Summer/Fall 2016 Volume XXII Nos. 1 & 2 Our Vision To be a recognized leader and innovator in the provision of support services to ensure efficient, effective, safe and coordinated use of mass transit resources (for public benefit). Our Mission To assist in meeting the mass transportation needs of South Carolina s citizens by providing statewide transportation planning and research; administration of state and federal funds and assistance programs; evaluation of existing and proposed programs and of coordination of mass transit programs. Inside This Issue 2nd Subrecipient Workshop held by OPT........................... 1 South Carolina transit advocate wins award at national transportation conference........................2 OPT continues series of regional roadeos...........................4 News You Can Use................6 CARTA to receive $6.1 million to purchase new commuter buses...6 New campaign known as CARTA Commerce to encourage ridership......................... 6 Updates on ongoing projects......7 People in TRANSITion............ 7 FYI (training opportunities)....... 9 2nd Subrecipient Workshop held by OPT The second Subrecipient Workshop sponsored by the SCDOT s Office of Public Transit was held on August 22 and 23, 2016. Attendees gathered at The River Center at Saluda Shoals Park in Columbia for a day and a half of general and specialized training on topics related to FTA funding programs administered by the OPT. Roughly following the format of last year s very successful one-day Subrecipient s Workshop, this year s training provided a general session for all participants which featured information on such subjects as the SC State Management Plan revision, RTAP and updates on the organization of the OPT, just to name a few. After the general session, there were concurrent or breakout sessions where subrecipients of 5310 or 5307/5311 funding received information pertinent to these programs. Topics covered during these sessions included Compliance Reviews, OPSTATS and NTD Reporting, Civil Rights Overview for 5310, Vehicle Procurement Review, and Budget Amendments and the launch of the new e-stip. (See page 7 for more on the e-stip under Updates on ongoing projects. ) A highlight of the first day was a presentation by CATBUS on their Low or No Emission Grant Program. Referred to as the LO-NO Emissions Program by the system, it builds on the successful deployment of zero-emissions transit service in South Carolina and is part of the city s (Clemson s) strategy for a cleaner, more fuel-efficient transit system. The funding is slightly more than $3.9 million and its local match requirement will be met by CATBUS and Clemson University. (Continued on page 2) 1
(Continued from page 1) There was much opportunity for networking with other subrecipients of transit funding and with six vendors of transit vehicles who had their vehicles on display outside. This year s Subrecipient Workshop was increased from a one-day event to a day and a half due to evaluation feedback in which many participants noted that a day was simply not enough time to cover the many topics and give fair treatment to them. Therefore, the 2016 Subrecipient Workshop allowed for more topics to be introduced. It is hoped that this workshop proved to be just as beneficial to all as last year s did. Scenes from the 2016 Office of Public Transit s Subrecipient Workshop Carolyn Sawyer, well-known meeting facilitator, communicator and former broadcast journalist, served as the workshop s emcee and announcer. This year s gathering of public transportation service professionals was large with over 100 persons attending the day and a half of training and networking South Carolina transit advocate wins award at national transportation conference Bettye Scott of Bishopville, SC has received national recognition, as the recipient from South Carolina, of the Rural Mobility Champion Award presented at the 22nd Annual National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation. The conference recently took place in Asheville, NC and Bettye was given the award during a luncheon on October 3rd. The award was presented by Patricia Monahan, Co-Chair of the National Conference. After many years of hard work by Bettye and others, she is being honored for her role as the catalyst behind the success of the Lee County Transit Task Force Coalition in realizing a dream of having local public transportation in rural Lee County. (See TRANSITLINES, Summer/Fall 2015 issue, Free public transportation service to begin in Lee County on page 3). The funding for this new service was made possible largely due to a capital penny sales tax which passed in a referendum in Lee County in 2012 thanks, in part, to the efforts of the coalition. Bettye normally shies away from the limelight and does not seek personal recognition or gain but no one in her community nor those who nominated her for this award could ignore the tireless efforts that have made her a true champion for rural transportation. Over five years ago, Bettye met with then-executive director of the Santee-Wateree Regional Transportation Authority (SWRTA), Ann August. Her motive was to explore what could be done to begin public transportation in Lee County, one of the state s least populous counties. Bettye was encouraged by Ms. August to move forward and she pledged the support of SWRTA toward this vision. 2 (Continued on page 3)
