Meetingattendees:

Rod VanAlyne,RRCA
ConnieMahugh,RRCA
GeraldGendron,Kaltran
WarrenTeasley,Kaltran
BillBrannan,GoldLine
CaroleRichardson,ConsultantTeam
1
2
A limiteddemographicanalysiswasperformedfortheprojecttoupdateinformationinthe
priorplan.Theconsultantteamlookedspecificallyatthesedatasets.
3
Ontheseslides,tribalareasareindicatedwithhatching.Densities bytribalcensustracts
fellwithinthelowestrangeforallofthedemographiccategoriesweexamined.
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10
Jobswithearningsof$1,250 permonthorless.
11
Theconsultingteamsserviceanalysislookedat correlationofexistingserviceswithspatial
demographicstohelpidentifyunderservedareas.Ascanofexistingscheduledservices
alsohelpstospotopportunitiestobettermatchuptimesorstoplocations.
12
Whenwecomparethedatatoexistingservices,theseareasappeartobeunderserved.
Atthemeeting,wealsohadRepublicidentifiedonthemapsasanunderservedarea.
However,RRCAnotedthatthereisscheduledservicebetweenRepublicandCurlew
MondaythroughThursday.ThegapforRepublicisrelatedmoretolackofservicebetween
RepublicandKettleFallsthatwouldallowRepublicresidentstoaccesstheGoldLine.
13
Public meetingswereheldineachcountyandateachtribe.(KalispellTribe,SpokaneTribe,
ColvilleConfederatedTribe,Newport,ColvilleandRepublic.)
Theconsultantteamalsointerviewednumerousstakeholdersandprovidedanonline
publicsurvey,whichwillremainopenuntilmidJuly.Transitcommitteememberswere
encouragedtospreadthewordabouttheonlinesurvey.Carolewillresendthesurvey
link.
Thetransitcommitteehadalsoperformedaregionwidepublicsurveyin2013,collecting
surveyformsatcountyfairs.Theconsultantteamconsolidatedandanalyzedtheresultsof
thatsurveytoinformthecoordinatedplan.
14
The consultantteamhasinterviewedalltransportationserviceprovidersinthetricounty
area,withtheexceptionoftheColvilles,whowere unavailableforinterview. Inlieuofan
interview,surveyquestionswereprovidedtoCCTinthehopesthattheycouldprovide
responsesastheirstafftimepermits.
15
StevensCountygapsshown inthisslidewereidentified byMoccasinExpressandGold
Line
PendOreilleCountygapswereidentifiedbyKaltran
RRCAidentifiednogapsintheircoverageareabecausetheyofferacombinationof
deviatedfixedrouteanddialarideservice,butwasconsistentwiththeothersin
identifyingneedforhigherfrequencyservices.
SMSidentifiedbigpictureconnectivityissuebetweencounties.
16
RRCAneeds2largervehicles
KALTRANneedsoneadditional 4550passengerbus
SMSneedstwo2425passengershuttles
GoldLinehasthreevehiclesthatwillneedreplacementwithinthenextcoupleyears.
RRCAiscurrently sellingtwobusesthatwererecentlyreplacedwithnewerones.When
thosearesold,itappearstherewillbenoextravehicleswithintheregionalfleet.
17
GoldlineandRRCAhaveoutsourcedmaintenancecontractsthat aremeetingcurrent
needs.
18
SMS andRRCAusesheltersprovidedbyothers.Businessesprovideshelter/seatingaswell.
GoldLinehasexistingsheltersthatareADAaccessible,andsharestheHastingsRoadpark
andridewithSTA.
19
Socialserviceprovidersappear tobetakingadvantageofservicesofferedbySMSand
RRCA.
20
Employers
BoiseCascadeandVaagen BrothersLumberbothagreedtobeinterviewedforthe
project.Othertopemployerscontacteddeclinedordidnotrespond.
