Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force

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1 Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Ave., Suite 405 Tucson, AZ Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force Minutes of January 28, 2008 ATTENDANCE Committee Members Present Karen Brink, Tucson Marriott University Park Charles Franz, The University of Arizona Willie Wash, AZ State Prison Tucson Complex Ron Gonzales, Raytheon Missile Systems Jennifer King, Tucson Electric Power Debbie Massie, alternate for Jackie Murphy, Tucson Airport Authority Barbara Ricca, IBM Kate Riley, Sun Tran Judi Gard, alternate for Joe Portale, Pima Community College District Staff Rita Hildebrand Gayle Johnson Johnnie Kelly Zonia Kelley Ruth Reiman Mary Ann Soto Public/Agencies Joel Gastelum City of South Tucson Jenny Sirnio Sun Tran Jurisdiction Representatives Nancy Ellis, Town of Oro Valley Veronica Moreno, alternate for Richard Salaz, City of South Tucson Yolanda Parker, DOT Karen Wilhemsen alternate for Beth Gorman, Pima County, DEQ INTRODUCTIONS 1. Call to Order and Introductions The meeting was called to order by Rita Hildebrand at 10:05 a.m. and introductions were made. TRP RTF member name plates are being redone with the new PAG logo and would be ready for the next meeting. 2. Call to the Audience None ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. TRP Status Update/Announcements PAG TRP approval to: Survey Extensions Site Circumstances Due Dates Status Fred G. Acosta Veteran TC left 12/31/07 to 01/14/08 In 1/14/08 TUSD Transportation TC medical leave 12/31/07 to 01/18/08 In 1/14/08 Thoroughbred Cars TC medical leave 12/31/07 to 01/15/08 In 1/14/08 Rincon Research Management support 12/31/07 to 01/18/08 In 1/16/08 1

2 Site Circumstances Due Dates Status O Rielly Chevrolet Work schedule 11/30/07 to 12/14/07 In 12/14/07 Az DPS TC medical leave 11/30/07 to 12/14/07 In 12/10/07 Sunnyside School Dist Veteran TC left 11/30/07 to 12/14/07 In 12/12/07 Plan extensions Site Circumstances Due Date Status Cirrus Logic Reorganization 12/31/07 to 01/11/08 In 12/31/07 (corrected) (formerly Apex) UPS TC left 11/30/07 to 01/07/08 In 01/07/08 Request to cease American Openings Honeywell Drexel Less than 100 FTE Site closure 2008 TRP Notification Letter to current TRP sites The 2008 TRP notification letters were sent to the employers early this month to the CEO and the TC at the site. The information requested was the TC name, contact info including , number of FTE employees and the management commitment to continue 2007 TRP plan activities at the site. There was some confusion for employers that were currently in the plan phase of the 2007 TRP program thinking they didn t have to submit a plan. Staff has followed up with the sites to clear any confusion. Of the 283 sites in the program, 83 responses have been received. The letters are continuing to come in and staff will do a follow up as needed. Statewide online carpool matching Ruth Reiman, TDM Manager, reported that TRP staff and the other counties in the program had attended a training session for the new software. All the TRP employers have been entered in the database; Mapquest is in place for the matching once a registrant puts in their profile information and vanpools currently in place have had the drivers entered into the database. A new home page and individual county welcome pages are being designed. Staff hopes to test the new program in the next month and have the program go live by the end of February. Correspondence will be sent to registrants in the current RideShare database requesting that they enter their profiles along with their address for matching within the new system. One benefit of the new system will be for registrants to have an immediate list of potential carpoolers to contact for carpools or available vanpools. Vanpool Incentive Program - Gayle Johnson, lead staff for the vanpool incentive program, reported that the transition of the current vanpools from Enterprise to new vans provided by VPSI Inc. was almost complete. VPSI is looking into space to house vans here in Tucson, so they don t have to transport them from Phoenix. Maintenance on the vans will be provided by Jim Click, 22 nd St. There is also the potential to have VPSI staff here in Tucson for immediate customer service and to assist in growing the vanpool program. Clean Air Days - An overview of the events being planned for April was given by Ruth Reiman and other members of the Clean Air Committee. TRP staff are hosting a Green Commute day on April 3 rd in the library plaza downtown as well as providing alternate mode information at the brown bag lunch series on the same day. Materials are being printed that will highlight the events, a Web page is being developed and TRP employers will be encouraged to hold work site events during the month of April. There will be numerous bicycle activities throughout the month, a Sun Tran free ride day, events on the University of Arizona mall, and a combination of Earth Day activities with the Clean Air Days at Reid Park on April 19. TRP will include the various activity 2