(Continued from page 2) Thus, began Bettye s quest to secure transit service for her county. She met with many persons and groups over the next several years. Organizations included the Santee-Lynches Council of Governments (SLCOG); Lee County officials; churches in her community; and numerous others. Her work paid off as Bettye was instrumental in forming and chairing the Lee County Transit Task Force Coalition. Once the coalition s work became widely known, a transit team was created by the SWRTA, the SLCOG, Lee County representatives, and Easter Seals Project Action. More meetings were held which resulted in uniting the stakeholders to work together for a transit initiative. This initiative resulted in the aforementioned capital penny sales tax referendum being put on the county s ballot. Additional support came afterward from the SWRTA, the SLCOG, Lee County representatives and the SCDOT s Office of Public Transit in order to keep the momentum going. Despite a long period of illness during those years, Bettye never lost sight of her goal. And what she accomplished should serve as a model for other small, rural counties facing similar mobility problems. Bettye was nominated for this prestigious award by Lottie Jones, executive director of SWRTA, whose agency is the contract provider of the service now called Lee County Trans, and Curtis Sims, Jr., the training, safety and security program manager for the SCDOT s Office of Public Transit. Bettye Scott is congratulated by (left to right) Dr. Yvette Taylor, FTA Region IV Administrator; Curtis Sims, Jr., SCDOT-OPT Training, Safety and Security Program Manager; Carolyn Flowers, Acting Administrator of the FTA; Ms. Scott; and Lottie Jones, Executive Director of the Santee-Wateree Regional Transportation Authority. 3
OPT continues series of regional roadeos The Office of Public Transit, with support from our transit partners around the state, continued a series of transit operator roadeos in 2016. Columbia was the site of the first regional event and participants came from the state s four planning regions of Santee-Lynches, Central Midlands, Upper Savannah and Appalachian. The COAST RTA and SanteeWateree RTA attended this roadeo as well as the regional roadeo in Florence. The vehicle categories or types in which operators competed were the 35-foot bus, cut-away, and the MV-1. The location was the pursuit driving course at the state s Criminal Justice Academy and it was a hot day on August 27th. Drivers began early in the morning and finished up with an informal awards presentation in the late afternoon. First, second and third place finishers in each of the above mentioned categories are shown below. In each photo, the awardee is flanked by Johnny Mmanuike, Director of the OPT (left) and Lottie Jones, Executive Director of SWRTA and chair of the roadeo committee (right). 4 1st place - 35-foot bus Phillip Patterson of The COMET 2nd place 35- foot bus Willie Gee of The COMET 3rd place 35-foot bus Casper Allison of COAST RTA 1st place cut-away bus Arian Nikolla of COAST RTA 2nd place cut-away bus Maria Thompson of Palmetto Breeze 3rd place cut-away bus Shannon Harris of COAST RTA 1st place MV-1 vehicle Joeann Mickens of Lee County DSNB 2nd place MV-1 vehicle Ruth Crosby of Santee-Wateree RTA 3rd place MV-1 vehicle Lucille Rouse of Lee County DSNB (Continued on page 5)
(Continued from page 4) The second regional roadeo took place in Florence, SC at the Florence-Darlington Technical College on September 24th. Again, a hot day with much sunshine saw a large turn-out of drivers from the planning regions of Pee Dee, Catawba and Waccamaw come out to test their skills. The vehicle categories were the same as in the previous roadeo and first, second and third place winners in each category were as follows. In each photo, the winner is on the left. 1st place 35-foot bus Gary Bradley of COAST RTA 2nd place 35-foot bus Warren Joye of Santee-Wateree RTA 3rd place 35-foot bus Willie McKoy of Pee Dee RTA 1st place cut-away bus Lillie Hudson of Santee-Wateree RTA 2nd place cut-away bus Angie Scott of Williamsburg County Transit System 3rd place cut-away bus Endia Hannibal of Lee County DSNB 1st place MV-1 vehicle Gloria Scott of Pee Dee RTA 2nd place MV-1 vehicle Betty Jiles of Willliamsburg County Transit System 3rd place MV-1 vehicle Ruth Crosby of Santee-Wateree RTA The third and final regional roadeo for the year is to be held in Bluffton, SC at the May River High School on November 19, 2016. It will bring together drivers/operators from the Lowcountry, Lower Savannah and the Berkeley-CharlestonDorchester planning regions. See the last item under FYI Training Opportunities on page 10 of this issue for more details. We will report on the top finishers in this roadeo in the next TRANSITLINES. 5
NEWS YOU CAN USE! The Office of Public Transit has a very limited number of flash drives containing all the Powerpoint presentations from the 2016 Subrecipient s Workshop that are free for the asking. Simply contact Jim Frierson at the OPT at (803) 737-3601 or e-mail him at friersonjm@scdot.org and request yours. Only one per agency or individual, please.. CARTA to receive $6.1 million to purchase commuter buses CARTA, the Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority, will be the subrecipient of over six million dollars in FTA funds that will be used to purchase 16 40-foot, low-floor buses and related items such as electronic fareboxes, security camera systems, bike racks and more. The monies come from the FTA s Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Program which is authorized under the Fixing America s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act signed by President Obama in December, 2015. The