I work with regularly to try
[22:08] to enhance services for everyone.
[22:11] We give out your numbers every day.
[22:13] I mean, we truly do because we can't do everything
[22:16] and you know, we, we have a certain amount of drivers
[22:19] and when you get to a certain number of trips scheduled
[22:21] for the next day, you have to stop.
[22:24] You don't want to overload it to where you can't do it.
[22:26] So we recommend when they're in your area
[22:28] to call you folks and, and they do.
[22:31] If they need a trip same day, they have the luxury sometimes
[22:33] of the CATA Go, which helps a lot.
[22:36] So, and that's what Bellmont misses.
[22:38] They, they miss the CATA Go service where they could call
[22:42] and within a couple hours get somewhere and,
[22:45] and we're just not equipped to do same day service for very,
[22:49] for, for everything medical reasons we can't and we do,
[22:53] but just a routine trip to the grocery store, the drug store
[22:57] or wherever they may want to go.
[22:58] We just can't do those trips
[23:00] because of the numbers we're working with.
[23:02] But, you know, we'll see what happens down the road. Yeah.
[23:07] - So let's see if there's any questions. Sure.
[23:09] - Absolutely. - Margy,
[23:10] I know you don't have a copy of this.
[23:12] What, Christie, can you make sure we get Margy a copy
[23:14] of this, but were there any questions based on
[23:17] Dave's presentation?
[23:20] - No, actually not without having the, the material,
[23:23] but I appreciate you coming to the board
[23:26] and sharing again with us.
[23:28] We miss you too.
[23:32] - So, - Okay.
[23:33] Dave, of the 1,740 trips
[23:37] that you were reporting to us for last fiscal year, about
[23:42] how many individuals does that represent?
[23:44] - That would represent probably about
[23:47] 30 individuals, I would say.
[23:49] Okay. That take routine trips on a regular basis,
[23:52] mostly work a lot.
[23:54] I would say 85% of those funded trips are work.
[23:58] And then the other 15% would might be groceries
[24:01] or something like that.
[24:02] - And these are only trips Monday through Friday,
[24:05] - Correct?
[24:06] Yeah, Monday through Friday, Joe. Yep, yep. Okay.
[24:09] - And eight 30 to eight, eight to
[24:11] - Five.
[24:12] We, we take, we pick people up starting about six 30 to go
[24:15] to work, you know, when they work in town
[24:17] and in various places in the Centre Region.
[24:19] And, and we get them there by 8, 8 30 usually. Oh yes.
[24:25] Pick them up as late as some, as late as four to go home.
[24:29] You know, we try to work with them as very best we can
[24:33] to make it fit for them.
[24:35] - So now that you've got a, a year under your belt, so
[24:38] to speak, what was the biggest challenge
[24:40] in taking that over?
[24:42] - I, I think just coordinating where they need to go
[24:46] and the times more than anything,
[24:48] just working within the time zones of
[24:50] where these people needed to be at a certain time.
[24:52] - Yeah. And these are all trips
[24:53] that are gonna be within the Bellmont Borough,
[24:55] - These are Bellmont Borough.
[24:57] Every trip there is a Bellmont Borough resident. Correct.
[25:00] And, and of course with Eco Lane or or FI
[25:02] or software that gives us the ability
[25:05] to pinpoint where people live.
[25:06] And we've had people outside of the Borough try
[25:09] to utilize it, not, maybe not knowing, just thinking,
[25:12] well I have a Beon address,
[25:14] but they don't technically live in the Borough.
[25:16] So it's a little different then. Yeah. Yeah.
[25:21] - Anything else? - Nope, that's all I
[25:23] - Had.
[25:24] Thank you. Only one question, Joe. Geez, I feel honored.
[25:26] Stephanie, Rob,
[25:28] - Just a question.
[25:30] When you said that sometimes you just can't take everyone,
[25:33] do you know what happens to those unfulfilled trips?
[25:36] - Well, in most cases they'll reschedule, no. Okay.
[25:40] We, we very, very rarely ever deny a medical trip. Okay.
[25:44] That makes sense. So the trips that we deny are usually,
[25:46] well, I want to go to the grocery store.
[25:48] Well, you may have to wait till the next day.
[25:51] Most medical trips we always add, you know, I, I've,
[25:54] I've always made it clear
[25:55] that if it's a medical need, we take care of it.
[25:58] Yeah, yeah. Range Fair was tough.
[26:00] 'cause I had five drivers at the Fair Party.
[26:03] - Oh yeah. - But we got through it.
[26:05] But overall, we, we don't deny medical trips. Yeah.
[26:09] - Just one follow question. I'll have two
[26:11] - Questions. That's fine. As
[26:12] - Opposed to Joe's one question,
[26:13] but in, in Bellon, do you, were there a number
[26:18] of times or a significant number of times
[26:20] where you think you would've gone beyond the 1,740 trips?
[26:24] Had you had had the capacity? I'm just curious what the
[26:27] - Demand.
[26:28] Probably not. I, I, I don't, we're not getting demand beyond
[26:31] what we're fulfilling, I don't think.
[26:33] I mean, it doesn't seem like it anyways.
[26:35] I'm not getting, I'm not getting any
[26:37] negative feedback to that effect.
[26:39] So if it's happening, they're not complaining,
[26:41] which I wish they would and,
[26:44] and we could look at ways to improve that.
[26:46] Gotcha. You know, obviously we have a certain number
[26:49] of drivers and, and we're just about capacity with drivers.
[26:53] We could always use a couple extra.
[26:55] But yeah, we we're able
[26:57] to fulfill most all the needs, I think.
[26:59] Yeah. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Welcome. Thank you.
[27:03] - Juan - Eight. Those 1740,
[27:06] those are trips from Betine anywhere in the county? Yeah,
[27:10] - Well, most of 'em are coming into the Centre Region.
[27:12] Okay. Yep. I I would say that the vast majority, maybe
[27:16] as high as 90% are coming into the
[27:19] Centre Region, area center area. Yes.
[27:21] - And do you have a sense of,
[27:23] do you get many hospital trips?
[27:25] - No. No. That most of those are funded
[27:27] through other sources, so they
[27:29] don't get billed to the Borough.
[27:30] You know, they may have medical assistance
[27:32] to fund those trips, but
[27:34] - They wouldn't be included in that.
[27:35] - No. These are mostly, like I said, work trips and,
[27:38] and trips with people with no other funding sources.
[27:42] - So, yeah. So I'm, I'm not clear if somebody needs
[27:46] to get to the hospital,
[27:49] - Oh, we can take them. We
[27:51] - Can take them, but Yes.
[27:52] But within that, the hours of your service limit? Well,
[27:54] - Primarily yes. Yeah. Yes.
[27:56] - But so that would exclude Saturday and Sunday, right?
[27:59] - Yeah. We do not do any weekends. Correct.
[28:01] - So there's no way they can
[28:03] - No, we unfortunately we don't have that service.
[28:05] Yeah. Okay. That,
[28:06] and that's what I say, we, we miss the service
[28:09] that was there for those reasons. Yes.
[28:12] - And it would be difficult for a hospital employee
[28:15] to use your service because of your limited hours, right?
[28:18] - Yes. On an eight hour day. Yes.
[28:20] Sometimes we can get them at least one way. One way. Right.
[28:23] In home or, or back, you know?
[28:26] - So - Most of the people we transport don't drive.
[28:30] They, they have no other means.
[28:31] So they're utilizing us and you know,
[28:35] and I think for the most part, they're happy
[28:39] that they're getting a service Oh yeah.
[28:40] And getting to work. So, yeah.
[28:43] - Okay. Thank you. You're - Welcome.
[28:45] - I just have a couple questions. Yep.
[28:47] So one with the second line, the, the trips you're providing
[28:50] to Centre Region residents.
[28:52] Yes. First of all, I'm
[28:53] so glad you were able to work with us.
[28:55] Absolutely. And that we can do that. Absolutely.
[28:57] And am I reading this correct, that some of them,
[28:59] these trips, they're, they must qualify
[29:01] for some other funding already?
[29:03] - More than likely, they probably do.
[29:05] They have other funding sources that they don't need
[29:07] to use the CAT of funding. Okay. You know,
[29:11] - So we only paid $160.
[29:13] - Is that No, you paid, you paid 624.
[29:18] That's the clients paid one 60? Yes.
[29:20] - The, the riders paid
[29:21] - One.
[29:22] Yeah, they paid the 1 1 60. Thank
[29:23] - You.
[29:24] - And they, their trips specific to the three facilities,
[29:28] the county facilities in Befor.
[29:30] Okay. Yeah. The, the willowbank CSB and the courthouse.
[29:34] Okay. Yeah. They're the, the funding for CAT is strictly
[29:37] for those three locations.
[29:38] Yes. Anything else is other Yes. Other fund.
[29:42] - Yeah. And so then the Bellon Borough, so they paid that 30
[29:46] - 3030 3 366. Correct.
[29:49] - Can you remind me what was their original budget for the
[29:51] - Year?
[29:52] 35,000. Okay. Yeah.
[29:53] - Yeah. And do they have a, a budget for this year?
[29:57] - 40,000. - So they went
[29:58] - Up.
[29:59] Yeah, they went up. They, they bumped it
[30:01] and we're well within that,
[30:03] theirs is calendar year of course.
[30:05] So we're,
[30:07] but we're well within the, where they were budgeted.
[30:09] Yeah. Okay. It, it's not, it's never spiked beyond
[30:14] what we could handle that we could see.
[30:15] So, okay. If you were told that they were out of money,
[30:19] that, that, I don't know where that came
[30:20] - From. Okay.
[30:21] - You know, I, I've conferred
[30:23] with the council president a couple times
[30:25] and he can't figure that out either, but
[30:28] - Okay.
[30:29] We appreciate the getting the, the facts here. Yeah.
[30:32] Derek, do you remember what our, what our final proposal was
[30:35] for befor dollar wise?
[30:38] - For, - Or the beeline?
[30:42] - I can get it, - Was it under 40,000?
[30:44] - No. Okay. Don't quote me on this
[30:48] 'cause it's been a little bit, I want to say around 60.
[30:51] Okay. The beeline. But don't, I can get that number though.
[30:55] - Okay. No, what I'm just looking forward to see,
[30:57] I mean this, this program is a,
[31:01] a better match for their budget.
[31:03] So this is working out. We understand there's trade off.
[31:07] We, we miss working over there too,
[31:09] - So. Yes. Yes.
[31:10] - We'll keep all the conversations going.
[31:12] - Well, and I think that's good.
[31:13] I, I wish the, the surrounding townships would want
[31:17] to participate as well
[31:18] because that would certainly help in the discussions
[31:22] for you folks, I'm sure.
[31:24] - Yeah. Especially supermarket access. Yes. And
[31:27] - Stuff like that.
[31:28] - Yes, absolutely. Alright,
[31:29] well thank you David. Another question
[31:31] - I more question Mark, remind me of the 32 trips then
[31:35] that Kata paid for to the three facilities, right.
[31:38] Which of those was the most popular?
[31:42] - I think Willowbank will Bank,
[31:43] I'm pretty sure of Willow Bank and
[31:44] - Come to see you, Joe. Yeah,
[31:46] - I don't think so.
[31:47] - I think what some of them do is when they come to town,
[31:49] they'll, they'll walk to other facilities maybe,
[31:52] but, you know, they'll, they'll schedule a late pickup
[31:55] and Yeah.
