SMART buses will offer free rides to polling places on Election Day.
Hello metro Detroit! At 2 p.m. I’ll live-tweet the @smartbusorg Board of Directors meeting for #DETdocumenters. 🧵
Our partners: @DetDocumenters, @media_outlier, @BridgeDet313, @chalkbeatDET, @Detour_Detroit, @freep, @metrotimes, @PlanetDetroit and @wdet.
01:01 PM Oct 27, 2022 CDT
Join this meeting online or by phone: https://www.smartbus.org/About/Our-Organization/Board-of-Directors/Board-Meeting-Schedule
Detroit Documenters will have more notes, recordings and archived documents: https://detroit.documenters.org/assignments/board-of-directors-4842/
📎 Today’s meeting packet: https://www.smartbus.org/Portals/0/SMART%20October%202022%20Board%20Book_1.pdf https://t.co/ZMrD5vvJlZ
🏃 Need to catch up on the SMART? See our past reporting: https://detroit.documenters.org/reporting/?agency=452
Clarissa Williams took notes on the last meeting we covered…: https://detroit.documenters.org/assignments/board-of-directors-4549/
And Amber live-tweeted: https://twitter.com/organizedoracle/status/1573007386771611652
🗞 Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County voters will decide whether to continue funding public transit in the metro area. Notably, Oakland County will decide on a 10-year millage that eliminates the ability for municipalities to opt-out. @minnaharshad reported: https://www.crainsdetroit.com/transportation/2022-smart-bus-millages-ballots-oakland-wayne-macomb
Your appointed SMART boardmembers:
• Vicki Wolber, chair (Macomb)
• Hilarie Chambers, vice chair (Oakland)
• John Paul Rea (Macomb)
• Bret Rasegan (Oakland)
• Abdul Haidous (Wayne)
• @KhalilRahal55 (Wayne)
• Royce Maniko (Monroe)
https://www.smartbus.org/About/Our-Organization/Board-of-Directors
🚩 Need visual descriptions? Reply and I’ll provide them to you.
Something inaccurate? Email documenters@outliermedia.org with the subject “Correction Request.” I’ll add corrections at the end.
Meeting is starting soon!
⌚️ At 2:03 p.m., the meeting begins! Wolber calls the meeting to order and they say the Pledge of Allegiance.
👤 Roll call! It sounds like everyone is present. https://t.co/U2ZUYiPD0g
They proceed to approve the agenda. One boardmember, unidentified, wants to amend an item related to free SMART rides during Election Day. Both the amendment and the agenda are approved.
The board approves the nominating committee’s recommended appointment of officers to the Board of Directors.
The board also approves the minutes from its Sept. 20 meeting. A boardmember says they really liked meeting at an unnamed facility in Troy, where they got to see SMART’s new electric buses.
Robert Pawlowski, Wayne County Youth Council member residing in Southgate, gives some positive remarks about his work with the board. He also likes SMART’s highway billboards in Oakland County. … https://t.co/1FRGZLGKCV
Pawlowski says he and the Youth Council are exploring ways to expand ridership, including free fares. “It’s something that we can (use to) bring students on SMART again.” …
Lastly, he says “it’s time to upgrade” the fareboxes on buses because users of the Dart smartphone app don’t have any way to scan their pass. Pawlowski says they typically just take a screenshot of the pass barcode and show that to the driver.
Cunningham, a paratransit user with a disability and a taxi driver, likewise stresses the need for SMART to engage with young people. They also strongly advocate for 24 hour bus service. …
Cunningham suggests funding that by selling audio advertisements on buses. This commenter’s audio is cutting in and out, making it hard to hear anything from them, and the board decides to move on.
📊 At 2:17 p.m., the board proceeds to a presentation on ridership of the SMART Flex on-demand service. The presenter, Danny, says they get a lot of reservation cancellations and no-shows in Oakland County. The service gets two rides per hour, on average. … https://t.co/DAvHc28YId
Driver response time has slightly increased, but it’s “nothing that would cause alarm,” this presenter says.
Average ratings from passengers remains at 4.8 — the same since April. …
The presenter says as Oakland University expands use of its west campus, SMART expects more usage of the Flex service. https://t.co/sRXOSN7Nuw
Chair Wolber reviews their advertising efforts, saying SMART intends to increase TV advertising in the coming weeks. The agency also does newspaper and social media advertising.
💼 At 2:26 p.m., the board proceeds to new business. They move to approve the resolution to “Award a Contract for Software License and Support for Bus Shelter Digital Display Screens.” … https://t.co/leEFSwkaY8
A presenter says these screens are installed at 56 bus shelters from a California-based vendor. The board approves.
Item B: “Authorization to Approve a Revenue Contract Extension with AT&T for Tower Lease.” The presenter says it’s a “unique” contract that allows AT&T to lease SMART properties for their wireless towers, and would bring in significant revenue. … https://t.co/hoRIAM7B8U
They also say the process is “becoming a little more complicated.” Despite that, the board approves.
Item C: “Authorization to Approve a Contract Extension with T-Mobile USA, Inc. Cellular for Fixed-Route & Paratransit.” The board approves.
Item D: “Contract for Manage Security Service Provider (MSSP).” The staffmember presenting says this contractor is a cybersecurity consultant that plans to conduct two assessments with SMART. …
The agency has a biannual schedule for cybersecurity assessments — their previous assessment was in 2017. The board approves.
Item E: “Contract for Connector Bus Body and Vehicle Repair Service.” This presenter says the contractor is based in Clinton Township and is a new vendor. The contractor will conduct body repairs of fixed-route buses. The board approves. https://t.co/Bd9J7juZ6n
Item F: “Additional Funding for the Oakland Pavement Improvement Project,” for SMART’s Oakland terminal. It will cost over $76,000. The presenter says the project is already completed. (?) The board approves.
Item G: “Updated Agency Safety Plan in Compliance with Bipartisan Infrastructure LawChanges to 49 U.S.C § 5329(d).” This presenter says this safety plan mainly concerns with bus operator and SMART employee safety. … https://t.co/Q5FaOeY4gB
Wolber says they met safety vendors at a conference in Chicago that SMART is considering. The presenter also says they have already established a safety committee. …
An unidentified boardmember recounts a veteran 20-year bus driver saying they’ve seen increased assaults against SMART employees in recent years. The board approves this resolution.
Now the amended voting item for SMART to offer free rides to polling locations on Election Day, put forward by an unidentified boardmember. …
Another boardmember asks if they should abstain since they are up for election — looks like they will. Someone asks if SMART has done this before — nope! The board approves this item.
⏱ At 2:46 p.m., the meeting adjourns!
I wasn’t able to find when the next Board of Directors meeting will be. Feel free to share if you do know. https://t.co/ZnozbCpjss
That’s my live coverage of this SMART Board of Directors meeting. As always, thank you for following along!
For more local meeting coverage, check out http://Documenters.org. https://www.documenters.org/
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