grant recipient is actually the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), the local government planning agency which oversees CARTA. This is a huge win for our region and is another important step toward CARTA s strategic goal of updating its fleet, said CARTA Board Chairman Mike Seekings. All of the new buses will replace current CARTA Express commuter buses. Currently, there are four CARTA Express routes serving the greater Charleston area including North Charleston, James Island, Mount Pleasant, Downtown, West Ashley, Tanger Outlets and the international airport. New campaign known as CARTA Commerce to encourage ridership A recently launched incentive campaign which the Charleston Area Regional Transit Authority is calling CARTA Commerce now consists of seven local businesses. With a byline of Ride Local, Buy Local, the movement uses incentives offered by local businesses to get the public to use transit. The incentives may take the form of discounts or other giveaways to customers with a valid CARTA bus pass. Participants will receive a CARTA Commerce decal and social media promotions. There is no cost for the business to participate. We support CARTA Commerce because public transportation helps the environment and is critical if we want to continue to enjoy the quality of life we re used to in Charleston, noted Brady Quirk-Garvan, a business development associate at Money-With-a-Mission. CARTA Board Chairman Mike Seekings stated Companies that buy into alternative modes of transit are part of the solution to mitigating traffic woes, reducing CO 2 emissions and enhancing Charleston s livability. He went on to say that We applaud these groups for leading the effort and (we) expect to literally drive new business into their shops. Among the Charleston area businesses who have joined the campaign are the aforementioned Money-Witha-Mission, an investment advisory firm; others are The Codfather, a fish and chips restaurant; Affordabike, a bicycle shop; Children s Museum of the Lowcountry; and Cooking Carolina, a food truck and catering service. For more information on CARTA Commerce and to register as a participant, visit www.ridecarta.com/cartacommerce. --- Information for each of these two articles is from a media alert released by CARTA/BCDCOG, written by Daniel Brock, Rawle-Murdy Associates, Inc. on September 8, 2016 and a media alert written by Sebastian Hale, Rawle-Murdy Associates, Inc. on September 6, 2016. 6
Updates on Ongoing Projects E-STIP (Electronic Statewide Transportation Improvement Program) While not a project of the Office of Public Transit, an important new initiative was launched on October 1, 2016 that affects the OPT as well as many of our public transportation partners. The project has been in the development stage for more than a year. It reached a final phase this year when a consultant was hired by SCDOT s Office of Planning to design the software that will enable internal (SCDOT) and external (FHWA, FTA, MPOs, COGs) users to enter data and approvals into the agency s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, better known as the STIP. The Office of Public Transit had considerable input into the development process during this year with a view toward making sure that OPT s planning managers would be able to access the system. This program is now available only in an electronic document format that, as of the first of October, is called the e-stip. The former STIP was available as an electronic document on the SCDOT website but was also available in print form. While the general public and other external users who only want to research information from the document, will see little or no difference from the previous online version, the new e-stip will have significant advantages for those who input and approve data and make changes and corrections. Requests for amendments and corrections will only have to be entered one time. It will now be easier to track transportation projects, including transit funding projects. Interested persons, including the general public, will be able to find a project by using a key word search feature. It will also be possible for FHWA and FTA approvers to enter their approvals at any time electronically. All of these new features and several others will enable the OPT planning managers to more efficiently track transit project funding and submit requests received from MPOs and COGs into the amendment and correction process in a more timely manner. OPT planning managers will be able to take a more hands on responsibility for entering data for transit projects than was previously possible. While there may be a few glitches or hiccups along the way during the initial period of deployment, it is believed that the e-stip will be a vast improvement over the SCDOT s long-running earlier format. People in TRANSITion In June, 2016, the Lower Savannah Council of Governments announced the promotion of Rhonda Mitchell to the position of transit manager. Rhonda joined the LSCOG in 2006 and has held responsibilities in the COG s Administration and Human Services Departments. Most recently, she was the Aiken County urban transit operations manager. Rhonda began her working career in textile manufacturing where she gained vast managerial knowledge and experienced first-hand the importance of having a strong and viable workforce. She has acquired a great transportation skill set through a variety of training and educational seminars and workshops. This has resulted in her commitment to search for solutions to expand public transportation