MEMBERS PRESENT: Michael Nevin (Chair), John McLemore (Vice Chair), Maria Ayerdi, Michael Burns, Arthur Lloyd, Stephen Schmidt, Kenneth Yeager (arrived 10:10 a.m.), Sue Lempert (MTC Liaison, arrived 10:07 a.m.)

MEMBERS ABSENT: Sophie Maxwell, Manuel Valerio

STAFF PRESENT: Michael Scanlon, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Monica Colondres, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Liz Wiecha

Chair Nevin called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. and led the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Marina Kaiser, San Bruno, commented on Mr. Jim Kelley's remarks last month regarding the Sylvan Avenue Station in San Bruno. From what she understands, the station is already in the process of being moved to Sylvan Avenue. The City Council of the City of San Bruno has voted to move it to the San Bruno Avenue site when the grade separation project is accomplished. She also denied that Mr. Kelley represents her as a resident of San Bruno.

Pat Dixon, Redwood City, stated she saw a TV program about safety in transit that was extremely interesting. It was on cable. Since a lot of people do not have cable, she suggested staff to work with George Watson to get said program on Channels 2, 4, 5 and 7.

Ed De Lanoy, San Carlos, reiterated restoration of the Caltrain weekend service during the construction in 2003. He quoted a comment by a VTA official that during these difficult economic times, "we should be revenue-driven". He cited some negative effects of the shutdown and the news releases and other publicity that speak of what cannot be done. He urged the Board to support General Manager/CEO Scanlon in improving the train service by reaching a joint solution to any political question that may arise during the construction.

Richard Mylnarik, San Francisco, recognized and personally thanked Director Schmidt for his participation as Board member of SamTrans and helping improve the transit system. He said Director Schmidt has consistently done his homework, understood issues, has the interest of the people, gone out of his way and listened to what the people are talking about.

Theresa Cook, San Bruno, thanked Mr. Scanlon for the attention given to San Bruno and its safety issues. However, there are more to be taken care of like the yellow blinking lights and many safety issues around the area of San Antonio. In the future, she hoped for a better supervision and association between the City and Caltrain.

CONSENT CALENDAR

The Board unanimously approved the items on the consent calendar as follows:

1. Minutes of meeting of October 7, with correction as pointed out by Mr. Vaughn Wolffe. The last sentence of his comment should be corrected to read: "Railpac would oppose any legislation in the county that pushes more money towards BART prior to the full upgrade of Caltrain, full upgrade being electrification of tracks and complete grade separations."
2. Revenues and Expenses Report, September 2002.

CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT

1. Resolution on the Santa Clara Tower Restoration Project
   Vice Chair McLemore reported on the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Santa Clara Tower held on October 12. The control tower was abandoned in 1993. The City of Santa Clara took over with the help of the Transportation Commission. The South Bay Historical Railroad Society (SFHRS) spent many hundreds of hours of work to restore the Tower. Mr. Chuck Catania of the SBHRS showed a slide and described the machinery inside the Tower and its features.

The Board, by roll call, unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2002-33, recognizing the South Bay Historical Railroad Society for its work, with special credits to project engineer Chuck Catania and museum curator and historian Ed Peterman. The resolution was received by Mr. Catania on behalf of the SBHRS and Mr. Peterman.

MTC LIAISON REPORT

Ms. Sue Lempert reported on the opening ceremony of the two extra lanes of the San Mateo Hayward Bridge. She noted that AC Transit is going to institute express service over the bridge. They plan to stop at the Hillsdale Caltrain Station. She suggested having the service also stop at the Hayward Park Station. Ms. Lempert also advised that the MTC adopted the interim TIP instead of the regular TIP because of the lawsuit against EPA which has not yet been resolved. She announced the outstanding awards received by Director Lloyd and Mr. John Ficarra, former SamTrans and Caltrain Chief Operating Officer. She added Director Burns also received the grand award for everything that he has done for Muni.

REPORT OF CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

Bruce Balshone reported the CAC discussed Caltrain safety and ADA accessibility issues. They reviewed the bus bridge situation and the frequency of stops. They suggested staff looking at Redwood City and San Francisco because under the bus bridge program, only San Mateo County is served. The Committee is concerned that about eight stations are not ADA accessible. They would like all stations to meet the ADA guidelines and see more work on safety in the Strategic Plan. A subcommittee was established to review the Strategic Plan. The CAC will meet this month in San Francisco. They will discuss San Francisco issues related to the Transbay Terminal Project, the 2nd Street and Bayshore stations. The December CAC meeting will be held in Santa Clara in which they will look at Santa Clara issues.

REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mr. Scanlon made the following report:

• Expressed his condolences on the passing of General Counsel David Miller's mother.
• Recognized the awards given by MTC to Director Lloyd and Mr. John Ficarra, and particularly Director Burns for his contributions to Muni.
• Caltrain ridership continues on a downward trend. Last year, ridership was up at 34,500. It is 28,600 this year. This is attributed to the weakening economy, the cutting of service by five percent and raising of fares by 10 percent. Revenue was down 13 percent. On-time performance was 96.6 percent.
• There was another fatality (suicide) this month, the fifth for the year.
• Staff will distribute give aways to children during the "Trick or Tracks" campaign to promote safety.
• In response to the comment of Mr. De Lanoy, Mr. Scanlon stated that the contract for CTX construction has been in place for many months, and it would not be feasible from fiscal or scheduling perspectives to change the terms of the agreement at this time.
• On the San Bruno station, the location is going to be moved back to Sylvan Avenue as previously decided by the Board. A grade separation will be constructed at the appropriate location.
• The Monthly Safety and Security Report is in the reading file.
• Shark service started. Boarding and crowding problems that existed before have been resolved.
• The Mountain View Station Dedication is on November 7 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
• Sunday and holiday services will be provided on Thanksgiving Day.
• The first consist of the Baby Bullet train rolled for the World Series. Mr. Chuck Harvey made a presentation on the Baby Bullet train highlighting its fine features including the bike rack designs, the power outlet that can be used for laptops, and the lower level step. He noted the presence of Amtrak police and security for the World Series and sheriffs on duty. He stated more of these consists will start rolling when preparations have been completed.
• Next fall, the JPB will be the host to the California Transit Association Annual Conference.

APPROVAL OF 2003 BOARD MEETINGS

The Board unanimously approved the meeting schedule as follows:

1. The January 2003 meeting will be moved from the 2nd to the 9th, the rest of the dates are unchanged.
2. March meeting will be held in Santa Clara County.
3. September meeting will be in San Francisco.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE

Monica Colondres, Human Resources Director, reported every two years, the JPB has to update its Conflict of Interest Code. Positions that have been changed were identified and adjustments were made to the code. The 45-day comment period starts today for the public to make recommendations. Comments if any, will be taken to the Board for approval in January 2003.

AWARD OF CONTRACT TO VELLUTINI CORPORATION FOR THE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF VISUAL MESSAGE SYSTEM SIGNS WITH THREE ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT PRICE OF $1,210,838

George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, reported Staff Coordinating Council (SCC) is recommending award of the contract to Vellutini Corporation (dba Royal Electric Company), the lowest responsible and responsive bidder for the purchase and installation of visual message units at six Caltrain Stations plus options for the purchase and installation at three additional stations. The bid is $816,189. Options of $394,369 are contingent upon PCJPB available funding. The total price is $1,210,838. The engineer's estimate is $1,490,678. The SCC further recommends that the Executive Director be authorized to execute the contract with Royal Electric and to exercise the three additional options subject to PCJPB funding availability.

The Board, by roll call, unanimously approved Resolution No. 2002-34.

ELECTRIFICATION STATUS REPORT

Liz Wiecha, Director, Capital Project Management, reported on the electrification project for the quarter ending September 30, 2002. She stated the main issue is the availability of funding for the ongoing work. Because of the Federal action freezing the funds, staff is reprioritizing the preliminary engineering work to make use of monies that are available from previous years. On-going effort on preliminary engineering will be slowed down to balance the work with the resources available to support the project. With the encouragement of the Executive Director, staff is looking at creative financing and other ways to obtain funds for the project. The administrative draft of the environmental document has already been submitted to the FTA for their review. Upon completion of the review and incorporation of their comments, public meetings will start. Ms. Wiecha outlined the work accomplished for the first quarter of FY 2003 that includes the Secondary Soils Reports for the northern and southern alignments, the Traction Power System Report and the work plan for future design activities. Deliverables for the second quarter of FY 2003 are the development of an interface management system for the electrification project, PE electrification drawings, electrification systems design criteria, and updated capital cost estimates. The workplan will be pursued once additional funding is made available. Full funded activities under the environmental review processes are ongoing. The schedule shows revenue service delivery by the end of calendar year 2008. Ms. Wiecha reiterated that project funding is going to be driving this particular effort.

Public Comment
Vaughn Wolffe inquired about the operating schemes on the 27 locomotives. He further stated in April 1999, this board voted that electrification would get the highest priority in the upgrade process. That vote has been completely ignored. Electrification is not a high priority at all. Although he recognizes that staff is working very hard, their efforts are not evident by the progress in this project.

Director Lloyd shared his experience in riding the new Acela train in his recent trip from Washington to Boston. He was impressed by the modern locomotive's ride quality at 150 miles per hour. Electrification completely eliminated visual pollution. The catenary is in the back. He stated Acela is really a credit to Amtrak.

