SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

                        MINUTES                 March 3, 2021

Present              Voting Attendees:

Ted Ceasar                               Consumer

Mitzi Perez                               ARC-IV

Karen Teran                             Access to Independence

James Dalske                           Imperial Valley College (IVC)

Dr. Kathleen Lang                    California Health & Wellness

Michelle Soto                           Calfornia Children’s Services (CCS)

Sarah Enz                                 Area Agency on Aging (AAA)

Raul Cordova                           Work Training Center (WTC)

David Aguirre                         CTSA–ICTC

Maricela Galarza                      CTSA–ICTC

Gustavo Gomez                        CTSA–ICTC

                        Non-Voting Attendees:            

Cesar Sanchez                          IVT/IVTAccess/IVTRide/IVTMedtrans

Helio Sanchez                          IVT

                        Jose Guillen                             IVT MedTrans

                        Karla Pacheco                          IVT Access

                        Karla Aguilar                           IVT Ride

                        Liz Santucci                             Caltrans

1.       Dr. Lang called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. A quorum was present. Introductions were made.

2.       Minutes were reviewed for February 3, 2021. (Cordova, Perez), Motion carried.

3.       CTSA Reports:

Mr. Aguirre had the following updates:

-          ICTC has a few RFP’s out for bidding, mostly focusing on auditing purposes with three-year contacts.

-          ICTC is still working with consultants on the Coordinated Plan, electronic and paper surveys are still available. These surveys are available on buses as well. The survey distribution is to obtain feedback from individuals, agencies, etc.

-          Unmet Transit Needs will be occurring in a digital format, a survey will be developed and shared in a couple of weeks. ICTC is waiting for the Coordinated plan survey to come to an end to then put out the UTN survey to avoid any overlapping. Staff will be sure to share any information with SSTAC members.

-          The AVL project is 90% complete, there have been some hiccups with some of the vehicles. It is expected that the public version goes live within a couple of months.

Mr. Gomez had the following updates:

-          Continuing to conduct IVT Ride sign-ups remotely, steady numbers.

-          A jump in ADA certifications during February.

-          Staff is still open to presentation requests via zoom to agencies or individuals.

-          Staff is always available for questions.

·         Dr. Lang asked if staff are working from the office now.

o   Ms. Galarza stated that staff is currently in the office for SSTAC purposes, but usually, staff alternate schedules for COVID purposes.

·         Dr. Lang asked if there is a plan for reopening.

o   Mr. Aguirre stated that yes, as the county continues to open up. ICTC is ready to open soon, COVID numbers seem to be doing well in comparison to the previous couple of months. ICTC has the proper PPP equipment necessary to open to the public. 

·         Dr. Lang asked what the timeline for the UTN Hearing would look like.

o   Mr. Aguirre stated that the target date is the first week of May, but the goal is to share survey information to obtain public feedback since there will no physical Hearing. The survey will be available for 30 days to allow the proper amount of feedback to later incorporate any possible changes in next fiscal year's budget.

Ms. Galarza had the following announcement:

-          Informed SSTAC member agencies that staff is still available to drop off any service brochures. Ms. Galarza stated that if agencies need these brochures staff will be coordinated to drop them off in a safe manner.

·         Dr. Lang asked if safety measures on keeping the riders safe are included in the brochures.

o   Ms. Galarza stated that there is a separate document where it presents COVID 19 safety measure guidelines that continue to be implemented by ICTC and the Transit operators. This was initially shared on social media but will be reposted to reiterate that those measures continue to be implemented.

4.       Transit Operator Updates:

IV Transit; Mr. H. Sanchez had the following updates;

-          Service is still running a Saturday schedule.

-          During the weekdays there are about 500-600 passengers. On Saturday 450-550 passengers. Sunday 100-200 passengers.

-          Ridership is mostly coming from Calexico.

-          One of the biggest challenges is the detours and construction areas, which causes minimal delays. Some alternate routes then must be created.

-          COVID procedures are still implemented.

·         Dr. Lang stated with the detours, what ensures that a passenger won’t get left behind on a bus stop affected by the detour.

o   Mr. H. Sanchez stated that an alternate route is found to not miss the bus stops, sometimes if that is not possible and are still not able to reach that bus stop they are temporarily closed or relocated to other near bus stops.

o   Mr. Aguirre added that when it comes to construction there are times that the bus stops are temporarily moved during the construction period. An example is the temporary relocation of the 5th and Park bus stop, during the construction of the Aquatic Center.

o   Mr. H. Sanchez added that proper signage is also posted to inform passengers and any safety measures are considered during this process.

IVT Access; Ms. Pacheco had the following updates;

-          There are no changes in operations.

-          The service is still running on a Saturday schedule.

IVT Ride; Ms. Aguilar had the following updates;

-          The service looks similar to last month with no big changes.

-          COVID 19 measures are still being implemented.

-          Mr. Guillen and self went to Brawley to pass out brochures.

IVT MedTrans; Mr. Guillen had the following updates;

-          The month of February was doing a little better on passengers.

-          San Diego continues to have limited medical access, but as facilities start to open this might positively affect the service ridership.

-          Still utilizing one bus to go to San Diego depending on the demand and request of times needed.

5.       General Discussion

-       Ms. Enz added that there was an increase in ridership and was excited to see that. Ms. Enz stated that she was glad that ICTC reached out to partner in providing free rides to seniors.

·         Mr. Aguirre thanked AAA for helping with the free fares, this just reinforces to continue the program as much as possible to recover from this situation.

o   SSTAC members requested a flyer to be provided to shared with other parties.

6.       Adjournment

-          The meeting adjourned at 10:29 a.m. (Enz, Cordova), Motion Carried.

-          The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, at the Imperial County Transportation Commission Office, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243.