CLEVELAND – Here are highlights of today’s
meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit
Authority (RTA).
Planning and Development Committee
Maribeth Feke, Director, Programming and Planning,
and Frank Polivka, Director of Procurement, updated the Board on the award
of a construction contract for the new, re-located rail station at East 55th
Street. The station, now located at 2890
E. 55th St., serves both light rail and heavy rail. The
project will use federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Later in the meeting, the Board adopted
resolution 2009-48, as listed below.
Michael York, Deputy General Manager, Operations, and
Frank Polivka, Director of Procurement, presented information on a $3.2
million change order to the light-rail vehicle (LRV) overhaul program.
This would raise the project total to $25.76 million. Later in the meeting,
the Board adopted resolution 2009-51, as listed below.
During the full Board
meeting, the Board adopted a number of resolution, including these:
2009-42: Re-appointed
Citizens Advisory Board members
Brad Chase and Mary Vadas Reese to three-year terms. The group has 20
volunteer members. Chase has served since 2006, and is now the Chair,
Reese since 2003.
2009-44: Awarded a
contract to Bialosky
+ Partners Architects LLC of Cleveland for $1.2 million to design a
new Brookpark
Rapid Station, 18010
Brookpark Road. More than 1,400 riders board there each day. About
20.6 percent of the work, or $247,000, will be shared by six DBE firms.
The station opened April 20, 1969. The design of the new facility will
include replacement or reutilization of the present buildings, the
drop-off area (also known as “kiss-and-ride”), bus loop tunnel, platform
and a 1,000-car parking lot, plus improved landscaping along Brookpark
Road. The project will use federal stimulus funds from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The 12-acre site is located
on the border of Cleveland and Brook Park. The design is expected to be
completed next summer.
2009-45: Authorized
a $1.12 million contract with transportation planning consultant PB Americas Inc. to perform an
alternative analysis/environmental study for the Blue Line Corridor in
Shaker Heights, especially the Warrensville
Center Road-Van Aken Boulevard intersection and the end of the Blue
Line. The study must be completed before work can receive federal New
Starts funding. Part of the contract will use federal stimulus funds from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. About 19.1
percent of the work, or $213,431, will be shared by 3 DBE firms.
2009-48: Awarded an
$8.54 million contract with the Albert M. Higley Co. of
Cleveland to build a new, relocated Rapid Transit station at East 55th
Street. This award is 18.5 percent lower than the original RTA estimate.
The current station, built in 1956, serves both light rail and heavy rail
at 2890
East 55th Street. The project includes building a new
station at a new site east of the present station. The station building
will contain about 2,700 square feet, with a new canopy, stairs and
elevator at track level, and an enclosed pedestrian bridge. It will be ADA
compliant, and the platform will be 863-feet long. The project will use
federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) of 2009. About 20 percent of the work, or $1.9 million, will be shared
by 8 DBE firms. Ward 12 Cleveland City Councilman Anthony
Brancatelli, who represents the Slavic Village area, attended the
meeting. He said, “This is great news, fantastic news. RTA is a critical
player in the support of what we are doing in our neighborhoods.” Background
2009-51: Authorized
a $3.2 million change order and time extension for Bombardier Mass Transit
Corp. to complete the overhaul of the light-rail vehicle (LRV) fleet. This
would raise the project total to $25.76 million. The original contract was
awarded in 2001. The work, done in Cornell, NY, will extend the life of
each rail car by 12-15 years, at a cost of about $800,000 per car. The
cost of a new light rail vehicle could be as high as $3 million.
2009-53: Purchased
six parcels of land (6.7 acres) on the east side of Columbia Road at First
Street in Westlake for $1.9 million, to expand the Westlake Park-N-Ride, 24800
Sperry Road. The expansion is needed to meet the increased demand for
transit during the Innerbelt reconstruction project, and it will add 200
spaces to the current lot of 550 spaces. Part of the purchase will use
federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) of 2009.
Other Board action:
Approved the appointment of General Manager Joe
Calabrese to the Senior Transportation Connection (STC).
Learned that ridership year-to-date is down 8
percent from last year, with the reduction due to a local unemployment
rate of 10.8 percent. Year-to-date, ridership on the HealthLine is up 53.6
percent, and average daily trolley ridership is up 16 percent over last
year.
Heard that revenue from a one percent countywide
sales tax continues to lag, and is expected to be $15 million below
budgeted levels by the end of the year. RTA officials continue to work
with State officials on a solution.
Learned that RTA Rail Director Melvin Clark
spent several days in Washington, DC, helping to investigate the cause of
the WMATA subway crash. His rail expertise was sought by officials there.
Learned that RTA has established a Fraud
Hotline, to be used by staff, vendors, contractors and the public to
report concerns. The number is 216-781-4080.
NEXT: Committee meetings onJuly 7, full Board meeting on July 21.
