Camden County TMCC Stakeholder Meeting
December 10, 2009
10:00 AM, Camden County College, Rohrer Campus, Executive Conference Room
Attendees:
Rodney Bush-Rowland, Macedonia Baptist Church
Abe Caceres, To & Fro Transportation
Gregg DeBaere, Atlantic Coast Communications
Martha Chavis, WELCOME NJ
Rev. Tony C. Evans Sr., Tenth Street Baptist Church
Terri Hirschhorn, NJ Department Human Services
Robert Koska, NJ Transit
Donna Kovalevich, SCUCS
Andrew Levecchia, Camden County Improvement Authority
Kathy Mayfield, Camden County One-Stop
Jim McLary, United We Ride Ambassador
Carole Miller, South Jersey Transportation Authority
Winifred Miller, Camden County Board of Social Services (Conference Call)
Michael Randolph, New Jersey Transit-Access Link
Robert Schiavinato, Union Organization for Social Service
Ronnie Siriani, NJ Transit-Access Link (Conference Call)
Ronda Urkowitz, Cross Country Connection
Invited but not in attendance:
Robert Ellis, Camden County Board of Social Services
Raymond Lamboy, LAEDA
Tony Lingo, Camden City
Tom MacAdams, SJ Transit
Joy Merulla, CC Division of Senior Services
Cheryl Spicer, PATCO
Emery Troy, Dooley House
Pippa Woods, NJ Transit
Staff:
Terri Ballard
Sherriea Gorden
Jerome D. Phillips
Jeffrey S. Swartz
Welcome:
Jeffrey Swartz welcomed attendees and round table introductions were made.
Verify System Design Discussion:
Stakeholders discussed:
- Upper and lower modes of transportation should be distinguished according to funding
- Ridesharing
- Identified specific transit requirements that all providers must comply with i.e. (federal, state and county transit regulations)
- Medicaid broker system should be noted in the plan, also the need for individual provider contracts
- FaithBased participation, certification, training and referrals
- Call center service hours
After considerable discussion, members agreed to keep the current system design. Members also stated it is too early to identify specific providers, customer and alike and to keep the chart generic at this point.
Discussion Sustainability/Funding
Sustainability and funding were briefly discussed, however due to time constraints, this item was tabled. Stakeholders did suggest staying cognizant of the recent administrative changes that may affect funding opportunities when addressing in the future.
Assistance in Modifying Detailed Work Plan
- Stakeholders were requested to submit comments and revisions to the WIB as soon as possible for inclusion in the final draft Detailed Project Plan before the next scheduled meeting. Attendees were asked to use “Track Changes” and submit the entire document to maintain integrity.
NOTE: Next meeting rescheduled from December 17, 2009 to Monday, December 21, 2009. The meeting will be held at the Camden County College, Cherry Hill, Rohrer Campus, Executive Conference Room 10:00-12:30.
- The following stakeholders volunteered to participate in rewriting the plan to include the consensus of the stakeholders.
- Robert Schiavinato, UOSS
- Rev. Tony C. Evans, Tenth Street Baptist Church, Dooley House
- Andrew Levecchia, Camden County Improvement Authority
- This group will meet regularly during the week of December 14, 2009 at the WIB Office to produce a scaled back version of the plan that outlines the scope of work and time line for the first year. Stakeholders indicated that the current funding levels will not allow for implementation of the existing plan. Goal: To provide a functional design with supporting software that will allow future phasing of the ITS.
- Jerome will reach out to Pippa Woods, NJ Transit for participation in the rewrite process.
Other Business:
- Members clarified Meeting Minutes of December 4, 2009 to ensure that all interested stakeholders are included in the Technology Assessments and Tours. The following agencies and representatives will be included in the assessment tours.
- Andrew Levecchia, Camden County Improvement Authority
- Joel Falk, South Jersey Transportation Authority
- Dale Keith, SCUCS
- Abe Caceres, To & Fro Transportation
- Jerome Phillips, WIB
- DOT Representative
Update Letters of Support from Stakeholders
Stakeholders agreed to execute new letters of support for attachment with the revised Detailed Plan.