MedicalProviders
Medicalproviderswhoagreedtobeinterviewedfortheprojectincluded:
ProvidenceMountCarmelHospital
ProvidenceSt.JosephsHospital
EducationandYouthOrganizations
WashingtonStateUniversity(WSU)Extension
SpokaneCommunityCollege(SCC)Extension
EmergencyManagers
StevensCountyisworkingonadisasterplanandisenthusedaboutworkingwith
transitprovidersbuthasnotbeenavailableforinterview.Noresponse(after
multiplecalls)fromothers.Theconsultantteamiscontinuingtoworkonit.
21
Stilltimetocollectadditionalpublicoutreachthroughtheonline.Wewillbeclosingand
summarizingthatsurveyinmidJuly.
Thefollowingslidessummarizeinformationcollectedby thetransitcommitteeatcounty
fairslastfall.
22
Ingeneral,theneedsofmobilitylimitedpeopletoppedthelist.
Otherresponsesincludedavarietyofreasons,andonly25ofthe136peoplewho
choseotherprovidedacomment.Herearethefewrawcommentsthatwere
receivedontheothercategory:
29(WantspublicTrans)Reducetrafficcongestion/increaseaccess
32:Vet
52:Caralwaysbreakingdown
63:Poor
66:Don'tneedtransportationatthistime
68:Don'tneedtransportation
69:Don'tneedtransportation
72:Everyhourtransportationintown
75:Workforhospitalandsincethereisnocab,needextendedhourstransport&
morethantwiceperweek
76:Iworkatthehospitalandwehavepatientsthatneedtransportfromhospital.
Withtaxiservicegoneneedservicetoareaslikenorthport.
81:Noneneeded
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122:Iamblind
179:Bettereconomy/ecology
182:Convenience
183:Convenience
185:Carnotreliable
237:Iwanttoride
238:Environmental
240:Iwanttosavemoneyandsavetheenvironment
241:Saferdrivingwinterconditions.Environmental,costsavings(gas,autorepairs)
244:Utilizetoreduceexpenses,andallowotherfamilymembersusevehiclewhen
needed.
251:Iwanttosavegas,wearonmycar,moneyandtheenvironment
252:Saveongas,environment,time 2
53:savemoney,cutdownoncarmaint.
302:Therearecollegestudentsthatareinallofthemarkeditemsabovethathave
usedthetransitservicetoattendclassesinRepublicandcouldutilizeyourservices.
23
The Ford/NineMileareaiscurrentlyunserved,andtoppedthelistofplaceswherepeople
needservice.
24
Travel toSpokaneisantopneedacrosstheregion.
25
Weekdaytravelisahigherregionalprioritythanweekendtravel.
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Morningserviceisthehighestpriority.
27
Medicalandshoppingaretoptravelpriorities,followedbyrecreationandwork
trips.
Thefewcommentsreceivedintheothercategoryinclude:
33:Kids
35:Toseemykids
37:Meetupwithson
54:Family
57:Family
58:Kid
136:Classes
149:YouthClubs
153:Family
177:VisitFamily
185:VisitingFamily
213:ChildCare
28
Ingeneral,currentservicesaretargetingtherightdemographics.
Transit providersinstinctsaboutservicegapsaresupportedbybothpublicfeedbackand
demographicfindings.
29
Theconsultantteamhaddifficultyfindinginformationonexistingroutesandstopsina
numberofcases.Ifitisdifficultfortransitconsultants,itfollowsthatitwillalsobedifficult
forpeoplewhoneedtheservice.
Oftenprovidershadalistofstopnamesforaroutewithnomapthatidentifiedthestop
location.
Theconsultantteamisstillmissingsomerouteandstopinfoinacouplelocations
(MoccasinserviceintoAirwayHeights/Spokane?)
Ifthetransitcommitteedecidestousemoderntools,suchasGoogleTransit,routesand
stopsshouldbegeocoded(i.e.mappedinGIS).Streetaddressesforeachstoplocation
arehelpfultodothis.Theconsultingteamhasgeocodedasmanyroutesandstopsaswe
wereabletoidentify,andthisinformationcanbemadeavailabletothetransitcommittee
forfutureuse.
