Members Present: Shelly Brisbin, Julie Maloukis, Scott Meyer, Juan Muņoz, Will Brown, Jose Loera, Mary Ward.
Members Absent: R.L. Glock (excused); Jerry Doran (excused); Ms. Judy Watford (excused).
Capital Metro Staff Present: Nancy Crowther, John Ancera, Rafael (Ralph) Villareal, Andrew Murphy.
Guests Present: Cathy Shumaker, Dianne Bomar, David Patterson
Call to Order: Chair Shelly Brisbin called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.
Introductions: Introductions were made and the three new members, Will Brown, Jose Loera and Mary Ward were welcomed to the committee. Participants in the meeting gave brief bios to help orient the new members.
Minutes: In the absence of Judy Watford, who had a family emergency and was unable to be present to take the minutes, Mary Ward took minutes at this meeting. Scott Meyer moved that the September 6 Access Committee Meeting minutes be approved. Julie Maloukis seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Subcommittee Reports
STS Committee: In the absence of Jerry Doran, the report was given by Ralph Villareal. Percentages of cancellations for vans, sedans and cabs were given. The locking of the doors was discussed at length during the meeting. Malcolm Grahm, representing the National Federation of the Blind, expressed concerns about the locking of the doors. The committee report stated that the doors were being locked essentially by child safety locks. The issue has been taken to Capital Metro's legal counsel for a decision concerning legal and liability issues. Capital Metro averages approximately two pickups per hours, but cancellations and no-shows reduce this level to 1.69.The next STS subcommittee meeting will be held on October 25 at 5:00 at 323 Congress Avenue.
Fixed Route Committee: Nancy Crowther gave the report in the absence of R. L. Glock. According to the report, the issue of allowing people with disabilities to hail the bus at non-designated areas was discussed. Allowing people with disabilities to exit the bus at non-designated stops was also discussed. The possibility of issuing some type of official hailing device was brought up. The committee also discussed the access award that was given to Capital Metro by Disability Assistance of Central Texas (DACT). Nancy Crowther received this award and reported that Capital Metro is proud of the award. The next Fixed Route subcommittee report meeting will be held at 6:00 on October 25 at 323 Congress Avenue.
Ad Hoc Rail Committee: This was the second meeting with staff dealing with train stations, electronic signs, and ticket vending machines. The first meeting had dealt more with the physical lay-out of the stations. Julie Maloukis and Judy Watford are currently on this ad hoc subcommittee, Another member is needed, and Juan Munos volunteered and was nominated. The next Aad Hoc subcommittee meeting will be held on October 25 at 4:00 p.m. at 323 Congress Avenue, just before the subcommittee meetings.
Recruitment Update: Three new members have been selected out of eight candidates and six interviews. The by laws will be sent to the new members. Chair Brisbin encouraged new members to choose subcommittees to join and reminded existing members that they could opt to change committees if they preferred to do so. Members were encouraged to send information about the committees they would like to join to Ms. Brisbin within the next week.
It was also agreed that elections would be held at the November ACCESS Committee Meeting. Elections will be held for Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary The Fixed Route and STS Committees also have elected chairs. An even number of members is most desirable so that all slots can be filled.
The chair entertained the idea of electing the secretary for periods of six months instead of a full year because secretarial duties make full participation in the meetings difficult. This possibility will be discussed further at future meetings.
An STS Van Prototype: The van prototype was shown by Andrew Murphy. The van is a Goshen coach with a Ford Chassie. It is diesel. The wheelchair lifts will be on one side of the vehicle, and that entire side will be able to be converted into additional wheelchair seating at need. Julie Maloukis suggested that the wheelchair seating be on the left side opposite the door. New wheelchair restraints will be included. The new restraints can be operated by hand or foot controls. The committee members and guests rode on the bus, and all agreed that the ride was much smoother than it is on the current vans, even when the age of the vehicles is taken into account. Mr. Murphy hopes that all 47 vans will be replaced. Ms. Brisbin stated that overall response to the new van prototype has been positive.
Citizens' Communications: Citizens' Communications were given by David Patterson Diane Bomar. Concerns of both were similar. They both discussed dissatisfaction with Special Transit riders being unable to change their destinations and with the locking of the doors in STS sedans.
Announcements The next meeting of the full committee will be on November 1.
Scott Meyer announced the fourth annual White Cane Day, to be held on October 11. Mr. Meyer also discussed the new Disability Fare Card for fixed route. He reported that some riders who are blind had told him that Capital Metro staff had not been helpful to them when they brought in their forms and asked for assistance. Some had also complained to him about the need to go in to the Cap Metro Store twice, once to fill out the form and once to take the picture. Julie Maloukis and Nancy Crowther stated that the forms could be downloaded online. Mary Ward pointed out that even if the forms could be downloaded and printed, the need to use a printed paper form made it impossible for people who are blind to fill them out without assistance, thus making it necessary for them to go to the Cap Metro store twice. The deadline for applications for the new cards is November 15.
Adjournment.The meeting was adjourned at 6:37 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted, Mary Ward. Access interim secretary
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
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