Capital District                                                                                                 June 25, 2013

Transportation Committee       

 

 

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATION COMMITTEE

DRAFT RECORD OF MEETING

 

DATE/TIME: June 18, 2013, 1:30 pm

 

ATTENDANCE: Bill Garrison, Center for Disability Services, Carlos Maisonet, Center for Disability Services, Darci Carter, OTDA, Ed Wolk, CDTA, Michelle Abel, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany Wheels & Ways to Work, Tom Vaughan, NYSDOT, Rosemary Nichols, Watervliet Green Island Transit Co., Kimberly Coonrad, ARC of Rensselaer County, Bob Morey, Schenectady ARC/Ridge Service, Rocco Ferraro, CDRPC, Margo Mahoski, Catholic Charities Senior Services Schenectady,  Bryan Baszczuk, ACCES-VR, Anne Benware, CDTC

 

1.        Welcome/Introductions and Review of draft meeting notes from 4/30/13 regular RTCC meeting and 5/16/13 special meeting

 

Both sets of draft meeting notes were distributed via email to the group just a day before the meeting.  As a result it was decided that additional time should be given for RTCC review.  Members were asked to submit corrections or other changes needed to Anne in one week.

 

2.        Review of New Freedom Proposal and results of Evaluation Committee meeting/RTCC             recommendation to CDTC Planning Committee

 

The group reviewed the write up previously sent via email regarding the New Freedom Program Solicitation Results.  This is the last solicitation for the New Freedom Program and will utilize federal fiscal year 2012 funds of which there is $223,116 available for the combined urbanized areas in our region (Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Saratoga Springs).  Anne reported that the evaluation committee made up of one representative each from CDRPC, ACCESS VR and CDTC met on June 14, 2013 to review their scores.  The sole proposal submitted and evaluated by the Evaluation Committee is a project sponsored by the Center for Disability Services in collaboration with Catholic Charities Senior Services in Schenectady and Senior Services of Albany. The evaluation committee determined the proposal is worthy of funds and links strongly to the need for coordination among human service agency transportation providers, addressing identified needs, gaps and barriers listed in the coordinated plan.  The project also meets eligibility requirements and goals of the New Freedom program.  Consequently, the evaluation committee recommended the project should be funded. 

 

The proposed project includes two components: a Regional Driver Training Center to be located in a redeveloped building and site at 700 South Pearl Street and development of standard driver training curricula and training practices for use by the project partners and potentially others in the future.   Wheel Chair Lift training, defensive driving, and mandatory trainings such as Article 19A and Drug and Alcohol Awareness will be items covered in the trainings.  Standardized training will be provided to partner agency staff, and will also be made available to the employees of other human services agencies and private companies that carry individuals with disabilities to cut costs and avoid duplication of services.  New Freedom funded components of the project include Transportation Training Center equipment for a capital cost total of $249,542 including the local match of $51,670.  The project includes a collaborative effort by partner agency staffs to develop standardized Regional Training Curricula and printing of Training Manuals.  Operational components total $65,000 including the local match of $40,000.  The total project cost is $314,542, with the amount of federal funds requested totaling $222,872.

 

Ed Wolk reported that CDTA asked FTA for a decision regarding the project’s eligibility for use of New Freedom funds.  FTA verbally indicated the project is eligible if it is consistent with the Coordinated Plan.  CDTA will seek final approval from FTA through its formal grant agreement approval, as is the standard practice with sub-recipient projects.

 

There were several questions from the group and responses from the project sponsors as summarized as follows. Is the driver training intended for those with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) or others? Bill Garrison from the Center for Disability Services (CFDS) indicated the training is intended for several types of CDL drivers as well as non-CDL drivers.  Bill also indicated that they are looking to provide supervisory training to assist agencies to keep up with constantly changing legal requirements/regulations.

 

Are the New Freedom funds intended to provide startup funds?  Will the project be continued after the period of availability of the New Freedom funds? The response was yes: each of the partner agencies are participating financially to the project and the intent is to open up both the training facility and use of the standardized curricula to other agencies that would pay a small fee to assist in sustaining the program over time.  The CFDS will work toward having a calendar on their website that would post available trainings.  They also plan on developing “virtual” trainings for wider spread use.  For hands on training on-site for mechanics, for example, motors, transmissions, wheel chair lifts, etc. can be brought into the Training Center while the simulator and other equipment would be used for training drivers.   The training facility will have room for 60 to 65 trainees and the computer terminals can handle 30 students at one time.  The facility will be available to other agencies who may want to bring in their own trainers and trainees while for smaller agencies the CFDS or others may provide the trainers.

