The MST Board adopted
Resolution 2006-15 recognizing Margarita Silva, Coach Operator, as MST Employee
of the Month for March 2006. On February 14, 2006, while on duty, Margarita Silva
retrieved a backpack for a passenger, which had been left aboard the bus. The
backpack contained a wallet that had a large sum of cash. The person who was in
possession of the backpack was not the rightful owner. Upon the return of the
backpack to its’ owner, it was discovered that the cash was missing.
Margarita’s assistance in this matter enabled MST to pull the video from the
bus and identify the individual responsible for taking the cash. Margarita was
also observed making a complete and thorough check of her coach at the end of
every trip per MST policy and providing her passengers with excellent customer
service.
The MST Board adopted
Resolution 2006-16 congratulating Ronald Jarman, Coach Operator, on his
retirement from MST with six years of service.
The MST Board approved an
amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Transportation Agency
for Monterey County (TAMC) and MST for pass through of federal transit grant
funds to modify grant administration fees and add a 2004 federal earmark pass
through grant for $990,644.
As an authorized grantee of
federal funds in Monterey County, MST is eligible to administer federal grants
and pass through grants to TAMC.
The MST Board scheduled a
public hearing for the April 10, 2006 Board meeting for the DRAFT 2006 MST
Complementary Paratransit (RIDES) Plan Update.
The MST Board authorized
staff to initiate a joint study with the City of Monterey for an alternate
location for a Monterey Transit Center.
For
several years, the Monterey Transit Plaza (MTP) has been operating above its
original design capacity. Safety hazards related to increased traffic
congestion exist in this area during morning and afternoon rush hours, where
MST buses are joined by vehicles from other operators, including Amtrak Thruway
Bus and Monterey-Salinas Airbus, and throughout the day during summer months
when MST’s seasonal services are in operation. The new location to be studied
for a new transit hub is centered on a one-block long section of Tyler Street
between the city’s East and West municipal parking garages, with ancillary bus
parking positions on Franklin Street at the corner of Tyler Street.
The MST Board approved an
MOU between MST, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), the City
of Marina, and the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) concerning redevelopment of
MST, TAMC, and City of Marina-owned land on the former Fort Ord as a
transit-oriented development.
This agreement
identifies issues to be addressed in a subsequent Memorandum of Agreement and
Joint Request for Proposals for developing adjacent parcels of land owned by
MST, TAMC, and the City of Marina. The goal is to generate a stronger proposal
for developing a unified transit-oriented development supporting TAMC’s plan to
construct a bus rapid transit or light rail line on the Monterey Branch Line
than could otherwise be the case if each parcel were developed separately.
The MST Board awarded a
$289,771 contract to ea Consulting, Inc for a Financial Accounting Management
Information System.
MST’s current General
Accounting software, Fleetnet, is over 20 years old and obsolete. Upgrading
MST’s accounting and reporting system will improve MST’s overall management
system by providing managers access to real-time information. The upgrade will
also promote internal control by accelerating the processing of financial
transactions and accelerating cash flow due to improved grants management
capabilities. In addition, grants and capital projects can be monitored
instantly, rather than quarterly with the modules available with the software
in this package.