Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Open Board of Directors
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Pete Aguilar, Dimitrios Alexiou, Carole Beswick, Ann Bryan, Rachelle Busell, Ken Coate, Bill Easley, Mark Kaenel, Ed Lasak, Neil Macready, John Mirau, Lou Monville, Charlie Ng, Tom Nightingale, Mike Page, John Prentice, Ty Schuiling, Larry Sharp, Phillip Southard, Christina Bivona-Tellez, Steve von Rajcs, Phil Waller and Matthew Wilson
Guests: Bill Burger, Paul Granillo, Larry McCallon, Barbara Thomas, John Vanwinkle.
Announcements: 1) Inland Action will hold a special meeting on Friday, September 30, 2011 to have a conversation with Robert Weisenmiller, Chair of the California Energy Commission. An invitation will be extended to both IEEP and the Monday Morning Group. The meeting will be held at the same location and time as the regular Tuesday meetings. Please rsvp to Sue Harrison by e-mail at sharrison@www.lavahaze.com . 2) The meeting with Mayor Morris has been canceled. 3) Congressman Joe Baca has announced that he will run in the new 35th district. 4) Members are asked to think of new members that would benefit from membership in Inland Action.
M/S/P: Minutes of the September 13, 2011 meeting
Ed Lasak introduced Tom Margro, CEO, Transportation Corridor Agencies.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) is made up of 2 public joint power agencies-The Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency and the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency. Elected officials from 18 cities and three members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors have governed the agencies since their inception in 1986.
The Toll Roads were primarily built with funding from the sale of bonds to private and institutional investors supplemented with development fees. All toll and fee revenues go toward retiring the debt, funding additional improvements and covering the costs to operate toll collection. Nonrecourse revenue bonds were sold, so taxpayers and the member agencies are not responsible for repaying the debt. The Toll Roads were built and are operated by the TCA. Caltrans owns the roads and maintains them as part of the state highway system. The California Highway Patrol is responsible for law enforcement. Toll revenue is only authorized to pay for construction and toll collection, thereby allowing the roads to be free once the construction bonds are paid. Not only do the Toll Roads offer easy escape from traffic, they have beautiful views of Orange County’s canyon’s and ocean vistas.
Fastrak Success
The legislation that gave TCA permission to collect tolls mandated that tolls be collected electronically. Five different tolling agencies distribute Fastrak transponders in California. The Fastrak, which began in 1993, now has 800,000 transponders in circulation and account for nearly 80% of all tolls paid on the Toll Roads.
The TCA has made a lasting commitment to preserve the environments surrounding their roads. Their programs represent state of the art technology in habitat re-vegetation, conservation and management.
The TCA is currently asking for support for the completion of the SR-241 Toll Road in Orange-San Diego Counties. Currently a fast growing number commuters and commercial freight squeeze through one single route. The project will close the gap in the toll road system by connecting the SR-241 with the SR-91 Express Lanes to and from the east. By completing the 241, commuters, employees, commercial freight and goods movement will all have an alternate route in addition to reductions in congestion and improved air quality.
A Q & A period followed.
Meeting adjourned at 8:35 a.m.