3 dates in a newsletter that will go to all the TRP sites in the next few weeks TRP Major Employer Summary Report January 25, 2008 handout The new total of sites in the TRP is 283; the RTF has reviewed plans with another 55 on the agenda for a total of 93 plans. The March TRP RTF meeting also will have a large group of plans for review. TRP Annual Report FY handout TRP RTF had reviewed the text of the annual report in late The report now has been printed with graphics and pertinent information for the FY TRP year. There are extra copies available and the report also will be posted on the TRP web page. PAG 2007 TRP Traffic Volume Map handout Maps were available for members to take to their work site. Traffic volume is measured from various jurisdictions traffic counters over the year and is updated annually. TRP RTF Updates - none 4. In-Kind Forms The in-kind form was distributed for confirmation of attendance and matching in-kind funds. 5. Approval of Minutes of November 19, 2007 Barbara Ricca moved to approve the minutes of Nov. 19, 2007, Willie Wash seconded, and approved unanimously. 6. Request from Sun Tran to receive TC mailing labels for newsletters and new product info. Additional information on Sun Tran routes is valuable to the employers to encourage transit ridership at the work site. Staff concurs with the request. Jennifer King moved to approve approve the request, seconded by Karen Wilhemsen, and passed with one abstention. 7. TRP Consent Agenda Item: Ms. Hildebrand reported that of the 55 plans on the agenda, 29 percent of them had met their TRO goal in AMU or VMT. There are TRP RTF Certificates that will need City and County and two TRP RTF members to sign after the meeting. To facilitate review of the plans, Ms. Hildebrand will report on highlights of the plans and ask for any comments or questions from the members. One motion would work for all the plans if approved. Sixteen (16) 2007 TRP Plans Meeting TRO Goal or Baseline Precision Toyota of Tucson 15% 9.5%/NA 95.1% TRP RTF Certificate Target El Con 20% 38.0%/-15.6% 96.6% PAG Certificate Honeywell Aerospace Tucson Drexel 26% 33.6%/-1.1% 95.5% PAG Certificate Sam Levitz Furniture Co. Inc. 34% 36.9%/-6.5% 96.9% PAG Certificate Golden Eagle Distributors 40% 30.6%/-22.1% 96.5% PAG Certificate Hilton Tucson East 40% 41.1%/38.3% 100% PAG Certificate J.C. Penney Co. Inc. El Con Mall 40% 33.3%/-3.3% 100% PAG Certificate 3

4 J.C. Penney Co. Inc. Tucson Mall 40% 32.6%/-40.9% 100% PAG Certificate Nat l Optical Astronomy Observatory 40% 49.2%/7.4% 100% TRP RTF Certificate Sunquest Information Systems 40% 27.6%/-11.5% 82.8% PAG Certificate Target Broadway 40% 31.3%/-23.3% 79.1% PAG Certificate Pima County University Physicians Healthcare Kino 20% 45.7%/3.2% 98.3% PAG Certificate Arizona Portland Cement Co. 40% 25.1%/-3.3% 100% PAG Certificate Northwest Medical Center 40% 43.8%/7.4% 85.4% PAG Certificate Tucson Airport Authority 40% 40.8%/0.4% 92.8% PAG Certificate Town of Oro Valley Hilton Tucson El Conquistador 40% 32.0%/-12.6% 85.8% PAG Certificate Barbara Ricca moved to approve the 16 plans with the recommended correspondence, seconded by Yolanda Parker, and passed with one abstention. 8. Seven (7) Albertson/Osco 2007 TRP Plans: Albertsons/Osco #959 28% 16.0%/37.5% 70.6% No Notice Albertsons/Osco #961 28% 21.2%/24.1% 88.7% No Notice Albertsons/Osco #963 28% 8.9%/28.8% 74.3% No Notice Albertsons/Osco #964 28% 3.8%/27.5% 76.9% No Notice Albertsons/Osco #972 28% 15.2%/2.4% 92.9% No Notice Pima County Albertsons/Osco #960 28% 18.5%/-2.6% 65.7% No Notice Albertsons/Osco #988 28% 16.6%/1.9% 96.2% No Notice The summary of the seven sites showed that all of the Albertson s/osco sites are volunteers in the TRP with less than 100 FTE at any of the sites. The average alternate mode usage was percent with a percent increase in vehicle miles traveled. Staff comment was that if the survey response rate had been higher, perhaps more alternate mode usage would be captured. Retail and food industry have a varied workforce with many part time employees and difficult schedules to coordinate for alternate mode use. Kate Riley moved to approve the seven Albertson/Osco 2007 TRP plans. Barbara Ricca seconded the motion, and passed unanimously. 9. Four (4) Lowe s Home Improvement 2007 TRP Plans: Lowe s Home Improvement Speedway 15% 14.5%/N/A 84.0% No Notice Lowe s Home Improvement-Oracle 20% 13.5%/26.8% 72.8% No Notice Lowe s Home Improvement-Valencia 20% 11.3%/28.6% 94.0% No Notice Town of Marana Lowe s Home Improvement-Ina 20% 15.7%/62.9% 90.7% No Notice The summary of the four sites showed that there are 615 employees at the four sites; the average alternate mode usage was 13.8 percent with an increase in vehicle miles traveled of 29.6 percent. All the sites have added adjusted work hours and bus subsidy to their TRP activities. The Lowes sites are another retail situation with rather high turnover rates. Willie Wash moved to approve the four Lowe s Home Improvement 2007 TRP plans, seconded by Barbara Ricca and passed unanimously. 4