Mr. Scanlon, in response to the comment of Mr. Wolffe, stated the records show that many things are being done with regard Caltrain improvements and electrification. What is being presented at this time is a very conservative view of what can be done. Funding availability is what is driving the project now. The three partners of this board, last year, had to come up with reduced capital and operating budgets. Everybody is trying to do what can possibly be done to move electrification onward. But if the money is not there, there is no way the project could go ahead. Efforts are geared towards creative funding. There is no deliberate effort to slow down the work on the project.

Direct Schmidt absolutely agreed with Mr. Scanlon's remarks. He pointed out that the April 1999 vote was essential to make any progress on this project. He hoped that everyone appreciates the fact that a policy should first be established in order to get any money and now, due to the downturn in the economy, there is a money struggle and it is not easy.

Director Ayerdi asked what Mr. Wolffe meant by operating plan that has not been presented.

Mr. Scanlon answered that Mr. Wolffe wants to see how the 27 locomotives would be deployed. Mr. Scanlon stated it would be partial. Electrification would be brought incrementally. The trains would be run part diesel and part electric. In 2008 or 2009 when the system would be fully electrified, the 27 locomotives will be deployed over the entire length of the railroad. Meanwhile, there will be a mixed fleet. As to how this will operate, again there needs to be creative thinking regarding workplan and funding to get the job done. Towards this direction, Ian McAvoy, Deputy Chief of Development, is in conversation with several car builders regarding design/build and turnkey type of operation. Meanwhile, work continues in the conventional way.

QUARTERLY CAPITAL PROGRAM STATUS REPORT

Liz Wiecha reported on the progress of the construction under the North CTX contract. She gave an update on the track rehabilitation and construction of the Millbrae Station for the Baby Bullet track and the signal work. She stated that the contractor is nearing completion of the Center Street grade crossing upgrades. Work completed included 6,000 feet of track reconstruction, furnishing and installation of two No. 10 concrete turnouts, installation of No. 20 concrete tie crossover and installation of 7,000 new wood ties.

The South CTX bids will be opened in November. Contract will be awarded in December. Ms. Wiecha discussed the scope of work under the South CTX contract. The work includes systemwide track rehab, centralized traffic control and signal system upgrades from Menlo Park to San Jose, Baby Bullet passing tracks in the Lawrence Station area in Sunnyvale and New Lawrence Station. Included as a bid option is the replacement of the entire jointed rail between Atherton and Sunnyvale. Ms. Wiecha also reported that the downtown extension environmental document has been released for public review. Public meetings are scheduled in San Francisco and in San Carlos on November 12 and 13 to get public input. She further noted that passenger train car rehab was completed as of the end of the quarter and added new Bombardier cars are on the property and currently in revenue service.

Director Burns inquired about the budget for the centralized CTX Maintenance Facility.

Howard Goode, Chief Development Officer responded that an updated engineer's estimate will be submitted in mid December.

Director Burns asked what was the current project cost. Mr. Goode responded the current cost is still the same as indicated in the last Quarterly Report. Ms. Wiecha added in September, there was a peer review participated in by equipment maintenance experts, chief mechanical officers and representatives from various commuter rail properties throughout the country. The group went through the scope of the project and the layout of the site as proposed. The general conclusion of the group was that staff has scoped the project to the minimal level that is necessary to maintain the fleet of rolling stock in operation as contemplated. They did not find any niceties that could be eliminated to effectuate cost savings. The feedback was more on refinement.

In connection with the construction of the Brisbane Station and the pedestrian overpass, Director Burns reported that some residents of San Francisco are requesting reconsideration of the facade in the way that the facility appears, to make it more in line with some of their thinking. He requested that staff work with the local groups that are involved in this issue and report back next meeting. He noted that Director Sophie Maxwell has written a letter pertaining to the same subject matter.

Mr. Scanlon acknowledged receipt of the letter from Director Maxwell this morning. Staff will be working with the local group and report back next month.

Public Comment:
Fran Martin, Chair of the Visitacion Valley Planning Alliance, advised that the Brisbane community is concerned about the Caltrain design for the Bayshore overpass. She distributed to the Board copies of a design created by architect, Robin Chiang and engineer David Bleiman that enhances the aesthetic appearance of the facility. She stated the cost is within the budget with minimum maintenance expenses. It also addresses seismic safety.

Bill Threadgill, El Dorado School and member of the Planning Alliance, stated the Brisbane station is the portal to San Francisco. The community in Visitacion Valley has worked for several years to look at that site that adjoins the Caltrain Station. He expressed appreciation of staff's willingness to work with the group on this issue.

REPORT OF LEGAL COUNSEL

None at this time.

CORRESPONDENCE

Available in the reading file. No comments from the Board.

ADJOURNED: 11:24 a.m.

DATE/TIME OF NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 9, 2003, 10 a.m. at 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, California.