opportunities in the Lower Savannah region. Rhonda serves on the board of directors for the S.C. Alliance for Mobile Infrastructure (now known as TASC), the Aiken County First Steps board of directors, and she is also the treasurer for the local Military Order of the Purple Heart Ladies Auxiliary in Aiken County. ---- Information from COGNITION, the official newsletter of the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, Issue 3, 2016. Greenville Transportation Director Mark Rickards left his position as head of the city s Greenlink (Greenville Transit Authority) in mid-july, 2016. Mark had been with the system since May 31, 2012. He is now the transit manager for Ocean City, Maryland. As transit manager, he will oversee a fleet of nearly 70 buses, 8 boardwalk trams with 24 tram carts and nearly 250 employees. He will also manage a budget of $5 million. Mark has had a varied career. He grew up in Frankford, Delaware and spent much of his free time visiting the Ocean City area. Graduating from High Point University with bachelor s degrees in political science and history, Mark also earned a teacher s certificate. Unable to find work as a teacher, he became a police officer in Chapel Hill, NC. After five years, he went back to school to receive a master s degree in regional planning with a specialization in transportation planning and modeling from the University of North Carolina. His introduction to transit was as an intern with the transit system in Chapel Hill. (Continued on page 8) 7
(Continued from page 7) Mark s public transit experience includes several leadership positions. He served as transportation engineer for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation in Richmond for 12 years. After that, he was the executive director for the Williamsburg (VA) Area Transit Authority. Following this, he became transportation director in Greenville, SC. In taking the reins of the transit system in Ocean City, Mark said, I have family and friends in this area and I m so happy to be coming home to work in my chosen career. ---- Information from All roads lead home for Rickards, by Katie Tabeling, Ocean City Today, July 7, 2016. Renee Miller-Cotton joined the Office of Public Transit staff in early July of this year as the new regional program manager for the Appalachian, Upper Savannah, Catawba and Pee Dee regions of the state. She was previously in the SCDOT s Office of Business Development and Special Programs. During her tenure there, she served as the Title VI coordinator. Renee is originally from Indianapolis, Indiana and is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC where she earned a BA in economics. She also received a master s of public administration (MPA) degree from Indiana University. Renee brings to her new position several years of work experience in the areas of program management and compliance with respect to FHWA, FTA, and HUD federal-aid programs and activities. Her new duties will entail program management, invoice processing and compliance issues for the SCDOT s subrecipients as well as oversight of some direct recipients of FTA funds in the above listed planning regions of the state. As a participant in a Summer Transportation Internship Program for Diverse Groups (STIPDG), the SCDOT welcomed Candra Beedle, a rising junior at the University of West Georgia, for several weeks of intense learning. Starting in early June, Candra worked with Barbara Beagles in the SCDOT s Office of Business Development for one week. Then she spent time at the FHWA SC Division Office for another week where her mentor, Pamela Foster, scheduled her to learn about the NEPA review and certification process. Following this, Candra accompanied FHWA SC Division staff to see how bridge and road repair inspections were done in the aftermath of South Carolina s record flooding last year. During the week of July 5th through the 15th, Candra was in the Office of Public Transit (OPT) preparing a paper that she and three other interns from the program presented in Washington, DC at the conclusion of the second week of August. After completing her two weeks with OPT in July, Candra went back to the Office of Business Development for another week; a Federal Certification Review with the ARTS MPO in Augusta, GA; a SCDOT-sponsored design/ build contractor s outreach fair in Spartanburg; gave a presentation on all she had learned to the FHWA SC Division staff on August 1st; and finally, a return visit to the OPT on August 2nd through the 4th as a final wrap-up before heading to Washington, DC to assist in presenting her team s paper. Their paper dealt with transportation and the environment discussing innovations to mitigate congestion, improve mobility for those with disabilities, and the need for cleaner, non-polluting vehicles. Candra s major is health and community wellness with a minor in economics. Her interest in mobility on demand (MOD) as it relates to health and the environment led to her participation in the STIPDG. This program is funded by The Washington Center in Washington, DC. It is open to students in all majors and is designed to provide qualified women, persons with disabilities, and members of diverse groups with summer opportunities in transportation where these groups have been under-represented. 8