[31:57] And we let them schedule their pickup.
[31:58] If they want to get there at 10 in the morning,
[32:00] get picked up at three, that's fine.
[32:02] You know, so. Yeah.
[32:04] - Okay. Okay. Well thank you so much. Oh, thank you.
[32:07] As always, if you need anything from us, please,
[32:09] - Same here.
[32:10] And Derek, I'll see you tomorrow. Yes sir. Thank you.
[32:12] Thank you all very much.
[32:16] - Next we'll move into Todd's CEO report.
[32:20] - Okay, great. So when the time comes on the agenda,
[32:25] I did let Mark know we need to pull item seven D,
[32:29] which is our new DBE goal off the agenda.
[32:32] After we sent the agenda last week,
[32:34] we received some new guidance from the U-S-D-O-T that
[32:40] probably requires us to do a little bit more work,
[32:42] but what we really need to do is we, we need
[32:44] to wait on the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania,
[32:45] to do a little work and then we'll know if we need
[32:48] to do some after them.
[32:49] So we're gonna pull that today
[32:51] and I anticipate you will
[32:53] see it again before the end of the year.
[32:54] So, so we are now in our third week
[32:59] of full service and this is kind of the week that
[33:02] traditionally where ridership kind of starts
[33:05] to hit its stride for the semester.
[33:07] Last week was syllabus week.
[33:09] It's usually not as busy,
[33:11] but it was a pretty busy syllabus week from
[33:13] what I've been told anecdotally by some, some
[33:17] of our operators on campus, they've, they commented to me
[33:20] that it just seems like there's more students on campus this
[33:23] year than ever.
[33:26] That's probably true
[33:27] 'cause we did understand that the university had admitted a,
[33:31] a large alar, the largest freshman class
[33:33] that they ever have.
[33:34] So that, that kinda lines up.
[33:36] But I think people were really surprised at
[33:38] how busy syllabus week was on our ridership.
[33:41] 'cause like I said, normally this third week is when
[33:43] ridership really picks up.
[33:44] So hopefully that is a sign of good things to come.
[33:49] I, I was out at a couple of the bus stops a couple
[33:53] of mornings last week.
[33:55] So I will say there's definitely a difference in the
[33:58] boarding process this year.
[34:00] Now that we have a year of token transit under our belt
[34:03] loading is just much more smooth.
[34:05] Tap to pay is probably helping with that as well.
[34:07] But just notice that the,
[34:09] the whole loading process just seemed
[34:11] to be more smooth this year than it did last year when we
[34:14] were first introducing the token transit payment system.
[34:19] And we did engage in quite a bit
[34:22] of more enhanced outreach this year as students came, came
[34:26] to town for move in and even afterwards.
[34:28] And we're still doing some outreach.
[34:31] So hopefully those efforts will also be paying off
[34:34] and the momentum, you know,
[34:35] will continue for the rest of the year.
[34:38] So I wanna go ahead and you've got a handout on your table
[34:42] that's probably face down.
[34:43] I just wanna go ahead and bring this up. So take a look.
[34:46] There's a couple of pictures here and Margy, sorry,
[34:49] but I think you may have already seen these pictures
[34:52] that we're showing of this, this bus redesign.
[34:56] I'm sorry, we can don't, no,
[34:58] we don't even have it loaded for the screen.
[35:00] But we had, what, what they, what the board has in front
[35:04] of them are two photos of cattle buses
[35:06] with our colors inverted so
[35:09] that the cada orange is the dominant color
[35:12] and then white becomes the secondary color.
[35:14] And those are photos of CATA buses.
[35:17] But we've used AI to flip the colors.
[35:19] So we really, even though those are actual CATA buses,
[35:22] we don't have CATA buses that look like this right now.
[35:27] So, but what, what, we did this
[35:30] and we find it interesting enough that we're planning
[35:32] to actually temporarily wrap two of our buses
[35:36] using this inverted color scheme.
[35:38] One for the standard transit bus you see at the bottom
[35:41] and then one for the articulated bus at the top.
[35:44] And then we'll put those out into service
[35:46] and just kind of gauge, you know, reaction to them.
[35:50] We're discussing, you know, we're discussing ways to collect
[35:54] rider and public feedback on the design
[35:57] and then we would expect
[35:58] to keep them wrapped probably into the spring.
[36:00] But we have a couple of reasons for doing this when
[36:04] we expect it would kind of give us a, a brief pop
[36:07] of publicity and attention kind
[36:09] of early in the semester at a time when students are still,
[36:13] you know, willing to try new things with regard to
[36:15] how they get around town and the campus.
[36:18] And then it also give us some design feedback
[36:21] for consideration the next time that we purchase buses.
[36:25] You know, if the design's well received,
[36:26] then we can talk about possibly using this on
[36:29] a future bus purchase.
[36:31] It's not well received.
[36:32] It goes on the Ash Ben
[36:34] or Ash heap of history and we never see it again.
[36:36] But we thought we would, you know, wrap a couple of buses.
[36:40] We have a, we have the ability to do that through our mark
[36:43] through our advertising contract with Mesmerized.
[36:45] It would be temporary wraps.
[36:47] These would not be permanent paint jobs.
[36:49] But again, it's, I think it's something that we would do
[36:52] to just to see what the reaction we might get.
[36:55] You know, we have a strong brand, we're not looking
[36:59] to change our brand, but this is kind of a potential way
[37:01] to maybe keep the, keep the brand fresh instead
[37:04] of actually changing the brand.
[37:06] So wanted to let you know, I didn't want you
[37:08] to be alarmed if suddenly you see a couple
[37:10] of these buses riding around on the street.
[37:12] We haven't painted any new buses,
[37:14] we haven't bought any new buses and painted them red.
[37:17] We're just, we're just kind of testing these out.
[37:19] So it's kind orange, not red, it is cat of orange. Orange.
[37:23] I even had that written down in my
[37:25] notes to say cat of orange.
[37:26] I think I said red. So anyway, just wanted
[37:31] to let you be aware of that.
[37:32] And like I said, we will kind
[37:34] of update you on the feedback we receive,
[37:36] but we're excited to see what people think.
[37:42] So I,
[37:43] I mentioned we would possibly use this the next time we
[37:46] purchase buses and just kind of wanted
[37:48] to give you an update on that.
[37:50] We, we do have four buses
[37:53] that should be meeting their useful life benchmark
[37:56] for replacement in the 2028 timeframe.
[38:00] And then the rest of the CATA bus fleet we'll do,
[38:03] we will be replacing kind of over the years 2031 to 2034.
[38:07] It's based on some data Bruce gave me.
[38:09] So if he's given me a side eye, it's based on your data.
[38:14] And so PennDOT recently made some changes
[38:17] to their revenue vehicle replacement benchmarks.
[38:20] They extended the period of time that transit
[38:24] agencies are expected to keep and use buses
[38:26] before they become eligible for replacement funding.
[38:30] That's really being done in anticipation
[38:33] of some potential revenue shortfalls for transit funding
[38:36] for capital purchases that may be the state
[38:39] and we'll be seeing over the next several years.
[38:42] And so what that really means, for example,
[38:45] a standard transit bus is normally a 12 year bus.
[38:48] And so normally after 12 years you would be
[38:51] eligible for replacement funding.
[38:52] PennDOT is now converted that into a 14 year bus.
[38:55] And so it's 14 years
[38:56] before you're eligible for replacement funding.
[38:59] We keep our buses in great working condition
[39:02] and so 14 years shouldn't be a problem,
[39:04] but it is more expensive to maintain, you know, the,
[39:07] the maintenance goes up as the buses age.
[39:14] So sorry about that.
[39:17] And then, so I understand that in the past we've actually
[39:20] provided a, the board with an annual memo
[39:23] describing the status
[39:24] and replacement schedule for all cattle vehicles,
[39:26] both our revenue and non-revenue vehicles.
[39:29] I think it's probably been about five years since
[39:31] we've provided that.
[39:33] If that's something the board would like
[39:35] to see would be useful.
[39:36] You know, we're happy to do that.
[39:37] We could have it as early as next month.
[39:39] It looked like it had previously been done
[39:41] during the budget cycle in the March timeframe.
[39:43] It may be more useful for us to give it to you then,
[39:45] or we could do both or neither if it's
[39:48] something you want us to do.
[39:50] But I think Mark had mentioned this to me
[39:52] that this is something that had been done in the past
[39:54] but hadn't seen it in a while.
[39:55] - We used to get it once a year. Yeah.
[39:57] Do you have a preference on when we get that?
[40:01] - No, not really. When, what's your convenience
[40:04] or earliest possible,
[40:05] - Maybe if you can give us one next month or that.
[40:07] Okay. And then from there on out it does make
[40:09] sense to do a budget.
[40:11] - Looking at the one from five years ago,
[40:12] there's been some changes that have been made.
[40:14] We no longer own our van pool vans.
[40:16] That was always something in that report.
[40:20] We do now own our own demand vans
[40:22] and so there are some changes from that
[40:24] and that's, so we'll we'll update that, provide it,
[40:27] and then we'll plan to do it.
[40:28] Maybe we'll provide it next month,
[40:30] but we'll also plan to do it in the budget
[40:32] cycle. Sounds good. Yes sir.
[40:34] - Is there a plan to do something with the,
[40:37] the wrecker, the tow truck?
[40:40] - We do. And maybe Derek might wanna speak to that or Mark
[40:45] - Your wanna go Mark.
[40:46] Yeah, we, we've started the search
[40:49] - To get budgetary numbers
[40:51] for the replacement of the wrecker.
[40:54] We, we've gave them the bruise.
[40:57] - Yeah. - And, and it's not cheap.
[41:00] Not, and so the next step is actually to work on a grant.
[41:06] - That record is listed as part of the state
[41:09] of good repair replacement.
[41:12] Obviously the cost of,
[41:15] as everyone knows the cost of any vehicle is
[41:20] exploded over the last couple of years.
[41:22] So it will not be a shock to penoc when we give them
[41:26] the replacement cost.
[41:28] One of the things we are going to be asking Penoc to do
[41:33] is we want to replace our current diesel wrecker with a c
[41:37] and g fueled wrecker.
[41:41] It just makes more sense. We've got c and g here and c
[41:43] and g is much cheaper to operate
[41:48] with than diesel
[41:49] because we also won't need the DEF fluid that a new,
[41:53] a new diesel engine would require.
[41:56] So there'll be some cost savings there
[41:58] that we can justify the, the, this, the c and g engine with.
[42:04] - So what quarter of, what sort of orders of magnitude is
[42:08] that cost and what's our likelihood
[42:09] of getting the grant for it?
[42:11] - The, the estimated cost is
[42:15] $600,000.
[42:21] Based on my prior experience with PennDOT
[42:24] and stated good repair replacement,
[42:27] I have a 95% confidence rate that PennDOT will fund it
[42:31] - Up to 95% funding
[42:35] the required local match. Of course
[42:36] - It will require a 3.225% local match.
[42:40] - Okay. - I'll say that is one asset we have kept well
[42:44] beyond its useful life.
[42:45] So it is definitely due for replacement.
[42:51] - Any other - Couple more things?
[42:53] So just wanna let you guys know that our, our new agreement
[42:56] with Penn State for the operation of the loops and the links
[43:00] and for the administration of the Ride Pass program
[43:02] for faculty and graduate students was recently signed.
