Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Open Board of Directors Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Don Averill, Deborah Barmack, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Erin Brinker, Ken Coate, Bill Easley, Mark Kaenel, Lowell King, Ralph Kuncl, Ed Lasak, John Mirau, Tom Nightingale, Bev Powell, Kristine Scott, Paul Shimoff, Shelli Stockton, Steve von Rajcs, Phil Waller and Ray Wolfe.
Guests: Sarah Benoit, Joe Gonzales, Cory Namura, Supervisor James Ramos, Anita West.
Announcements: 1) The Randall Lewis Seminar Series will present Higher Education’s Role in the I.E.’s Future. The seminar will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at the Ce-Cert Building, 1084 Columbia Ave., Riverside. Please use the link to register or for more information. http://or.ucr.edu/Event/index.aspx 2) A welcome reception will be held for University of California, Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 3) A ground breaking ceremony for Hwy 91 project will be held on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. at the North Main Corona Metrolink Station parking structure. 4) The Apartment Association of California, Inland Empire has been proposed for membership. They will be represented by Tim Johnson, Director.
M/S/P: Minutes from October 1, 2013.
Ray Wolfe introduced Mitch Alderman, Director of Transit & Rail Projects, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG).
SANBAG is working to expand transit options in San Bernardino and Redlands with the Redlands Rail Project. SANBAG will be able to utilize the Redlands Subdivision, a 9-mile railroad corridor extending between Downtown San Bernardino and the University of Redlands, to introduce passenger rail service to the area. They have conducted studies that determined that the use of this route for passenger rail service is appropriate and feasible, and there are a number of good options for station locations.
The preliminary engineering has been completed for the Redlands Passenger Rail and completion for this 200-300 million dollar project will likely be in 2018-2019.
The Redlands Passenger Rail project will have numerous stations locations including key destinations such as the San Bernardino Transit Center, Esri, Downtown Redlands and the University of Redlands. A potential further phase would expand the tracks in a loop to Highland and the San Bernardino International Airport.
Esri and the University of Redlands are very strong partners with SANBAG on this project. They have and continue to advocate and invest in this project as they believe it will be of great benefit. Land has been purchased by both of these entities to assist in project completion. Additionally Esri owner, Jack Dangermond, has offered to design, build, maintain and provide security for the planned Esri station.
Esri needs connectivity for its employees and the many visitors to their campus. They are a global company based in Redlands that employs some 3,000 people and are growing. Their employees are a highly educated and technical workforce that is environmentally minded and are actively seeking transportation alternatives. Typically Esri has the following on their campus:
50 – 300 Customers, 2 – 3 day stays
30 – 60 Students per week
80 – 100 Interns, three month stays
20 – 50 Out of Area Employees, 3 to 5 day stays
The plans for the Redlands Passenger Rail Project include the potential for several express Metrolink trains per day. This new transit option will allow a commute from Union Station in Los Angeles to Redlands to be under 80 minutes.
The central convergence of the project is the San Bernardino Transit Center (SBTC). Located in downtown San Bernardino at Rialto & E Street, the SBTC will be the hub for Metrolink, Redlands Rail, and Omnitransit buses, creating the County’s first true intermodal transit facility.
Supervisor Ramos commented that momentum and continued community support are critical. The community needs to know that this project is in the works and will have a positive and dynamic effect. He is confident that this project provides great potential for business development and will revitalize the east end.
A Q&A period followed.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.