MOUNTAINEER TRANSIT COMPANY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS QUARTERLY MEETING
August 9, 2023
Palisades Tahoe Lodge, 201 Shirley Canyon Road, Olympic Valley
And 1990 Aloha Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
1. Call to Order
Chair Mike Martin called today’s meeting to order at 9:07 AM. A quorum was established
Roll Call and Establishment of Quorum
Board members present
Mike Martin
Rick Pendleton
Peter Grant
Keith Fountain
David Stepner
Pat Fraser
Danielle Poret
Board members not in attendance
Lindsay Romack
Others attending
Joy Doyle
Judy Friedman (Recording Secretary)
2. Adopt Agenda
It was moved by Fountain and seconded by Stepner to adopt today’s agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
3. Approval of May 24,2023 Quarterly Meeting Minutes
It was moved by Pendleton and seconded by Fraser to approve the minutes of the May 24, 2023 Quarterly Board Meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
4. Public Comment
There were no comments on items not on today’s agenda.
5. Board Member and Adviser Comments
Stepner said there will be a report on Phase 1 of the Olympic Valley forest fuels mitigation work at the OVPSD meeting on Monday. Funding has been approved for Phase 2. Phase 3 is in environmental review. The project is funded by grants and private donations.
6. Chairman’s Report
a. Vice Chair reappointment
Peter Grant asked to step down from the Vice-Chair position.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Stepner to appoint Keith Fountain as Vice Chair. Motion carried unanimously.
b. Vacant Olympic Valley HOA board seat
Given the changes at Everline, Sebastian Gurevich has resigned from this MTC Board seat. Doyle explained this is an Olympic Valley HOA elected seat and it does not need to be filled by someone from Everline. A brief discussion followed regarding appropriate candidates and the process previously used to fill vacancies, which included a Subcommittee reviewing letters of interest, interviewing candidates, and making a recommendation to the Board. A Subcommittee of Martin, Fountain, and Fraser was formed to work on getting this board seat filled.
c. Formation of Workforce Transit Committee
Martin reported a Letter of Interest (LOI) was submitted to receive Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) and/or North Lake Tahoe TBID dollars for workforce transit pilot program through the North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA) Sponsorship Program. The grant request is being considered by NTCA Committees. Civitas recommended a Workforce Transit Committee be formed in the event funding is approved.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Fountain to appoint Fountain, Martin, Benjaminson, Doyle, and Poret to form the Workforce Transit Committee, with Stephen Murray of Downtowner as an advisor. No Committee Chair was appointed. Motion carried unanimously.
In response to a question, Doyle was asked to recirculate the survey results and Danielle offered to help Doyle glean key takeaways.
d. Palisades Tahoe parking reservation system update & anticipated effects on Mountaineer
Martin reported Palisades Tahoe will be implementing a paid and free parking reservation system for the upcoming ski season as a means of reducing traffic congestion. More details of the program will be released soon.
Fraser said the system worked well for Freedom Fest. There were some technology glitches that are being worked out, but overall it was successful. He and Martin noted similar programs have worked well in other resorts and communities to address traffic issues.
Discussion followed on the many variables to be considered relating to how this system may influence Mountaineer ridership in the upcoming winter season. Because Downtowner needs MTC to decide by October 1 as to if additional vehicles may be needed, it was suggested that Mike Martin and Travis Gleason of Downtowner meet as soon as possible to improve Travis’s understanding of the parking reservation system so that Downtowner can make a recommendation on potential changes to what is currently planned for Mountaineer’s core service in the upcoming season.
e. Cell Service improvements update
As a result of poor cell service impacting Downtowner’s ability to provide Mountaineer passengers with accurate wait times, Mike explained the issues Liberty had this past winter that impacted cell providers. There is now an effort to tie communications into Placer County’s emergency systems and the County is pressuring Liberty to increase local service. Local teams from Alpine and Palisades Tahoe are working with Liberty to get electrical feeds repaired and replaced this summer. The cell companies are also considering upgrades and expansions. Hopefully there will be a significant improvement in service in Alpine Meadows and Olympic Valley this winter.
