NorthEast Coalition of Neighborhoods

NorthEast Coalition Minutes for March 15, 2009

 

Minutes - for the NorthEast Coalition - March 15, 2009

The meeting was called to order by President Claire Green-Fallon at 3:00.

The president introduced the guest speakers for the day, Danny Rogers, Jean Leier and Eric Hershberger of Light Rail. 

The main topic of discussion for the speakers, were issues concerning Lynx.

A). Lynx:

16,000 per week day

Park and ride

New vehicles

B). Bus

Local and express up 80%

Circulator: up 24%

Regional express: up 45%

Total: 80,000 - 90,000 trips pre day system wide

Riderships: increased at a steady rate

Trains and systems continue to perform well

0 preventable accidents

Permanent track repairs completed

Bus -  95.5% on time performance

.46 Preventable per 100,000

March 2 service changes

Implement enhanced service in 2 phases

Phase 1: Center City to Wilkinson Blvd to airport by 2009

Phase 2: Freedom drive & west Blvd by 2014

- 16 stops focus on passenger amenities

- 12 outside of uptown

- 4 in uptown

- Projected start date: Summer 2009

Street Car

-Implement enhanced bus service- 10 miles from Rosa Parks - place to Eastland Mall

- Frequency: peak: 7.5 - 10 minutes

- Off peak: 15 minutes

- Purple line: 25 minutes from Charlotte Gateway to Mount Mourne

- Existing Norfolk Southern Railroad Right of way

- 10 stations

- Service 22-40 trains daily

- Peak: 20-30 minutes; off peak - Hourly

C). Blue Line Extension

- 11 miles extension of t he Lynx Blue Line

- 13 stations

- 6 walk up stations

- 7 Park and rides

- Run from City Center Charlotte through North Davison (NODA)

- 36 Street station includes grade separation

- Sugar Creek station located above Sugar Creek with improved access from all directions

- Trains will not have to stop for signals

- Grade separated crossings into and out of North Tryon

- UNCC Entrance

- B/E travels under North Tryon to access campus

- UNC Charlotte alignment and stations

- UNC Charlotte station

- Mallard Creek Church Station

- I-485 - I North Tryon station

- Lynx Blue factors influencing project scope

- Need for greater capacity; larger platforms/more trains

- Increased parking

-Additional power requirements

- More grade separations

- Maintenance facility capacity expansion

- Continue coordination with stakeholder groups

- Complete draft environmental impact statement

- Station site plans

D). Budget Update

- Half cent sales tax (far below expectation than a year ago)

- State funding

- Federal funding

- New administration

- Service cuts (4m)

- Operating

- Revenue

- Sales tax growth (FY2009 - 8%)

- FY 2010 - 2%

- Fund balance draw of 10m in 2010 (included in operating revenue)

- FY2010 sales tax is <50% of the operating program income

- Regional unemployment, gas prices impact on ridership

- Budget reduction action in 2009

- Jan 2009

- Sales tax - 6% reduction

- Actual cost reduction - 8.4 mil

- Feb; 8 of reduction; 3.3 million

- March - 10% reduction

- 1.4 million additional proposed cost reduction

- Total cost - 13.1 million

- All options on the table

E). 5 Year plan

- Preliminary engineering of the Lynx Blue line; extension 156 million

- Strategic Initiatives

- Increase readership

- Project inclusion in Legislation

- Advance corridor system plan, etc.

- No fare increase is added in budget so far

Question and answer session followed.  The 3 guest were thanked for their time and great information.

At 4:00 the President introduced Ned Curran, Chairman of the Committee of 21.  Mr. Curran spoke about the work the committee has done on setting priorities identifying funding and how we hope to obtain it.  He also spoke about the stimulus money; are we getting any for the roads? What's happening with I-485, are we going to really get it finished, tolls gas mileage fees, and widening of I -77.

- Study the problems

- Roads are multi jurisdiction; how do we address those needs?

- Very sensitive to the equity formula

- Funding sources; payroll taxes

- Tax on Lynx ticket - didn't get very far

- Greater transparency

- Users of roads; increase in sales tax ½ cent

- 12b for good roads (25 years)

- 18m yearly for road needs

- Tolls; registration fees, miles travel fee

- Too much politics- more over sight

- Sub-committee to over see

- Studying the MTC model

- County to make decision about roads

- Bypass state capital (on the Federal level)

- MUMPO - group

- Charlotte is ¼ size of Atlanta today

Question and Answers session:

The speaker ended at 4:40 pm.

4:45 P.M.  2^nd Meeting

Minutes from the last meeting were held in abeyance

Treasurers Report:

-    None

Old Business:

None

New Business:  Claire Fallon appointed to the Housing Advisory Board

No further business, motion to adjourn the meeting of Marc 15, 2009 at 5:15 P.M.  Seconded.   All approved.  Motion carried.  ALL AYES