[43:06] Bruce wanted me to let you know that
[43:07] because the agreement was signed in August, you won't see
[43:11] any Penn State revenue in the July financial report,
[43:14] but there will be a, I guess a corrective.
[43:17] Yeah, there will be a catch up in the next month
[43:20] or two on that.
[43:22] You know, this is basically the same agreement that we sign
[43:24] with the university each year.
[43:26] But one new feature that's I think beneficial
[43:28] to really both parties to us financially
[43:30] and also to the Penn State
[43:32] and their graduate students is that under the,
[43:36] under the new agreement, graduate students will now be able
[43:39] to use the ride pass for unlimited rides across
[43:41] the CADA system.
[43:43] And in previous agreements they were basically limited
[43:46] to trips between housing and campus.
[43:48] If I'm not, if I'm correct, this will only,
[43:53] this change will only apply to graduate students.
[43:55] Faculty will still have that same limitation.
[43:57] But it does open up some opportunities for more trips
[44:00] by graduate students.
[44:01] And then it's also a, it ends up being a revenue
[44:06] positive for, for cada.
[44:08] So we have scheduled three upcoming opportunities
[44:12] for public input into CADA services
[44:16] as they do each spring and fall.
[44:17] The Penn State Office of Transportation Services,
[44:20] we'll host a public input meeting at
[44:22] their offices on campus.
[44:23] And this year, that meeting is on Wednesday, September 9th
[44:27] from one to 2:00 PM Later that day we will be
[44:31] hosting a, a community input meeting cater will
[44:36] at the Schlow Library where we normally have
[44:39] our input meetings.
[44:41] That will be from four to 6:00 PM
[44:43] and we will also feature a remote opportunity
[44:45] for participation at that meeting.
[44:47] And then the third one is just another online only meeting
[44:51] geared toward the university committee
[44:52] that will be held via Zoom on September 14th from 11
[44:56] to 12:00 PM So those are some public outreach
[44:59] opportunities we have for the fall.
[45:01] And again, we'll do something very similar in the spring.
[45:04] A couple of just more, a couple more updates.
[45:08] So we are scheduled to receive proposals this Thursday
[45:13] for a real estate consulting services.
[45:15] This is something that the board had authorized us several
[45:19] months ago and we have initiated the procurement.
[45:23] So the consultant's really gonna be hired
[45:25] to help us with two tasks.
[45:27] Two tasks. First is assisting cada with searching
[45:31] for basically a paved surface lot that we could lease
[45:35] and be, that could be used for bus operator
[45:37] and CDL training purposes.
[45:40] As we've probably told you in the past, a local church
[45:43] has allowed CADA to use a portion of its parking lot
[45:47] for these purposes for the last few years.
[45:49] We continue to have a great relationship with them.
[45:52] Very much appreciate their willingness
[45:53] to let us use their lot.
[45:54] But of, you know, of course their needs are always going
[45:57] to trump ours because they're the property owner.
[45:59] They rarely do. But every once in a while we do get a
[46:02] request, not use a lot on some, some of the times
[46:05] that we have it scheduled.
[46:07] So it'd really be great for Canada to have access to a lot
[46:09] that we can control for bus operator and CDL training.
[46:13] So the consultant will be tasked with helping us
[46:15] to find such a property if one exists in our region
[46:19] that is available and assist us with securing a lease.
[46:23] And again, that would just be a lease facility.
[46:25] But second, and really the primary task that we've talked
[46:28] to you about is that the consultant
[46:30] who in all likelihood will also be a licensed real estate
[46:33] agent, they will help us assess
[46:35] available properties in the region.
[46:37] And you know, and potentially if there's one
[46:39] that suits our needs, they they would help us
[46:42] with a purchase, you know, for a property
[46:45] that would be suitable for a future cattle facility
[46:48] that we've talked about for potentially
[46:50] for our own demand services operating out
[46:53] of a CADA owned facility.
[46:55] We could move the bus operator in training
[46:58] a CDL training there as well.
[47:00] If we had a lease facility, we would just end the lease
[47:03] and move it to this permanent facility.
[47:07] You know, they would help us to,
[47:12] you know, identify basically our needs
[47:15] and whatever else cattle may need.
[47:18] By the way, you know, the by, by the way,
[47:20] of facilities in the future,
[47:22] it could also host an alternative fueling infrastructure if
[47:25] at some point we ever decided we wanted
[47:26] to do something different than CNG.
[47:29] 'cause we don't really have room on this side in
[47:31] order to do something else.
[47:33] So anyway, the cat, the, the consultant will assist us,
[47:37] you know, with other needs related to this task, such
[47:39] as helping us define our needs,
[47:40] ensuring the properties are suitable for our needs,
[47:44] and then assisting us with any federal real estate
[47:47] acquisition processes
[47:48] and procedures that we may need to follow as a condition of,
[47:51] as a condition of future federal funding.
[47:54] So we look forward to giving you another update next month.
[47:57] 'cause like I said, proposals are due on Thursday,
[48:00] so hopefully we'll be able
[48:01] to give you a positive update at
[48:03] your September board meeting.
[48:04] And then finally, just wanna wrap up with a couple
[48:07] of brief updates on two capital projects we're working on
[48:10] with Penn State.
[48:12] And first is a, and this is very preliminary at this point.
[48:17] We are looking at a, working
[48:19] with Penn State on a potential new bus transfer
[48:21] center on campus.
[48:23] Again, this is very early stages.
[48:25] There's not a lot of detail I can report at this time.
[48:27] But many of our current bus routes, you know, kind
[48:30] of traverse the heart of the Penn State campus.
[48:32] Most of them use Cur road,
[48:34] which is really the most congested
[48:36] thoroughfare across the campus last fall, CAT staff
[48:40] and the Penn State staff.
[48:41] We met talk about the Penn State master planning process,
[48:45] which is now underway.
[48:47] A new bus transfer facility on campus was discussed
[48:50] as a need and agreed to by both parties shortly.
[48:54] They thereafter, they identified a small
[48:57] site in the vicinity of the,
[48:59] the Bryce Jordan Center in Beaver Stadium
[49:01] that could possibly re be redeveloped into a,
[49:05] a new bus transfer center, you know, in a facility at
[49:08] that location could potentially allow Canada to run several
[49:12] of our buses into that site so
[49:14] that they would avoid void the heart of campus
[49:16] and then passengers would transfer to the,
[49:19] to the loops in the links
[49:20] and to get around campus from there.
[49:22] So that would be, you know, that would have great benefits
[49:26] with regard to congestion on campus
[49:27] and on time performance benefits for us.
[49:30] So we've recently had a couple of planning meetings
[49:32] with the university to discuss
[49:34] how such a project may be advanced.
[49:36] Again, we remain in the very early stages
[49:39] of planning for this project.
[49:40] There's a lot of obstacles
[49:41] and challenges to come that could ultimately derail it
[49:45] and, you know, the,
[49:46] the location could ultimately change as well.
[49:48] But for our part, we have reached out to PennDOT to ask
[49:52] for consulting assistance for preliminary design work
[49:56] and we've received a positive response for them.
[49:59] I think there's a meeting possibly next week
[50:00] to talk about it, talk
[50:01] to PennDOT a little bit more about that.
[50:03] And then we've also reached out to the FTA for guidance on
[50:07] the federal requirements
[50:09] for constructing such a facility on a property
[50:11] that would be owned by the university.
[50:13] And so again, there's a lot of things we need to work
[50:16] through there that could, you know, ultimately be a a,
[50:20] a non-starter for the university,
[50:21] but we want to get that process going.
[50:23] Well and for its part,
[50:24] the university is doing its own due diligence, you know,
[50:27] on feasibility as well.
[50:28] So we'll keep you updated as that project progresses.
[50:31] But I wanted to just kind of let you know
[50:34] that there is a little movement on that project.
[50:36] And then finally, I, I think I've informed you in the past
[50:39] that at a previous meeting that we're working
[50:41] with Penn State to cite a bus shelter at the college
[50:44] and Allen bus stop downtown.
[50:46] It'd be the first ever bus shelter at that stop,
[50:48] which is one of our busiest in the system.
[50:51] And, you know, don't wanna be too optimistic,
[50:55] but I'm hoping that, you know,
[50:56] a shelter could possibly install by the end
[50:59] of this calendar year at that site.
[51:01] But we'll keep you updated on that project as well.
[51:04] Awesome. That's
[51:05] - It.
[51:06] Thanks Todd. Any questions for Todd? Joe? No, Rob?
[51:12] No, I think you said something about the standard transit
[51:16] bus in the 12 years and the impact on maintenance.
[51:19] It was, did you say it was not significant?
[51:22] Like a cost of extending the life?
[51:25] - The maintenance cost definitely goes, goes up
[51:27] for buses in the later years.
[51:28] Yeah. The, the more years you have to maintain it.
[51:33] So it would, I don't know if we want
[51:34] to consider it significant or not. I'll,
[51:36] - I mean we did, I had maintenance guys take a look.
[51:40] They're anticipating 26 to 31%
[51:44] increase in maintenance costs
[51:46] - And the total budget - Or just
[51:49] increase in maintenance costs over those couple years.
[51:51] Oh, okay. Per bus. Per bus, okay.
[51:55] So it's fairly significant. Yeah. Okay.
[51:58] - Thank you. That's all I know
[51:59] - One, yeah, I should have jumped in earlier
[52:01] - With - A couple of these questions, but I'll
[52:03] - No, that's fine.
[52:06] - Well first of all, with the decrease in ridership,
[52:11] you know that we see in this,
[52:14] aren't we exceeding the allowed spare ratio of vehicles?
[52:20] I mean that's set by PennDOT, isn't it?
[52:22] - It's set by the fta A f Yeah. Right.
[52:24] Bruce seems to be chomping at the bit to jump in.
[52:26] So I'm gonna let him do this. Well, because I have
[52:27] - The plan.
[52:29] Yes. We are in fact above our spare ratio. Yeah.
[52:32] What, what is our ratio?
[52:34] Our spare ratio is, should be 20%,
[52:37] which means we should have is it that high?
[52:40] Approximately 43 right now?
[52:44] 43 buses right now we have 52
[52:48] or wait yeah, 52 we have there,
[52:54] we had to submit a plan to the FDA on when we would reach
[52:59] our spare ratio of 20%.
[53:04] The FTA has approved that plan.
[53:07] It will take us until December.
[53:11] Yeah, December of 2026.
[53:14] We will reach our spare ratio when we,
[53:16] we will put more buses into our contingency fleet.
[53:20] Once we've done that, then Derek, mark, myself,
[53:23] will sit down and say, how many
[53:25] of those buses should we actually sell and get rid of?
[53:29] 'cause we still have to maintain them.
[53:31] - The, so the FDA doesn't, ma doesn't care
[53:35] how many you have in your contingency fleet.
[53:37] - No, - That's interesting.
[53:38] And how many would we have then?
[53:41] - Currently there's 14
[53:45] and depending on what we do here in January,
[53:48] but we'll add probably another six
[53:49] to it. So we'll be at 20.
[53:51] - Wow. So that's a lot of spare buses
[53:54] could be carrying passengers somewhere.
[53:56] - Well, we know we, we have to keep 10 because of our rx.
