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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN PWMTC 2021/12/07 2020-2022 Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit 16th Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii December 7, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit ORDER: was called to order at 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member(came in later) Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Ms. Heather Kimball, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Clerk, and for my colleagues, I'm going to switch this up a little bit. My plan is to take Resolution 275-21 first, leaving Communication 477 for the rest of the meeting, which is a presentation. So, Mr. Clerk, if you don't mind, please, Resolution 275-21. Change Order As directed by the Chair and with no objection from Council Members, of Business: the following item was taken out of order: PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 Res. 275-21: ACCEPTS THE DEDICATION OF ROADWAY LOT 58, KIKAHA AT WEHILANI, PHASE 1, BEING IDENTIFIED AS TAX MAP KEY: 6-8-037:058, SITUATED AT WAIKOLOA, DISTRICT OF SOUTH KOHALA, ISLAND AND COUNTY OF HAWAII, STATE OF HAWAII FROM CASTLE & COOKE WAIKOLOA, LLC, A HAWAII LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY The landholder seeks to dedicate the roadways and all improvements for public roadway purposes. Reference: Comm. 525 Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy (B/R) Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to recommend adoption of Res. 275-21. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. (Note: At this time, Deputy Corporation Counsel Delilah Schlueter came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. LEE LOY: With that, I have Corporation Counsel Delilah Schlueter with us. Delilah, if you could please bring us up to speed on this resolution. MS. SCHLUETER: Yeah, thank you, Chair. Good morning, Council Members. This dedication took us a little while to work on because we were working with the developers to address some of the encumbrances that would be left on title. Currently, we are very satisfied with the encumbrances left on title as they are for water and sewage utility, and various utility easement, as well as the PUD (Planned Urban Development) conditions that were imposed by the County of Hawaii Planning Department. In addition,with the plans that you have received, is the various departmental approvals; and therefore we believe that this appropriate for dedication to the County at this time. CHR. LEE LOY: Great. Thank you, Delilah. With that, do I have any comments, questions, from my colleagues? Great. Seeing none, we have a motion to have Resolution 275-21 forwarded to the Council with a favorable recommendation. All those in favor, please say "aye." Page 2 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 Vote on Res. 275-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 275-21 (Approved) was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy —8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Chung— 1. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, everyone. Moving on to Communication 477, Mr. Clerk. Return to Order The Chair directed the Committee to return to the order of business. of Business: COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 477: REQUESTS AN UPDATE FROM THE MASS TRANSIT AGENCY REGARDING THE SEPTEMBER 5, 2021, LAUNCH OF NEW ISLAND-WIDE TRANSIT SERVICES, BASED ON THE TRANSIT MASTER PLAN From Council Member Susan L. K. Lee Loy, dated September 21, 2021. Motion to Close File: Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 477. Seconded by Ms. David. (Note: At this time, Interim Mass Transit Administrator John Andoh came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. LEE LOY: With that, we have our Director, John Andoh, with us. We also have Managing Director Lee Lord, thank you for being here. Happy Holidays. And then with us, our SSFM, we have Joanna Herkes and Cheryl Soon. Thank you. John, when you're ready, please share with us. And I believe we also have the slide-deck in our packets for our colleagues. (See Comm. 477.1) Yeah, Mr. Andoh, why don't you go ahead and hit the mic and pull it a little closer to you. And go ahead, you have the floor. MR. ANDOH: All right. Aloha, Council Members. John Andoh, Interim Mass Transit Administrator for the Mass Transit Agency. I'm here today to give you an update on the Transit and Multimodal Transportation Plan and what we've done to date. Page 3 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 (Note: At this time, Mr. Andoh provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the subject presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or in the video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 477.1.) MR. ANDOH: I'd like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to give you this update, and my contact information is there. I'm always available to you and the public to help, in making this transit program the best that it can be. CHR. LEE LOY: Great. Thank you, Mr. Andoh. And before I get into questions from my colleagues, also in your folder you have Communication 477.1, which is the HDOT (Hawai`i Department of Transportation) summary of that program that you just touched upon with the audit. So if the rest of my colleagues want to take a deeper dive into what deficiencies were found, that entire report has them all. But feel free to ask Mr. Andoh about those deficiencies. But it looks like, from his slide-deck, he's already beginning to try and resolve some of those deficiencies, and ensure that Hawaii County is meeting their part of this larger HDOT grant. With that, Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Mr. Andoh, I've got to tell you, listening to Mass Transit from you is probably the most exciting presentation I've heard in a long, long, time. And we visited on you and your passion for Mass Transit. And you talk about Mass Transit systems in different cities, like people talk about football players in the NFL(National Football League). You quote statistics and all, and I just want to commend you for that. This is what our Mass Transit needed. I've got a bunch of quick questions, and I know I only have a limited amount of time. Ridership, did you say we're about 300,000 right now? MR. ANDOH: 300,000 system-wide, yes. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And the number of bus goals this is going back to the SSFM Mass Transit overall plan, what are we targeting? About 35, if I recall, right? What's your total fleet size you're looking to get to? MR. ANDOH: So on the (inaudible) side. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. MR. ANDOH: Which allows us for 40 fleet buses, at the maximum peak, and then seven paratransit vehicles. So we'll have a total of 62 when it's all done. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then you talked about the diesel versus hybrid versus the fuel cell, hydrogen fuel cell, or even hydrogen. Amortized cost over, and I can't remember if it was 10 or 20 years. I know the—and we were talking Page 4 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 about electric buses, they actually worked out. Your amortized operational cost plus your capital investment overI think it was 10 years, it was basically a wash. Have you looked at that? Is that where our fuel cell buses fit into, as well? MR. ANDOH: I think so. That's what it'll fit into. That same, yes. CHR. LEE LOY: Sorry, Mr. Andoh. Could you get the mic a little closer to you? MR. ANDOH: I'm sorry. CHR. LEE LOY: And go ahead and reply there. Thanks. MR. ANDOH: Yes. I apologize. Yes, generally from the reports that I have reviewed and the analysis that I've seen from other transit agencies, both are electric and hydrogen, you can basically amortize that cost over a 10-year period. That's based on the capital cost as well as the operational savings. And those buses are generally a 12-year, 500,000 mile vehicle. And as the price of the bus start to come down, that savings will become more sooner versus like 10 years, it could be ultimately by eight years, as more agencies start to buy these buses. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then as far as the hydrogen availability, I know we're working on getting that done. Are you—how close are we there to get your fuel source? MR. ANDOH: We already have the station in Kailua-Kona, so when those three buses come, they will be dedicated solely to Kailua-Kona. Where we are are working with Research and Development, on how to expand that to Hilo so that we can have another hydrogen station in Hilo, which will allow us to run additional hydrogen buses in the Hilo area. From a management perspective of the fleet, we're envisioning—for the time being, we'll keep hydrogen in Kailua-Kona. We'll do battery electric in Hilo, and then as we learn which fuel is best for cross-island travel, we would recommend putting those vehicles on those appropriate routes, and making sure we have the right infrastructure strategically island-wide, so that we can replenish fuel at those strategic points. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thank you. And concerning the hydrogen fuel itself, training for staff, training for first responders, all that, is that part of the program as we move towards the hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen fuel? MR. ANDOH: Yes, it's paramount that we do this training. MR. RICHARDS: Right. Page 5 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: And we've had discussions with US Hybrid as well as the University on how we're going to set up that training process. But yes, first responders are involved; Robert's Hawaii, our contractor's involved; mechanics are involved; as well as our administrative staff. And then we're going make sure that everybody fully understands the system; watches the videos, gets hands-on training, before we put the vehicles into service. MR. RICHARDS: I might suggest, include some public education as well, just access to, so people can get a better understanding. It's great because it is zero carbon. It's the unknown that people are always afraid of. If we can educate them, I think we'll save ourselves a lot of conversations in the future. MR. ANDOH: Thank you. I also want to add that we have been putting videos on our social media and YouTube pages about the hydrogen project effort. MR. RICHARDS: Excellent. MR. ANDOH: So that so that people can at least start to be prepared that this is coming. On the videos, they get a tour of the bus, a tour of the station, how the system works. So yes, I agree with you,public education is going to be critical. MR. RICHARDS: Great. Your maintenance sheds and programs, are things flowing? I know we discussed that when we met. Your needs in your maintenance sheds therechargers, or at least circuitry for having electric buses, is everything coming together on that? MR. ANDOH: Yes, we've been in discussions with Hawaiian Electric on how we can ensure that we are prepared and ready to put electric charging at the Hilo baseyard. We are going to design the Kailua-Kona baseyard with the appropriate electric charging infrastructure early on, so that whatever side is picked, that we're ready to go once that yard is built. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then finally, you made a comment about transportation and social equity, and all that. I couldn't agree with you more, but I would actually take it one step further, to me it's actually an economic-driver, because you're going to get things rolling. You touched on that lightly but it truly is an economic-driver. Most mass transits are heavily subsidized, but it's really a bigger picture to get the whole economy rolling. So I tell you, your presentation was outstanding, and it just excited me. MR. ANDOH: Thank you. MR. RICHARDS: No, I this is all—it's all about getting things moving here. So, thanks so much. Appreciate your optimism, your complete dedication to the Page 6 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 whole mass transit deal; and your passion for it, that's the probably the best thing. So, Chair, thank you. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Anyone else? Ms. Kierkiewicz, please go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Mr. Andoh. Just impressed. Very speechless. Very overwhelmed actually with how much is going on in Mass Transit, but it's a welcome sense of overwhelm. And, you know, I do want to take a chance to also hear the mana`o of SSFM because they've worked with a number of administrators, but would just really like to hear what it's been like for them to be working with you, because since day one you've really been hitting the ground running, and have really taken action on things that we know have been in the pipe for a long time. So at some point, you need to tell us what is your secret to getting so many things done. (Note: At this time, Cheryl Soon, Transportation Practice Leader for SSFM, came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SOON: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Aloha, Cheryl. Great to see you again. MS. SOON: Aloha, Ashley and all of you, and Happy Holidays. Excellent question. I'm impressed with John as you are. We've been through multiple administrators, and we've worked with them to try to but this even exceeds my wildest expectations. The first time that I met John, I was in awe of his command, not only of the industry but of all the properties, as Councilman Richards had pointed out. I knew I was working with the real-deal, and that was such a joy that, you know, we could talk the lingo, and that he was as in command of the Mass Transit Plan as I am. He knows as many details. I didn't have to try to nudge him to look at a particular section. This man absorbs this thing like air, and he's able to take his experiences in other places and apply it to get it done; and exceed even, you know, some of the things because he's so current with the technology, with the apps., and with communicating with the public. You know, sometimes people can be real geeks on this topic and they lose the public along the way. That's not going to happen with Administrator Andoh. He understands how people have to absorb this information so they can use the system. I don't know how many hours he has in his day, but he has more than I do. Really, I don't know when he sleeps. I really don't. So I have nothing but admiration for you, sir. My kudos to you. Page 7 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 As a planner—you know, a lot of times we have plans in place, and we just—you know, they disappear or they get meddling along the way. To see this happening is a joy. And also as a testimony to, as I've said to this body in the past, when you have a plan, when you go to the funders and can show how the pieces fit together, you're more likely to get that grant. And what he is describing to you is he's going to have a plan in place for the conversation to zero emissions. That's going to be critical because you're going to get new funders that you've never had before from energy sources, from the Biden bill, from other things. We're helping him in, I think, an important way. Over the next couple of months, we will try to document what we see needed. You know, this is now three years old, and things move along. As you can see in his case, they move really fast. You know, what—the three areas we're focusing on is that fleet replacement plan, because it helps you do the multi-year financial planning that you need to do as you're doing the matches to the large number of grants. The staffing plan, I'm going to pause on for a minute. I've always said these people have true few positions for the responsibilities, and the money that they are managing and the number of grants, his tables certainly emphasize that. You know, we need a few more people over there in case—you know, he actually gets COVID and he's out for two days, or something happens. He needs a backup. He needs a deputy. And you know that there's a relationship between—he's saving money by converting to buying the buses, and we have the this is aeverything is coming together at the same time. The grants are available for doing the things that need to be done. But as we saved money on the operation side, by not buying those buses every day from Robert's, and by doing them you know, counting the vehicles, you need the mechanics. So you're going to need more mechanics and supervisors of those mechanics. So there's some additional staffing that I'd like to document as a supplement to this plan. And then we're going to take that financial plan, which right now ends in 2032. we're going to take it for another five years. Why is that important? Well, the GET (General Excise Tax). You know, we're going to do a"with and without." We're going to take a look. There are some new sources coming on, and they'll last for like five or maybe seven years, by the time you're allowed to expend them. But your financial planning, we want to help support. John, he should not be spending the time writing the documents. I could do that for him. You know, he's got the brain-power. He's got the muscle. He's got a command of this thing. And you are so fortunate to have him. So I hope that answers your question. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Cheryl. Page 8 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MS. SOON: I'm just impressed as you are. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. We appreciate it, because Mr. Andoh's position is one of several positions in the County that we as Council Members don't actually weigh in on those appointments. And so there's a lot of trust in the administration in terms of who they select to lead these different agencies. You've been here for a number of years supporting our County in the Mass Transit space, so really respect your opinion, yours and Joanne's. So, thank you. MS. SOON: Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Great. That's great to know. And thanks for being very strategic in taking a look at how we update our award winning Master Plan, and just being proactive. Looking at the funding sources now rather than when the GET sunsets in 2030. I think it's a very smart approach, so thanks for doing that. And clearly, you're taking a look at, Mr. Andoh, Cheryl, what ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) monies are available that we can be securing now. I do want to hone in on a little bit more though about the grants management, and do want to see what your recommendations are to increase staffing capacity. It was here at this dais,just a few years ago, where we uncovered some issues within grants management within the agency. Really appreciated knowing that protocols, policies, have been established to make sure we're keeping track of those dollars, but also spending them in the allotted timeframe, in a responsible way, so we're not jeopardizing our chances of securing funding in the future. So is that something we can look for it in your report? MS. SOON: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. When is that report going to come forward? MS. SOON: Well, I'm not quite sure. We just got the contract four weeks ago. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Oh, okay. MS. SOON: But we were working with him ahead this time. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Beginning stages. MS. SOON: To make sure that we knew what we want to come out of it. I'd love to have it done and ready for you in time for your budget. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Perfect. We were going to ask that. MS. SOON: That's my goal. John would like it tomorrow. Page 9 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Excellent. Good to know. I just have a few questions. Looking at the professional services vendor list, I know you mentioned in your slide-deck the having the need to contract a lot of positions, and so just curious about how you're accomplishing that right now. Because the only thing on the list is auditing for taxicab investigations, and so it sounds to me like there's a lot of collaboration with other departments and agencies to secure the professionals you need to move your work forward. MR. ANDOH: That's exactly correct. I've been partnering with Finance, Planning, Research and Development, and Information Technology to help me in achieving moving forward a lot of these projects. I've been working also with the Finance Director to see how I can increase the capacity of professional services on our list. I was, to be candid, a bit disappointed we had only one taxicab investigation. But she's willing to help us, and expanding that list. But the other departments, for the time being, has been helpful while I put together that list. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So I'm not familiar as to how that list gets expanded. Would you be able to shed some light on that, or Managing Director Lee Lord. How do we increase the type of services that each department or agency can solicit services for? MR. ANDOH: My understanding is that the Finance Director,prior to—and this is based on the revised statute issues a memo to the department heads to provide a list of what professional services would you need for the upcoming fiscal year. And then that list gets noticed to the public via the newspaper or online, so that professional service vendors can submit proposals to those respective department heads. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Because I'm looking at the list right now, and it just has that one item. So what you're saying is ahead of this being noticed to the public next fiscal year, you'll have the opportunity to work with Director Sako to flush out additional services you need? MR. ANDOH: Correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ANDOH: And she is open though, however,to potentially amending that list now. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I see. Page 10 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: I just need to give her a list, and then she has to go through that proper process, through the Hawaii Revised Statutes, on notifying the public that they are available. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. And in your coordination with the various departments, that means you're getting those departments to kind of help you and your team kind of administer those contracts? MR. ANDOH: That's correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay,just want to make sure I understand here. There's a lot of need for your agency. You're doing a lot right now; I'm going to be so fascinated to see what you can do with sort of the right office organizational infrastructure in place. MR. ANDOH: And that's where that additional staffing comes into play. HDOT has brought up a concern about,just overall with the number of grants that we're getting and the number of capital projects that we have to dodo we have the internal capacity to manage those. So that's where, and as you saw my conceptual organizational chart from the Master Plan, some additional administrative level positions like another Transit Program Manager, a Deputy Administrator, could help us—and an Accountant to manage the grant. Those three key positions could help us in achieving that additional technical capacity. I mean, I could definitely try to be superman, but there's only few hours in a day. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: There's 24, but. MR. ANDOH: I mean, in a workday. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah. MR. ANDOH: But you definitely get more than eight hours from me. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right. Right. MR. ANDOH: But anybody could sit in this role, we also have to structure the organization to be realistic to anybody that is in this administrator's chair. So by having that additional capacity, will help us in achieving that compliance and making our external funding partners comfortable. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay,just a couple more questions. So you're obviously coordinating with HELCO (Hawai`i Electric Light Company), because if you're moving our fleet to be more electrified, running on hydrogen, running on renewable energy, there's got to be some coordination to ensure that those renewable energy sources are being harnessed in order to power the fleet of buses. Page 11 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 And it was really interesting when you mentioned Kailua-Kona sort of being the hub, for hydrogen did you say? MR. ANDOH: Um-hum. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. So is your thought then, because we have different independent energy providers around the island, that you could potentially harness those energy sources to power a diverse, you know, fleet of buses. MR. ANDOH: Yeah, definitely. Research and Development has been very active and helpful in this effort. Riley Saito, the Energy Specialist, has been on this for a while now, and he's been helping me in making sure that we have the right energy source at the right spots to help us with our fleet. We have a study MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Around the island, right? MR. ANDOH: Around the island. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: A decentralized system? MR. ANDOH: Right. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ANDOH: We have a study that has been put together that has looked at the route miles, and looked at where we could strategically put these facilities, so that as routes cross island or go to different destinations, when they get to that destination they'll have time to refuel to be able to make the trip back. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. And then you mentioned increasing community's ability to access bikes from the Bike Share Program. I'm going to also assume that you're coordinating with Public Works and Planning on ensuring there are bike lanes? MR. ANDOH: We're going through that process as well, yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Complete Street, Vision Zero, all of those frameworks we adopted? MR. ANDOH: That is correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. MR. ANDOH: And PATH (Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) is definitely helpful, and they have facilitated quarterly meetings, where they bring together all Page 12 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 the various departments on how do we achieve those various Vision Zero and multi-modal planning opportunities. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Excellent. And then on the Pahoa Bus Hub, it's great that the State is looking at making some investments; you know, there's conversation about co-locating the library. Where are we in terms of the EA (Environmental Assessment) for that hub? I just want to make sure I understood correctly, is SSFM going to be leading us through the EA process, or have you still yet to contract the vendor? MR. ANDOH: SSFM is the selected vendor to do it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ANDOH: We're just finalizing the contract with them, and then they're going to get immediately on the EA site selection and the public outreach process. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And so kick-off potentially Q (First Quarter) of next year, and it will take how many months to complete that process, public engagement? MR. ANDOH: Goal to have the project done by Q4. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Okay, great. Good to know. MR. ANDOH: But on other hubs, that one I'm think that's going to be Q2. Early Q2, before I can get the professional services onboard. So that just go through the process of issuing an RFP (Request for Proposals)to those three vendors, evaluating them, and then going through contracting process. And then I'm learning—we started this process in August to get SSFM for Pahoa, to where we are now. So I'm projecting it's going to take us about three months to go through,just the County system, to bring out another professional services contractor for the other hubs. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Got it. Thanks for that information. And then finally, how are things going with your Transportation Committee? MR. ANDOH: They're going good, actually. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ANDOH: They are feeling pumped and engaged. We are starting to talk more than just taxis with them. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Page 13 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: We are having another meeting next Friday; and we'll be getting those materials out, we've given them a full packet that gives them system information, staff reports. We've been bouncing ideas off of them, as it relates to the agency as a whole. And then the Mayors Office has been actively engaged in trying to fill the vacancies in coordination with each of the Council offices. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. MR. ANDOH: So I think we're down to two vacancies as of now. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think we just approved one at committee. MR. ANDOH: Just approved one, yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: This person, we just approved them at Council. And she was really interesting because she worked at the community college, so she brings a perspective of her students needing to utilize mass transit services. But also, we thought about Green Jobs of the Future. And so understanding what your needs are and creating the relevant curriculum at the community college level, which is going to be really interesting. MR. ANDOH: Exactly. And we've also been in discussions with the community college about Workforce Development, as it relates to maintenance of zero emissions vehicles. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes. MR. ANDOH: So by us setting up that curriculum with our vendors, that's going to help us in setting up a framework to where not only it can benefit just County workers, but also private businesses that are wanting to get into the realm of zero emissions technology and the maintenance of those vehicles. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Excellent. Thank you for being so forward-thinking. And so, you know,just follow-up question on the commission for transportation. I'm looking at the organization chart, and they're right next to you, as the Administrator, what sort power advisory role do they have? MR. ANDOH: As I understand in the chapter, the commission gives advice to the Mass Transit Administrator on the guidance of the agency. So it's the administrator's responsibility to seek. Like as we go—like let's say changing the brand, changing the routes, evaluating our services, to use the commission to that manner. In addition, they're already charged with approving Certificate of Necessity Convenience to allow for taxi cabs to operate on island. So after, from talking with the commissioners individually, all that they've done is just taxi stuff. So they said I was the first administrator in a while to start Page 14 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 engaging them on the transit side, and talking to them about what the transit system is doing in getting feedback. So it's my intent to use them in accordance to what the Code and the chapter allows us to do, to get their feedback. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. But they wouldn't be in a position to be making decisions or recommendations that you carry out? MR. ANDOH: That's correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Or prioritizing projects? MR. ANDOH: That's correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Just simply sharing feedback? MR. ANDOH: Sharing feedback, yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, I just— MR. ustMR. ANDOH: But I would like to use them. Like, most of my experience has been working at Regional Transportation Authorities, where I have a Board of Directors that set the policy for the agency, so I would like to use them more in that capacity, to where they're giving sound recommendations and advice that I could carry out, and including them in the process so they feel more engaged as the Transportation Commission. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ANDOH: Versus them just getting information from me. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. I guess I just want to make sure we're proceeding with caution with the commission. MR. ANDOH: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Because they each work for different entities that may have something to gain from the Mass Transit system. So just want to make sure that erring on that side of caution, and being really transparent in what their role is going forward, especially if you plan to leverage them a bit more. MR. ANDOH: Of course. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. And it's great that we're able to leverage so many experts in our community in this space. Page 15 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: One thing that I could do at this next meeting is we can add a topic of the role of the Transportation Commission, and then just go over the Code, and just making sure—since we do have some new commissioners coming onboard, that can give an opportunity to make sure that they fully understand what they're charged with. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think they would all appreciate that. MR. ANDOH: Okay, I'll add that to the agenda. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think I've exhausted my time. Mahalo nui again for your hard work, your dedication. I think when we first met, we had talked about so many things we wanted to do. You've already done that, so I think we need a follow-up meeting to talk about what's next. So, thank you again. It's great to have you onboard. Chair, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Yes, I saw Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder and then Ms. David. So, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. Mr. Andoh, you're quite impressive. As you were talking, you were not only explaining your PowerPoint presentation but you were pulling from the information, because it was secondhand and you knew it already, and that's impressive to me. So, thank you very much. And I share Cheryl's sentiments on yourself and what you've done since you've come into your position. I surely want to commend you for where you stand today and with what you've put in front of us, and for the strides you've made to this point, so thank you for that. I want to touch on three things that are near and dear to me. EV(Electronic Vehicle) charger infrastructure and the bill, is that—that is law now? MR. ANDOH: It is law, yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. SoI mean, companies around the islandI mean, I'm guess there will be RFPs coming out, but we should be prepping for how this EV infrastructure will be MR. ANDOH: Yeah, so the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) is going to be releasing they're going to be having a webinar on January 7, on how this new infrastructure law is going to operate the various funding programs and the competitive grant programs, and talking about the changes to the law from the FAST Act(Fixing America's Surface Transportation). So that's where we where we're going to be able to get some more information on how we can access some of these new funding that is going to be coming to the State. Page 16 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 As I mentioned, most of the—all of that funding is going to go through HDOT, and it will be HDOT's responsibility to distribute them to the respective islands. So we'll be working in conjunction with HDOT on how we can ensure that we get our share to be able to then, once it's allocated to us, expend those funds appropriately. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, that's good. MR. ANDOH: So there are few steps that will have to go through to get those funds, but I'll definitely keep the administration and Council apprised on how we do that. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. It's amazing because that starts to build out the infrastructure that we know we have to do, and it's pushing us away from fossil fuel dependence. MR. ANDOH: Exactly. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And we here on this island, specifically this whole State, really need to be on the ball when it comes to relieving ourselves from fossil fuel dependence. So, amazing. Does that come with—and is it a deal, when you talk about like a new—it's a transportation hub, but also a—what you call it? Not your command center. MR. ANDOH: Oh, baseyard. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Your baseyard. MR. ANDOH: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, in Kona. When you start looking at that now, are you looking at doing solar on top of the building to help offset the electrical needs that you're going to be using for EV infrastructure? MR. ANDOH: Yes. I think we didn't make this facility, quite frankly, as green as it can be, especially just how we've evolved over the last years, from when we built the Hilo baseyard in 2017. So the more green energy we can use, I think the better. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, it would help offset your charging capabilities, yeah, which is crucial. MR. ANDOH: Exactly. Page 17 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So we're not just pulling heavy on fossil fuel sources. MR. ANDOH: Exactly. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We are actually using green energy to refill the batteries. To make our fleet even more green. MR. ANDOH: Greener, that's right. And that's True Zero Emissions. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And that will be truly zero, yeah. MR. ANDOH: Yeah, part of me and leaving the comment, in Columbia, South Carolina, we got also a Low-No grant there, and we structured our grant application in a manner to where we were going to build. We were going to get hydrogen and battery electric buses, we were going to build a solar-charging facility so that wasn't connected to the grid because Columbia does get a lot of sunshine, so that we were able to charge those buses appropriately and be able to actually advertise that our buses are truly zero emissions and we're not getting energy from the grid. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And Kona has a lot to offer. MR. ANDOH: Kona has a lot because of the sunshine. Yes, exactly. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Because of the sunshine yes. Yeah, some of the best sun in,probably at least here on the island, that's for sure. Okay, thank you. And then, touch on hydrogen. Mr. Richards touched on hydrogen. We've been really pushing hydrogen hard for a long time. I'm amazed that you've gotten this far because this is you now, we've asked, and we've asked, and we've asked, and then here you are saying, "It's coming," so that's amazing. MR. ANDOH: Very close. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay. MR. ANDOH: Just to go through those technical challenges that we're going through now, but it's my commitment that we get them in service next year. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. You know, I visited the site in Kona, for the refueling station. It's like a gas pump for hydrogen; it's beautiful. But I just wanted toI don't know if you know or if you visited, but there is a trailer there that can transport hydrogen from Page 18 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: Kona to Hilo. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Point a to b. MR. ANDOH: Um-hum. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So if they want to do one of our buses, hydrogen buses on the Hilo side, you do have a trailer at your disposal that can transport the hydrogen from Kona to Hilo. MR. ANDOH: I wanted to use the zero emissions roll-out plan guidance to help us on how we manage that properly,just so that if we do bring one of the buses to the Hilo side, that we're doing it correctly. Then we don't have any hiccups. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. ANDOH: Because it's going to definitely require training on our maintenance side on how to operate that trailer as well as how to fuel the vehicle from the trailer. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. ANDOH: And of course, there's the safety concerns that I need to mitigate with not only the agency staff but also first responders from HFD (Hawai`i Fire Department) and HPD (Hawai`i Police Department). MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, beautiful. Yeah, I just want to put it out there. I remember seeing it. Mitch was very proud of it. And just amazing, as a technology and what they've done. Again, I would like to see that more green-based because right now it's fossil fuel-based, hydrogen. But something to work on as we move forward. Again, Mr. Andoh, thank you very much. This has been an absolute pleasure to look at this and to hear you speak today. So, you have my full support going forward. MR. ANDOH: Thank you. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And a plug for the administration. Wherever you found him, please go find more people like this, man. But, thank you. Thank you to the administration for bringing in somebody of this caliber. Thank you. Okay, mahalo. I yield, Chair. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. To my colleagues, we are pushing up on the 11 o'clock hour. We have a bunch of people who will be waiting in Zoom. I know Ms. David had her light on after. Okay, thank you. Page 19 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. I was just going to mention that we're coming on the 11 o'clock hour. And I'm keeping this very short, Mr. Andoh. First of all, SSFM, mahalo for a beautiful plan. And congratulations to you. I'm not going to repeat everything, because everything Council Members have said about you and about what you have done so far, is so spot-on and accurate. What I want to say thank you for is reaching out to people in the district that have called our office for questions, that you personally answered their questions without them seeking more answers. I mean, you're so thorough with that. I'm just so impressed with your ability to be a community-minded person in charge of a huge, huge department. Number two, you have broken, in my mind, in my opinion, every record of the status quo of plans that sit on shelves after they're done, collecting dust. Implementation for government is the key. And you have demonstrated. You have broken the mold. And I'm so thankful for you. And ditto, to the Mayor for finding you wherever he did, because I agree with Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, government needs more people that can implement great plans that are developed for the community. So, thank you. And I'm done. Thank you. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. David. I saw Ms. Kimball, and then Mr. Chung, and then Ms. Villegas. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. And I'll keep this brief, as well. Reiterating the comments of all of my colleagues, I really appreciate this presentation. Every point almost, which I had a question, and you had another slide later on that answered it, so it was very thorough, very complete. I also want to mahalo you, and particularly your staff, for working with my office, dealing with the Kolekole Bridge issues, and being flexible about the routes. Particularly in Pepe`ekeo, where you were able to put in a solution that worked really well for the community folks there, and I just want to express their gratitude to you and your staff for helping with that. I'm going to give you all three questions at one time so that I can be short. Can you very briefly describe what you're referring to as far as private funding? Is this the arrangement with Sustainability Partners as an example? Two, as far as all these procurements related to zero-emissions infrastructure, any anticipation of issues with supply chain and access given that this funding will be issued nationally at a broad level and we're all going to be competing for those different resources. Page 20 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 And then third question, are you collaborating with any of the nonprofits that also provide transportation services? I know we're going to talk about grant-in-aid later, but several of the requests had to do with providing transportation services. And I'd really love to see a greater level of coordination of those efforts. So those are my three questions. MR. ANDOH: So on the first question, yes, Sustainability Partners. There is an RFP that the State entered into, for them to do collaborative private financing for vehicles and infrastructures so I'm working with Research and Development, we are working with