 

A motion was put forward for consideration by the RTCC:  The RTCC recommends to CDTC’s Planning Committee that the New Freedom proposal by the Center for Disability Services in collaboration with Catholic Charities of Schenectady and Senior Services of Albany be endorsed as it is a good plan, consistent with the region’s Coordinated Plan and it is the RTCC’s understanding that it is compliant with planning requirements.   The motion was approved.

 

Tom Vaughan asked that the RTCC and NYSDOT be informed when Planning Committee action is taken regarding adding the project to the Transportation Improvement Program.

 

3.        Review of Options and Implications of Designated Recipient Assignment for the 5310 Program

 

Next on the agenda, the RTCC took up consideration of the Designated Recipient assignment for the 5310 program under MAP 21.  Anne distributed a one page summary on Consideration of Designation of Direct Recipient for sub-allocated FTA Section 5310 funding and noted that the RTCC has discussed this issue at several recent meetings.  The group reviewed the hand out summarized as follows:

 

MAP-21 has resulted in several changes to the 5310 program one of which requires an action by CDTC to assign a Designated Recipient, responsible for administering the program within the region.  MAP-21 includes a provision for the direct sub-allocation of funds under the new FTA Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (FTA Section 5310) program.  60 percent of these funds will be allocated to urbanized areas with populations over 200,000 such as the CDTC planning area.  MAP-21 also consolidated the former Elderly and Disabled Program and New Freedom Program into the 5310 program. The amount sub-allocated to CDTC for projects in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Saratoga Springs Urbanized Areas is estimated to be $816,000 annually in FFY 2013 and FFY 2014.

 

As mentioned, in urbanized areas with a population above 200,000, the MPO is responsible for identifying a Designated Recipient to administer projects selected to receive FTA Section 5310 program funds sub-allocated to it. The Designated Recipient is responsible for ensuring that funds are applied for from FTA, awards to sub-recipients are derived from the regional coordinated plan and are made based on a competitive selection process, and that sub-recipients can meet all FTA requirements. CDTC and CDTA staffs participated in a statewide teleconference held May 10 between NYSDOT-Main Office, NYSDOT regional offices, MPOs, and public transportation operators to review the requirements of the 5310 program and discuss potential Designated Recipients.  Although both CDTC and CDTA are potential candidates to be the Designated Recipients in this region, it seems most efficient to ask NYSDOT to serve in this capacity since NYSDOT has years of experience in successfully administering the FTA Section 5310 program and will likely be taking on this task for the majority of other MPOs in New York State.  Furthermore, pursuant to MAP-21, if NYSDOT is selected as the Direct Recipient for this region, our direct sub-allocation would have to be awarded to projects in the CDTC region and such projects need to be derived from our coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan (adopted in 2011).

 

NYSDOT has offered to serve as the Designated Recipient (DR) for any MPOs wishing them to do so. NYSDOT has requested that a final decision via MPO Board action occur by September 15 to ensure that any areas choosing NYSDOT as the DR will be included in the planned statewide solicitation this fall. Accordingly, a Designated Recipient for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy and Saratoga Springs Urbanized Areas must be identified by the CDTC Board via resolution no later than its September meeting. 

 

After review of the handout there were several questions.  The first concerned NYSDOT’s ability to turn around payments to grantees in a timely manner should they be the DR for the region. It was noted that CDTA has had a good record on New Freedom type projects as they have been able to turn around contracts and payment requests within 30 days in the past. Small agencies have issues with delays due to cash flow.  Tom Vaughan indicated that NYS is moving toward a comprehensive grants management system with one uniform grant agreement for all state agencies.  The intent is to streamline the process which should result in faster turnaround times for contract management and payments. Tom also noted his office has administered the New Freedom grants in the rural areas and understands the cash flow issues facing small agencies.   Tom also mentioned that with the state’s new financial management system anyone receiving payments needs to register and get a Vendor ID. Some RTCC members stated they had been notified of this and had begun the process.  It was suggested entities without current grants should consider registering for a State vendor ID. The NYS Office of the State Comptroller website has details.  

 

A motion was put forward: The RTCC recommends to the CDTC Planning Committee that NYSDOT should be made the Designated Recipient for the 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (FTA Section 5310) program under MAP 21.  Members approved the motion.