FYI Training Opportunities OCTOBER 18-20, 2016 & DECEMBER 6-8, 2016 DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE JACKSONVILLE, FL & CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA Offered in Jacksonville in October and in Charlottesville in December, this training is designed to assist transit agency staff who work with DBEs and FTA regional staff with developing and implementing policies and procedures consistent with USDOT s revised DBE regulations, 49 CFR Part 26, and USDOT guidance. This course will furnish a basic understanding and working knowledge of the USDOT DBE regulations and USDOT guidance. Attendees will be provided with the tools necessary to design and implement a DBE program in their organizations or agencies. The training is recommended for DBE managers, general managers, and procurement managers of transit systems and state DOTs as well as MPOs. It is oriented towards FTA grantees and subrecipients and focuses on transit-related DBE issues. It does not provide the specific technical assistance related to FHWA or FAA DBE issues. Some of the issues to be covered are the federal requirements regarding DBEs; setting annual DBE goals; accounting for and reporting DBE participation; FTA s role in the DBE process and certification of DBEs. Cost is $450.00 for contractors, consultants, and free for all others. For additional information, please contact Myrna Sirleaf at the National Transit Institute at (848) 932-6040 or e-mail at msirleaf@nti.rutgers.edu. OCTOBER 25-26, 2016 INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WASHINGTON, DC This training will instruct FTA s grantees and subrecipients on how to effectively satisfy the requirements of Executive Order 12898, USDOT Order 5610.2(a) and FTA Circular 4703.1 on environmental justice. It is intended to serve as guidance for practitioners, reviewers, and grantees on effective ways for integrating the consideration of environmental justice impacts throughout the transportation planning and project development/ NEPA processes. Topics to be discussed are the importance of environmental justice and how it affects transportation decision-making; identifying the difference between Title VI and environmental justice; and understanding the compliance process for planning and implementing under NEPA. The audience for this training includes RPO/MPO staff, state DOT and transit agency staff. Cost for the course is $600.00 for consultants, contractors, and non-profit agencies; free for all others. For more information, contact NTI s Ginny Stern at (848) 932-6592 or e-mail at gstern@nti.rutgers.edu. NOVEMBER 3, 2016 SC TRANSPORTATION AND WELLNESS SUMMIT: RIDING TO WELLNESS! COLUMBIA, SC This one-day conference is sponsored by the Transportation Association of South Carolina (TASC; formerly the SC Alliance for Mobile Infrastructure) through a grant from the Office of Public Transit s Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP). It will bring together key individuals from the health and wellness perspective which includes active living and healthy lifestyles advocates, bicycle and pedestrian advocates, environmental professionals, transportation planners, transit system administrators, local community leaders, local and state appointed and elected officials, as well as representatives of the aging and disabilities and special needs communities. The purpose of the summit will be to discuss methods to successfully overcome barriers to accessible and affordable transportation. Key leaders will educate attendees on the current status of public transit in our state and the dire need for increased levels of funding to expand and enhance transportation services. The Federal Transit Administration s (Continued on page 10) 9
(Continued from page 9) Rides to Wellness initiative will also be discussed. Participants will include anyone with an interest in expanding and enhancing public transportation services in South Carolina in order to provide much needed access to programs and services that will improve overall personal health and wellness for the citizens of our state. To register for the summit, go to http://transitsc.org/summit/. The registration fee is $36.00 per person and includes meeting materials, a continental breakfast, break refreshments, and a noon luncheon. A draft agenda is also available on the website. Registration is now open and the deadline for registration is October 26, 2016. A limited number of RTAP scholarships are available to cover the cost of the registration fee. For information concerning RTAP scholarships, contact Curtis Sims, Jr., Training, Safety and Security Program Manager for the OPT at (803) 737-0071 or e-mail at simsc@scdot.org. For questions regarding the summit agenda and who should participate, contact TASC Director Terecia Wilson at wilsontw123@ gmail.com. For questions regarding summit registration and payment of fees, contact Brittany Wirtz at (864) 656-4383 or bwirtz@clemson.edu. NOVEMBER 19, 2016 OPT REGIONAL OPERATOR S ROADEO BLUFFTON, SC This is the final regional roadeo to be held by SCDOT s Office of Public Transit in 2016. It will be held at the May River High School in Bluffton. Transit operators in the Lowcountry, Lower Savannah, and Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Regions of South Carolina will be competing for top honors in each of three bus categories: MV-1 vehicle, cutaway vehicle and 35-foot bus. This event is being funded by SC s RTAP program and participants in the roadeo may be reimbursed for their overnight lodging. For more information, please contact Curtis Sims, Jr., Training, Safety and Security Program Manager for the OPT at (803) 737-0071 or e-mail him at simsc@scdot.org. A Pee Dee RTA driver negotiates a right turn at the Florence Regional Roadeo during the 35-foot bus driving competition 10