The following information is based on notes I took from the VTA Board meeting on March 1, 2001 at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors' chambers at 70 W. Hedding Street in San Jose:
Blanca Alvarado was ill and could not attend. The chambers had about 100 people, but most of them left after the various awards presentations and commendations (employees of the month within various departments, Adopt-A-Stop volunteers) Those that left were likely fellow transit workers and their families.
The Board voted on and approved the purchase of right-of-way from Union Pacific railroad for the Vasona light rail line. The groundbreaking ceremony for Vasona LRT will take place March 29 at noon at San Jose Diridon station.
A member of Peninsula Rail 2000 suggested that VTA needs to honor Amtrak Capitol monthly passes
San Jose mayor Ron Gonzales expressed concern over a Caltrain Maintenance Facility near certain neighboorhoods. (Editor's note: perhaps he was thinking about a neighboorhood organization like S/HPNA?)
VTA's General Manager, Peter Cipolla, claims that only LRT has more riders per day than line 22, but does not have access to the numbers to confirm this.
Do these people ride VTA buses? VTA Board rep Cindy Chavez wasn't aware line 70 primarily serves Capitol Expressway. Another (male) Board rep says the 300 is an express route.
Ron Gonzales is replaced by VTA director Ken Yeager
VTA Board votes on and approves for the GM a request to purchase 70 low-floor light-rail vehicles from Kinkisharyo International, LLC. These cars are supposed to be similar to the ones used in the Newark (NJ) City Subway and the Hudson-Bergen LRT line in New Jersey. (Editor's note: I expect to have a photo what the car looks like by this weekend.) There was testimony from an LRV operator about how it takes two to five minutes to load and unload wheelchair passengers, and that the current UTDC cars in revenue service are experiencing various mechanical problems.
Margaret Okuzumi, executive director of Peninsula Rail 2000, mentioned to the Board that no one has seen these new cars and that the board should have the riding public test the new cars first before committing to a big order. Peter Cipolla mentioned that two of these new cars are now on VTA property, and will be at the Zanker/I-880 station for the opening of phase I of the Tasman East extension in May. These same cars will also be at the groundbreaking for the Vasona LRT line at San Jose Diridon
station on March 29 at noon.
David Kennedy, mayor of Morgan Hill and VTA Board representative, gives a brief speech over how VTA should be more wise in how it spends money and how it shouldn't rush to make certain decisions. (Editor's note: Kennedy was one of the bigger supporters of Measure A [also known as the "BART Tax"] last November - a measure that was criticized by some as "rushed",
"poorly thought out," and according to one Mercury News article, "produced via a backdoor deal by the VTA Board."
The VTA Board approved widening of I-880 and US 101. Construction is due to begin this summer.
Due to a delay on PG&E's end, the construction contract for civil/track/signals/landscape for the Capitol light rail line was delayed until the April board meeting.
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