 

4.        5310 Draft Solicitation Discussion – identification of elements and regional priorities to be included in 2013 solicitation package to achieve broader participation in regional coordination activities.

 

Several handouts were distributed including a draft flow chart from NYSDOT illustrating how the 5310 application and process would be structured to integrate MPO needs. 

Anne suggested that the items to be included as priorities for the 5310 solicitation as listed in the May 18 Special Meeting notes is a good start for our regional priorities.  These included items such as Shared maintenance (opportunities currently exist in the region), Pooled resources? Insurance? Driver/Mechanic Training? (New Freedom proposal addresses this), among others.  

 

There was a discussion on the best way to integrate our region’s priorities into the 5310 application.  This could include posting potential coordination ideas and resources on the RTCC webpage on CDTC’s website.  Tom indicated there should be a way to have applicants verify they have visited the website.   Someone mentioned that Easter Seals is also a good resource.   Tom would like input on developing the application/guidance.  It is anticipated the application will be set up as shown in the flow chart where applicants from specific MPO regions would be directed to a portion of the application specific to that region in terms of project type priorities etc.   Tom also indicated that the upcoming solicitation may cover two years worth of funds. CDTC staff, through the NYS MPO Transit Working Group, will provide input to NYSDOT on the draft application and other solicitation materials.  Anne noted that the RTCC will be kept informed over the summer on the progress and can provide their input via email to CDTC staff.   The desire for a user friendly application was expressed. It was noted that last year’s 5310 application was better than in the past . Tom indicated it was better but could be further improved. Margo Mahoski suggested people print out last year’s 5310 application and note what worked and what needs tweaking and provide feedback to CDTC staff who will then pass it on to NYSDOT.

 

5.        Brief status of Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan update effort

 

Census data needed for the update was expected to be available in May but it has since been learned that it won’t be available until August.  Work on the update needs to begin this summer but we are also awaiting FTA guidance on development of coordinated plans under MAP-21.  Anne will reach out via email to those interested in participating in a working group to help with this task as several RTCC members have already indicated.  If you are interested please email Anne.

 

6.        RTCC Activities

 

NYSDOT – Tom noted NYSDOT is processing the 2012 5310 orders and contracts. If anyone is wondering about their order they should send him a fax of their marked up order for vehicles by July 1st. Bill Garrison asked if there was any money left over (due to some grantees no longer having their match) as has happened in the past.  Tom indicated he wasn’t aware of any left over 2012 funds due to that issue.

 

CDTA – Ed Wolk reported that all of the Accessible Taxis are now on the road thanks in part to hard work by Maryellen Casey Usis and a consultant Tony Grieco.  The CST or Community Solutions for Transportation transit passes for eligible Albany County residents are being distributed.   The Wheels and Ways to Work JARC project is currently in review by FTA. Ed added that all grant applications have to be in to FTA by July 17th and he will work with the Center for Disability Services on their New Freedom project if it is approved by the Planning Committee for addition to the TIP.  Anne will send the information regarding the results of the July Planning Committee to CDTA as soon as it is available.

                       

7.        News Around the Table

 

Rosemary Nichols reported there has been no recent update on the Watervliet Shuttle.  The transit group is relying on CDTA for data but volunteers are also doing physical ridership counts.

Margo Mahoski noted there is concern about the reporting process for grant recipients and the need for streamlining, especially as grants will now go from CDTA to NYSDOT administration.  Tom Vaughan noted that with the new state financial and grants management systems coming online that they should be able to require more clear reporting and streamlining should occur, as that’s the intent.

 

Bill Garrison noted that the CDTA rodeo was very well done and that the CDFS is holding a similar rodeo on July 13th starting at 7:30 or 8:00 am in conjunction with the NY Association of People Transportation Convention.  There will be a series of 3 rodeos (for special education vehicles, regular buses, and mechanics).  The top 3 drivers from this event will go to the national competition as will the top 2 mechanics.  Ed Wolk noted that CDTA is also doing a mechanics competition in July.

 

Darci Carter reported that the NYS Office for Temporary Disability Assistance released awards for the transportation initiative which combined CST with Wheels to Work funds.  An average of $65,000 was available for each of the 13 districts across the state; this is an increase over previously available amounts.  

 

7.  Adjournment Next Meeting – Proposed for September 24th @ 1:30 pm