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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-10-21-TAC-min.pdf U LEXINGTON TRANSPORTATION AVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES October 21 1991 PRESENT L. Andrews. L. BWrg$p, F Burke. E. Gibbs, C. Sonduck S. Arnold, Chair ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES S. Arnold noted that the Minutes of the August 26, 1991 meeting should be corrected to reflect that L. Andrews and C. Sonduck were recommended to be re-appointed as it is the function of the Committee to make recommendations on appointements rather than to make such appointments. Further, it was agreed that L. Andrews and C. Sonduck would share the task of taking minutes of the meetings. The chair passed to the members a list of other tasks and members were asked to indicate which of these tasks they might assume. Regarding the vacancies that still exist on the Committee, P Burke showed the members a copy of the notice she prepared for publication in the P T A. newsletters of the various schools and L. Andrews said that she would have this notice printed in the Citizens for Lexington Conservation newsletter and the Lexington League of Women Voters Bulletin. C. Sonduck pointed out that P Burke's memo to the Committee dated October 11, 1991 states in the second paragraph under the heading CONTRACTOR'S LEASE OF LARGER VEHICLE AND USE OF LEXPRESS VEHICLES IN FRAMINGHAM "It had been agreed at the last TAC meeting to reimburse the contractor at the rate of $2,000 in advance for the months of Sept and Oct and $350 per month for each of the subsequent months up to Jan. This is a mis statement because, although the Committee discussed a recommendation for reimbursement, this amount was not agreed on by the Committee. This amount was agreed to by the Town Manager who met with S. Arnold and P Burke after the October 21, 1991 TAC meeting. A copy of the referenced memo is attached to these Minutes. USE OF LARGER BACK UP VEHICLE C. Sonduck expressed concern over the current situation in which the larger Iveco bus is not consistently providing service at peak ridership hours on Route 6 as agreed due to mechanical difficulties. The Town has paid A-Conoisseur the amount of $2,000 for the use of this vehicle and agreed to pay the contractor $350 per month for the months of November and December She stated that we must determine how we will deal the further increase in ridership expected when the weather is colder and asked E. Gibbs for his proposal considering what the agreement was and what has actually taken place with regard to the Iveco bus. E. Gibbs promised that within the next week or so the Iveco will be running daily during peak ridership hours on Route 6 as mechanical problems will be corrected. Further, he agreed not to charge the Town $350 per month for November and December E. Gibbs also stated that the Iveco bus could be used on the Mall Route on Saturdays during November and December as well TAC MINUTES OCTOBER 21, 1991 PAGE 2 J on the Friday after Thanksgiving. As this is a back-up bus in the Framingham system, it will have to be returned to Framingham by February 14 at the latest. C. Sonduck requested that E. Gibbs provide a written proposal of options available to deal with the peak hours ridership on Route 6 and he agreed to provide this as soon as possible. ADA ACCESSIBILITY E. Gibbs advised the Committee that the cost to equip our buses for wheelchair accessibilty is $6.700 per vehicle. In addition, this conversion would mean the loss of at least five seats on the vehicle. Given the physical structure of the buses, the only way to install the chair lift is to have it in the back of the bus. E. Gibbs also pointed out that the driver will have to get off the bus to assist the person in the wheelchair and this procedure could take 8 to 11 minutes until the drivers gain experience. The most experienced people take 3-4 minutes to complete the procedure. This would cause problems with our tight schedules. S. Arnold stated that increasingly it looks like we will have to make our vehicles accessible. We cannot wait for the next contract. Town Counsel N. Cohen sent P. Burke and S. Arnold a 13 page draft memo which they are reviewing. They agreed to meet with N. Cohen on Wednesday afternoon. The problem is to determine what is meant by compliance with accessibility requirements. We must come up with a plan to comply by January 26, 1992. C. Sonduck and L. Berger will seek additional information regarding compliance with contacts they have at the MBTA. We must determine what Town Counsel and the MBTA perceive as compliance and devise a plan that will not destroy our system for our present ridership. The Committee also voiced concerns about the lack of accessiblity of the Depot as well as our total lack of information regarding how well utilized accessible vehicles might be. P Burke suggested that a letter be written to the MBTA saying that we are exploring how to comply, that we do intend to comply, and that we will have our plan by January 26, 1992. In the meantime, we expect our contract will be processed. Her opinion was that they would not hold up the contract as we are showing good faith and have been given no guidelines. FY93 BUDGET There was brief discussion of what cuts could be made for a 2% budget reduction and also for a 20% reduction, but due to the lateness of the hour, it was agreed to adjourn and meet again on October 30. Respectfully submitted, �t�osl,t. rein ' tic Pi ? a c:. / D-- ! l To. Interested TAC Members From Pauline Burke, LEXPRESS Coordinator Sara suggested I give background on several issues so that we can discuss them Emery Park improvements The project is currently on hold until Town Manager Rick White returns from vacation Oct 15 A snag has developed because the Town Engineer and DPW Director feel the Town does not have the expertise to do a brick sidewalk as planned The skill involved and labor costs would be prohibitive TE Frank Fields has suggested we should move the present benches back and put down a concrete slab underfoot I have talked with John Frey and Bob Ossman We are going to try to work out some options so the plan does not have to be scrapped entirely Debby Radway has talked to Jack Eddison also Contractor's lease of larger vehicle and use of LEXPRESS vehicles in Framingham. A-Conn has acquired a larger back-up vehicle, a 28 passenger Iveco It is DPU licensed, properly marked with the LEXPRESS logo and route signs, and has a regular farebox (which was taken from one of our back-up vehicles) The only thing Eric still has to install is a two-way radio It has been used in the afternoon on Rt 6 and on Oct. 3, when all schools were released early It had been agreed at the last TAG meeting to reimburse the contractor at the rate of $2,000 in advance for the months of Sept and Oct and $350 per month for each of the subsequent months up to January (assuming we may use this vehicle for the Waltham connection at that time also) There is money in the current budget to support this and it was justified by the $3,000 increase in pass sales this year Sara and I met with Town Manager and he agreed to the payments However, at the end of September the contractor was awarded the mini-bus service contract in Framingham. He has ordered new vehicles which should be in around December Eric Gibbs informed me that he plans to use the fifth LEXPRESS vehicle in Framingham (which he has a right to do because we specified four vehicles under the contract) Eric also requested, in view of the fact that we now have the Iveco available as a back-up vehicle in Lexington, that he be allowed to temporarily use the fourth LEXPRESS ElDorado vehicle in Framingham also He was told that a back-up vehicle must be in Lexington at all times He was also asked to define his preventive maintenance schedule in view of the loss of flexibility Because A-Connoisseur is using one of our back-up vehicles, should we be paying as much or anything for the Iveco? FY93 Budget Budget requests are due on October 30 My budget review with the Town Manager is scheduled for November 1 Rick White has asked that we submit our budget anticipating a 2% reduction Additionally, we must submit a separate budget showing how we would reduce 20% from the budget through service reduction I am enclosing a copy of the budget (page 68) with my estimated figures based on the three year projection of the A-Connoisseur contract A copy of FY92's breakdown is attached also I will have more data at meeting ADA Accessibility Issue Town Counsel Norm Cohen has sent me a thirteen page draft memorandum to review and furnish comments I sent a copy to Sara and we hope to have it ready for review at the meeting 10/11/91