7. Treasurer’s Report
a. Approve May and June 2023 Financial Statements
Pendleton presented the May and June 2023 financial statements and Revenue Expense Summary / Cash Flow & Revenue Projections included in the meeting packet, noting the Finance Committee reviews them regularly. He provided a high-level review and clarified specific line items. There was a conversation about diversifying the financial institutions in which the funds are held, as well as considering investment opportunities to increase returns. Pendleton agreed to discuss this with MTC’s current financial institution.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Poret to approve the May 2023 and June 2023 financial reports as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
c. Authorize Treasurer to execute FY23-24 Executive Director agreement
Pendleton is working on Doyle’s new contract to commence October 1, 2023 that includes updates to her scope of services, possibly changes to the insurance requirements, and a 5% increase in fees according to FY2023-24 budget..
It was moved by Fountain and seconded by Martin to authorize the Treasurer to execute the FY 2023/24 Executive Director agreement. Motion carried unanimously.
8. Executive Director’s Report
a. Finance-related Items
Doyle said there have been no unbudgeted expenses since the last Board meeting.
Doyle reviewed the delinquencies, which total $32,017 at the end of June. Some past due accounts have been on the books for a while and others have to do with the timing of payments. Doyle continues to work with Placer County Revenue Services on details and collections.
Per the Board’s request, Doyle looked into firms to provide MTC with annual or bi-annual financial reviews. Given the regular reviews by the Finance Committee and McClintock Accountancy, the Board decided that this is not needed however it was recommended that MTC’s financial control protocols be reviewed. Doyle explained that there is a Financial SOP that documents financial procedures, and it is on her list of tasks to update it; once updated it will be shared with the Finance Committee.
b. Mountaineer & Partners Transit Operations Winter 23-24 Summary
Doyle presented the summary of operations for next winter, which was in the meeting packet. She has been asked to extend the season to April 20, 2023 to coincide with the last day for the Mountain Travel Symposium, but that decision will be considered if the Symposium offers to fund the additional service.
i. Status of Agreements with Downtowner
Doyle explained that she is waiting on Civitas’s legal review of the Mountaineer and OVI client agreements and once those edits are received, the OVI agreement will be sent to the OVI for approval, and then Mountaineer and OVI’s agreements will be sent to MTC Contract Committee for approval prior to Doyle executing them.
ii. Health & Safety Protocol
Doyle explained that the protocol in the meeting packet was drafted by her and Downtowner; brief discussion followed however no changes were requested by the Board.
Peter Grant left the call at this point, at 10:31 AM .
c. Web Analytics & Winter 2023-24 Marketing Plan
Doyle is working with Renee Deinken from Alpen Lily, who provided analytics on the website. Visitation is up. Deinken and Doyle are working on some changes to make it easier for the user to navigate the site and the photography is being updated.
A spreadsheet of the Winter 2023/24 Marketing Plan, including the status of the tasks identified and who is responsible for what, was included in the meeting packet.
d. Proposed Wait Time Verbiage for marketing
Doyle presented in today’s meeting packet verbiage she and Gleason propose to accurately set rider’s expectations on wait times. After brief discussion, the Board did not recommend any changes to the verbiage presented.
9. NTCA Community Vitality & Economic Health Investment Program
a. MTC Workforce Transit Sponsorship Application Update
Fountain described his presentations to support the application for MTC’s NTCA Sponsorship for a Workforce Transit Program. The request is for a three-year Sponsorship grant. If recommended for funding, the final approvals will not be voted on until October, which leaves a short lead time to implement the program for winter 2023-24.
Doyle explained NTCA suggested MTC join forces with the Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association (TNT TMA) to request funds to address workforce transit. She and Fountain met with TNT TMA Executive Director Sara Van Siclen and they developed terms of alignment and integration that each organization would pilot their programs in year 1, begin collaboration in year 2, and operate jointly in year 3. Discussion followed.
b. Process Update – Pat
Fraser is on the TOT Committee, one of the committees tasked with making NTCA Sponsorship application recommendations. He explained the group met at the end of July to hear all applicants and the applications were scored. The Committee has upcoming meetings scheduled August 23 and August 29 to finalize funding recommendations.
Fountain asked why Fraser can sit on the Committee, but cannot advocate for these projects. There was a brief conversation about how the projects are scored and the approval process.
10 Upcoming Meeting - MTC Annual Board Meeting scheduled for Sept. 27, 9-10 a.m.
12. Adjourn
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 11:15 AM.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Friedman
Recording Secretary
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