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Therewereseveralareaswheretheconsultantteamstillhasquestionsaboutexisting
service.
Atthemeeting,weconfirmed:
ThereiscurrentlyscheduledservicebetweenRepublic andCurlewprovidedbyRRCA
MondaythroughThursday.
Metaline/Metaline FallscurrentlyhasscheduledserviceonlyonFriday,providedby
RRCA
TheFord/NineMileareacurrentlylacksanyscheduledservice.
TheconsultantteamunderstandsthatMoccasinExpressprovidesserviceintoAirway
Heights,butwearemissinginformationonhow/wherethatserviceisprovided.
31
Becauseparticipationbytransitcommitteemembersatthemeetingwassolimited,wedid
notdothisexercise.Transitcommitteemembersareencouragedtoreviewthesemeeting
slidesandprovideanycorrectionsoradditionalserviceinformationtoCarole.
32
Theconsultantteamsreviewofroutesandscheduleswithinthetricountyareashowsthat
providesaredoingagoodjobofcoordinating.Thefewinstancesthatwefoundwhere
additional coordinationmayberecommendedoccurwithinSpokaneCounty.
33
IntheDeerParkArea:
SMSandGoldline bothstopattheYokessupermarket,howeverbasedonpublished
schedulesitappearsthatSMSarrivesabout20minutesaftertheGoldLine.
34
InNorth Spokane,GoldLineStopsattheHastingsParkandRide.Kaltran stopsatWalmart
attheY.Currentlythereisnointerfacebetweenthesetwoservices;however,thereisan
opportunitytoconnectifeitheroftheseserviceproviderscouldadjusttheirstoplocation
innorthSpokane,oraddastoptotheirserviceplan.
BothBillandGeraldadvisedthatfundingmaynotpermitthisconnectioninthenearterm.
35
So farwehavereceivedemergencycontactinfofromonlyfourtransitcommitteemembers
(GoldLine,SMS,RCCAandKaltran).
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Thisisnotafinallist.Thesesuggestionswereprovidedbytheconsultantteamtohelp
seedthediscussion.
BillnotedthathisfundingfortheGoldLinecontinuesthroughJune30,2015.Atthatpoint,
WSDOTsTravelWashingtonprogramwillputtheservicebacoutforbid.Thestate
currentlyhasfourTravelWashingtonroutes.WSDOThasbeenconsideringaddingafifth
route(servingAberdeenonthewestsideofthestate),whichwouldlikelytakepriorityover
arequesttoexpandGoldLineservicetoKettleFallsortotheFordarea.
RodandConniefromRRCAindicatedtheycouldlookataddinganearlymorninglinkfrom
RepublictoKettleFallstotheirserviceplan,sothatpeoplefromRepubliccouldaccessthe
GoldLine.AcomplicatingfactoristhatTravelWashingtonandGoldLinehavebeen
consideringanevenearlierdeparturefromKettleFallsandColvillethanthecurrent
departuretime,inordertoimproveconnectionsattheSpokaneAirport.Ifthishappens,
anRRCAconnectionfromRepublicbecomeslessfeasible.
GeraldnotedthatnewservicetoMetaline/Metaline Fallsisintheplanningstagesat
Kaltran.Kaltran alsohopestoimplementweekendservicefromMetaline/Ioneinto
Spokane.Also,Kaltran isworkingonbecomingaproviderforMedicaideligibleservice,as
aseparateoperationfromtheircurrentscheduledservices.
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SMSisinterestedinincreasingtheirservicefromNewporttoSpokaneto5daysperweek.
(Currently4daysperweek,withnoserviceonTuesday.)
38
Thesesuggestionswerediscussedbymeetingparticipants.
Pend OreilleCountyCounsellingServiceshasapproachedtheprojectteamwitharequest
foranewvanorpotentiallyjustliftequipmentforanexistingvan.