Next Steps:
- Stakeholders submit comments and revisions to WIB
- Detailed Plan Rewrite volunteers meet to begin the rewrite process
- Stakeholders prepare and submit new letters of support
- Reach out to Pippa Woods, NJ Transit to determine her level of participation in the rewrite process
- Contact Aletha Goodine, DOT/FTA Project Manager to determine if the grant can incur the expense of Microsoft Office Project software
- Jerome will contact LogisticCare representative to attend the next meeting.
Please confirm your attendance via email or call the WIB office at 856.931.9999.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
Executive Assistant
County TMCC Stakeholder Meeting
December 4, 2009
10:00 AM, Camden County College, Rohrer Campus, Executive Conference Room
Attendees:
Gregg DeBaere, Atlantic Coast Communications
Martha Chavis, WELCOME NJ
Rev. Tony C. Evans Sr., Tenth Street Baptist Church
Terri Hirschhorn, NJ Department Human Services
Kathleen Imperatore, PATCO
Robert Koska, NJ Transit
Donna Kovalevich, SCUCS
Andrew Levecchia, Camden County Improvement Authority
Tony Lingo, Camden City
Kathy Mayfield, Camden County One-Stop
Jim McLary, United We Ride Ambassador
Carole Miller, South Jersey Transportation Authority
Winifred Miller, Camden County Board of Social Services
Michael Randolph, New Jersey Transit (Conference Call)
Robert Schiavinato, Union Organization for Social Service
Roni Siriani, NJ Transit (Conference Call)
Cheryl Spicer, PATCO
Emery Troy, Dooley House
Ronda Urkowitz, Cross Country Connection
Pippa Woods, NJ Transit (Conference Call)
Invited but not in attendance:
Rodney Bush-Rowland, Macedonia Baptist Church
Abe Caceres, To & Fro Transportation
Robert Ellis, Camden County Board of Social Services
Raymond Lamboy, LAEDA
Tom MacAdams, SJ Transit
Joy Merulla, CC Division of Senior Services
Staff:
Terri Ballard
Sherriea Gorden
Jerome D. Phillips
Jeffrey S. Swartz
Welcome:
Jeffrey Swartz welcomed attendees and thanked them for their continued support in the effort to finalize the live draft for submission to the Federal Transit Administration. Round table introductions ensued and Jim McLary, UWR Ambassador began to facilitate the meeting.
Discussion:
Jim reviewed the following:
- A faith based component must be included
- Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) whether virtual or physical, must have a high level design
- Detailed Project Plan revisions must be submitted to department of Transportation/Federal Transit Administration no later than December 31, 2009
- Jim asked stakeholders to remain focused on the implementation of a functional TMCC within the one year time frame.
Lengthy discussion surrounded agency best practices and existing resources. Stakeholders continued to express concern over the aggressive time line for implementation and suggested the scope of work as outlined in the current plan should be scaled back showing successful incremental building blocks over time through the demonstration phase.
Many features need to be addressed including assessing the current provider’s technology to determine feasibility of integration or expansion and the identification and procurement of the necessary software. To assist in this effort Jerome Phillips advised stakeholders that the DOT will provide technical support at no cost to the grant; a technology consultant will visit each provider to assess their existing technology and recommend the best Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). All stakeholders will be notified when the assessments will be conducted.
Rev. Tony C. Evans indicated the Faith Based Collaborative meets FTA/DOT vehicle and driver criteria. Rev. Evans also suggested that the lead Faith Based entity coordinate with other Faith Based organizations, eventually expanding service throughout the county.
Stakeholders sketched a system design:
Next Steps:
- Submit plan revisions to the WIB
- Approve changes to the Detailed Project Plan
- Submit revised Detailed Project Plan to DOT/FTA
- Assess current ITS software utilized by Providers
Closing
Jeffrey Swartz thanked all stakeholders for their essential contributions.
Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 10, 2009, 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM at Camden County College, Rohrer Center, Executive Conference Room, Cherry Hill, NJ
Danish & Coffee will be available until 11:45, lunch served at 12:00.
Conference Call dial in:
605-715-4900 Access Code 452218
Please confirm your attendance via email or call the WIB office at 856.931.9999.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
Executive Assistant
Camden County TMCC Stakeholder Meeting
November 16, 2009
1:00 PM, Camden County College, Rohrer Campus, Executive Conference Room
Attendees:
Doug Birnie, US Department of Transportation, United We Ride
Rodney Bush-Rowland, Macedonia Baptist Church
Abe Caceses, To & Fro Transportation
Freeholder Director, Louis Cappelli, Jr.
Gregg DeBaere, Atlantic Coast Communications
Aletha Goodine, Federal Transit Administration/ US Department of Transportation
Yehuda Gross, US Department of Transportation
Terri Hirschhorn, NJ Department Human Services
Sandi Kelly, Camden County Improvement Authority
Robert Koska, NJ Transit
Donna Kovalevich, SCUCS
Raymond Lamboy, Latin American Economic Development Association
Andrew Levecchia, Camden County Improvement Authority
Tony Lingo, Camden City
Kathy Mayfield, Camden County One-Stop
Tom MacAdams, South Jersey Transportation Authority
Jim McLary, United We Ride Ambassador
Carole Miller, South Jersey Transportation Authority
Winifred Miller, Camden County Board of Social Services
Janet Moran, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center
Michael Randolph, New Jersey Transit
Robert Schiavinato, Union Organization for Social Service
Emery Troy, Dooley House
Ronda Urkowitz, Cross Country Connection
Invited but not in attendance:
Robert Ellis, Camden County Board of Social Services
Cheryl Spicer, PATCO
Pippa Woods, NJ Transit
Staff:
Terri Ballard
Sherriea Gorden
Jerome D. Phillips
Jeffrey S. Swartz
Welcome:
Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. thanked attendees for their continued commitment to bring the Transportation Management Coordination Center to the county.
Janet Moran, WIB Chair expressed her gratitude to stakeholders for convening after significant delays to pursue a Transportation Travel Management Center that will represent the interests of all stakeholders.
Federal Overview- Planning Guidelines
Aletha Goodine, provided attendees with concise overview of the RFP process and award resulting in the Phase I funding of $413,451. Phase I funding was used to develop the Phase II Concept and proposal. She further added that all required documentation has been received at the Federal Transit Administration and Phase I will be officially closed out in the near future.
She also stated Camden’s proposal was unanimously approved out of thirty seven received for Phase II funding in the amount of $700, 063 for the development of the Travel Management Coordination Center.
Yehuda Gross added that the approval was based on the proposal received dated December 8, 2008 and that implementation must adhere closely to what was originally accepted to eliminate possible legal ramifications from agencies not funded. The faith based component was a unique aspect of the proposal and must be included in the detailed project plan but cannot be a standalone entity. He further stated that Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) whether virtual or physical, must have a high level design.
He stressed the importance of sustainability and suggested stakeholders find a replacement or revisit the Medicaid broker and seek alternate options. A twenty percent leverage match from local partners is required and must be deployment ready after the first year.
Yehuda advised attendees that Aletha Goodine is to be the point of contact at the federal level going forward on the project and requested stakeholders review the document and submit revisions no later than December 31, 2009. Upon receipt and final approval of the project plan, we will have twelve months for implementation.
Jeffrey Swartz, WIB Executive Director expressed his confidence in our ability to work together to this end and introduced Leona Tanker’s replacement and new Project Manager, Jerome D. Phillips as the WIB contact on the project. Jeff agreed to send the Detailed Project Plan to stakeholders for review and comment and advised them follow-up meetings will be scheduled to address concerns and produce a document that will represent the collaborative effort of all the stakeholders and county residents.
Closing
Janet Moran thanked everyone for their participation and commitment to bring the project to fruition.
Submitted by,
Sherriea Gorden