[54:01] We, we've also gotten approval from FDA region three
[54:06] that obviously contingency fleets are only supposed
[54:10] to be used in the event of a declared emergency declared
[54:13] by either the state or the county emergency management.
[54:17] We've been given a waiver from ft.
[54:20] A region three that should, we have
[54:22] to take our R ticks off the road
[54:24] because of severe winter weather conditions
[54:28] that we can pull 10 up to 10 of our contingency fleet out
[54:33] and operate those as backfield for the arctics.
[54:38] - Interesting. - So we know we've gotta keep at least 10
[54:41] and then it will be up to Derek
[54:43] and Mark to determine above that,
[54:46] how many more should we keep that will determine
[54:49] should we sell some, and if so, how many?
[54:52] - And part of that too is, you know,
[54:54] we're looking at a five year plan right now as far
[54:56] as our service plan is that given the fact that if we were
[55:01] to try to purchase a Boston get additional,
[55:03] it's gonna take us I think 24 months now, almost two
[55:05] - Years.
[55:06] - Yes. And so being very methodical in this approach on
[55:10] what we do with this fleet into the future is going
[55:13] to be important for Canada
[55:15] because we are looking at the expansion of an, you know,
[55:18] of some services over the next couple years.
[55:20] So we don't want to find ourselves in a position of,
[55:24] we need, you know, we don't have enough
[55:25] to supplement our heart ticks during, you know, weather
[55:28] and we don't have enough to be able to add, you know,
[55:31] services as we're planning
[55:33] because it's not like we can
[55:35] just go out and buy another boss.
[55:36] So it's important that we are very careful on
[55:38] how our approach is when we move
[55:40] - Forward with this.
[55:41] And, and as our maximum pullout increases, then
[55:45] that 20% spare ratio, the number also goes up.
[55:49] So if we go to 50 maximum
[55:52] pullout, we can have 10.
[55:55] We we, we can have 10 spares.
[55:57] - So you're confident that our pullout is going to increase.
[56:00] - I didn't say that, sir. I talked to Derek on that.
[56:03] I don't do the service planning.
[56:07] - Okay. Second question may be
[56:09] for Joe more than anybody else here.
[56:13] When I first moved to town, I was,
[56:19] well I guess the, I guess that cat of Orange has been
[56:22] around since center line.
[56:23] Right. And always struck me that
[56:26] that didn't really go very well with Penn State Blue.
[56:31] And am I right that it was just the favorite color
[56:33] of a former general manager?
[56:39] - That would've been Kevin Abbey and that was before me,
[56:42] - But Oh, okay.
[56:43] - I, I know that former board member Richard
[56:48] had a lot to do with the actual colors.
[56:51] And I think Mark would probably remember that.
[56:55] - No, I, I'm, I'm wasn't that much before you Joe.
[56:58] And I'm the same way. I'm not exactly sure
[57:00] where it did come from.
[57:01] - I'm not, it just, it just doesn't seem
[57:03] to compliment Penn State Blue. It
[57:05] - Doesn't.
[57:06] So when I started the board,
[57:08] the former board chairman told me it was intentional
[57:13] to make it stand out different
[57:15] - Among - A sea of blue and white.
[57:19] - I guess it does. - Yeah. At one point we did have blue
[57:22] and white buses Yeah.
[57:23] - That were blue. Yeah, I remember those. I think
[57:25] - They were in the loop and, and I think the orange
[57:27] and the white was intentional to make them discreet.
[57:32] And, and I,
[57:34] - You know, I just, I've visited hundreds of transit systems
[57:37] and I just don't think it's
[57:39] - Identity and not Penn State and
[57:41] - Not Penn State, but you, I think you can find a more
[57:45] attractive color for just anyone visiting town.
[57:48] So I, that would be my idea to look around how many
[57:51] - Think about other colors, like
[57:52] what percentage are wrapped in ads?
[57:56] - In in - Ads? Yeah.
[58:02] - I don't know. That's a good question.
[58:05] I've never really counted the number of buses.
[58:07] - I would, I mean, I, I would like
[58:08] to see, we don't us make money,
[58:10] - We don't have, - I like the orange, but
[58:14] - We don't have, When
[58:19] you say wraps,
[58:20] you're talking full wraps and not Yeah.
[58:24] Or things like, and that varies partial.
[58:27] We have, we have King Kongs
[58:28] that were just on the side of the bus.
[58:30] We have rear full wraps
[58:35] is a smaller percentage
[58:36] of our advertising than say the King Kongs.
[58:39] And I mean, when I say a smaller percentage,
[58:42] I'm talking about number of vehicles.
[58:43] Obviously full wraps bring in a lot more money from,
[58:47] from a revenue standpoint.
[58:50] I can get you that number mark. I have it.
[58:52] I would just have to go through and dig it out. Oh, I was
[58:55] - Just curious. Yeah, no
[58:56] - Rush.
[58:57] Yeah. And we do a lot of in, we do a lot
[58:58] of interior advertising.
[59:00] - Yeah. So, I'm sorry, Juan, any more
[59:03] - Questions?
[59:04] Okay. Well I just, you know, might suggest
[59:06] that we look at some other color schemes and, and maybe a,
[59:09] - Not not for the ostentatious,
[59:12] but our, our, our advertising firm says it's not orange,
[59:16] it's fire engine Red fire.
[59:20] I don't know why that, and I have, I have an mg I have an
[59:22] MGB that's the same color
[59:24] and it's called f fire engine name. There's
[59:26] - Probably even a number code, right, Laura? Yes,
[59:28] - There is, there's, there's a color code that they use for,
[59:31] for our, for our logos.
[59:34] - Okay. Another thing,
[59:35] another question I wanted to bring up.
[59:36] You talk about a transit hub or something.
[59:42] And of course many cities have those
[59:44] where all their bus routes meet in one place.
[59:48] To me, I mean, that might be a good idea for campus service,
[59:53] but for non-campus service, there's a real need
[59:56] for a connection between the AC and the CC routes
[1:00:00] because half of those transfers
[1:00:02] between those routes require a, a long block walk to get,
[1:00:08] you know, from one direction to the other.
[1:00:10] Like if I'm going into north on Atherton Street
[1:00:15] and I would go east on College Avenue, I have
[1:00:18] to walk from college Allen up to school library.
[1:00:21] Those two routes are just half only make half
[1:00:25] of the connections where it makes any sense.
[1:00:27] You know, like I could go north
[1:00:29] and go west to here on this EC from college in Allen,
[1:00:33] but if I wanna go east, have to walk a long block.
[1:00:37] So I think we should consider maybe
[1:00:41] an additional transfer thing for non-campus
[1:00:44] or maybe one that covers all the needs
[1:00:46] of transfers in our area.
[1:00:49] You know,
[1:00:51] - I think we're very early in this, correct.
[1:00:55] I mean, correct me with anything. Absolutely.
[1:00:58] So part of it is not just intera, it's connecting with
[1:01:03] other forms of other bus systems.
[1:01:08] But Vaughn, I think we, I think part of the,
[1:01:14] the money from PennDOT PennDOT, correct.
[1:01:15] For the feasibility part of the money from PennDOT would be
[1:01:19] to look at locations.
[1:01:20] Yeah. So Penn State has started to talk about one,
[1:01:25] but there could be many others.
[1:01:27] And I think the feasibility study would, we're
[1:01:30] so early in this, you know,
[1:01:32] they'll be more brought back to us. I think
[1:01:34] - Campus, - We're participating in the boroughs, you know,
[1:01:38] ongoing studies of college
[1:01:40] and Allen with Penn State,
[1:01:41] there might be some opportunities there.
[1:01:43] The borough's also looking at the downtown bus depot
[1:01:46] as doing some redevelopment at that site.
[1:01:49] That could possibly be ca it could serve it.
[1:01:53] It's not ideal the way it's set up now,
[1:01:55] but if they made some modifications to the ingress
[1:01:58] and egress, it could become, you know, a possibility.
[1:02:01] So there's, there's other possibilities. Yeah.
[1:02:02] But what I had mentioned was really consider
[1:02:06] - Not just campus service.
[1:02:08] Right. All, everybody needs to transfer, you
[1:02:11] - Know? Okay.
[1:02:13] - I think that's my questions. - Okay.
[1:02:16] Margy, any questions? No, no. Thanks. Okay.
[1:02:20] I do not have a chairman's report.
[1:02:23] Just, we have a packed meeting
[1:02:25] and a packed executive session.
[1:02:27] So I'm trying to look at what we could do here if we,
[1:02:29] if it'd be possible to bundle old business
[1:02:32] and recurring items A, B, and C.
[1:02:34] Together we have our reports from Emily, Marin, and Bruce.
[1:02:38] They did a great job. I'm just gonna go
[1:02:40] around if you have questions on any of those three.
[1:02:44] Let's, let's do that
[1:02:45] and then we'll vote on this package together.
[1:02:48] - Can I just note that A
[1:02:49] and B were really presented by Derek,
[1:02:51] presented the numbers last month
[1:02:52] or talked about, talked about our year yearend ridership.
[1:02:57] And so he gave some of the information there.
[1:02:59] So, oh, I'm sorry. The reports are really just the actual
[1:03:02] formal quarterly reports.
[1:03:03] Yeah. No, we have them. Yeah.
[1:03:04] - Yeah. So Margy, I'll start with you.
[1:03:06] Any questions on any of those reports?
[1:03:09] - No, I, I didn't have any questions on any of 'em. Okay.
[1:03:13] - V - Not on the reports,
[1:03:17] but I thought of another question if I could Sure.
[1:03:19] If I quick ask on our sheet
[1:03:21] that showed the ridership change on fixed route,
[1:03:24] - I think.
[1:03:25] Is that part of the next item?
[1:03:26] - No, it's not. It was the, the separate sheet
[1:03:28] that you sent out that showed the 10 year
[1:03:32] you emailed out to us.
[1:03:35] - Okay. Yeah. Go for - It. Yeah.
[1:03:37] Do we have the 10 year figures for total ridership
[1:03:42] of all ca services?
[1:03:44] I mean, is our, is our paratransit gone up a lot to,
[1:03:49] so it doesn't help offset the loss in the fixed route.
[1:03:53] - Okay. And that your paratransit ridership wouldn't offset
[1:03:57] the offset that anyways.
[1:03:59] 'cause it, it's a totally different funding.
[1:04:01] - I just meant total passenger count is
[1:04:03] - What I was thinking.
[1:04:04] Well, I'm just saying that it's, it that would not offset
[1:04:07] that anyways because it's a totally, it's,
[1:04:10] it's calculated differently. So you have fixed out over
[1:04:12] - Still count the number of rider you carry.
[1:04:14] Huh? You still count the number of writers you carry.
[1:04:16] - No, no, I understand that. I'm just saying from a
[1:04:17] funding standpoint, it doesn't
[1:04:18] - Change.
[1:04:19] I'm not asking about funding. I just,
[1:04:20] I'm the total number of rider for
[1:04:22] - Call services. Yeah, we
[1:04:24] - Can get that.
[1:04:25] But I, I just wonder, you know, has,
[1:04:27] because we've, you know, a lot of the outlying routes
[1:04:31] and have, you know, maybe
[1:04:33] that accounts for some of our loss.
[1:04:35] But has paratransit gone up significantly over the years?
[1:04:40] - No, it's actually gone. It's gone down. Gone
[1:04:42] - On the, so we're hurting in both areas.