5 10. Twenty-eight (28) 2007 TRP Plans not meeting the TRO goal: Universal Avionics Systems Corp 29% 28.8%/6.0% 100% No Notice Spectra-Physics, Tucson 30% 22.0%/-5.5% 100% No Notice National Bank of Arizona 35% 9.1%/1.1% 100% No Notice Precision Shooting Equipment Inc. 39% 19.6%/-8.3% 100% No Notice Dillard s - Park Place 40% 19.1%/9.4% 100% No Notice Dillard s Tucson Mall 40% 22.7%/19.9% 87.9% No Notice Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging 40% 38.7%/9.0% 100% No Notice Holmes Tuttle Ford 40% 6.7%/12.5% 89.8% No Notice Jim Click Automotive Auto Mall 40% 8.4%/8.3% 85.7% No Notice Jim Click Automotive 22 nd 40% 11.9%/11.8% 79.9% No Notice Sears, Roebuck & Co.-Tucson Mall 40% 23.8%/-3.4% 98.2% No Notice Southern AZ VA Health Care System 40% 23.5%/8.4% 81.2% No Notice TMC Medical Center 40% 37.2%/6.9% 95.6% No Notice Tucson Newspapers 40% 11.6%/11.3% 91.9% No Notice Ms. Hildebrand suggested that because of the volume of plans to be reviewed, highlights of the group would be reported and questions about specific sites could be asked and discussed. Staff has noticed sites having a more difficult time focusing on the TRP. The high turnover of TCs also makes it difficult for TRP staff and the sites to do well in the survey or in the program. Staff asks that a motion be made after the review of the plans by jurisdiction. Of the fourteen (14) sites located in the, eight of the sites increased in alternate mode usage and a majority of the sites had substantial out-of-pocket costs directed to bus subsidies and drawings for prizes. A review of the sites with the lower alternate mode usage and circumstances was requested: National Bank, Holmes Tuttle Ford, Jim Click Automotive Auto Mall, Jim Click Automotive 22 nd and Tucson Newspapers. The bank and auto dealers have never had high employee participation in alternate modes. Tucson Newspapers, however, had dropped from a 30 percent in 2004 to a 17.5 to an 11.6 percent in Staff was asked to follow up with the employer to identify any change in activities or support. There had been a TC change at the site. Barbara Ricca moved to approve the TRP plans from employers in the City of Tucson, seconded by Willie Wash and passed unanimously. Pima County M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. 20% 19.3%/-11.2% 93.0% No Notice Santa Catalina Villas 30% 21.6%/13.7% 80.1% No Notice Miraval Life in Balance 33% 17.0%/23.8% 78.9% No Notice Honeywell Aerospace Tucson-Oracle 38% 20.5%/1.6% 82.3% No Notice University Physicians Healthcare-River 39% 24.7%/7.6% 77.3% No Notice Desert Life Rehabilitation & Care Center 40% 20.5%/15.1% 72.2% No Notice Pima County 40% 28.5%/-0.7% 77.2% No Notice Southwest Gas Corp. 40% 28.2%/4.0% 97.4% No Notice Tucson Truck Terminal 40% 33.6%/47.5% 100% No Notice The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa 40% 23.7%/12.5% 79.3% No Notice Of the ten (10) sites located in Pima County, three had an increase in alternate mode usage. Four of the 10 had just over the minimum 70 percent survey response rate. Out of pocket costs were substantial from carpool and bus subsidies, a shuttle service and bicycle lockers. The UPI River Road site had an incentive of a floating holiday for alternate mode users. Jennifer King moved to approve the ten 2007 TRP plans from employers in Pima County, seconded by Karen Brink and passed with one abstention. Town of Marana Trico Electric Cooperative 26% 13.0%/-2.6% 96.3% No Notice Johns-Manville 35% 25.5%/5.1% 100% No Notice Sargent Controls & Aerospace 38% 21.6%/7.6% 91.6% No Notice Three site plans from employers located in the Town of Marana all had a decrease in alternate mode usage. All the sites had great survey response rates and Sargent Controls had substantial out-of-pocket expenses for a carpool subsidy. 5

6 Karen Brink moved to approve the three 2007 TRP plans from employers in the Town of Marana, seconded by Willie Wash and passed unanimously. Town of Sahuarita Sahuarita School District 40% 17.5%/-11.7% 82.6% No Notice The 2007 TRP plan from the Sahuarita School District had a drop in alternate mode usage and had included an explanation of the district employee schedules and difficulty to coordinate alternate modes. Barbara Ricca moved to approve the Sahuarita School District 2007 TRP plan, seconded by Jennifer King the motion passed unanimously. 11. Requests for Future Agenda Items Next meeting date, March 17, 2008 Continue 2007 TRP plan review Update on Clean Air activities and employer participation Update on the I-10 truck bypass and I-10 widening project. Confirm ADOT updates to TRP employer TCs Potential for no 2008 TRP RTF election process and recommendation for current members to retain their seats 12. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10:51 a.m. 6

Pima Association of Governments Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force Minutes of February 27, 2006 Meeting

Pima Association of Governments Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force Minutes of February 27, 2006 Meeting Members in Attendance Patti Gingrich, Alternate for Regina Fleming Town of Marana Beth