CarolewilldiscussthepotentialforaMobilityManagerpositionwithRobWillfordand
WSDOTstransitfundingmanager.
39
Ifthetransitcommitteeapprovesspecificinitiativestobeaccomplishedoverthenextfour
years,thoseshouldbelistedasprojectsintheplan.Identifyingplanninginitiativesas
projectswouldmakethemeligibleforfederalfunding.Thiscouldhelptheteamretain
outsidesupportwhentheyneedit,sothatinitiativesdontlanguish.
Thesepotentialplanningprojectshavebeenidentifiedbytheconsultantteamfor
consideration.Ofthoseonthelist,Googletransitisatoprecommendation.Aregional
timetablecouldalsobedeveloped,tohelpwithconsistentpublicinformationonroutes
andschedules.
ApedestriantransitaccessstudywouldlookatADAaccessibleroutesaroundtransitstop
locations.PedestrianimprovementneedsidentifiedforthoseareascouldbefedintoNEW
RTPOslongrangetransportationplan.
ArecentBusesforBywaysstudywaspublishedbytheUniversityofMontanato
determinehowtransitservicemightbeusedtoenhanceaccesstoscenicbyway
destinations.ThestudyfocusedprimarilyonMontana,IdahoandWyoming,butdid
includetheSelkirkLoopinsomeofthehighlevelfindings.Aprojectcouldbeperformedto
identifyandimplementspecificstrategiesandjointmarketingopportunitiesfortransit
providersandtheSelkirkScenicLoop.
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Whiletherearemultipleveteransgroupsinthetricountyarea,attemptstocontactcounty
programmanagerswithrequestsforinterviewsresultedinonlyoneresponse.American
LegionandVFWpostsinallthreecountieswerecontactedbytelephone,notifiedofthe
openhousesandinvitedtoattend,alsowithlittleresult.However,veteransaccessfrom
StevensCountytotheVAhospitalwasastatedconcernofatleastoneStevensCounty
commissioner.Aseparateveteranstransportationstudycouldbeconsideredasafollowup
tothisplan.
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Thisworkshopwillbetheculminationoftheplanningprocess,andourfinalopportunity
pindownaprojectlistfortheCPTHSTP.Anyneeds anddesiredprojectfundingthatisnot
coveredinthesenotesshouldbeemailedtoCaroleinadvanceoftheJulymeeting.
42
Theconsultantteamwilloutreachtointerview participantsandothersidentifiedbythe
transitcommitteeandinvitethemtoparticipate.
43
Theprojectisabout 70%completeatthispoint.
TomHansonhasadvisedthatWSDOTsbiennialgrantapplicationprocesswillopeninJuly.
AftertheJulyworkshop,theconsultantteamwillfinalizetheprojectlistandmakeit
availabletothetransitcommitteeforuseinfundingapplications.Apresentationof
findingsandrecommendationswillbemadetotheNEWRTPOPolicyBoardattheendof
August.
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Carole gaveaquickoverviewofGoogletransitandshowedthegrouphowitisused.The
toolispopularwithtransitridersandusedworldwide.
Meetingparticipantsexpressedinterestedinhavingrouteandscheduleinformationmade
availableviaGoogleTransit,andnotedthatWSDOThasbeenlookingintoimplementing
GoogleTransitstatewide.
BeforemakingrouteandscheduleinformationavailableinGoogleTransit,itisimportantto
haveastrategyforsustainingandupdatingtheserviceinformation.Propagatingoutdated
orincorrectinformationwithonlinetoolsthatmanypeoplerelyuponisworsethanhaving
noinformationavailableatall.TheremaybeanopportunitytopartnerwithEWUto
maintainGoogleTransitdata.Theconsultantteamhasgeocodedsomeinformationon
routesandstops.Thisinformationcouldbebuiltuponifafollowupprojecttoimplement
GoogleTransitisfunded.
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