[1:04:45] Well, thank you. Your it's
[1:04:46] - Micro transit.
[1:04:47] Micro transit has come up. Some of those
[1:04:49] - That's meant micro,
[1:04:52] - So it's an offset to each other.
[1:04:54] Okay. Which isn't a bad thing from a,
[1:04:57] from a internal standpoint, offsetting
[1:05:00] microt transit to paratransit.
[1:05:02] So people are still getting those trips,
[1:05:04] but it's cheaper to operate.
[1:05:05] Microt Transit has paratransit. Yeah.
[1:05:07] - Thank you. Can we can update that? Sure. Yeah,
[1:05:08] - We can get that.
[1:05:09] - It took me a minute, but I know what you're talking about
[1:05:11] - Now.
[1:05:12] So anything else Juan?
[1:05:14] - No. Tried to shut up. - I got a question. It's,
[1:05:16] - I'm not gonna, I'm not trying to put you guys in the spot,
[1:05:19] but what is the cost?
[1:05:20] What is our cost per rider
[1:05:22] for on-demand service versus fixed route?
[1:05:24] Just as a general number And it could be something we
[1:05:26] can, I'm just a super curious,
[1:05:28] - I can get it for you, but I'll be very honest.
[1:05:29] I would keep, we don't keep track cost
[1:05:31] per rider for micro transit.
[1:05:32] 'cause it's apples and oranges.
[1:05:33] It's actually apples and watermelons. Okay.
[1:05:36] The overall cost of operation is
[1:05:38] what you really should look at
[1:05:39] because it's more business oriented.
[1:05:42] It's kind of like looking at the revenue hour.
[1:05:46] But we can, I mean, we can get those numbers okay.
[1:05:48] But we don't keep track of the cost per rider
[1:05:51] only for some fact.
[1:05:52] If I equate that to the same thing as like a white loop.
[1:05:55] Yeah. It's not even the same thing.
[1:05:57] So it's overall cost of operation.
[1:06:01] So if I have a, if I have a route that I've, you know,
[1:06:04] transitioned over to micro transit, it's looking at
[1:06:07] that route and what that total cost would've been.
[1:06:09] And I think we talked a little bit about that before.
[1:06:13] It's, and then looking at the overall cost of microt transit
[1:06:17] is where the key is to that.
[1:06:18] And that's how you can actually compare, you know,
[1:06:20] more apples to apples. Okay.
[1:06:23] - I, I'd be interested in, I made a statement in a meeting
[1:06:25] and I think I was completely wrong
[1:06:27] and I'm just super curious how far wrong I was.
[1:06:31] - So, - But I, I find it's interesting that you
[1:06:33] and I don't, we don't need to debate
[1:06:35] - About that. No, no, no. That's all I would
[1:06:36] - Love to talk about.
[1:06:37] Yeah. Why you don't track that number
[1:06:38] and just get into that logic not to question it just
[1:06:41] - No, no, no.
[1:06:42] Anytime. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. We,
[1:06:44] - We had cost per revenue hour,
[1:06:46] - Correct?
[1:06:47] Oh yeah. Yep. That
[1:06:48] - Is, - And I, off the top of my head
[1:06:50] and Bruce made any these better than I am at the moment.
[1:06:54] I think, and these are somewhat,
[1:06:58] I think we're 180 something for fixed route.
[1:07:02] We were 1 58. 1 58. Okay. For fixed for.
[1:07:05] - And we were 90, 98
[1:07:11] just shot 98 for CATA Go
[1:07:14] - For Mike Transit.
[1:07:15] - Yeah. And para
[1:07:17] transit is
[1:07:22] - Where one 30 is. I I
[1:07:23] - Remember.
[1:07:24] Yeah. It's like 1 48. Yeah.
[1:07:25] But the problem with para transit is, doesn't matter
[1:07:28] what it costs, we have to run it.
[1:07:30] Yeah. It's a federal mandate.
[1:07:32] So we're gonna run paratransit
[1:07:38] and we don't get any, unlike our
[1:07:43] shared ride on paratransit, we, we don't get lottery funding
[1:07:48] for, except for seniors.
[1:07:51] And we've seen a migration of seniors going over to CATA Go.
[1:07:55] Yeah. Which we get no lottery funding for.
[1:08:01] So it's, and we, and we prefer to see 'em go to ca CATA Go
[1:08:06] because it's, it's, it's cheaper mode to operate,
[1:08:09] but you lose a, you,
[1:08:12] you do lose the lottery funding when they move over.
[1:08:15] - Yeah. It's offsetting,
[1:08:20] - I I have an open-ended question.
[1:08:22] Maybe it's a discussion during the strategic plan,
[1:08:24] but addressing how over the last 10 years we've,
[1:08:29] we've lost like 2 million riders a year
[1:08:31] and how we're gonna regain that.
[1:08:33] So Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[1:08:35] - It's a huge, that kind of,
[1:08:38] - I'm not trying to drop the, the meeting and,
[1:08:39] and then just leave, but I just looking at Marin's report
[1:08:42] and then the stuff that was sent out in the email with the,
[1:08:45] it's a, it's a big number's,
[1:08:47] - Really big number.
[1:08:48] I, I will tell you a large chunk of that. Yeah.
[1:08:51] And only 'cause I witnessed it was prior to COVID, one
[1:08:56] of the biggest hits we took was, especially on our loops,
[1:09:00] was when that death occurred and things changed on campus
[1:09:05] and where parties were, because I was out there every night
[1:09:09] and we were putting the cattle gates up.
[1:09:10] We had three or 400 kids on a nightly
[1:09:13] basis at any given time.
[1:09:15] We don't even put the gates up anymore.
[1:09:17] There's just no, that ridership is not there anymore.
[1:09:20] And then same thing at Beaver Hills, pushing them back.
[1:09:24] That was one piece of it.
[1:09:25] And then maneuver and lift started becoming into our area.
[1:09:30] You started the combination of the two,
[1:09:32] we started seeing the transition of
[1:09:34] how things happened in the area.
[1:09:36] - Can you attribute any of that decline in ridership
[1:09:41] to the spin bikes?
[1:09:44] - There's probably some, I, I'm sure there's some
[1:09:47] to it, don't get me wrong.
[1:09:49] 'cause I know Marina, you know, we've talked about this
[1:09:50] before, you know, things are changing people's, you know,
[1:09:54] they can get around that way.
[1:09:55] They can get around. Of course they all, more
[1:09:57] and more you're seeing electric pipes,
[1:09:59] which is very easy to traverse, surround.
[1:10:02] I know the campus doing a little bit more of a crackdown,
[1:10:05] which I'm glad to see on the scooters.
[1:10:07] The scooters were becoming very prevalent in the last couple
[1:10:10] years and they're starting to crack that down.
[1:10:12] But, you know, so there's pieces
[1:10:14] of the pie all the way around.
[1:10:17] You know, it's, you know, I don't forever to be honest,
[1:10:21] after watching 12 years,
[1:10:22] I don't forever seeing us being able to get to
[1:10:25] that 7 million mark again, only for some fact of
[1:10:28] what we've seen transpire has totally changed the
[1:10:32] way that we operate.
[1:10:35] You know, the days of, you know, those nights
[1:10:38] and hitting thousands, I don't, I can't remember
[1:10:41] what the numbers were, but I remember
[1:10:42] shoving people into buses.
[1:10:45] Those days are gone. And, you know, and,
[1:10:48] and we loaded the daylights out of those back then
[1:10:50] because we had to, to get 'em,
[1:10:52] to get 'em where they needed to be.
[1:10:54] And, you know, we would transition.
[1:10:57] I, I remember transitioning out out of service vehicles
[1:11:02] because we still had so many kids sitting there.
[1:11:05] We transitioned outta service XB routes or B routes
[1:11:08] or whatever we, we filled up cutaways back then,
[1:11:11] which kids all thought was the greatest thing ever.
[1:11:14] But, you know, so there, there was a lot.
[1:11:16] There's in what I see now at those time of night,
[1:11:19] totally different world from what we used to see.
[1:11:23] So yeah, it's, it's an ever, ever evolving world.
[1:11:29] - I just want to ask, is there a, in APTA
[1:11:32] or another an organization of
[1:11:36] university centered transit systems, you know, towns
[1:11:39] with large universities that get together
[1:11:41] and discuss, we might want to say,
[1:11:43] how has this affected other
[1:11:45] university oriented transit system?
[1:11:47] How they are dealing with it? There's been
[1:11:49] - University transit system committees on and off.
[1:11:52] They seem to come and go for some reason.
[1:11:54] I don't know why one won't stick, but,
[1:11:57] but C-T-A-A-I think also has one,
[1:11:59] has maybe some resources there. So, yeah.
[1:12:02] - Yeah. - But yeah. Okay.
[1:12:05] - Thank you. Rob, do you have another question?
[1:12:07] No, I was good. Thank you very much. Joe.
[1:12:11] Is there a motion to approve
[1:12:13] items A, B and C?
[1:12:18] Joe moved. Thanks, Joe. Second, second, second. Thanks Rob.
[1:12:22] All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed passes. Thank you.
[1:12:27] Up to new business, we have some
[1:12:31] ridership recovery strategies.
[1:12:33] Are you presenting this talk?
[1:12:34] - Yeah, I can. So, you know, last month we, you know,
[1:12:38] talked about our, you know,
[1:12:39] our ridership loss over the past year.
[1:12:41] We talked in the about strategies that, you know,
[1:12:46] we're constantly thinking of strategies to try
[1:12:48] to recover some ridership.
[1:12:49] I think the two that we're kind
[1:12:50] of most actively talking about right now,
[1:12:53] you've got in these narrative paragraphs in front of you.
[1:12:57] So one of the things we've talked about is potentially
[1:13:00] making our free summer youth pass
[1:13:03] free all year.
[1:13:06] And so the, the details are there.
[1:13:10] Basically this would, right now the,
[1:13:13] the free months are May through August.
[1:13:15] So it's four months out of the year.
[1:13:17] We're ta we're thinking
[1:13:18] that you could als you could really make it for free
[1:13:22] for the entire year and add the other eight months.
[1:13:24] So right now, literally tomorrow, the, today is the last day
[1:13:29] of the four free months of the youth pass.
[1:13:31] So literally tomorrow, if someone wanted to go in to,
[1:13:35] to use their pass, they would have to go
[1:13:37] and buy a monthly pass, which is $29 and 50 cents per month.
[1:13:42] You know, during the first three months, three, three months
[1:13:46] of the summer, which was May
[1:13:47] through July, that doesn't even count.
[1:13:49] August twenty eight hundred and ninety one CATA trips were
[1:13:52] taken with the Youth pass.
[1:13:53] That's an average of 964 per month.
[1:13:57] And then during the proceeding eight month period
[1:13:59] where people would've had to pay for the youth pass a total
[1:14:03] of 1039 trips were taken over eight months.
[1:14:06] And that's an average of 130 per month.
[1:14:09] So, and during that time that that eight months,
[1:14:12] we really only sold equivalent of 15 monthly
[1:14:16] passes over that eight months.
[1:14:18] And so that was a revenue and we generated $442
[1:14:22] and 50 cents of revenue over that eight months.
[1:14:26] You know, because the Youth Pass ridership is
[1:14:30] clearly a lot higher during the free months.