them to help us with accelerating some of those infrastructure improvements. Two, yes a supply chain issue, definitely. There are some concerns, especially with these additional funds, and a lot of them are going to be competitive, so we're going to have to prepare ourselves to be shovel-ready, to be able access them, and that's where the engagement with Hawaiian Electric. And then Research and Development, in helping us with the hydrogen side of things, will help us tremendously. So I'm going to definitely going to continue to rely on that department for that energy assistance in doing this right. And to the third part, yes we are engaging nonprofits. There are multitude of transportation options on this island, which I learned, definitely by when I was meeting with the Keaukaha community. So I am starting to engage with each of those opportunities to see how we can better consolidate them and be able to provide a seamless product to the end-user. And that's where that contract mobility coordinator comes into play, because that will be able to help us in achieving that. We presently fund HCEOC (Hawai`i County Economic Opportunity Council) and the Brantley Center, which is an extension of Hele-On. Parks and Recreation runs Coordinated Services for the Elderly that we would like to have some better synergy with the Hele-On system, and I'm starting those discussions with Parks and Recreation now. And then we also have the Hele-On Paratransit Program, that also supplants plans all these other demand responsive programs; and then we have the Share Ride Program. So being able to find some synergies between all those will just provide a better product and reduce some confusion to our most vulnerable populations that need these services. MS. KIMBALL: Great. Thank you so much, John. And again, appreciate your time and all you've done to date. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Go ahead, Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: Thank you, John, for coming here. By the way, where are you from? Page 21 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. ANDOH: I'm originally from San Jose, California. My parents are from the United Kingdom, and our roots are from Ghana and the UK. MR. CHUNG: And then, where were you working before? MR. ANDOH: I was at the Comet in Columbia of South Carolina. MR. CHUNG: Wow. MR. ANDOH: And I also do multiple part-time roles in Escalon, California, and Burlington, North Carolina. MR. CHUNG: And nice hat, incidentally. MR. ANDOH: Thank you. MR. CHUNG: Real quality. Quality hat, yeah. You know, I don't normally say too much during presentations, and there's really two reasons why I don't. One, either I get all of the answers during the course of the presentation, and I don't have to rehash things that were already said. The other one is I hear only nonsense, and I don't want to frustrate myself any further, you know, by asking questions that's just going to further get me angry, right? And that's kind of common. I hear Maile laughing because she knows it's true, right? But your presentation, I missed the beginning part of it, yeah? But it was excellent, I've got to say that. You know, we may have heard the same thing before, but you're just so articulate in the way you present maybe. But I don't think that's the case. I really just think you have a firm grasp of where we're at and where we need to go, and I'm thoroughly impressed with that. I wanted to say, you know,just kind of echoing what Cheryl had said about you, really. You know, like in everything else, like if we analogize this with sports, you know, leadership, the coaching is everything. I don't care what kind of talent you have. You've got to have the leadership to set things in motion, and you only time will tell, of course. And incidentally, you've really gotten up to speed on the landscape here. Yeah, you mispronounced Kaloli, but we're going to give you that one, right? We'll give you that. MR. ANDOH: The staff gets on me on that. I apologize. I'm learning. Page 22 PWMTC-16 December 7,2021 MR. CHUNG: But you've really gotten up to speed on, as I said, the landscape. And I'm just kind of looking forward to what you're capable of doing in the future. And thank you so much, though, for this presentation. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Sure. Just really briefly, nailed it. Absolutely nailed it, congratulations. Your passion, your expertise, and your dedication to this vocation are so evident. And the skillset that you brought, your communication style, and taking a department that has historically struggled so, so, so much, and really turned it around. And I don't know if necessary that's a question for you, or for Mr. Lord, or for the Mayor, but I hope that at some point you will be introduced as the Director of Transportation instead of the Interim Director. So that's just something I want to put out there, because wow, nailed it. Thank you so much. MR. ANDOH: Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. I'm going to take us home. I have really nothing more to say, other than the four of us, myself, Mr. Richards, Mr. Chung, and Ms. David, have gone through four administrators. You're number four, and we've seen more from you in the last six months than the previous three, so thank you so much for all of your work. And as Cheryl mentioned, as a Planner, we put together these thick plans: master plans, guiding plans, guiding principles, and you really have turned it into an action plan, and that speaks volumes. So thank you so much for being here. And to the rest of my colleagues, if you guys want to bring him back anytime, focus in on one specific topic, I'm sure we could spend hours talking to Mr. Andoh. So with that, Mr. Clerk, we have a motion on the floor to close file on Communication 477, all those in favor? MR. ANDOH: Ms. Chair, may I just add one quickI'm sorry. You got a testifier comment about bus shelters, and I just want to just briefly mention that we are actively doing an island-wide bus shelter program. Our Transit Program Manager is working with Public Works to start constructing additional bus shelters island-wide, starting next fiscal year. So we will work to include additional shelters based on that testifier's comments on the list. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you for bringing that up and clearing that up. Motion to close file on Communication 477, all those in favor,please say Ic aye. Page 23