[1:14:32] And that is summer kids are out of school,
[1:14:35] they've got more time to ride the bus.
[1:14:37] But it drops
[1:14:38] so significantly when you go into the paid months.
[1:14:41] We feel like by offering it for free during the year,
[1:14:44] it would be a very minimal revenue loss.
[1:14:47] And we would still, we would probably generate, you know,
[1:14:50] we may not generate summer ridership numbers,
[1:14:53] but it would probably be much more than
[1:14:54] what it has traditionally been in those eight months.
[1:14:57] So, so this is just something for the board to consider.
[1:15:00] Again, today is the last free day of the, of the
[1:15:05] free summer Youth pass for 2026.
[1:15:08] You know, I bring these to you
[1:15:11] because these are actions that might require,
[1:15:14] that would require board approval if you wanted
[1:15:16] to act on them because they're fair related.
[1:15:18] And so that's just something to consider is making the,
[1:15:21] the youth pass free all year.
[1:15:23] The second one is just more of a, something
[1:15:26] that other transit agencies do, you know, from time
[1:15:29] to time in that sponsor a fair free day.
[1:15:33] It's not something that we have necess, have we,
[1:15:37] I don't think we've done that in the recent past at least.
[1:15:40] And so suicide been here. Yeah.
[1:15:42] And that would, it would be a fair change would require a
[1:15:46] a, a board action.
[1:15:48] A lot of times when other transit agencies do this,
[1:15:51] they do it around some event like World Car Free Day, ap,
[1:15:55] tri Transit Week, there's a World Public Transport
[1:15:58] Day in the spring.
[1:16:00] Some just do it around an event in their community
[1:16:03] or just have some special fair free day that they promote
[1:16:07] the estimated revenue impact
[1:16:08] of one fair free day is not insignificant.
[1:16:11] It's $14,700.
[1:16:14] But, you know, offering a fair free day during the year,
[1:16:17] it may be another way to incentivize ridership.
[1:16:19] So that's just a couple
[1:16:20] of strategies we've batted around internally.
[1:16:24] But both, if we wanted to take any action on either
[1:16:26] of those, it would require board action.
[1:16:28] And so we just wanted to bring those to your attention.
[1:16:32] - Okay. I think let's,
[1:16:34] let's split this into two rounds here.
[1:16:37] So let's talk about the youth pass
[1:16:40] first, if that's okay.
[1:16:42] So go around with Joe. Thoughts on that?
[1:16:45] - I was always, I guess questioning
[1:16:49] why we settle on the 40 inch rule.
[1:16:52] 40 inches or less.
[1:16:53] If we're gonna encourage youth to use the bus,
[1:16:56] why don't we say 15 years or younger?
[1:17:00] I mean, where's the 40 inches ever come from?
[1:17:04] I've been around here for a long time and
[1:17:07] - I'm going to look to my historical resources here
[1:17:11] because I don't know, but our current policy is
[1:17:14] 40 inches or less.
[1:17:15] So that's what, three and a quarter?
[1:17:17] Three and three feet. Four inches,
[1:17:19] - Right.
[1:17:20] I mean that's like second and third graders in my book.
[1:17:23] I mean, what do other transit systems do in regard to
[1:17:27] encouraging youth and like teens derive,
[1:17:31] - I've, I've, I've normally seen it being some kind
[1:17:34] of age-based, but then the driver has
[1:17:35] to make some kind of judgment call.
[1:17:37] Is this person 12 or 13 or 12 or 11?
[1:17:41] But this is, this is one of the few I've ever,
[1:17:45] - Most transit agencies,
[1:17:49] - It's middle school and up if you're
[1:17:51] or you need to be accompanied by an adult.
[1:17:54] And, and that's because first graders probably
[1:17:57] don't know how to use transit.
[1:17:59] Whereas by the time they get to middle school, they, they,
[1:18:03] they have the capability to learn how transit works.
[1:18:07] Washau County out in Reno provides a
[1:18:12] free bus pass to every student that is
[1:18:18] attends the county school system at no cost.
[1:18:23] They don't limit it to
[1:18:26] it's first grade on up.
[1:18:29] In fact, I was, I was out at APTA Tech a couple of weeks ago
[1:18:32] and they, they did a presentation, theirs was to try
[1:18:36] and help reduce absenteeism.
[1:18:39] 'cause the county school system had
[1:18:41] to reduce the number of yellow buses.
[1:18:43] Kids weren't going to school
[1:18:44] 'cause they didn't wanna walk as far to get the yellow bus.
[1:18:47] So now they're able
[1:18:49] to take the transit bus to get over to the school.
[1:18:53] And so they've seen a significant reduction in their
[1:18:55] absenteeism, especially at the high school level.
[1:18:59] 'cause they ride the bus free.
[1:19:01] - So most, most systems are age based and,
[1:19:04] but that's kind of a different conversation about
[1:19:06] what our overall youth policy would be.
[1:19:09] The idea here was really for the Youth Pass to make it free.
[1:19:12] But we, but we could have a separate conversation about
[1:19:15] changing our, who rides free
[1:19:19] - Was our goal to make more youth transit users.
[1:19:23] - Yes. - Then why is it height based?
[1:19:28] Why not age based? That's, that'd be my comment.
[1:19:32] So, well I, and I'd direct the staff to look into that.
[1:19:35] Right.
[1:19:39] - The - Biggest issue is when you start saying age based is
[1:19:43] how do you, is asking an operator
[1:19:46] to judge how old is this person?
[1:19:48] Whereas height is easy to do.
[1:19:50] We have a, we have it measured in the bus.
[1:19:53] So if you're 40 inches
[1:19:55] or lower, you automatically ride for free.
[1:19:59] You're also generally wi wi wi wi with an adult
[1:20:05] children that small generally aren't riding by themselves.
[1:20:08] - Mar I see. - So I heard all the conversations
[1:20:14] and I have to, I tend to agree with moving to
[1:20:17] or considering moving to an age-based decisioning
[1:20:21] because we are wanting those people to,
[1:20:24] they take their next step into Ride in Transit.
[1:20:27] So we wanna capture, I would think that we'd want to capture
[1:20:30] that group that is gonna become a permanent bus rider.
[1:20:33] If it's a 40 inch
[1:20:34] or low, we've got a lifetime to wait until they're ready
[1:20:37] to ride the bus on their own.
[1:20:41] - What for our summer youth, our free summer Youth pass,
[1:20:45] is it 12 years old?
[1:20:47] 12 to 18.
[1:20:49] - If there is, we don't have an age.
[1:20:52] We, we just have them in in, yeah. With our,
[1:20:54] - With our Summer Youth Pass, you have to come in
[1:20:56] and show an identification
[1:20:58] that you're less than 18, I believe.
[1:20:59] Yeah. And that's kind of the criteria
[1:21:02] for a Summer Youth Pass.
[1:21:03] And what this information would be for is to,
[1:21:09] they would still need to come in
[1:21:10] and get a Summer Youth Pass.
[1:21:11] It wouldn't go to a, everybody under 18 would ride free.
[1:21:16] That's what's I've presented here.
[1:21:18] But again, there a separate conversation could be had about
[1:21:21] just changing our fair policy so that, you know, we,
[1:21:25] we have an age-based system for the entire system.
[1:21:28] But what we were just kind of going here was
[1:21:30] because we have this Youth Pass program that's free
[1:21:33] during the summer and we, you know,
[1:21:35] we could just extend the youth pass
[1:21:37] to be free all year round.
[1:21:38] So it's, it's kind of two different conversations,
[1:21:40] but it's all very interrelated.
[1:21:42] - Makes younger, typically traveling
[1:21:44] with their parent who is purchasing
[1:21:47] - A pass.
[1:21:48] So this, I I really see this, this is,
[1:21:50] we think this is a market, the youth market that
[1:21:54] is currently not riding, I mean it's the what,
[1:21:58] $442 worth of passes that if we can get
[1:22:03] more of the 40, like just say we keep everything the same,
[1:22:07] the 40 inch and up,
[1:22:10] which would be middle school, high school.
[1:22:12] If we can get more them riding,
[1:22:13] that increases our ridership.
[1:22:16] We know we don't know the secret formula,
[1:22:18] but that helps our subsidy in some way in some things.
[1:22:22] Am I correct for Yes.
[1:22:25] And then most of those local kids go to Penn State.
[1:22:28] They'll probably be more likely
[1:22:29] to ride Kata if they go there.
[1:22:31] So I think the 40 we can, we can,
[1:22:34] we can look into the 40 inch thing.
[1:22:35] I do remember asking Kimberly that years ago
[1:22:38] and she gave me a reason
[1:22:40] and I obvi, I I, I forget completely what it was.
[1:22:44] So there was some kind of logic. I think it
[1:22:46] - Was the FTA had a federal regulation
[1:22:49] that if they're under 40 inches they can't sit in the
[1:22:53] front seat of a bus.
[1:22:54] So we just kind of went with a 40 inch. Okay.
[1:22:58] - So I would recommend we, the, the the height thing.
[1:23:01] We have a different conversation
[1:23:03] 'cause we could still pass this, come back, change that and,
[1:23:07] and it would just open it up to more people.
[1:23:10] But that's a good question. Any other questions Joe?
[1:23:14] No, it's really not calling for any board action here.
[1:23:17] Is it? It Well there's no specific recommended one
[1:23:20] 'cause I, I requested this be open for the board,
[1:23:22] but I think they would like a yes
[1:23:26] or no vote on to move forward with this. So Rob,
[1:23:30] - It'll take, it'll take board action in order to do it
[1:23:32] because it's a change in the, in your,
[1:23:34] in our current fair policy
[1:23:37] and any change to the fair policy takes board action.
[1:23:40] - When you say do do it, you're just saying
[1:23:43] - If you were to, if you were to go to a near round fair
[1:23:47] - Yeah.
[1:23:48] - Free Youth Pass. Right now if the current Youth Pass
[1:23:51] program is only for the summer, if you expand it for
[1:23:56] all year annually, then it will require,
[1:24:00] it will require fair.
[1:24:01] It will require board action to do away with our,
[1:24:05] I think it's 12 for eight. Fair policy.
[1:24:09] - Is there any, is there any opportunity to tie this,
[1:24:14] you talked about tying it to the local schools,
[1:24:16] which I think is really important
[1:24:17] 'cause it does give you an opportunity to tie back
[1:24:19] to something and maybe provide some education
[1:24:21] as well on riding transit.
[1:24:23] But is there a way to remove the barrier of somebody having
[1:24:25] to come in and get a physical card
[1:24:27] and doing something on Token Transit that could tie back to
[1:24:32] - The, the only we we looked at that we,
[1:24:35] and the only way to verify that they are in fact a,
[1:24:38] a center, a Centre Region resident
[1:24:41] and that they are attending a school in the Centre Region,
[1:24:46] which most of the schools fall under State,
[1:24:48] state College area School District.
[1:24:50] And then you have private and charter schools.
[1:24:53] The only way to verify that they are in fact the student is
[1:24:57] for them to come in because we don't have a secure portal.
[1:25:00] Yeah. Where they could submit the paperwork via
[1:25:03] our, our website.
[1:25:06] If we had a secure portal to do that on, then,
[1:25:09] then we could actually, they could
[1:25:14] email the documentation in
[1:25:16] and then they could get an email back that would tell 'em
[1:25:19] how to download the pass.
[1:25:22] Otherwise, because the program is not
[1:25:27] intended for a 16-year-old who dropped outta school
[1:25:30] and is working at Redline Car Wash it, it's designed
[1:25:34] for the 16-year-old who's in school and needs transportation
[1:25:38] and wants transit to go to school or go to sporting events
[1:25:43] or go to after school events that they go to.
[1:25:47] It's to build that, to build that confidence in our students
[1:25:52] to use transit that transit can, and
[1:25:55] and Lori's got stories from this summer
[1:25:57] where parents actually said, you know what, if it wasn't
[1:26:00] for this program, my child would not have been able to go
[1:26:04] to their summer program because we don't have two cars.
[1:26:07] - Yeah. And it - Something,
[1:26:09] we'll certainly we can take a look at it.
[1:26:11] Yeah. Ways to do this in the future can look at the table.
[1:26:13] But right now we just don't have that
[1:26:14] - One.
[1:26:15] Yeah. And I, I wouldn't, I'm not making that comment
[1:26:16] to put a barrier and I com I if we can vote yesterday,
[1:26:19] I'm gonna tell you right now, it's gonna be a yes for me.
[1:26:22] But I think we should find ways to remove the barriers.
[1:26:25] That's a great, I mean if we can work with the QR code,
[1:26:29] like big picture, why couldn't there Scsd?
[1:26:31] Id have a QR code that doubles as CPAs.
[1:26:34] I mean long term could we work backwards from that?
[1:26:36] - Yeah. Because we have to have the secure portal.
[1:26:38] - We need some technology - That,
[1:26:40] that information is written
[1:26:41] because we're taking things like date of birth and address.
[1:26:45] - No, I understand. We can,
[1:26:46] - It's a great but can work with Donnie.
[1:26:47] We can work with it to see what it would take to come up
[1:26:50] with a secure portal for our website to do that.
[1:26:54] No more technology.
[1:27:00] - I can just see a avail door shut. Anything else?
[1:27:04] No is, I mean is it as easy as US voting, yes we want
[1:27:08] to do this and then within the next few weeks there's
[1:27:11] an announcement and it happens?
[1:27:12] Is that what we're looking? I think
[1:27:13] because the free passes end today, today, they'd like to go,
[1:27:18] - There would be an announcement tomorrow.
[1:27:20] - Oh that's, that's excellent. And just let
[1:27:22] - Customer service know if anyone comes in to get a
[1:27:25] youth pass to let 'em know.
[1:27:27] Okay, now they're, they're free.
[1:27:30] The only thing I've got to do is get the token transit
[1:27:32] and have them expand the summer youth pass
[1:27:36] to an annual free youth pass. And
[1:27:39] - If anyone's already involved one for September
[1:27:41] and kind of got ahead of the game, we'll refund them. How
[1:27:43] - Do we, how do we handle like homeschool private school?
[1:27:47] - Same thing. They, they, they just have to verify that,
[1:27:50] that they are a resident of the Centre Region.
[1:27:53] Okay. They're not gonna have a student id.
[1:27:56] Obviously a lot of charter schools don't use student IDs.
[1:28:00] Yeah. Okay. I know State college area school district
[1:28:04] issues, student IDs.
[1:28:08] - Yes. - But no, we, we've already talked about that.
[1:28:10] Homeschooling charter schools tools, mom
[1:28:14] and dad, mom and dad come in with you
[1:28:16] and they show their driver's license that shows
[1:28:18] that they are within one
[1:28:20] of the five municipalities of the Centre Region.
[1:28:25] - So I am, I'm not hearing like any major.
[1:28:29] Do you have more questions? Another question?
[1:28:30] No, I'm not hearing any objections.
[1:28:33] Does anybody want to make a proposal for the
[1:28:38] how, what would you like it to say Todd?
[1:28:41] - It is literally just extending the,
[1:28:45] some free summer youth pass year, year round.
[1:28:47] - Extending the free summer youth pass
[1:28:50] to a year round free youth pass.
[1:28:54] I'll make a motion to extend the free summer
[1:28:57] pass to year round.
[1:28:58] Thank you Rob. I'll second that, but I got some discussion.
[1:29:01] - Okay. The question for Bruce is now, since we're changing
[1:29:04] that fair, does that take board action?
[1:29:06] Additional board action?
[1:29:09] - That's what you're doing now. That's what this is. Okay.
[1:29:11] Alright. That's what you're doing now.
[1:29:12] That hearing and all that? Yeah. Not
[1:29:14] - For a fair reduction.
[1:29:15] If it were a fair increase, we would. Okay.
[1:29:17] - Okay. - Good to know.
[1:29:20] We have a, we have a motion a second. Any other discussion?
[1:29:26] All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye.
[1:29:29] Opposed Passes.
[1:29:32] Christie, can you make sure Juan wasn't here?
[1:29:34] So that was a four. Yes. Four zero.
[1:29:38] The the second one is the conversation about a
[1:29:42] free fair day.
[1:29:43] Are you proposing something specific or is this
[1:29:47] - It was just more for information.
[1:29:49] If you wanted to authorize one in this budget year,
[1:29:52] we you could do that or we can bring you back a proposal
[1:29:56] for a fair free day in the next budget cycle
[1:29:59] and then there would just be one built in
[1:30:01] and we wouldn't have the revenue budgeted. So, okay.
[1:30:03] - Either, either way. I personally am not opposed to it,
[1:30:07] but that is a, that is a larger sum.
[1:30:12] - If there's a great opportunity for us to do one,
[1:30:15] we can bring you a specific
[1:30:17] - Proposal.
[1:30:18] - It's $14,000. Okay.
[1:30:20] On a $7.2 million revenue.
[1:30:25] So percentage wise as my auditors tell me. Okay.
[1:30:29] It's not really material. Okay.
[1:30:31] - Okay. I, I, well said.
[1:30:33] I know I, I'd like to see like a specific,
[1:30:36] when we do it like a regional cab day, I don't know, like
[1:30:41] - I brought the same thing up.
[1:30:42] Okay. There is a well on 7.2 million,
[1:30:45] you're really not going to notice it.
[1:30:47] - There is a world Car free car,
[1:30:49] world car free day coming up in a few weeks,
[1:30:51] but I don't feel like we've really got enough time
[1:30:53] to promote and so I'd rather do it at a,
[1:30:56] on another specific day.
[1:30:58] - Is there any data that these days lead to
[1:31:02] more long term ridership?
[1:31:04] - Probably not, but we can investigate. So,
[1:31:08] - Joe, questions?
[1:31:11] - No, I'm good with this. Okay.
[1:31:14] - Rob? I'm good. Okay. Why? Yep.
[1:31:18] Margy, what's the question?
[1:31:20] The, we're talking about like a free fair day,
[1:31:24] - So I kind of like the idea,
[1:31:25] but I'd like to see it around something really
[1:31:29] substantial for the community.
[1:31:31] Yeah. Not like the World Card Day or something like that,
[1:31:34] but like something that will really get everybody involved
[1:31:37] so that we're still those buses. Yeah. My
[1:31:39] - Thought was we, we, we identify a day
[1:31:41] that would be more state college or university centric
[1:31:45] and we really, and we really, and we really promote it.
[1:31:49] And that 14,700 is a,
[1:31:52] is a revenue day during full service.
[1:31:54] It would not be reviewing reduced service.
[1:31:56] So you could do something around Arts Fest,
[1:31:58] but you're in reduced service at that point.
[1:32:00] But you could also do something around the Thaw weekend
[1:32:03] or some, you know, local event.
[1:32:05] That might be a better way to do it.
[1:32:07] So we'll bring you a specific proposal if
[1:32:10] that's what you want.
[1:32:11] - The rider's 40 inches and taller.
[1:32:15] - Alright. Alright.
[1:32:16] So is everybody comfortable bringing this back
[1:32:19] with a, a more detailed plan?
[1:32:21] We'll take a look at it. So we, okay.
[1:32:24] So we, we don't have to vote yes
[1:32:27] or no, there's just no, no action on that.
[1:32:30] Okay. The next step is
[1:32:35] contract approval for power supply through costars.
[1:32:38] Zach, you doing that? Yes.
[1:32:40] - Yes ma'am. - Good afternoon.
[1:32:47] Cada has a current power supply for the,
[1:32:50] or current contract for the power supply
[1:32:52] for the buildings located here at 2081 West
[1:32:55] White Whitehall Road.
[1:32:57] Our current supplier is WGL, which is done
[1:33:00] through a state contract known as costars.
[1:33:04] The current contract expires in December of 2026.
[1:33:08] Penn State is actually the leading entity that,
[1:33:12] or that leads the, this procurement
[1:33:15] and they procured an upcoming 36 month contract
[1:33:19] with a new supplier.
[1:33:21] NRG Energy, I, I don't think that's right for a,
[1:33:28] for 9.29 cents per kilowatt hour,
[1:33:32] which is rep represents about a 19.8% cost increase
[1:33:37] versus where it's at now.
[1:33:40] - So Zach, start Margy, any questions about the power?
[1:33:49] - No.
[1:33:54] No, I don't think so.
[1:33:55] I, it it's gonna be an increase no matter who we go with,
[1:33:57] so Yeah.
[1:33:59] And this is a state, I mean this is the state,
[1:34:01] this is the last painful route.
[1:34:03] - Yeah. And this is the CoStar,
[1:34:05] so there's probably not gonna be a cheaper there we're
[1:34:07] - One, I forget how many are on there,
[1:34:09] but we're one of like 60 to a hundred entities
[1:34:11] that are a part of this. This group.
[1:34:15] - Juan Rob? No thank Joe Bruce,
[1:34:20] - Do we have that number built into the budget?
[1:34:22] Yes, sir. Okay. That's
[1:34:24] - All I want.
[1:34:25] Okay. Do we have a motion to approve the execution
[1:34:29] of a three year contract with n Energy Energy?
[1:34:31] So moved. Thank you Vaughn. Is there a second?
[1:34:33] Second, Joe, thank you. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.
[1:34:37] Aye. Opposed? We are good. Do you take this next one, Zach?
[1:34:42] Yep.
[1:34:43] - Yep. As a part of maintaining CA's facilities
[1:34:47] and assets in a state of good repair,
[1:34:50] we must perform routine maintenance
[1:34:52] and repairs to the facilities.
[1:34:54] As such, we decided to conduct an i an invitation for bids
[1:34:59] to repaint the faded parts of the exterior of the building,
[1:35:04] the non-metal portions, which we call efis
[1:35:08] or the exterior Insulation and Finish system.
[1:35:11] This, they haven't been touched since the facilities opening
[1:35:14] approximately 10 years ago, we issued an invitation
[1:35:18] for BID on June 30th, 2026
[1:35:21] and we received six bids
[1:35:24] with Paint Ninjas being the lowest responsive
[1:35:27] and responsible bidder at $177,000.
[1:35:31] 609 $79.
[1:35:37] Pendot is fund, this is primarily being funded by Pendot
[1:35:41] with remaining funds from some of the other projects
[1:35:44] that we've recently done.
[1:35:47] So recommending to the board that we execute a contract
[1:35:51] with paint ninjas at a not to exceed of 200
[1:35:54] and thousand, $200,000.
[1:35:57] Thanks Zach. I
[1:35:58] - Know, Joe, you have questions?
[1:36:00] - Well, I read this the other night
[1:36:02] and I walked around the building a little bit
[1:36:04] before the meeting started today.
[1:36:07] And what non metal surfaces are gonna need painted?
[1:36:11] - It's, - I couldn't find them.
[1:36:14] - It's all the, it's like, it looks like stucco,
[1:36:16] so like a lot of the metal is along the
[1:36:18] edges. Did I print out the
[1:36:20] - Pictures?
[1:36:21] Yeah, but that's not getting painted right.
[1:36:22] - But the metal's not being painted,
[1:36:24] but everything else that's like the stucco type material.
[1:36:26] It's like a, I don't know how you describe it.
[1:36:29] It's a poor textured material
[1:36:31] and it's, that's what's all along the edges.
[1:36:33] It almost feel like if you knock on it,
[1:36:35] it almost feels like a plastic
[1:36:38] and it's, that's everything
[1:36:40] - That's being seen Was that, was that intended to be
[1:36:44] refinished after a certain amount?
[1:36:46] I thought, you know,
[1:36:47] when we built a place we had specifications
[1:36:49] for the load maintenance.
[1:36:52] - I can't speak to the original.
[1:36:55] - It is a weird setup because we have some metal
[1:36:58] and what you think would be metal
[1:37:00] that would continue is not metal.
[1:37:02] Right? Right. Like
[1:37:03] - Bus storage.
[1:37:04] One side on the top is metal, the other side is off.
[1:37:07] And if you look at the, the metal, it'll be a,
[1:37:09] a deeper darker blue.
[1:37:10] And if you look at the, the blue, it's fading.
[1:37:14] That's one way you can tell the difference.
[1:37:16] But why they ever did that, nobody understood why they,
[1:37:20] they built it like that in certain places.
[1:37:23] They used did use metal in other places they didn't.
[1:37:26] - Well, as a part of stated good repair
[1:37:30] for PennDOT 10 years is considered the useful life
[1:37:33] of the out exterior paint.
[1:37:36] That's why they're willing to fund the repainting
[1:37:39] of the exterior portion of the building
[1:37:42] because it is time to, I mean it's 10 years old,
[1:37:46] the sunlight, weather, all of that will fade it no matter
[1:37:49] what, what the material is.
[1:37:51] If it's co if it's got a collar to it, it will fade.
[1:37:55] This refreshes it.
[1:37:57] - Is there a specification?
[1:37:59] Did someone come up with some criteria that they have
[1:38:04] to meet to, to do this refinishing?
[1:38:06] - Yeah, so we work - Materials and
[1:38:07] - We worked with facilities, so,
[1:38:09] and we kind of, we let the painters recommend kind
[1:38:13] of their best approach.
[1:38:15] Then we will be doing a, a coat of primer
[1:38:18] with the actual then paint on top of that.
[1:38:21] And they've said that that's what there,
[1:38:22] there's examples in town.
[1:38:24] I forget which ones they've said,
[1:38:25] but there are other facilities in town that that's exactly
[1:38:28] what they've done for a similar type material
[1:38:31] with good results. Be
[1:38:32] - Consistent throughout all six of the bidders.
[1:38:35] That process or
[1:38:36] - Pretty close to it.
[1:38:37] - We're not getting the, the bottom of the barrel. Yeah, we
[1:38:41] - Shipped here pretty close to it.
[1:38:42] Except, except when you're looking at bids,
[1:38:45] you basically start with the low bid and build your way up.
[1:38:47] So I, I don't remember off the top of my head
[1:38:49] what the higher bidders specifically put in there.
[1:38:53] We, but we reviewed the specs inside internally to make sure
[1:38:57] that they met our requirements
[1:38:59] and it was not just, you know, a
[1:39:03] or not a shoddy or low quality. Well
[1:39:06] - It just seems like an awful lot of money to me, but I mean
[1:39:09] - Yeah, but
[1:39:12] - There's a lot of exterior square
[1:39:14] footage that's gotta be painted.
[1:39:17] And that also includes their mobilization costs
[1:39:20] because they are gonna have to bring in scissors lifts
[1:39:22] and it's also gonna
[1:39:23] - Be power washing - And power
[1:39:25] washing areas of the building.
[1:39:26] So it's the paint
[1:39:30] and the primer alone are gonna be your biggest cost
[1:39:35] - If we don't do this now, if we wait five years to do it,
[1:39:38] what's the consequence?
[1:39:40] - You don't have the funding? I have the funding now. Okay.
[1:39:45] I, I would have to go back in and request the funding again.
[1:39:48] - And Bruce correct me if I'm wrong, this was
[1:39:51] because we came in lower
[1:39:53] projected costs than another project
[1:39:55] and Bruce was able to move this money over rather than have
[1:39:58] to request additional funds.
[1:40:00] So this is money that we already had funded
[1:40:02] and we came in low and we,
[1:40:05] - We either use it on this Joe, or,
[1:40:06] or we give the, we give the funding back to PennDOT
[1:40:09] and I don't like giving PennDOT money back
[1:40:12] and if we give, when I've got another project we can do in
[1:40:15] - A few years and ask for it back. Yeah. Again, so
[1:40:17] - Under a different project. So,
[1:40:19] - Okay.
[1:40:21] - Rob, any questions I have question? No, Margy?
[1:40:26] - No. - Okay. Is there a motion to
[1:40:30] approve the contract with paint ninjas?
[1:40:33] - I'll make that motion. - I love it Judge.
[1:40:38] I'll second it. Second. Thank you Lon. All in favor? Aye.
[1:40:42] Aye. Opposed? Aye. Alright, passes. Thank you Zach.
[1:40:46] - Thank you. - Okay, item D is the one that Todd mentioned.
[1:40:50] We are gonna drop until we get more information.
[1:40:55] We have E, E and F. Megan. Is Megan present? Yes.
[1:41:00] Megan, are you okay if you bundle these together, talk both
[1:41:02] of 'em and we do a, a vote for both?
[1:41:05] - Yep, that works for me. Okay,
[1:41:06] - Thank you. You're
[1:41:08] - Up.
[1:41:09] Certainly. So what you have in front
[1:41:11] of you are modifications to the safety sensitive drug
[1:41:14] and alcohol policy as well as the non-safety sensitive drug
[1:41:17] and alcohol policy and the changes being presented are
[1:41:21] actually identical for each policy.
[1:41:24] Through review of these policies, we recognized
[1:41:27] that we had a gap that essentially
[1:41:31] limited reasonable suspicion testing
[1:41:33] to only behavioral observations.
[1:41:36] So things like smelling alcohol on someone's breath
[1:41:39] or glossy eyes
[1:41:42] or other types of behaviors that may indicate
[1:41:46] that there are under the influence of something.
[1:41:48] And so what we wanted to do was address that gap
[1:41:51] by expanding this.
[1:41:53] And so as you see in front of you and the policies
[1:41:56] provided, we're looking to just be allowed, be allowed
[1:41:59] to make a reasonable suspicion referral when a supervisor
[1:42:02] and manager, both
[1:42:04] of which will be trained on reasonable suspicion,
[1:42:07] have rational basis from direct observation
[1:42:10] or credible information
[1:42:11] or circumstances to believe
[1:42:13] that the employee has violated that policy.
[1:42:16] And then by doing this, it would ensure that all
[1:42:19] of our employees on the property as well as the public,
[1:42:23] you know, out on the street can remain safe.
[1:42:27] Thanks Megan.
[1:42:30] - Any questions from Megan on these two
[1:42:32] policies? Margo, I'll start with you.
[1:42:35] - I just have a question. Megan,
[1:42:37] how do we define credible in this context?
[1:42:41] So credible, it's really going to be situationally based,
[1:42:45] but, but one of the biggest things here
[1:42:47] with credible is we don't do one party
[1:42:49] reasonable suspicion testing.
[1:42:51] So let's say for instance, a supervisor receives information
[1:42:56] or becomes aware of that information, they need to talk
[1:42:58] with another certified individual,
[1:43:00] whether it be their manager
[1:43:01] or a member of human resources to really vet
[1:43:05] that information to determine that it isn't based on,
[1:43:08] you know, kind of just a gut instinct,
[1:43:10] but is instead factual in nature
[1:43:13] or belief, factual in nature.
[1:43:15] Okay. Thank you Juan. Any questions?
[1:43:20] - Rob? Joe,
[1:43:22] - Is this language in some other FTA document
[1:43:26] that's already been approved?
[1:43:27] I'm, I was along the lines of mar there as a rational basis.
[1:43:33] I mean, define that for me what a rational basis is.
[1:43:39] - Yeah, so the first piece to answer about FTA,
[1:43:43] it is not in an FTA document currently.
[1:43:46] I actually had some conversation with individuals at FTA
[1:43:50] to just see how they handled this
[1:43:52] and it's really kind of one of those unaddressed areas
[1:43:54] that they unaddressed in their documents.
[1:43:58] However, what they said is they see employers just
[1:44:01] individually make changes to their policies, like
[1:44:04] what we're presenting to the board today.
[1:44:07] And we also worked with John Baker on this language.
[1:44:09] So I don't know if John, even if you want to speak up and,
[1:44:12] and explain rational, you may be able
[1:44:15] to verbalize it better than me.
[1:44:18] - Okay. John's okay with it here, so I, I'll go with it.
[1:44:22] Okay.
[1:44:26] - Okay. - Any other questions?
[1:44:31] Is her motion to improve items? E and
[1:44:33] - FIII
[1:44:39] - Motion for to approve ENF.
[1:44:42] - I'll second. Thanks - Joe. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye.
[1:44:47] Opposed? Passes. Thank you. Thank you Megan. Thank you John.
[1:44:51] Thank you. You're welcome. We have some informational
[1:44:54] items that you can look at.
[1:44:57] Up next is the Consent Agenda.
[1:44:58] I'll just make a note that the one item is
[1:45:00] to move our October meeting.
[1:45:01] I heard from three of five board members that was okay.
[1:45:04] So I put that in there.
[1:45:06] Are there any agenda items, Consent Agenda items
[1:45:10] any board member would like to pull out to discuss?
[1:45:15] Hearing none, we'll consider the Consent Agenda passed.
[1:45:19] We do have a, a need for an executive session
[1:45:22] to discuss contractual items.
[1:45:23] We'll take a brief five minute break
[1:45:25] and get in and get that going.
[1:45:27] Is there a motion to Adjourn? So moved. Thank you Joe.
[1:45:31] We're done. Thank you everyone.
[1:47:57] - The League of Women voters was founded almost a hundred
[1:48:00] years ago with the right to vote for women.
[1:48:04] Not only the right to vote, but an informed vote.
[1:48:08] - You need to know everything about that candidate.
[1:48:12] You need to be able to ask that candidate questions.
[1:48:16] - I think that the organization is going to continue
[1:48:19] to attract a diverse membership
[1:48:22] and I think that that will help us in working toward the
[1:48:25] goal of better representation for everybody.
[1:48:28] - There's a wonderful opportunity here for people
[1:48:30] who are younger to come
[1:48:32] and learn from women who have been part of social movements
[1:48:35] for years and years.
[1:48:37] - It's our job to be a mentor to the newer members
[1:48:41] because they're the ones
[1:48:42] after all that are going to be carrying the Benner
[1:48:45] of the league into the next a hundred years.
[1:48:48] We stand for the nonpartisanship that we should all have
[1:48:52] as leaders in our democracy today.